Ministers of the Gospel, Not of the Law
By W. M. Healey
F OR God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." John 3: 16, 17. Christ's mission to the world has never been to condemn, but to save. When Adam and Eve departed from God, by refusing to obey His word, they brought condemnation upon themselves. As they saw the glory depart that enshrouded them, leaving them "naked," they remembered the words, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die," and they expected death before the setting sun should mark the close of that day. When the evening shadows began to fall "in the cool of the day," Adam heard the voice of his Creator calling him. He was afraid to meet his Lord, supposing He had come to execute the penalty of death upon him. He tried to hide himself, but it is impossible to escape from the sight of that "all-seeing eye," and Adam and Eve were obliged to meet God. They were shown that God's law is immutable, and the penalty for its transgression could not be set aside. Then our Lord took Adam's place, that the penalty might fall upon Him. Thus He was the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev. 13: 8. The transgression, with its penalty, being transferred to Christ, Adam did not die that day. Christ did not die upon earth, that day, as a man dies, but He suffered as the Creator of man, held responsible for sin because of His apparently defective work. Christ gave a prophetic promise that He would come a man, the "Seed" of the woman, and as man, would overcome the serpent. About four thousand years later He came, the "Seed of the woman," and the "Man of Galilee," and again pointed out the unchangeable nature of God's law, and death as the penalty for its transgression. He came to Adam as his Creator, not to condemn, but to give Himself for man's salvation. Again He has come, this time in the flesh, a man, but not to condemn, or administer the penalty of sin, but to suffer and die for man. Thus in the life and death of Christ we have the Creator and the Man, the divine and the human, "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Shortly before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave a commission to the church to continue the same work He had been doing while here with His disciples. There was to be no change in the commission, for it was to reach "to the end of the world." "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Matt. 28: 19, 20. The commission was not only to teach, but to teach to "observe all things" that Christ taught. This includes the whole law of God as it then existed, for He said "not one jot or one tittle" of it should pass away. It also embraced the Gospel of salvation. When the church teaches the commandments of men in place of the commandments of God, it is no longer teaching "all things" as He commanded. And when the church goes so far as to unite with earthly powers to compel obedience to what it teaches, and execute penalties on those who refuse to obey men rather than God, then it is going directly contrary to the teaching and practise of Jesus Christ, and He has no part in that work. The sinner sees in all nature only final death. He beholds the withered leaf, the dying bird and beast, even his fellow man appearing, as the shadow, for a little time, and passing away. If he looks into the law of God, he beholds only condemnation and death. The church is commissioned to offer him salvation and everlasting life through faith in Jesus Christ. "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." 2 Cor. 3: 6. The letter of the new testament, or new covenant, kills, the same as did the letter of the old covenant. The new covenant contains the law of God. "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them." Heb. 10: 16. The letter of the law kills, not those who obey it, but those who disobey it. The spirit, intent, and purpose of the law are unto life. The State of California has a law forbidding murder, with the extreme penalty of death for the one who breaks it. The spirit, intent, and purpose of that law are life, which it was made to protect, but to the transgressor it becomes a law of death. But if the governor pardons the murderer, the same law that had only death for him, now protects his life, and in him the real spirit and original intent of the law are carried out. "And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." Rom. 7: 10. The church has no commission to minister death, or punishment for sin, but to offer forgiveness of sin through faith in Jesus Christ. This pardon restores the sinner to the original intent, purpose, and spirit of the law, the giving of life. The Gospel is not opposed to the law, but it enables the law to work out its spirit and purpose in the sinner. "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Rom. 3: 31. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 5: 1. "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh." Rom. 8: 3. It is not the work of the church to execute the penalty of the law upon the sinner, but to save the sinner from that penalty by reconciling him to God through Jesus Christ. "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation." 2 Cor. 5: 18. When the church has so far departed from the law of God and the commission of Jesus Christ as to unite with earthly government to make and enforce a Sunday law, or any other religious rule or doctrine, how can she expect the presence and blessing of Jesus Christ to be with her? "Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven."