Covenanter Witness Vol. 86 - Rparchives.org

The Law of GodSometimes we say that we are no longer living underthe law but under grace, and this is true. But Paul in writingto the Romans declares that the law has its purpose and thatit is holy and just and good. We are not saved by the lawbecause we do not keep it perfectly. We are saved by grace,through Jesus Christ, who did keep the law perfectly in ourstead. But the law is of God, and is still useful for us asChristians. Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but tofulfill it. For the purposes of God the law still stands, eventhough some wish to disregard it. Those who do simply wishto do as they please, disregarding God as well as His law.There are several kinds of laws in the Old Testament.There were ceremonial laws, laws concerning eating anddrinking, which were changed by Christ or fulfilled in Him,no longer in force. There were judicial laws, related to thetheocracy and to the civil government of Israel. There werethe moral laws, briefly stated in the Ten Commandments,and summarized by Jesus in the two great commandments oflove. In this article, we are concerned chiefly about themoral law.God gave these laws. The fact that in the Sermon onthe Mount Jesus corrected the interpretation of these laws,finding the interpretation of the scribes wrong or insufficient,indicates that they are still in force. They areunchangeable and unchanged. The summary of Jesus,"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, andwith all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thystrength; this is the first commandment. And the second islike, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,"cover the first and second tables of the law. They do notchange them in the least. God expects us to continueobedience to these laws.The interpretation of several of these laws by Jesusshows that they apply to the thoughts and intents of theheart. The Psalmist declared, "The law of the Lord isperfect." The weakness is in the fact that man does not keepit. God had a right to make these laws for man whom He hadcreated, and He made them for all.Because we fail daily to keep perfectly the law, we cannever merit salvation. As long as we are in rebellion againstGod by seeking to do our own will, or the will of anotherrather than God's will, any work that we may do is notacceptable to God, and the work is without merit in Hissight. So we can only be saved by grace, through faith inJesus Christ. So we are saved by grace and not by the law.Yet the law is good for both unbelievers and forChristians. The law makes clear what is sinful in God'ssight. The Spirit uses the law in the Word of God to convictof sin, to bring a person to realize that he is a sinner in God'ssight, and to lead him to turn from it to God in repentance.The law of God makes clear to the one who does not acceptChrist what he may expect after this life, and in some cases,what he may expect as punishment in this life. Civil laws arein many cases based upon the moral law. The Scriptures gavethe punishment to be meted out for violations, in some casescapital punishment.Christians have been saved by grace. Of what use is thelaw for them? The law was given by God, and expressed thedivine will. That divine will has not changed. From the lawwe can learn what is pleasing to God and what is displeasingto Him. We try to please one whom we love. If we love Godwe will try to do that which will please Him. Jesus said, "Ifye love me ye will keep my commandments." His commandmentsare to love Him and our neighbor. If we trulylove God, we will not have any other gods before Him. Wewill worship Him directly. We will not profane His name.We will observe His day of worship.Likewise, if we love our neighbor as ourselves, we willhonor those to whom honor is due. We will not only notmurder, but we will not have the least desire to murder, andwill not even hate. We will not commit adultery, nor will wedesire to do so. We will not steal that which belongs toanother, nor will we desire to do so. We will not desire tohurt the reputation of another by false statements. The law,as Jesus interpreted it, makes clear the will of God to us. Thelaw is a rule to live by, but not to obtain life. We obtain lifeby faith in Jesus Christ. He is our example. But He kept thelaw, and we learned from the law what His example is. ThePsalmist says, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a lightunto my path."Under the Old Testament a curse was pronouncedupon those who did not keep the law. God did not changethat, but the curse pronounced was carried out on JesusChrist, who went to the cross and bore the curse pronouncedagainst sinful man. We often say that Jesus was crucified,though He was innocent of any sin. That is not quite thefact. It is true that He had committed no sin of His own. Butwe need to realize that He took our sins upon Himself, andbecame the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of theworld. He who knew no sin became sin for us. Having takenour sins upon Himself, He deserved to die in punishment forthose sins, and to receive the curse for those who are guilty.We have to use these expressions with understanding andcare, lest we be misunderstood. It was as our substitute thatJesus did this. By what He did, He has redeemed us from thecurse of the law, and from its guilt.Paul therefore says that the law is holy, and thecommandments holy, and just, and good. We thank God forthem, for through them we come to know the will of God, aswell as what is pleasing to Him; what we should do, andwhat we should avoid doing. Because of our love for God,itisa joy to do His will, not a burden.•••3Associate Reformed Presbyterian