The Law of God

Eli, I was reading Galatians and Paul keeps on referring to "the law." Mormons believe that this is just the law of Moses (as opposed the the "higher" law of Christ), but you believe that it's referring to all commandments and works in general. What brought you to your conclusion, and is there any basis for the Mormon viewpoint? As always, I appreciate your thoughts.

Hi Mike, that is an excellent question.

The issue of the law is the determining factor which will effect your understanding of everything else. Only when the law is correctly understood is the atonement correctly understood. A low view of the law is a low view of God (we may have talked about this before), for the law is really just the written expression of God's own moral character, and what that demands from us.

That's great that your reading Galatians. Galatians and Romans go hand in hand in that Romans lays out the gospel and Galatians defends the gospel against false teachings that were creeping in to the churches. Paul uses much of the same language and concepts in both letters, so Romans helps shed much light on the meanings of words in Galatians. Having said that, you can still understand what Paul is saying in Galatians without going to Romans; though it's extremely helpful to read it with that accompaniment. God's inspired word is consistent, and that goes back to an old hermeneutical principle: Scripture interprets Scripture.

The main problem with the Mormon view is that they don't even understand what "the law of Moses" is when they talk about it. If they did, they would never say the things they do. What then is the law of Moses? The law of Moses refers to all the statutes and commandments God gave Israel to obey. These include both moral and ceremonial aspects; the ceremonial aspect necessitated BY the moral aspect (i.e. the sacrificial system was given because of the inevitable moral failings of the people, and thus it was added subsequent to the moral commands and is included as part of the definition of the law). When the Bible refers to the law, it primarily emphasizes the moral aspect, for that is the first and main point of the law; the ceremonial aspect being secondary as it was given to meet man's failure of keeping the moral commands.

Mormons miss this: that the law of Moses contains two incredible commands which Jesus said were the summation of all the commandments of God: 1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself. You can find these two commands in Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18... Moses' law! (When we say "Moses' law" we mean the law God gave through Moses, so it is really GOD'S law, not Moses'; and because it is God's, it is perfect and cannot be replaced.) The thing to see is this: you cannot add or improve to those two commands to make them any better. It's impossible. You cannot have a "higher" law than this. Even the New Testament teaches that love is the fulfilling of every possible command. "For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; AND IF THERE BE ANY OTHER COMMANDMENT, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Romans 13:9, see also Galatians 5:14; James 2:8-11). Listen carefully to the words of Jesus:

"The FIRST of ALL the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is NONE OTHER commandment GREATER than these." (Mark 12:29-31)

There is NONE OTHER COMMANDMENT GREATER (or "higher") THAN THESE... and they are both from the law of Moses! Jesus did not come to bring a higher law than the law of Moses; that is not only impossible, but it is contrary to Jesus' own words. All of Christ's moral teachings were an exposition or explanation of the law... the law that isn't just words on stone, but the real and living heartbeat of the holiness of God.

The next thing to see, after defining what the law is, is to define what the purpose of the law is. It is explicitly stated in the New Testament, and though it's not explicitly stated in the Old Testament, the implicit message is loud and clear. The Old Testament teaches us of man's total and utter failure to keep the law of God; it leaves us at a desperate and hopeless intermission. We observe the futility of men attempting to be saved by obedience to God's commandments. We see the righteous justice of God in condemning sinners to eternal destruction because of their evil deeds. However, though we SEE no resolution in the Old Testament, we HEAR of a resolution that is to come by the words of the inspired prophets of God. Amazingly, there is much that is spoken in the Old Testament about the salvation of men through the righteousness of God alone (see for example Isaiah 53:11, 54:17, Jeremiah 23:6)! That is why Paul wrote: "...the gospel of God, which He had promised before by his prophets in the holy Scriptures..." (Rom. 1:2) I agree completely... in fact, the foundation of my understanding of justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ comes primarily from the Old Testament Scriptures, though it be clearly expounded and illuminated by the New Testament writers.

