Man’s way leads to a hopeless end -- God’s way leads to an endless hope.

Unknown

What does moralizing have to do with [the proper use of Law and Gospel in our ministries]? We can best answer in two words: Absolutely nothing!… Such an end has nothing in common with our goals in the Christian church, whether we are talking about our primary or secondary aims. Let us etch this thought deeply in our minds: There is no point of contact between moralizing and the Christian ministry! There may be some, though, that take exception with that assertion – at least with putting it so strongly. Don’t we affirm, they may wonder, that one of the aims of our ministry… is to promote sanctification? And isn’t it also true that instructing people in righteousness… is the same as making someone moral? There is just one answer we can give to these questions: Absolutely not!… In our ministry we are concerned with effecting a real change of heart (metanoia); we want to replace a sinful heart with Christ’s own heart. Manners, outward appearances, hands and feet – these are the only concerns of moralizing.

Krueger, Silas. Moralizing and the Pastoral Ministry, p. 14
1978 essay to Arizona-Cal. Dist. Pastoral Conf.
Bivens, Forrest L. Getting the Right Message Out –
And Getting It Out the Right Way
Spring 2004. WLQ, Vol. 101, No. 2, p.114

Comment: A teacher is 'moralizing' when he/she teaches morals without the proper motivation - love and thankfulness toward a Lord, who has won forgiveness for us, when we have failed in our morality.

(Columbus, Ga.) A cache of cash found in the Columbus landfill was the result of a bank error. The money — more than $46,000 — was found on July 23 by a backhoe operator who was digging through mounds of garbage at the Pine Grove Landfill. That was about the same amount of money a Columbus bank official told the local FBI office in July 2002 the bank had misplaced. Police proved the money belonged to the bank because remnants of bank wrappers were mixed in with the misplaced cash.

Police: $46G From Bank Found in Landfill
August 14, 2004. Associated Press - Strange News

Comment: Money misused this way, did not improve the landfill at all. The Gospel given to those who don’t recognize or repent of their sins is equally wasted. Pearls thrown to swine – Mat. 7:6

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent – the Lord detests them both.

Proverbs 17:15

Comment: When a pastor or preacher mix law and gospel, they doing what the Lord detests. If they tell someone they are forgiven and grace is theirs, when the individual has not repented and is quite secure in his sin, they are "acquitting the guilty." If a person repents and the pastor is still railing on them to shape up, they are using the Law where the Gospel is needed; they are "condemning the innocent," who have been forgiven in Christ.

The preacher begins by condemning me for my poor showing in sanctification. That’s fine… The problem is that from there he goes directly to the third use of the law and invites me to start doing a better job for Jesus’ sake… This law-to-law approach leaves me looking at myself and implies that I should start doing better (for Jesus’ sake, of course).

Westendorf, James. Preach the Word, July 2001, p.2
quoted by: Bivens, Forrest L. Getting the Right Message Out – And Getting It Out the Right Way
Spring 2004. WLQ, Vol. 101, No. 2, p.117

Comment: Westendorf is pointing out that a sermon that misses Jesus as Redeemer and Savior, destroys the Christian message of hope and joy, which is the motivator for Christian living. Without Christ, the weight of goodness and salvation fall back on us. Law-to-law is poor preaching & teaching, but is all too common. Watch out for it.