DID CHRIST GIVE A NEW LAW?
By W. L. Iles
THE law of God, or the Ten Commandments, was once acknowledged by nearly all denominations as the eternal law of God for all time, the present dispensation as well as the past. The Decalog has been taught to the children in Sunday-school. These holy commandments have been the theme of many a gospel sermon. Churches have been decorated with a copy of the law of God. They have been pronounced "holy" by prophet, apostle, reformer, bishop, preacher, and the people. What a change has taken place! By ministers and laymen the law of God is called "the old law," "the law of Moses," "the Jewish law," and a "yoke of bondage." What is the cause of this change in the minds of the people? The law has not changed, but the people have. They see that the law very emphatically teaches that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, and they are prohibited from working on that day by the law. Rather than turn from their old way and keep the commandment, they prefer to cast reflection upon God's law, claim it was abolished by Christ, and a new law given to take its place. Christ being a "prophet," and God speaking through him, all that he said had the authority of law. His life and teaching are an exposition of the moral law. If we follow him and obey his commands, we will keep the Ten Commandments. Suppose Christ did give a new law, where is the commandment in the new law that tells us to rest upon the first day of the week? It does not help the Sunday-sabbath cause in the least to claim Christ gave a new law, unless those who claim it can find a command enjoining upon us Sunday as a rest day. All the new commandments given by Christ lead to the keeping of God's moral law. 1. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law." Matt. 5:17. 2. "Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets." Matt. 7:12. 3. "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." John 13:34. 4. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15. 5. "And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." 1 John 3:23. If we will obey the first commandment given above we will have no trouble with those that follow. All the "new commandments" will not conflict with the law that Jesus says he came not to destroy. If we do not think that the law was destroyed by Christ, then we must think or believe the fourth commandment is still binding. The second commandment given above is what is called "The Golden Rule." It is a rule which, if obeyed, would lead to the keeping of the last six commandments of the Decalog. It will not be obeying the commandment for me to do unto others as I would like to have them to do unto me. I must do to them as they should do (ought to do) to me. We should treat others, not as we would like to have them treat us, but as God would like to have them treat us. We must go to God's law to find out how God would have us conduct ourselves in relation to our fellow-men. No wonder Christ should have added "for this is the law." He that obeys The Golden Rule obeys that part of the law relating to man. He does his duty to his fellow-men. Christ says, "A new commandment I give unto you." Does the new commandment lessen our obligation to keep the Ten Commandments? The children of Israel were commanded to love one another before they left Mount Sinai. Lev. 19:18. Christ's life upon earth was an example of love. The commandment was new because it was "love as I have loved you." In this new commandment Christ sets forth his life as our pattern, and what should be the measure of our love. "Owe no man anything but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment [showing our relation to each other], it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." Rom. 12:8-10. In the new commandment of Christ he simply commands us to love as he had loved, and as love is the fulfilling of the law of Ten Commandments, he commanded us to keep the law as he had kept it. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matt. 22:37-40. If all the law hangs on the two commandments, love to God and love to man, so long as we are required to love God and man, just so long will the law be binding. The first four commandments of the Decalog make requirements of us which will be obeyed, if understood, when we love God with all our hearts. The last six make requirements which will be obeyed when we love our neighbor as ourselves. Love to God and love to man is the fulfilling of the whole law. In the command, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel," Christ recognized the law. The Gospel is "glad tidings" of salvation. Its purpose is to save people from their sins. "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his people from their sins." Matt. 1:21. "Sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4. It is the transgression of the Ten Commandments. Rom. 7:7. If the law is abolished we have no need of the Gospel. If there is a Gospel to be preached, then there must be sinners, and if there is sin, there must be a law. The theory that the Jews had the law, and we have the Gospel without the law, is a false theory. The people of the old dispensation had the same law as a standard of righteousness, and the same Gospel that we have. "For unto us was the Gospel preached, as well as unto them." Heb. 4:2. "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." Gal. 3:8. Wherever you find the Gospel of Christ needed, there you will find sin; and where you find sin, there you find the law. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel," for the whole world, has transgressed the law and have need of the Gospel. The law points out the sin, the Gospel removes it. We can enjoy the full benefits of the Gospel only as we believe in Christ. God is so much interested in our salvation from sin that he gave us the commandment, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ." Faith in Christ, or believing on Christ, establishes the law. Rom. 3:31. It is evident that all the new commandments of Christ, if obeyed, would lead to the keeping of the ten commandments.