"But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets. " (Acts 24:14)

So what is the purpose of the law? The New Testament helps us see: "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:24) Literally, the law was our "παιδαγωγος", which means "instructor", (an interesting play on words by Paul, for the Hebrew word "Torah" means "instruction") that we might be JUSTIFIED BY FAITH. The law taught us that we could not be justified by works, but that we had to trust in Christ alone to be saved.

So when Paul speaks of the law in both Romans and Galatians he speaks about the only law there is, the law of God, and he is emphasizing the moral aspect of the law to get a point across. You'll notice the controversy in Galatians regarded a false teaching that purported that Christians needed to be circumcised to be saved. Paul warns: "You can't split the law up and pick and choose what you want to obey. You can't modify it! I testify to every man that is circumcised, THAT HE IS A DEBTOR TO KEEP THE WHOLE LAW! (Gal. 5:3)" So although the subject that necessitated Paul to write was circumcision, to say that Paul was only talking about the ceremonial law defeats his whole argument and the urgency of his letter! "If anyone preaches another gospel let him be accursed." (1:9) "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." (2:21) "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you is justified by law; you are fallen from grace." (5:4) You cannot be saved, because you bring yourself under the obligation to keep the whole law of God, something you as a sinner can never do, and so you stand condemned before the judgment bar of God. Believing in Christ loses all meaning if you have to keep the commandments to be saved! This is an incredibly strong message we dare not confuse, miss, or play down.

Read Romans 2:21-25 for more on this, because there Paul says the same exact thing. He writes that "circumcision truly profits you, IF YOU KEEP THE LAW." Notice the differentiation. Keeping the law here isn't talking about circumcision per se (the ceremonial aspect), but the moral aspect (compare with verses 21-23). Here is what he is saying: circumcising yourself (or any other commandment for that matter) will profit you only if you keep the whole law, but if you don't keep the law, your circumcision profits you nothing. You either obey the law or you don't. You're either innocent or you're guilty. It's either all or it's nothing. That's how the law works:

"For Moses describes the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which DOETH those things shall live by them." (Romans 10:5)

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that CONTINUES not in ALL THINGS which are written in the book of the law to DO them." (Galatians 3:10)

"The man that DOETH them shall live in them." (Galatians 3:12)

"For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the DOERS of the law shall be justified." (Romans 2:13)

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law." (James 2:10-11)

I wrote an article on the usage of the word "law" in the book of Romans which shows that every time Paul uses the word "law" in Romans he is referring to the moral aspect of the law. You should definitely read it as it is pertinent to your question. It' s called "Evidence that 'the Law' Includes the Moral Law" and you can find it here. Of course, what Paul says in Romans spills over into the book of Galatians.

The end of the matter is this: There is only one law, and that law is God's law, which is the dictation of His own holy character. It cannot be improved upon or added to, and it demands of all men perfect uninterrupted obedience; an obedience which no man gives because of sin. Therefore all will be justly punished in hell if they attempt to be justified by their own works. Jesus Christ came into the world to save us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us on the cross (Galatians 3:13), so that whoever believes in Him is counted righteous in God's sight on the basis of grace. Salvation is free, is entirely apart from the works of the law, and allows no room for boasting. It is in the gospel alone that the great love of God for wretched sinners is manifested.

I hope this was helpful for you in understanding Paul in his letter to the Galatians. Keep pressing on in your studies, Mike, and I pray earnestly that one day soon you will enter the rest of faith, acknowledging the fact that you need salvation, and rejoicing in Christ who alone can give it.

Yours sincerely,
-Eli

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John 3:16 - God So Loved

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

I scarcely believe there is a greater passage in all of Scripture than John 3:16. There is a reason why it is so famous: this verse captures the essence of the whole Bible in one short, simple sentence. Martin Luther called it "the heart of the gospel", and, "the gospel in miniature", and I think we can certainly agree with him.

