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Preaching the Gospel – Week 30 / July 20th
“Do we, then, nullify the Law by this faith? Not at all!
Rather, we uphold the Law.”
Romans 3:31
No subject is more misunderstood in the Church than the importance and role of the Law. By Law I mean the Majestic or Moral Law otherwise known as the Ten Commandments. It is to this aspect of the Law that Paul frequently writes about in his epistles and especially that of Romans. Paul then makes statements about the Law that preachers today never make; indeed it is not wrong to assert that most preachers totally ignore the Law and if they do refer to it, it is to disparage it. The result; anti-nomianism or rejection of the Law and behaviour that makes grace cheap.
For Paul then, and indeed Jesus, the Law holds a central and important place in the life of the Church. Paul tells us, in his Roman Letter, that the Law is good, spiritual and of great use in our preaching or should be!
(Romans7:12) Indeed as the verse above states, we should uphold the Law, meaning that we should hold it in very high esteem and use it for the purpose for which it was given. So, let’s consider what all this means:
1. The Moral Law will never pass away.
Jesus said that heaven and earth would pass away before this Law vanishes.
(Matthew 5:17-18) The reason is that it constitutes a written description of the character of God. It is in fact the glory of God and a sinner is defined as one who has fallen short of this glory. (Romans 3:23) So then to devalue the Law is to devalue God and those who do this will be called “least in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:19) This is precisely why Paul calls the Law “spiritual” and that which would impart eternal life, if only we could keep it perfectly all the days of our lives. (Romans 7:10) Sadly we cannot and therefore we come under its curse. (Galatians 3:10) The problem is not the Law but us! In other words the Law cannot save us because we are riddled with the weakness of sin. (Romans 8:3) We should however honour the Law fully and uphold it as it reminds us where we should be spiritually. This is precisely why the great church movements of history had the Ten Commandments emblazoned on their church walls. Churches today, to their shame, have no such use for them.
2. The Moral Law is embedded in your heart as a witness.
Paul then affirms, in the first chapters of Romans, that God has left a reminder of Himself, and thus a witness to His righteousness, in our hearts.
This means that every living being is without excuse. (Romans 2:14-15) This reminder speaks to us through our conscience and actually condemns us as sinners. This was certainly true of my life. When I blasphemed and did things contrary to the will of God something troubled me from within. This “something” was the embedded Law calling me to pursue godliness. It was a teacher of righteousness.
3. The Moral Law should be the power of our a Gospel Preaching.
One can only be convicted of being un-godlike (a sinner) when one has to measure up to what God is like. This is why the preaching of the Law is so crucial to gospel preaching. It teaches the high standard of God’s character and the utter everlasting ruin of our condition. Paul rightly states then that the Law makes all peoples accountable to God and condemns them. (Romans
3:19) and that by it then comes ” the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20) Righteousness is then what God is like and unrighteousness is what we are like and the Law drives this home. Sin then cannot be understood unless we preach the Law and sinners will not be saved as God wants them to be until we make good use of the Law. The modern preacher generally knows nothing of these things!
4. The Moral Law is Fulfilled on Our Behalf by Christ.
Paul once again tells us, in his Galatians epistle, that the “Law is our teacher to bring us to Christ.” (Galatians 3:24) By His death on the cross Jesus deflected the curse of the Law from our lives and He imputes His righteousness to us. We become the “righteousness of God in Him.” ( 2Corinthians 5:21) Or, to state it as Paul does in his Roman letter, by Christ living in us the righteousness of the Law is fulfilled in us” as we walk in the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4) This is what it means to pursue godliness; it is to pursue Christ recognizing that the Law is that which He, by His life, will entrench in us. This is the very foundation upon which the New Covenant is built. (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
So, let us remember then how important the Law is and let us “uphold it” as Paul did for by do doing we will give the Holy Spirit the opportunity to convict the sinner of unrighteousness that he or she may repent, follow Christ and pursue godliness.
Malcolm Hedding.
©Malcolm Hedding Ministries
2014Devotional