THE LAW AND THE GOSPEL.
By G.
"WHERE no law is, there is no transgression." Rom. 4:15. Many persons, in order to shirk the responsibility of observing the seventh-day Sabbath "according to the commandment," maintain that the law of God was abolished. If that were true, then there would be no sin; for "sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4. That the law of God is meant here, is shown by Paul when he says, "I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." It is the law of God that says, "Thou shalt not covet;" therefore that is the law by which Paul knew what sin is. And this same law—the Ten Commandments—was declared by Christ to be in full force in His day, and was to be continued as long as heaven and earth should stand. He said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." Matt. 5:17. And to forestall any idea that there might be even the slightest change in the law, He adds this positive assurance: "Verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." In furtherance of the doctrine that the law has been abolished, we are told that Christ fulfilled it, and then it passed away, the Gospel taking its place. But Christ spoke also of the "prophets," or prophecies; not a jot or tittle of the law could fail till all these were fulfilled; and it will require eternity to fulfil them. However, Paul makes clear the Lord's idea of fulfilling all the law. He tells us that God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, to condemn sin in the flesh, "that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." This was not fully accomplished while Christ was on earth, not even in the twelve apostles; therefore not one jot or tittle of the law could have been abolished. It should also be remembered that if the law be abolished, there is no further use for the Gospel. The Gospel is the good news of salvation from sin (the transgression of the law); and if there is no law, there is no transgression, and the Gospel is a superfluity. Why offer pardon to a people who have committed no sin? But "there is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10); "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (verse 23); yet sin is not imputed when there is no law (chapter 5:13). Another evidence that sin is rife in the world, and therefore the law must still exist in all its force, without even the change of a letter or part of a letter, is the fact that death reigns everywhere. There is a continual funeral procession en route to the habitations of the dead, and a perpetual night-watch over the couches of the dying. Why this ever-increasing death roll?—Simply this, "The wages of sin is death." Rom. 6:23. And this is why the Gospel is of force only because of the continued operation of the law. It is the only proclamation of a remedy for the transgression of the law; and this is its only purpose. The natural man "is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Rom. 8:7. He is born in sin, and naturally doomed to death; but the Gospel says, "The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Chapter 6:23. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36. Jesus Christ has "brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel." 2 Tim. 1:10. The basis of this Gospel remedy is not the removal of the law that sin may be impossible; it is based in the love of God, who gave His Son as a sacrifice by whose blood the sin might be removed, and the sinner be brought into harmony with the law. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom. 8:1. It is the law that condemns the sinner; otherwise he would go uncondemned—he would not be a sinner. So if there is "no condemnation to them that are in Christ," it is because the sin has been pardoned. The law no longer condemns one who has been pardoned, for the reason that the guilt is removed and he is in harmony with, and becomes subject to, the law. He may remain in this condition by walking after the Spirit, that is, walking by faith. "The law is spiritual" (chapter 7:14); and can not condemn the spiritual person, for he does not violate its provisions. If he again becomes carnal, walking after the lusts of the flesh, the law will again condemn him. Paul says of himself, before he found Christ, "I am carnal, sold under sin."—Ib. He was then "under the law;" but when he accepted Christ, and his sins were forgiven, he was no longer "under the law, but under grace" (chapter 6:14); for sin had no more dominion over him. He then became, by the Spirit of Christ, a doer of the law, walking by faith. The law can not justify the sinner, but it does justify the one who obeys it. See chapter 3:19, 20; 2:13. The one who has accepted the Gospel call comes under the grace or favor of God. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Chapter 5:1. Peace with God means doing His will. Jesus said, "My meat is to do the will of Him that sent Me." John 4:34. The Father's will is His law. Ps. 40:7, 8. God has a government; government implies order, and order implies law. There can be no government without law; absence of order means chaos; absence of law means anarchy. To abolish God's law would disrupt His government and annul His authority. This is what Satan would like to see; therefore he would have men believe that the law is abolished, especially the fourth commandment, which alone designates the authorship of the law and His special memorial, the Sabbath. We have said that the basis of the Gospel is God's love. The complement of this love, that which completes the design, making it effectual to the individual, is faith. The grace of God to the sinner can only become permanent through faith. "By grace are ye saved through faith." Eph. 2:8. Then the Gospel is of force to the benefit of the sinner only through faith, and that brings him right into friendly, peaceful contact with the law. So says Paul: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid; yea, we establish the law." Rom. 3:31.