There is nothing particularly complicated about John 3:16; it is very straightforward. The most simple man on earth could figure it out. Yet, while discovering its meaning takes only a moment, plumbing its depths requires a lifetime and more.

Let us look at this beautiful love-note.

"For God..." That this is speaking of God the Father, the Creator and Judge of heaven and earth, is evident, for it says He "gave His only begotten Son". The thing to notice here is that God the Father is the initiator, the great architect of the gospel of grace. The gospel is not about Jesus Christ, the hero, throwing Himself between God, the antagonist, and the world, the victim. The Trinity does not play 'good cop, bad cop'. Unfortunately many people have such a view; they see Jesus as the loving Savior who saves us from the terrifying God of the Old Testament. That God is terrifying in the Old AND New Testaments is not up for questioning, for He IS terrifying, and rightfully so! God is holy, and His holiness by its very nature defines law, and the law justly condemns the wicked thoughts and deeds of sinners, and purges them. A sinner ought to tremble before God. But here is where many people stop, and by doing so fail to see the true glory. God is holy, but holiness involves so much more than justice! God's justice is uncompromising; sin cannot-not be punished, but the God of the Old and New Testaments is also the God who is love.

And so it is we find in John 3:16 that God the Father, the just Judge of all the earth, who will not slacken His judgment, is the very One who is taking up the world's cause. Therefore, it is not as when a felon commonly needs a lawyer to defend him against a State which laws he broke, but rather that the State itself sets itself in the felon's defense against itself! What a marvelous unusual mystery! God Himself, before Whom we all stand guilty of murder, picks up our case. That is marvelous beyond words. The ancient world before Christ had no concept of this kind of benevolence from the gods; it was completely unheard of. One scholar writes: "No Homeric deity ever will be found to make a personal sacrifice on behalf of a human client." Another, commenting on John 3:16, "This attitude of God toward the world is in suggestive contrast with that in which the gods of paganism are represented." The gods of paganism were only served, and needed to be appeased by the sacrifices of men. We fail to appreciate the titanic announcement the gospel of God was when it was preached nearly 2000 years ago because our current generation has grown accustom to hearing of "the love of God" and has lost nearly all reverence for anything that is above ourselves. That men should serve God is not in question; nor did the pagans have it wrong when they intuitively knew that sin needed to be atoned for... but the concept of God stepping into men's vile existence and taking up their undeserving cause on their behalf for no other reason than love was completely and totally out of the box.

This is what we find here in John 3:16. God the Father, so loving the world, that...

"...He gave..." The word here involves sacrifice. He didn't just send, He gave (Genesis 22:16 and Romans 8:32). He spared not, He gave up...

"...His only begotten Son..." It is a true saying that you can tell how valuable a thing is to someone by how much they are willing to pay for it. What value, then, must God place upon fallen humanity that He would give up, for their sake, His Son? And not only His Son... but His only begotten Son? Why? Someone asked me an excellent question the other day: "Does this mean that God loves the world more than His Son?" No. But what it means is that God loves the world as much as He loves His Son. This is an incredible mystery, and I dare not presume upon anything... yet the wonder is, that God is seeking and embracing undeserving, defiled people who have a right to nothing but death, and is bringing them into the glorious eternal relationship that exists between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, calling them, too, His own precious sons and daughters (Romans 8:15-17, 29; Ephesians 1:5; Hebrews 2:10; 1 John 3:1). It is the eternal love of the Father for the only begotten Son that extends to all who believe! "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (John 17:23) A glorious mystery indeed!

The sacrifice of God's Son is not a novelty of the New Testament. It is the central theme of the entire Scriptures. From the very genesis of Genesis, the story of redemption is foretold in every history, type, psalm and prophecy; the story of God offering His Son up as the sin-bearer for His people. "All things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me." (Luke 24:44) Because Adam sinned, mankind was sentenced to die, but God, who is rich in mercy, provided the Lamb that would save men from their sins: by bearing their sin in His own sinless body on the cross, God's legal demands against sin would be satisfied, and Jesus, through death, would bring eternal life to dead men. This is "the way" without which "no man can come to the Father". No other way recognizes the divine justice of God's holiness and yet still saves men! The sinless Son had to be offered. No other offering will suffice. You must be saved this way, or else you will never be saved.

