The Law of God, – strict justice without mercy, – represented in the Mosaic Law and its covenant, could not help the weak, fallen race, because the easiest requirement it could make would be perfection toward God and toward men, and our race being fallen was unable to comply with its demands. It was, therefore, “weak” (powerless) for our deliverance, because we were weak on account of the imperfect, fallen flesh. But God, through Christ, made an arrangement for us which does not violate his own Law – sending his Son to accomplish our redemption – the payment of our penalty. God’s Son was not sent in sinful flesh, but “in the likeness,” or nature of our flesh, which had become sinful, – he, the while, being holy, harmless, separate from sinners. The object of his coming in our likeness is set forth; viz., as an offering for sin – a sin-offering and atonement-sacrifice on our behalf.

This course in no sense of the word justified sin – in no degree made sin right, or declared it proper. On the contrary, the very means which God adopted for our relief, at the same time “condemned sin in the flesh.” Thus, at the same time that the door of salvation was opened to us we were most emphatically assured that there was no hope in any other direction.

Notwithstanding the great clearness and explicitness with which this doctrine of the necessity for a sacrifice for sins is set forth in the Scriptures, – in the Old Testament as well as in the New – it seems remarkable that some still stumble over it. There is no avoiding the conviction that there is something wrong with their hearts, else their heads would not thus become confused respecting a matter which is so explicitly set forth in the Word. The Apostle points out that it was so with the Jews as a nation. They stumbled over the cross of Christ; – they then admitted and still acknowledge that Jesus was a great Teacher. Rabbis all over the world today are claiming Jesus as a great Jew, whose teachings have blessed the world in great measure. Their dispute is with the cross of Christ, – that they were sinners who have no way of escape except through an atonement on their behalf, and that Christ’s death constituted the sin-offering, through faith in which alone any may become acceptable to God – justified.

The same objection exists in the heart of the natural man who is not a Jew. He prefers to climb up some other way, rather than to go through the door; he would use the teachings of Jesus as a ladder to get into the sheepfold; but declines to enter through him as a door, and to acknowledge himself condemned of God and irretrievably lost, except as the great sacrifice for sins and the merit of the Redeemer are applied on his behalf. Nevertheless, those who refuse God’s way will find that it is unalterable, and that “there is none other name given under heaven or amongst men whereby we must be saved.”

Those who will not enter by this door, those who will not accept the forgiveness of their sins through the merit of Christ’s sacrifice, cannot have the divine favor, cannot be considered members of the body of Christ nor heirs with him – they are not IN Christ Jesus – they are yet in their sins, because they believe not God’s testimony. Some are now in this attitude who were once in the light of truth on this subject; who once had on the wedding garment, but took it off – rejected the robe of Christ’s righteousness, and are attempting to stand before God in their own righteousness, merely accepting Jesus as a Teacher and not as a Redeemer. We consider the condition of such to be most dangerous. We cannot feel sure that they will ever have an opportunity to accept again the merit of the precious blood which they once enjoyed and spurned, “counting the blood of the covenant [the death of Jesus] wherewith they were [once] sanctified an unholy [common] thing,” thus doing despite unto the spirit of grace – despising, disdaining, repudiating the favor of divine forgiveness through the blood.

So, rejecting the Redeemer, they take their cases out of the hands of the Mediator of the New Covenant. Thus, they fall at once into the hands of the living God, and are subject to the full requirements of the absolute Law without mercy – because all of God’s mercy extended to sinners is in and through him who loved us and bought us with his own precious blood. We do not say that all who reject the blood of the covenant do so thus to their everlasting loss, but are glad to believe, on the contrary, that many of them have been so blinded by the god of this world that they have never seen clearly and, hence, never rejected entirely the blood-bought robe of righteousness. For all such we shall expect that the light of the new dispensation will show them the divine plan clearly, and we shall trust that many of them will be ready humbly to accept God’s grace upon his own terms.

The Apostle points out in Verse 4 that this Law of the spirit of life in which we as new creatures in Christ rejoice is really the same Law that once condemned us – that the change from condemnation to death to justification to life signifies no change in the Law, but a change in our position. It is a law of life to us, because, by God’s grace through Christ, we have come into a place where we are able to comply with the requirements of the Law and to fulfill them. It is NOT our flesh that has been changed, so that it is perfect and able to obey the Law, but that as New Creatures, the flesh is reckoned dead, and we are reckoned according to the spirit or mind; and with our minds, or spirits, or wills, we are able to keep God’s Law perfectly – that is to say, we can will to do right, we can endeavor to do right, we can strive to please God, and so long as God accepts the will, the intention, the endeavor, and ignores our flesh and its uncontrollable weaknesses, that long we can realize that the divine Law approves us; and that will be just so long as we abide in our present position as members of the body of Christ, and we are privileged to remain members of the body of Christ just so long as our desires are for righteousness and in opposition to sin. Keep this ever in mind, never forget it. It will give you hope and assurance that you can make your calling and election sure, that you can become a member of the elect Church.

Continued with next post.