Nature of the Law

Nature of the Law Romans 7:12

Man was not created autonomous, that is, free to be a law to himself, but theonomous, that is, bound to keep the law of his Maker. God had so constructed man that grateful obedience to His law would have brought him highest happiness; duty and delight, as it did in Jesus (John 4:34; cf. Ps. 112:1; 119:14, 16, 47-48, 97-113, 127-128, 163-167). The fallen human heart dislikes God’s law, both because it is a law and because it is God’s; those who know Christ, however, find not only that they love the law and want to keep it, out of gratitude for grace (Rom. 7:18-22; 12:1-2), but also that the Holy Spirit leads them into a degree of obedience, starting with the heart, that was never theirs before (Rom. 7:6; 8:4-6; Heb. 10:16). (Packer)

The Connotation of the Law The law . . . the commandment

The Law is the Old Testament Torah, while the commands are the moral law in the Decalogue (the 10 commandments). Law usually signifies any doctrine, instruction, law, ordinance or statue, divine or human, which teaches, directs, commands or binds men to any duty which they owe to God or man.

The law is seen as the OT scriptures ( Books of Moses, the Psalms, the prophets) (John 12:34), the Whole Word of God (Ps 19:7), the 1st five books of the OT (Gal 3:21 John 1:45, Luke 22:44), the Moral Law only (Rom 7:7, 14, 21), the Ceremonial Law (Luke 16:16), or the entirety of the Law: Ceremonial, Moral and Judicial (John 1:17) Biblical law is of various sorts. Moral laws command personal and community behavior that is always our duty. The political laws of the Old Testament applied principles of the moral law to Israel’s national situation when Israel was a church-state, God’s people on earth. The Old Testament laws about ceremonial purity, diet, and sacrifice were temporary enactments for instructional purposes which the New Testament cancels (Matt. 5:20; Mark 7:15-19; 1 Tim. 4:3-5; Heb. 10:1-14, 13:9-10) because their symbolic meaning had been fulfilled. The political and ceremonial laws were of limited application and from Jesus’ teaching the moral law is the only unchanging universal force of God’s law that is retained (Matt. 5:17-19; cf. Luke 16:16-17).(Packer) The Moral law is summed up in the Ten Commandments it contains those things which are pleasing to God and are obedient to his will. It is the image of the divine will, a beam of His holiness, and the sum of which is love to God and love to man (Samuel Bolton The True Bounds of Christian Freedom)

God’s moral law reflects God’s holy character and his purposes for created human beings. God commands the behavior that he loves to see and forbids that which offends him. Jesus summarizes the moral law in the two great commandments, love your God and love your neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40), on which, he says, all the Old Testament moral instructions “hang” (depend). (Packer) .

The Character of the Law is holy, just and good

The law itself and whatever is commanded in the law, is holy, and therefore to be regarded with the highest reverence, — that it is just, and cannot therefore be charged with anything wrong, — that it is good, and hence pure and free from everything that can do harm. (Calvin) The greatest benefit of the law of God is its revelatory character. The law reveals to us the Law-Giver. It teaches us what is

pleasing in His sight. We need to seek the law of God—to pant after it—to delight in it. Anything less is an offense against His Holy Character. The Author of the law is holy, just and good; so is the doctrine or matter contained in the law; and so is the end proposed by the law. (J. Stafford.) “Holy”; free from all spot and blemish. “Just,” founded upon the eternal principles of right. “Good,” benevolent in its design, tending to promote happiness, and promising life to those that observe it. The law is spiritual — holy, just, and good (Rom. 7:12). However, by nature we are sinful and weak, and cannot keep it. Notwithstanding, the Holy Spirit changes us and enables us to fulfill its righteous requirements (Rom. 8:1–4). (Robert Letham)

Holy The Law is Holy means that it is the absolute antithesis of the sin and evil. Holiness means separation and especially form sin and evil. Holy for it is an expression of Gods character, It is the function of the Law to give us a revelation of God, and His being and His character in order that we may learn who we have to be and to become, in order to have communion and fellowship with Him. God is Holy and thus what God produces is Holy. So the commandment, the whole of the Law, can be summed up in “Be Holy for I am Holy”. The Law is a kind of a transcript of the character of God; it is a prefect expression of His desire and of His will. The Law, therefore is holy in the sense that it reveals to us the character of God, and what our character should be. (Jones) As a whole and in each commandment it bears the character and expresses the mind and will of Him who is infinitely holy, and requires only what is holy and pure (Micah 6:8). God’s law is the very copy of His own Holy character; were it perfectly obeyed man would be holy, as God is holy.

Just God requires nothing short entire purity of heart. Anything less is not only different from God’s nature, but directly opposed to it. We may, without offence, be less wise or powerful; but it is impossible to admit the thought of His consenting that we shall be less holy. God made man “in His own image, and after His own likeness”; “God made man upright.” Was it unreasonable to require that man should preserve this holy likeness? But one may object that we have now lost our original likeness to God; and that it is therefore no longer just to demand from us perfect obedience. But God’s rights cannot be diminished by any change in our condition. A bankrupt person has lost the power of paying his debts; yet it is still just in the creditor to demand them, especially when, as is the case with men, the bankruptcy is the result of wickedness. It demands what is just and right and nothing more, and requires only what man was made capable of rendering. It tends to promote justice and righteousness everywhere; and secures to each his due--God, our neighbor, ourselves. (The Biblical Illustrator)

The Law of God itself is absolutely just. It is just and right in what it demands of us, it makes no unfair demands. It is also, perfectly just in the pronouncement and sentence that it passes upon all sin and all failure to honor its requirement and keep it. No man at the bar of final judgment will be able to say that any unjust demands was made of him, or that the Law is in any way unjust in punishing him. The Law has been given, and is plain and clear; (Rom 1:18-20, 2:12-16) it has told us what will happen if we do not obey it. So, if we do not obey we must nor grumble and complain when the law exacts its penalty (Rom 3: 18-20). (Jones)