"...whosoever..." Here is a beautiful word for us to read, and because it says "whosoever", you and I can lawfully insert our own names into John 3:16 without the fear of presuming upon God. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that if Eli believes in Him, he shall not perish, but have everlasting life." "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that if Jane believes in Him, she shall not perish, but have everlasting life." What a wonderful comfort to know that we have a warrant to believe!

"...have everlasting life." Most of the time, we read quickly over this common expression and think only of the one obvious aspect of eternal life: longevity. Life that does not end. Have we considered its deeper significance? I am referring to the quality and nature of this LIFE eternal. "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3) The eternal life that Christ is speaking of here in John 3:16 is the glorious eternal relationship that exists between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit which God is calling sinners to be partakers of! This is that Relationship which gives meaning to all other relationships. This is that Life which gives meaning to life! This is that which every person born into the world is searching for because every person born into the world was made for this purpose. "For thou hast made us for thyself and restless is our heart until it comes to rest in thee." (St. Augustine) This, I believe, is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. To know Him more and more, a knowledge not theoretical, ever-increasing for all eternity. Have you this life? It begins the moment you receive the Lord Jesus Christ by faith.

"...so loved..." The old question is: "Why did Jesus die on the cross?" This can be answered two ways. I could again restate that Jesus died on the cross to satisfy the righteous demands of the law, as payment for crimes committed against the law, so that sinners could be justified and freely given eternal life. That is the right answer... but that is only the doctrinal answer. That is like describing to someone the science of nutrition without actually enjoying the flavor of food. But John 3:16 is speaking for the heart, not for the head.

The answer to question, "Why did Jesus die on the cross?", is answered by John 3:16: because God so loves you. God the Father loves you! God loves you, a sinner, so much... that He gave His only begotten Son to save you from your sins and bring you into an everlasting relationship with Himself. Look upon the crushed body of crucified Savior and marvel: "Behold how he loved!" (John 11:36) This is what John 3:16 is saying, and this is the essential substance of the entire revelation of God. "It's too good to be true!" Yes, it is that good, but it's true. The simple fact remains: God loves you. There is a sinful world perishing in their sins; there is a holy God who loves and values them enough to sacrifice everything to save. It is so impossibly divine as it speaks of a love so utterly unheard of and foreign to the minds and hearts of fallen men. Will you today believe the good news of John 3:16, that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"?

Believe the "gospel in miniature" and experience for yourself how God so loved.

The True Vine

This sermon was preached Jan. 18, 2009, at Valley Church, in Smithfield, Utah. Based upon Isaiah 5, the Song of the Vineyard, God looks for the fruit of righteousness and judgment from man, which is the fruit of His own image in His special creation. But when both Adamic mankind and national Israel fail to bring forth the fruit of righteousness, God reveals His eternal plan and purpose since the beginning of the world. There is a True Vine, and a new mankind, which brings forth the choice red grapes that God desires. Listen below:

Eli Brayley - The True Vine

Not Ashamed

This message was preached October 26, 2008, at Cache Valley Bible Church in North Logan, Utah. "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God." (2 Timothy 1:8) There has always been a violent warfare waged between the wisdom of men and the wisdom of God, and today that warfare is raging ever so strong. The Apostle Paul's last charge to Timothy was urging him not to be ashamed and shrink back because the preaching of the cross incurs the hatred of the world, nor be intimidated because his beloved friend was in prison for the gospel's sake; but rather, get involved in the colossal work that God is doing! The message has not changed for the Body of Christ in the 21st century: "Don't shrink back because the world hates the gospel! Dive in head first into this essential warfare, and use your gifts in the work that God is doing all around you!" Listen below:

Eli Brayley - Not Ashamed