The Gospel and the Law
"I bring you good news of great joy that will before all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10, 11, NIV*). An "angel of the Lord" heralded the birth of the Savior of the world to humble shepherds in the fields tending their flocks. The good news focused on deliverance; "Christ the Lord" would deliver His people.
Earlier, the angel had brought Joseph of Nazareth this instruction: "You are to give [the infant] the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). In this instruction was to be found the essential cause for Jesus' life as the incarnate Son of God: To be "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).
Jesus understood this. During His ministering days, He visited Nazareth where He'd been reared and He went into the synagogue for Sabbath worship. Standing before the people, Jesus began to read from Isaiah 61:1-2: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor" (Luke 4:18). The "good news" is the good tidings of salvation. As Jesus quoted further, the prophecy's meaning was clarified: "He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19). Here is the gospel's summary from Jesus' lips. It was "good news"! It was, it is, healing for the sin-shattered, release for the sin-bound, sight for the spiritually blind, and freedom for 41 the sin-oppressed.
LAW'S LIMITATION
For centuries, the Law had been upon the people. It had condemned wrongdoers, but had never provided deliverance. It had defined the path of evil, but had never given the power of righteousness. It had exposed people's wrongs, but had never applied ointment to heal. Now- suddenly here was the solution. The "good news." In Jesus. Here was deliverance. Power. Healing.
Barely can we begin to appreciate the great degree to which the gospel indeed is "good news," because we have not lived under the Law. We have not known what it was to do the best we could and still feel miserable because of not being perfect, which is what the Law demands. That is to say, we have not known this if, for a fact, we have understood the real con- tent of the gospel. If, however, we have been la- boring under legalism, we may have a deeper appreciation for that deliverance, now that the impact of the gospel is seen. Justification comes purely and solely by faith. No amount of obedience alone will ever gain one God's favor; it is not possible, "because by observing the law no one will be justified" (Galatians 2:16).
Right here is the crucial point of the whole matter: What. is the relationship between the gospel and the law? Though they are very different, yet they still go together. This must be understood. It is important. Law and gospel are distinct, but they are not separate. One calls for the other, the one gives the other purpose. Law and gospel go together as hand and glove. The law condemns; the gospel forgives. The law calls for death; the gospel offers life. The law points out the problem; the gospel provides the solution. Each has its rightful place in the Christian's life.
"It is with your heart that you believe and are justified" (Romans 10: 10), but, "We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" (Romans 6:2). "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). "If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!" (Galatians 2:17).
Sin, you will remember, is a violation of God's will-His law (1 John 3:4). The believer is saved from sin, but not to go on sinning-not to make it his practice to violate God's law further (I John 3:9). Sin must not reign-have dominion in the believer's life (see Romans 6:11-18). The believer has been called to obedience!
In that the law points out sin, it shows up our weaknesses. The gospel points to forgiveness. It leads to God's power. Law is the basis for diagnosing the ailment. The gospel is the heal- ing formula. Law brings condemnation. The gospel brings deliverance. Law demands perfection, more than we can ever give. The gospel provides grace, more than we can ever deserve.
AN AGE-OLD ISSUE
In Christian circles, there continues to be confusion concerning the relationship of the law and the gospel. In one camp, the law has been totally dismissed while the gospel is exclusively held. In another, law is clung to dearly while the gospel is denied its full right. In a third, law and gospel are held on equal grounds. The whole issue: Does salvation depend on law's obedience?
The issue is age-old. The first-century church had to deal with the issue. Legalism was extant; the legalists insisted that Christianity's converts keep the law for salvation. Antinomianism (meaning "against law") also was present. The antinomians insisted that the law had been fully voided at Christ's crucifixion. Here is why some statements in the epistles concern- ing law and grace are seemingly contradictory. Of course, it was simply a matter of the biblical writer being aware of the mindset in the church he was addressing. To the antinomians in Corinth, Paul wrote: Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts" (1 Corinthians 7:19). And, to the legalists in Galatia he wrote: "Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, 'The righteous will live by faith"' (3:11). Both were written by the same inspired apostle of Jesus Christ, and both statements are equally valid.
