p. 1 | LAW by Eld. E. Goodrich

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Nov 8, 1864

LAW.

By Eld. E. Goodrich

ITS OBJECT—HOW FULFILLED.

BY ELD. E. GOODRICH.

(Concluded.)

BUT it may be asked, Was not the reference to law general, and did not the Saviour use the term fulfill as applicable to the entire question under consideration? Most certainly. The reference to law was full and complete; and not only is the term fulfill applicable to all classes of law, but above all others it is the most appropriate word that may be used in discussing the law of God. It means the very opposite of annul or destroy. To fulfill, is to fill up full. And applied to law as to any design, it signifies to accomplish the end or purpose. And Matt. v, 18, in the strongest possible language, teaches that though heaven and earth pass, not one jot or tittle of the law can fail of accomplishing the end for which it was ordained. And as no item of law can pass until, and only as, it is fulfilled, the only sense in which law can be said to have been done away is that of having been fulfilled.

The above being true as a theory, if it be true as a fact, that the law of God has all been abolished—done away, then it is equally true as a matter of conclusion, that the law of God has all been fulfilled. But if in reality applies to all men. How else could it be? for there is no need of redeeming any but those that are lost. The remedy provided is equal, and only equal to the necessity that called it forth. And not only is the remedy equal to the necessity, but just as soon as the disease manifested itself the cure was applied.

There are some, however, who seem to understand the Scriptures as teaching that God tried for several thousand years to perfect, justify, and save, man by law, but that, as the experiment was a failure, when Christ came the whole thing was set aside, and now we have nothing but faith and grace. Such is not the case. For it was not all law then, neither is it all grace now. True the law began with Adam. But it is also true that as soon as sin manifested itself, the remedy, the grace of God, was preached. And from that time to this, God has had but one Saviour, but one system of salvation, and but one rule by which men are justified. The Saviour is ever preached as Christ "the seed of the woman," the only name given under heaven or among men whereby we may be saved.

The system is redemption through Christ. And it will be said of all who are saved, "These have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

The rule by which men are justified is faith. As it is written, "The just shall live by faith." And it may be interesting to add, that of the long line of worthies referred to by the apostle, Heb. xi, there is not an instance in which God ever even tried to justify Jew or Gentile by law. Not that there is imperfection in the law; the imperfection is in man. As it is written, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." Rom. vii, 14. And as a perfect law cannot justify an imperfect action, the weakness of the flesh to obey, renders the law weak to justify. As we read: "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 (or by a sacrifice for sin, margin) condemned sin in the flesh." Rom. viii, 3. There is no fault found with the law. There is no condemnation of the law; but "sin in the flesh." And we continue to read, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled (not done away), in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." Rom. viii, 4-6.

But why all these results from minding the things of the flesh? The next verse shows: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. The argument of the apostle, that to be carnally minded is death, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, necessarily rests upon and at the same time demonstrates the fact that the law of God is supreme. And it is not the death of the law of God, but the death of the carnal mind, that is everywhere taught in the New Testament.

There are no promises to the natural man whatever. To him belongeth cursing and death. All the promises of God are made to, and through Christ, the Lord of life and glory. Hence if we belong to the former, we are without hope; and the scripture to us is, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

"For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die." Rom. viii, 8, 13. Again, "But he who was of the bond-woman was born after the flesh" of whom it is said, "Cast out the bond-woman and her son; for the son of the bond-woman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman."

But if we belong to Christ, then the scripture is, "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Gal. iii, 29. Again, "If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God." And the main effort of the apostle seems to be to show the necessity of being born again; not of the flesh, but of the Spirit. And the doctrine of the cross is the doctrine of the crucifixion of the flesh in every instance.

This truth is beautifully and fully set forth by the apostle in the following language: "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were baptized into his death? Therefore are we buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. * Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin may be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him; knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Rom. vi, 3-11.

In the case of our Lord Jesus Christ, the doctrine of the cross teaches that, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil." Heb. ii, 14. And as he was "made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law," Gal. iv, 4, 5, before his crucifixion, he was a proper subject of temptation, law and death. But when he was crucified he was "put to death in the flesh." And "in that he died, he died unto sin once," so that when he was raised up by the glory of the Father, quickened by the Spirit of God, he arose to a new life, a triumphant conqueror, freed from all the demands of the law of sin and death.

From the above arguments the following conclusive deductions may be made; viz., that to be in the flesh is to be under the law—an enemy of God and his law; and a subject of death. And the only way of escape is by a change of relation; by getting rid of the body of sin, by being crucified with Christ, and by being quickened by the Spirit of God.

And as additional evidence confirming the above we may read, "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life, because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." Rom. viii, 8-11.

And yet, notwithstanding the great amount of plain Bible testimony showing that the entire race of Adam is under law and doomed to certain death, and the only way of escape is by being crucified with Christ and quickened into a new life by the Spirit of God, there are those who understand that it is the law of God that is killed. And they read, "For ye are not under the law, but under grace." Certainly we are not under the law, but under grace, and the apostle in thirteen and a half verses that precede the half just read, Rom. vi, 14, shows just how we get out from under the law.

Again they read, "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead (or being dead to that, margin,) wherein we were held." True, we are delivered from the law, but we are delivered in the same manner that Christ was delivered. Christ was freed from sin in dying unto sin. He was freed from the law in satisfying its utmost demands, even death. And he was delivered from death by the Spirit of God—by virtue of his power to conquer. And if this is true of Christ who knew no sin, we cannot expect the sinner to be delivered in a less painful way.

There is a sense, however, in which the law of God may be said to be killed. It is that of legally killing a bond by satisfying all its demands. And we ought always to remember that it is penal law that binds, that curses, and that stings to death; hence in all these places where it is said that we are under law, that the law curses, or that we are delivered from law, penal law is necessarily meant.

There is certainly no sense in which precept law—those commandments that express our moral obligation to God and our fellow men, can be said to be done away. And it is a matter of fact that from Christ's sermon on the mount to the last chapter of the Revelation through John, the commandments of God are preached, and a blessing pronounced upon them who do and keep them.

Edinboro, Pa.