Elements of the Law Required of Every Person
When we make a distinction between elements of the Law that are covenants with the elect, and elements of the Law that are required of every person, we may be introducing a concept that is new to the reader.
The traditional assumption is that every saved person is a member of the Church, the Bride, the Body of Christ. While this may or may not be true throughout the Church Era, it is apparent from the Scriptures that when the Lord returns there will be two classes of saved people—the members of the Church and the members of the nations of the saved.
If this were not the case, many passages of the Scriptures would be unintelligible. Also, the elect would have no inheritance, no nations of people to serve as a royal priesthood.
The two classes of saved people can be seen in the writings of Isaiah, especially (but not only) in Chapter 60.
Therefore thy gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day nor night; that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. (Isaiah 60:11)
"Thy gates" is referring to the gates of Israel, God’s people, the Church, the Body of Christ, the Bride of the Lamb.
"The forces of the Gentiles" is speaking of the wealth of the nations of the saved that will be brought as an offering to the Israel of God.
Again, in the New Testament.
And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. (Revelation 21:24)
"The nations of them which are saved" refers to the peoples of the earth who have pleased God by their behaviour.
"Bring their glory and honour into it" is exactly parallel to Isaiah 60:11 (above). "It" refers to the new Jerusalem, the holy city, the Bride of the Lamb, the Church of Christ.
The Kingdom of God is soon to come to the earth. The Kingdom of God is God in Christ in the elect. If there were no nations of saved people on the earth the Kingdom of God would have no population to govern and bless.
Therefore we make a distinction in the manner in which the elements of the Law are expanded concerning the elect of the new covenant, and the manner in which the elements of the Law are required of every person who hopes for salvation through Christ.
Contents
Moral purity.
In the Law of Moses there are prohibitions governing adultery, fornication, incest, and homosexual behaviour.
The same is true under the new covenant, so it certainly would be misleading to suggest that we no longer are under the Divine prohibitions governing lustful conduct but under grace, or that Christ has put an end to the ordinances regulating moral behaviour.
Concerning adultery:
Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: (II Peter 2:14) Concerning fornication:
Flee fornication.
Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. (I Corinthians 6:18)
Concerning incest:
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. (I Corinthians 5:1,2)
Concerning homosexual behaviour:
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet. (Romans 1:26,27)
And notice further:
But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. (I Corinthians 5:11)
But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. (I Corinthians 5:13)
If any member of our assembly is overtaken in a fault we are to restore him or her, considering ourselves that we also be not tempted.
If, however, an individual persists in sin, refusing correction, being proud, arrogant, justifying himself, then we are to put him or her out of the assembly.
This fact reveals to us that moral impurity is not permitted under either covenant. This is true both for the member of God’s elect and also for the citizens of the nations of the saved. Righteousness and holiness are required of all saved people, but especially for the Lord’s royal priesthood. They are the firstfruits of mankind unto the Lord.
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (I Corinthians 6:10)
It is evident that God would not accept impure behaviour under the old covenant and that He will not accept it under the new.
But, some will say, a true Christian will not fornicate; or we are not to worry about sin because God does not see our sin but only the righteousness of Christ; or Christ will sovereignty change us now or at His appearing. None of these are scriptural positions.
Christians are not perfect.
They commit every sin imaginable.
But when they understand they are sinning they are to confess their sins, repent of them, and seek the grace of God for perfect victory. If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves.
There is no passage of Scripture of which we are aware that teaches that a Christian cannot be deceived or sin, or that God does not see our sin, or that Christ will change our moral nature at His appearing, or that He will sovereignty change us apart from our diligently keeping His commandments.
Rather, the Scripture exhorts us to awake to righteousness and to cease our sinning. If we do not, God will judge us. If we still do not repent we will be cut out of the Vine, out of Christ.
Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. (I Corinthians 15:34)
Antinomianism, the destructive doctrine that there is no law governing Christians, has been with us from the first century. Today antinomianism is presented as "Jesus did it all." The idea is that we are to "abide in Christ" and not exert ourselves because to do so is to adopt a pharisaic attitude.
The truth is, there are numerous injunctions in the New Testament writings, commencing with the four Gospel accounts, that we are to obey. We build our house on the rock when we do what Jesus commanded us.
None of these injunctions are the new covenant. Rather, they serve to keep us acceptable to God while the new covenant, which is Christ Himself, is formed in us.
If we say we will wait until Christ does the work in us we will fall into the gap of lawlessness. We will be destroyed by sin—sin we could have avoided if we had meditated in the Word, prayed, gathered together with fervent disciples, and exercised self-control in not yielding to the impulses of our flesh and soul.
The Day Star, Christ, does not rise in our heart unless we faithfully obey His commandments to the best of our ability, praying without ceasing that God will help us. It is true that when Christ does fill us we shall keep the eternal moral law of God by means of our new, born-again nature. But in the meantime we must perform all the duties given us by Christ and His Apostles. Otherwise we will never arrive at the new covenant—the new, inner, righteous creation.
The Father and the Son come to dwell only in those who diligently, faithfully, consistently keep the ordinances written in the New Testament.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)
"If a man love me, he will keep my words."
"He will keep my words."
The fact that the Law hangs over us until the new man is formed in us is explained by James.
If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. 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. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. (James 2:8-12)
The royal law is that we are to love our neighbour as ourselves. We are to keep looking toward this state of perfection and meanwhile do what we can to avoid sinning. The Law, our guardian, our guide, keeps on looking over our shoulder to see if we are coming to Christ.
Notice the following:
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24).
The Greek term translated "schoolmaster" refers to a slave who served as the guardian and guide of a boy from an upper class family. The slave supervised the life and morals of his charge and never left him until he came to maturity.
So it is with the Law of Moses. The Law, particularly the Ten Commandments, guards and guides us with the greatest care until we come to maturity in Christ and are able to keep the eternal moral law of God by our new nature.
Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. (I John 3:9)
Notice that when Paul and James reminded us of the Law that oversees us they spoke of the moral injunctions of the Ten Commandments, not of the feast days or dietary laws—not even of the Sabbath day. This is because the moral commandments are part of the eternal moral law of God and never change. As we have said, the Sabbath and circumcision are covenants and have to do with the relationship of the elect to God. The moral injunctions, however, are the necessary guidelines for all of God’s creatures that they may dwell with one another in love and harmony.
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. (Romans 7:7)
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 neighbour as thyself. (Romans 13:9)
"Thou shalt not covet," "thou shalt not commit adultery," thou shalt not kill," thou shalt not bear false witness," are all aspects of the eternal moral law of God. Perhaps they are different in kind from the ceremonial observances and the covenantal statutes.
We are judged by the law of liberty. The law of liberty is that we remain without condemnation while we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit of God, obeying the law of the Spirit of life, growing in the righteousness that is Christ in us, the hope of glory.
Under the Law of Moses there was no such liberty. The worshiper was condemned the moment he transgressed. Under the new covenant we remain without condemnation even though there is much we do that comes short of the Glory of God. We are without condemnation provided we are following the Spirit of God as He leads us in putting to death the deeds of our wicked flesh.
Are believers actually to exert themselves in righteousness while waiting for the maturing of the nature of Christ in their personalities?