Owen's View of the Nature of the Law of God Owen's Catechism, a profound complement to the Westminster Divines' Smaller Catechism, though not equal in length to the Larger Catechism, covers both the nature and the purpose of the law of God. He answers that the law of God did not begin at Mt. Horeb in Exodus 20, but rather with the creation of Adam, adding that the reason this law has binding authority has nothing to do with it being given to the Israelites. The text contends that sin is the transgression of the law. Since sin is forbidden in every detail, then the obverse of sin, which is conformity to the law, must also be comprehensive. He argues from the perspective of distinct natures that fallen man cannot keep the law.
Law is spiritual, whereas fallen man is carnal.
Although fallen man cannot keep the law, he once had the capacity to keep the law when God first gave it. First, we must discover what obedience to God entails. Second, observing the law drives us to Christ. In his sixth question, Owen explains how God's law inclines us to Christ. The Whole of the Law of God Expresses the Holiness of God Just as the law expresses the authority of God, so it speaks to his holiness.