The Law and the Gospel
Memory Text: "Now
by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who
says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His
commandments, is a liar,
and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:3, 4, NKJV).
This verse presents a
dilemma because depending on how you read it the emphasis could be on
knowing Christ- (which would make keeping
the law a fruit of
knowing Him) or on keeping the law (which would make knowing Him a fruit
of keeping the law). Which one is it?
We could try looking at
the verse closer and see where it leads us. Let us start within the
expression, "that we know Him." In John 17:3, Christ stated
that knowing Him (and His Father) is eternal life. In John 6, Christ says
that eating His flesh and drinking His blood gives life. When we eat and
drink we assimilate the food and drink; it becomes part of us. So,
although we do not think about it in this manner, there is an intimate relation
between food and us. What we eat and how we eat will eventually be
revealed. This is akin to knowing someone, the more time you spend with
them the more the two assimilate each other. In time it will be evident
that the two spend a lot of time together. To those around Peter it
became evident that Peter was with Jesus; Peter now spoke like a Galilean
(Matthew 26:73). Peter in many ways acted like Jesus. So, Peter's
speech was evidence that he was with Jesus. Peter did not go around
speaking like Jesus to prove that he was one of them. It just came
out. When the disciples preached many said that it was evident that they
had been with Jesus. There was a transformation.
The next expression is
"Keeping the commandments." Who are these that keep them? Paul
identifies the just as those who keep the commandments (Romans 2: 13).
The words just and righteous are the same word in Greek. Abraham was
just. How was Abraham just? He believed God's words and it was
counted to Him for righteousness (Romans 4:3). Now, if Abraham's faith
made him just, and the just keep the commandments, it follows that only those
who hear God's words and believe them (since faith comes through Hearing and
hearing through the word) keep the commandments (Romans 10:17). The best
way to know someone is to hear what they say and seek to understand them.
What are the
commandments? We could argue that they are the Ten Commandments. We
typically also call it the Law. The Ten Commandments speak of things we
would do for others, not ourselves. Not one of the commandments says
anything about how you are to treat yourself, but how you are to treat God and
others. Christ stated in Matthew 22: 37 - 40,
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the
prophets.
This is a summary of the
commandments. It says in essence, put God and others first. This is
what Jesus did, he put His Father and others first. So much that He went
to die on the cross so others may live. That is why the Father sent Him
(Romans 5:8). So, John puts it this way,
1Jo 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God,
because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives
for the brethren.
In the Gospel according
to John 15: 10 – 17, Jesus is quoted saying that this is the commandment He
gives to us,
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my
love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love…
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another,
as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one
another.
And we see in this
passage how laying down your life is related to abiding in Christ's love.
So, is love related to the commandments? Paul gives the answer,
Romans 13:10 Love
worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of
the law.
How do we relate faith
to all of these? Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4).
Anything outside of faith is Sin (Romans 14:23). So, anything
outside of faith transgresses the Law. We have concluded that the law in
essence says to love God and others above yourself, So, not loving God and
others above yourself or loving yourself above others – is transgressing the
law, and it is not of faith, therefore it is a Sin. So, if love fulfills
the law and does not transgress it, love is not Sin therefore love is of
faith. This means that since loving God and others above yourself is
laying down your life, then it follows that only those who lay down their life
for others, as Christ laid His life down for us, are just or righteous; they
keep the law. So, how do we know you know Christ? Because you
willingly lay down your life for others as He laid His down for you.
So, the question
remains, why was the law given? Romans says it was given to
make sin, sinful; so that Sin may abound (Romans 5: 20). Galatians
says that it was given because of transgression (Galatians 3:19). What
transgression is it referring to? Based on this verse in Galatians and
what Paul says in Hebrews, the transgression was the unbelief of the Israelites
in the wilderness (Hebrews 3). What Paul is really saying is that the law
was written on tablets because the Israelites refused to let God write the law
in their hearts. So, the written tablets would be a reminder of what of
what is righteousness and in contrast to the Israelites what is Sin. Paul
says in 1 Tim 1: 8,
1Ti 1:8 But we know that the law is good,
if a man use it lawfully;
1Ti 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a
righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for
sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of
mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile
themselves with mankind, for men stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and
if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
1Ti 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed
God, which was committed to my trust.
So, for who is the
written law, moral law, 10 Commandments? It is for the wicked, the sinner, the
trespasser. Why? For who is the MRI? Is it not for those who are
sick? Why? It is to diagnose; for what purpose? To condemn so we can punish? No.
It is to convict so the person will go to the doctor for healing.
The commandments were
given to expose sin and lead us to a Savior, to convince us of how terrible our
condition is, and how we can do nothing to fix it ourselves, so we will stop
trying and surrender to the One who has the remedy! They were given to
make Sin unattractive and grace attractive. Had man been obedient there
would have been no need for the law to be given. Ellen White says,
If man had kept the law
of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved by Noah, and observed by
Abraham, there would have been no necessity for the ordinance of circumcision.
And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, of which circumcision
was a sign, they
would never have been
seduced into idolatry, nor would it have been necessary for them to suffer a
life of bondage in Egypt; they would have kept God's law in mind, and there
would have been no necessity for it to be proclaimed from Sinai or engraved
upon the tables of stone. And had the people practiced the principles of the
Ten Commandments, there would have been no need of
the additional
directions given to Moses. {PP 364.2}
Thus, the Gospel can be defined as the good news that through
Jesus the law can be written in our heart and mind if only we allow the
indwelling Spirit of God to do it. This is God's desire. Nothing
will please Him more. Will we allow Him?
