Law and Gospel, part VII

In part VI of this series we learned that being convicted of sin by God’s law brings deep regret, humility and ultimately leads to repentance.  Having admitted to ourselves and to God that we have sinned against others and more importantly, against Him, we conclude that we have no righteousness to draw from that will justify us in His sight.  Just as one who has been convicted of a crime in a court of law is at the mercy of the court, the sinner is at the mercy of God when he is convicted of sin.  It is only at this point–in the depths of despair–that the sinner will see the reality of what God has done for him.  Amazingly, in His infinite mercy, God has provided a means of pardoning our debts and commuting our death sentence by taking the sentence Himself.

“For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person–though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die–but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8 ESV)

This stunning passage in Paul’s letter to the Romans breathes life into the person whose breath is almost gone from finally realizing the depth of their own sin.  When we finally realize it is against God that we have sinned, and it is His laws that we have violated, and it is in pursuing our own desires that we have ignored His will, we are brought to the point of despair over this hopeless situation.  But God has an answer for the person who is almost beyond helping, and ironically, it is the person in complete despair who sees God’s remedy and clings to it as if his life depends on it.

At our lowest point, “while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” God in the flesh–Jesus Christ–died not for the righteous, but for sinners.  In so doing, He showed his incomparable love for us–a love that is not contingent on love for Him or any good work we can produce.  As the theologian Charles Hodge observed, “If [God] loved us because we loved Him, he would love us only so long as we love Him, and on that condition; and then our salvation would depend on the constancy of our treacherous hearts.  But as God loved us as sinners, as Christ died for us as ungodly, our salvation depends, as the apostle argues, not on our loveliness, but on the constancy of the love of God” (Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, pg. 136-137).

Building up to this astounding truth in Romans 5, Paul describes a righteousness that is available by faith in the preceding two chapters.  This is the foundational doctrine of the Christian faith and is the keystone of the Protestant Reformation, the doctrine upon which the Christian Church stands or falls.  It is the belief that man can receive the righteousness of Jesus Christ apart from his own effort which led Martin Luther to oppose the Roman Catholic Church by saying, “Here I stand, I can do no other.”

In response to the Protestant Reformation, the Roman Catholic Church condemned justification by faith in 1547 at the Council of Trent: “If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.” (On Justification, Canon IX) “If any one saith, that men are justified, either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of the grace and the charity which is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and is inherent in them; or even that the grace, whereby we are justified, is only the favour of God; let him be anathema.” (Canon XI) “If any one saith, that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ’s sake; or, that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified; let him be anathema.” (Canon XII) “If any one saith, that it is necessary for every one, for the obtaining the remission of sins, that he believe for certain, and without any wavering arising from his own infirmity and disposition, that his sins are forgiven him; let him be anathema.” (Canon XIII) “If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because that he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema.” (Canon XIV)

Perhaps a free pardon for our sins is just too incredible to believe, and our natural inclination is to create a more demanding path to reconciliation with God.  In evaluating many of today’s religions, and even in looking at much of the professed Christian church, the myriad attempts of man to earn God’s acceptance are evident.  More specifically within the Adventist church, many have advocated the approach of law-keeping as a means for finding God’s favor.

For example, in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary entry for Romans 8:1, we find the following: “The good news of the gospel is that Christ came to condemn sin, not sinners (John 3:17; Rom. 8:3).  To those who believe and accept the generous provisions of the gospel and who in faith commit themselves to lives of loving obedience, Christ offers justification and freedom.  There may yet be deficiencies in the believer’s character, but ‘when it is in the heart to obey God, when efforts are put forth to this end, Jesus accepts this disposition and effort as man’s best service, and He makes up for the deficiency with His own divine merit’ (ST June 16, 1890).  For such there is no condemnation (John 3:18).” Elsewhere, Ellen White wrote that God’s grace and man’s effort are both necessary for justification: “Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above, are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator.  Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling.  Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort, they must be conquerors in the battle with evil” (GC 425).

This view of justification places the burden back on the sinner, exhorting him to strive to obey God in his “best service,” maintaining a “spotless character” until he can do no more, after which Jesus will step in and apply his own merit to make up the difference.  But the Bible knows nothing of this “partial justification” or “cooperative righteousness”:

“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.  For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus...” (Romans 3:21-24 ESV)

“[We] know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians 2:16 ESV)

“But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7 ESV).

Now we can see how wonderful God’s gift of righteousness is—apart from works of the law—and how astounding it is that he bestowed this gift on people who are utterly undeserving of it and absolutely incapable of earning it.  Seeing this should also give us concern for our brothers and sisters who are still blind to the gift and who industriously continue to perform works of the law to find God’s favor.  While keeping the law is not wrong in itself, it is meaningless when done to gain the favor of God instead of from gratitude for what he has already done in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.

The law is not opposed to the gospel and the keeping of the law is not opposed to faith.  “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith?  By no means!  On the contrary, we uphold the law” (Romans 3:31 ESV) But when one does not believe the gospel and one does not have faith, the law still stands as their accuser, acting as a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ (Galatians 3:23-26 KJV).

The Bible concludes with a powerful gospel message for those who may have missed it in the preceding 65 books: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price” (Revelation 22:17 ESV).  Let us be certain to drink from the priceless water of God’s deep well and not from the shallow saucers of our own design.

Read more in part VIII.