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The Law in the Gospel

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Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jun 28, 1910

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 25.

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The Law in the Gospel

By T. Godfrey

By T. Godfrey
"For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness." Rom. 1: 16-18.
T is quite evident, from the reading of the above scripture, that the law of God and the Gospel of Christ are inseparable. Without the law there would be no need of the Gospel; for the Gospel is the means of grace which God has provided to save a fallen race from sin and death; but if there is no law, there is no sin, as the following scriptures clearly teach:
"For WHERE NO LAW IS, THERE IS NO TRANSGRESSION." Rom. 4: 15. "Sin is not imputed when there is no law." Rom. 5: 13. "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3: 4.
So if there is no law, there is no sin; and if no sin, there could not have been any death. But what say the Scriptures? Let us read:
"Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and as death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." "For as by one man's disobedience [Adam's] many were made sinners." Rom. 5: 12, 19. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3: 23.
It is very evident, then, that there is a law, that the transgression of that law is sin, and that the penalty for the transgression of that law is death. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." Eze. 18: 4. "The wages of sin is death." Rom. 6: 23.
The Gospel is the power of God to save a fallen race from sin and death, and at the same time maintain the honor and integrity of the throne of God. For the law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of His moral government; and to uphold these eternal principles, and to save the transgressors from death, God "gave His only-begotten Son" to die upon the cross, to pay the penalty for a broken law, for the law demanded the life of the transgressor. The Lord, speaking by the mouth of the prophet, says: "The Lord is well pleased for His [Christ's] righteousness' sake. He will magnify the law, and make it honorable." Isa. 42: 21. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3: 16.
"The Gospel of Christ" is the power of God to save the believer in the Gospel of Christ, for the Gospel can not save the unbelievers. In the Gospel is revealed the righteousness of God, which righteousness is manifested in His holy law; for the law is a transcript of the righteous character of God.
The psalmist, speaking of the righteousness of God, says:
"Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Thy law is the truth. . . . My tongue shall speak of Thy Word: for all Thy commandments are righteousness." Ps. 119: 142, 172.
The prophet Isaiah speaks of the law and the Gospel in the following language:
"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner; but My salvation [the Gospel] shall be forever, and My righteousness [the law] shall not be abolished. Harken unto Me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is My law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but My righteousness [the law] shall be forever, and My salvation [the Gospel] from generation to generation." Isa. 51: 6-8.
The law occupies a very important place in the plan of salvation. Not that the law can pardon sin; for it is not the duty of law to justify the transgressors of law, but rather to reprove them of sin, as we see from the reading of the Holy Scriptures:
"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Rom. 3: 19, 20.
Thus the law defines sin, but can not take away sin. The law says, "Thou shalt not kill." But if we kill, we are convinced of the law as transgressors, and are under sentence of death. The law points out sin; and the Gospel brings to us the remedy for sin, which is Christ Jesus our Lord.
The apostle Paul says, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." Rom. 7: 14. The spiritual law and the carnal mind are antagonists; there is no agreement between them. The spiritual law says, "Thou shalt not covet." The carnal mind says it is right to covet. The spiritual law says, "Thou shalt not bear false witness." The carnal mind says it is right to bear false witness. The Word of God says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Rom. 8: 7.
Therefore the carnal mind must be slain, and taken away, and the mind of Christ enthroned in its stead. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Phil. 2: 5. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple." Ps. 19: 7.
Again the apostle Paul speaks:
"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." Rom. 7: 7.
"But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. . . . And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal. 3: 22-29.
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Rom. 5: 1, 2.
"Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Rom. 3: 31.
The law of God being the rule of life, it is evident that it is the rule of judgment. The wise man says, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12: 13, 14.
The law of God is the great mirror of righteousness, in which are revealed all our sins. The Gospel is the power of God to save us from our sins.