As the same apostle, Paul, stated in his letter to the Romans, "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes" (10:4). With Jesus' death came the termination of obedience to the law as a means of gaining a right relationship with God. His death ended the frustration of attempting righteousness through the law. No longer should one try to gain God's forgiveness by good deeds. Obedience to law is no means to justification. We are justified by faith in Christ (Romans 5:1). If it were by means of obedience-by works-then it would not be by grace; and yet, it is by grace that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8). "You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace" (Galatians 5:4). Therefore, Christ is the end of the law for justification. Justification is that experience or status with God in which the believer is totally at peace with his Maker. "Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5: 1). is in this relationship with the Lord that all past wrong doings are completely removed obliterated from the record. And from the con- science, too, so that total innocence is pronounced. And experienced. Justification can- not be attained by obedience to the law because that would require perfection. Paul said, "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law"' (Galatians 3:10). James explained that, if we violate one law, we are guilty of breaking all law (James 2:10). But, thanks to God, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13). Christ lived the perfect, sin- less life the law demands and then He gave Himself as atonement for our sins. That is, He gave Himself to the agony of death in our place. Thus, our Savior fulfilled the demanded curse of the law for the lack of perfect obedience on the part of all the rest of us. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).
LIVING A TRANSFORMED LIFE
By faith, we have died with Christ when we accept His sacrifice for sins. Romans Six makes this most clear. Having therefore died with Christ, we now live with Him in transformed lives. As surely as we live in Christ, He lives in us! Here is the call for obedience. To live any longer in disobedience would frustrate the grace of God. Faith puts the law into practice, not for perfection, but for sanctification. It is a faith that leads to obedience, because it is a "faith expressing itself through love" (Galatians 5:6).
God desires your and my sanctification. 'This is the will of God, even your sanctification" (I Thessalonians 4:3, KJV). Here is obedience. Here is commandment keeping. Here is moral purity. Friend, God does desire holy living for His holy people, "that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable" (1 Thessalonians 4:4). "From the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 2:13-14). God desires that His children live holy, purified lives, obey His code of ethics His commandments-in order to enjoy sanctified lives.
Peter saw the believers of his time as being "chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood" (I Peter 1:2). This is the 41 obedience that comes from faith" that Paul wrote of in Romans 1:5 and the "obedience which leads to righteousness" of which he wrote in Romans 6:16. It is salvation's result, not salvation's means. "Thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you whole- heartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness" (Romans 6:17-18).
The New Testament is rich in texts calling the disciples of Christ to be obedient. Of course, obedience requires something to obey. There must be a standard. In Christ, the believer is called upon to recognize law, instruction, commandments, and then obey. This system is not in conflict with the basic principle that salvation is by grace through faith. Rather, it explains the lifestyle the saved person is to live. This model for life is not in order to be saved, but because of already being saved.
THE PROPER MOTIVATION
Obedience's motivation is of highest importance. Attempted justification through obedience disregards Christ's sacrifice. Proper motivation for law's obedience comes from the Spirit. The Spirit gives life; recall that the law brings death. Keeping law does not bring the Spirit. The Spirit comes as one sees his lost condition and pleads for God's mercy through Christ. Then, when the Spirit enters into the believer's life, the believer is prompted to please his Master, that is, keep His law.
What comes back is the relationship of the gospel to the law. With law, God points out our waywardness. With gospel, God provides remedy restoring us to Him. Law's holy requirements are provided by the gospel. Law is perfect. It can be kept perfectly only by perfect people. Jesus alone fits that description. Gospel is the means to perfection for imperfect people. All of us fit this description. In becoming a Christian, one must realize there is no way to make up for past wrongs. One must plead forgiveness in Christ. One must die to law as righteousness means. "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God" (Galatians 2:19). The law says, "Die." The gospel says, "Live."
The law is condemned, throughout the New Testament, as a means to justification, but the law equally is always held up as God's standard. The law could not make any perfect. The gospel can (Hebrews 7:19). After the gospel has been heard and applied, the law stands out as God's rule by which the "perfect in Christ" live (Colossians 1:28). Leave out the gospel and there is only condemnation. Leave out the law and there is only futility.
God has chosen to redeem the world through the terms of the gospel, the "good news" of the Savior who came to save the world from sin And God has stipulated that those who accept this "good news" respond in gratitude with "good works." Sinners are saved to become like Jesus. lived obediently in God's law. The law and the gospel work beautifully together. Separated, they become useless. So, let us hear the law as it points us to the need for good news of salvation in the perfect Jesus Christ. And let us respond to the gospel in faithful gratitude as it reminds us of the perfection of the law and the perfecting work of Jesus Christ.
This booklet has been adapted from the Bible Advocate article, "The Gospel and the Law," by Max Morrow (July-August 1987 issue). The literature work of the Church of God (Seventh Day) gratefully acknowledges its indebtedness to the Bible Advocate for making available this article in literature form.
