instructions for it should be called “God’s commands” or “the imperative of the gospel” to distinguish them from the killing function and power of the law. Others argue that God’s plan is the law regardless of how it functions. So with Melanchthon they speak of a third use of the law, a term that Luther did not use even though he often preached the law of God to instruct his hearers in Wittenberg. These terminological debates are significant discussions for pastoral care. They do not alter the fact