Good--useful, beneficial, tending to the happiness of man. The commandment broken was Paradise lost; the commandment observed will be Paradise restored. (Robinson) It is good in itself, and its whole tendency is adapted to maintain perfect order, and to establish in the highest degree the happiness of all who are under its authority. Every commandment of the Decalogue tends to promote human happiness. This is the glory of the law, and shows that it proceeds from the Giver of every good and perfect gift — from Him who alone is good. It is good because it shows us what sin is and the need for a savior. It also shows us what we ought to be, how we ought to live, and how we ought to conduct ourselves. It is by the Law of God, supremely, that man can learn what is good for him, wht is best for him. There is no better life then a life lived in conformity to God’s Law. (Jones). God’s law is an expression of his grace. The law is God’s plan for his sanctified people to enjoy communion with him. Psalms are full of declarations of delight regarding God’s commands. (Ps. 1:2, 19:7-10; 119; 3, 18, 97,105, 111-112, 131, 143) (Kevin DeYoung).

The reasons for the Law: Ernest Resinger

The law reveals the character of God. God’s law comes from His nature. The nature of God determines what is right, and the will of God imposes that standard upon all His creatures as a moral obligation. Since his will flows from His nature, and the law is perfect (Ps. 19:7), the law reflects the perfection of his nature. Man is not answerable to an abstract law, but to God. Behind the law is the Lawgiver. Therefore, to find fault with the law is to find fault with the Lawgiver. The law is not the arbitrary edicts of a capricious despot, but the wise, holy loving precepts of one who is jealous for His glory and for the good of His people. Christ was perfect. How do we know? He kept the law perfectly–He was the law personified. Christ perfectly manifests the Father: (Col. 2:9). The law reveals the condition of man. To walk up to someone and say, “All have sinned” does not bring conviction unless that person knows what sin is. “Sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). “By the law is the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). The knowledge of sin as violation of God’s law brings conviction.

Samuel Bolton

1 To Restrain Sin –It sets bounds and banks to sinners by revealing sins and the wrath of God against sin (Gal 3:19). It restrains sinners, but cannot renew sinners, it may hold in and bridle sin, though it cannot heal and cure it. Before the law sin had a perfect reign nothing was restraining it. God gave the law to show them their sin and the heavy wrath of God that was on them. The effect of which was to restrain them and hinder sin so that it could not have so complete and uncontrolled dominion and reign in the soul. The sinner would be in fear of the wrath of God and that would serve to restrain them. Blessed be God that there is this fear upon the spirits of wicked men; otherwise we could not well live in the world. Every man would be a Cain to his brother, an Ammon to his sister, an Absalom to his father, a Saul to himself, a Judas to his master; for what one man does, all men would do. There would be no stay, no bank, no bounds for sin, without the law. Therefore, we have cause to bless God that he has given a law to restrain sin. Christians have contributed to our society’s moral decline by removing the Ten Commandments from their instruction. The law restrains sin. Without the moral law this world would be a field of blood, as is evidenced in place where there is no regard for God’s commands

2 To Reveal transgression: (Rom 7:7, 5:20, Gal 3:19) The law was given to awaken the conscience of sin and drive men out of themselves, and bring them over to Christ. Before God gave the law men were secure and careless in their rebellion. They did not see the necessity of the promise of salvation, so God gave them the law to discover their sinfulness and reveal their need of the grace. In giving the law, God pursued the purpose of mercy and made his gospel worthy of all acceptance. When one becomes convinced of their sin they look for and prize a Savior. When one is stung by the fiery serpent they look up for the bronze serpent. (Num 21:4-9)

3 To Humble men in sin: We are deeply indebted to God. God made a promise of mercy to mankind, but men were content in their sin, though they were guilt of sin and liable to death, yet, being without a law to evidence sin and death to their consciences, they could not see the greatness of the mercy which granted them pardon. Therefore, God published through Moses a sever and terrible law,(Ex 20:18-21) to reveal sin, to accuse men of sin, and to condemn men for sin.in order that thereby guilt might be made evident, men’s mouth stopped (Rom 3:20), and that they might fall down and acknowledge the greatness and riches of free grace and mercy. (Gal 3:22)

4 To Reveal the imperfections of our obedience. Like a Mirror although it is humbling, and sometimes horrifying to look in the mirror, I still meet up with my mirror every morning. It sends me to my hairbrush, my shaver, my toothbrush, and my soap. Similarly, although we may not always enjoy reading or hearing God’s law, we must keep reading and preaching it because it reveals His holy standards, highlights our desperate need (which is humbling and horrifying), and sends us to God’s gracious remedy — the gospel of Jesus Christ. (James 1:22-25)

5 To give us Direction for life The moral law is perpetual and immutable. (Ps 19:7-10) The law as a burden to the conscience is removed, yet it is not removed for the purposes of obedience.

The law is subservient to the Gospel. Its purpose is to convince and humble us, and the gospel is to enable us to fulfill the obedience to the law. The law sends us to the gospel for our justification; the gospel send us to the law to frame our way of life. Our obedience to the law is nothing else but the expression of our thankfulness to God who freely justified us that being redeemed we might serve him without fear (Luke 1:74). If Christ has freed us from the penalties how ought we to subject ourselves to the precepts. If He has delivered us from the curses, how ought we to study the commands. If he paid the debt of our sin, certainly we owe the debt of service (Rom 8:12). He has redeemed us from bondage and brought is into freedom, from slavery to service. (Bolton)