The Law for the Lawless

What is the Law of God for? Historically, Reformed theology, following John Calvin, had three uses of the Law. The law (1) revealed sin, (2) restrained sin, and (3) instructed the redeemed to walk in righteous. In recent days, the Gospel-Centered Movement stressed the first use and acknowledged the third. But what has been largely absent has been a biblical treatment of the second use of the law with application to our current moral crisis. Absent, until now! In The Law for the Lawless, David Mitzenmacher has written a “legal brief” to fill that need and to show the goodness of God’s law for restraining sin in society. Indeed, has there ever been in America’s history a greater need for sin to be restrained? I think not. The neglect of the second use of the law has had deadly effects, and if the institutions of family, church, and state are going to restrain sin as God designed, then we must recover the second use of the Law. With clear language and concrete illustrations, David Mitzenmacher has brought the Law of God into open, so that Christians can see the goodness of the Law once again and apply God’s Law beyond the secret and quiet places of life. Indeed, every pastor needs to read this book, especially those who want to keep the gospel central. But more than pastors, this is a book that can and should be read by every Christian who loves God’s law.

Amidst the numerous debates and controversies within the church, the civil use of the law as an external restraint on sin and a guide towards goodness has been completely neglected and overlooked by modern Christians. Many of today’s errors stem from a misunderstanding or failure to apply God’s law properly. In this age of chaos, we not only need the good news of God’s grace but also need to return to this God who graciously reveals His moral law in the Decalogue so that we don’t live rudderless and unsure of how to please our Creator. I’m excited about this volume and believe it will benefit any pastor or church that undertakes to reach it. Tolle lege!

With clarity, courage, and deep confessional awareness, David Mitzenmacher offers a much-needed retrieval of the second use of God’s moral law—a doctrine too often neglected in modern evangelicalism, and especially within our Baptist tradition. This book marks a significant step forward in the maturation of Baptist political theology, demonstrating that Baptists need not choose between gospel centrality and moral clarity, nor between grace and public responsibility. Rooted in Reformed orthodoxy and driven by pastoral concern, Mitzenmacher reminds us that the law of God is not merely for the regenerate heart—it is also for the restraint of evil, the ordering of society, and the common good. In an age that calls evil good and good evil, this book is a gift to Baptists who are ready to think seriously and biblically about law, justice, and Christian public witness.

The Law for the Lawless lucidly argues that God intends for His Law to restrain evil in all spheres of life. This teaching, presumed in earlier times among more noble generations, is mostly absent from today's pulpits. The by-product of the absence is a black freezing ocean of calamity. As waters cover the sea, lawlessness now covers the land. Civilization, deliriously gasping for air, is drowning underneath. Thankfully, this book is a rescue mission, offering a lamp, glowing with application, to direct us to the solid ground of ordered freedom.

David Mitzenmacher has provided evangelicals with a theological, biblical, and practical guide to live as salt and light in a world full of people that do not share their convictions. Not only does Mitzenmacher help the reader understand the instructive and corrective use of God’s law in the home, the church, and society, but he also gives real-life direction for putting God’s law to good use in these distinct relationships. I hope that many Christians will not only read this book, but that it will help them become the salt and light Christ has intended them to be.

The Law for the Lawless stands as a vital addition to the reading list of both pastors and church members alike. With an incisive clarity, David Mitzenmacher provides a biblically thorough, theologically consistent, and widely accessible exhortation for the revival of an abiding commitment to the application of God’s moral law in every sphere of life. In a world that has lost its moral foundations, this book lays them firmly, and will, no doubt, serve God’s people in recovering the architecture of the robustly biblical worldview that our day requires. I look forward to seeing this book added to our churches’ resource stall as well as its wide use as a discipling tool among our people.

For many Christians today, the word law carries a negative connotation, often seen as being at odds with the gospel. In The Law for the Lawless, David Mitzenmacher challenges this misconception by grounding his insights in the clear testimony of Scripture—particularly Paul’s affirmation that “the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12). With clarity and care, Mitzenmacher shows that God’s law is not only good but essential—for both believers and unbelievers—as a foundation for justice, order, and community well-being. This book serves as a timely reminder that even in a fallen world, God has graciously established a structure for human flourishing. By recovering the civil use of the law, The Law for the Lawless calls the church to restore the vital balance between law and gospel in an age that has largely rejected God’s design.

Few biblical subjects confound, confuse, and exasperate Christians more than that of the Law of God and its applicability today. In The Law for the Lawless, David Mitzenmacher has begun the challenging, yet desperately needed work of helping the Church recover the beauty, goodness, and applicability of God’s Law for all of life, so that all might know Christ.