Christ and the Law

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It will not be a long period now before we shall have filled the years of our probationary time. If we do not rest in the grave, we shall see the Saviour coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. If we are sleeping, and are found obedient children to the commandments of God, we shall have part in the first resurrection, with those upon whom the second death shall have no power. Christ says to His people at this time, «And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.» Rev. 22:12-14. Precious words! They are more valuable than fine gold, even the golden wedge of Ophir.

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Christ’s Teaching on the Law. «Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in My name, I will do it.» John 14:12-14.

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«If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever.» «He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself 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. He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My sayings; and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me.» Verses 15, 16, 21, 23, 24.

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«As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you; continue ye in My love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. These things have I spoken unto you that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.» John 15:9-11.

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These texts show in what honour Christ held the law of the Father. That law is now almost universally disregarded and made void; and with David it is our privilege to say concerning it, «It is time for Thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void Thy law.» «Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all Thy commandments.»

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The Provision of Grace. We are not left in ignorance and darkness to travel an uncertain path. O, let us be grateful to our Heavenly Father for the great love wherewith He has loved us in making known His will; and to Jesus, who gave His precious life that He might have power to pardon transgression and sin. He will impart to us His character, so that we may follow His example of loyalty to God, and, through the grace which He will freely give us, become obedient to all of the divine law. And Jesus will be our strength as we follow on to know the Lord, walking in His precepts.

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There are voices many that would lead us from the path cast up, the royal way of life and holiness; the way in which Jesus would lead us for the salvation of our own souls, and to make us labourers together with Himself. It is our part to exert all the powers that God has given us in doing His will, and when a stumbling block is placed in our way, to make it a new errand to the throne of grace. We may thus gain divine wisdom to walk in perfect obedience to a «thus saith the Lord,» and to co-operate with Christ and heavenly angels in leading other souls to obey God’s commandments, which we know «are not grievous.»

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Christ our Example. We are to study the lessons of Christ, and to follow His example. He said, «I have kept My Father’s commandments.» Shall we keep them also, or shall we keep the commandments of men? We may find obstacles in the Christian pathway. Our precious Saviour, when He was educating and training His disciples to co-operate with Him in the great work of the gospel of His kingdom, found obstacles on every hand. The teachings of the rabbis, their customs and traditions, were piled, like a mass of rubbish, above the precious jewels of truth, so that they could not be discerned. The world’s Redeemer rescued these jewels from the companionship of error, and re-set them in their order in the framework of truth. He declared to the priests, the scribes, and the rabbis, «Ye have made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition, . . . teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.» The very same difficulties,-the sayings of men,-have to be met in our day; but the heart and life must be trained after the teaching and example of Christ.

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An Immutable Law. Said Christ, «Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil [every specification in that law]. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.» Matt. 5:16-18. The heavens and the earth remain, testifying to the immutability of the divine law. Such plain and positive language as this will meet every sinner in that day when sentence shall be pronounced against the transgressors of God’s law, and a blessed benediction shall be given to the obedient.

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Hear the words of Christ again: «Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.» Will the transgressor get to heaven, and there be treated as the least in that kingdom?-No; but the heavenly beings-angels, and Jesus and the Father-will account them the least of the Lord’s created intelligences. They know not, intelligent as they may seem to be, the things that make for their peace,-the blessings of obedience to God’s commandments. ( Concluded next week. ) —

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Adam lost Eden, and was cut off from access to the tree of life, because of his disobedience. This every intelligent human being can know if he will. Lest sin, the transgression of the law of God, should become immortalized, man was separated from the tree of life for Adam’s supposed small transgression, and the flood-gates of woe were opened upon our world. Read these words of Christ; for they plainly show the whole human family what they must do to regain access to the life-giving tree: «Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.» «I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.» Rev. 22: 14, 16, 17.

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There is suspended over the transgressor the sweeping sentence of utter condemnation. The clouds of God’s wrath are collected over all who break, and teach others to break, the (supposed) least of God’s commandments; for in thus doing they are co-operating with the first great deceiver. He tempted Adam to disregard the words of God, and to believe instead his own falsehoods. He is now with all subtlety teaching the same, and it is a painful thought that some who claim to be ministers of the word should co-operate with the enemy of God, and voice his deceiving falsehoods. God’s word has opened before us the danger to every human being who shall turn from the plain words of Jesus Christ, and take up with words that come from human lips, to make void the words of God in His holy commandments.

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The Testimony of Calvary. The cross of Calvary testifies to the immutability of the law of God. That law is a transcript of God’s character, the standard of character for all human intelligences. It could not be changed, not one precept of it could be altered, to meet man in his fallen condition. But our God, having committed Himself to the amazing work of our redemption, in giving His only begotten Son resolved that He would spare nothing, however costly, that was essential in saving the soul of the sinner. All the resources of heaven were given to accomplish this great work. He would not have it said by worlds unfallen, by the universe of heaven, by Satan’s kingdom, by an apostate world, that His gift could have a rival, or in any way have been greater.

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The Great Love of God. Having given Jesus, the great Gift, God gave all heaven with Him. He would bless immeasurably the great groundwork of the redemption of a lost world; He would surround the world with favours; He would heap gift on gift; and He opens for all who, through faith in Christ, will receive His gift, the treasures of eternal life. He established His throne on earth by the Holy Spirit’s power, to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; that Christ, through His Holy Spirit, might live in all the powers of the soul, sending through it a perpetual current of joy and blessedness in obedience to all of God’s commandments. These commandments are given to counter-work the working of Satan, who impels the human family to disobedience of God’s plainly expressed will.

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O, what a God of love, what a Father we have, who in Christ gave Himself for a perishing world. The Lord God can never surpass this exhibition of His love. Never can there be a richer display of His grace, His love, to a world fallen. The cross of Calvary has rolled away the thick darkness from before the throne of God, and revealed an eternal weight of glory. «Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.»

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Love Shown by Obedience. This love of God is demonstrated by all who keep His commandments. «If ye love Me,» says Christ, «keep My commandments.» John says, «He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected; hereby know we that we are in Him. He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk even as He walked.» I John 2:4-6. There is not the smallest chance to doubt as to the commandments to which the apostle here refers. Again he says:-

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«Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in Him and in you; because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light [thus said the Jewish church], and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.» Verses 7-10.

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Honouring God Through Obedience. Shall we honour God by accepting the truth as it is in Christ? The word of the Lord is, » Them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.» But many cry, «Away with the commandments of God; crucify that law,» just as the Jews cried, «Away with Christ; crucify Him, crucify Him,» because that law condemns their iniquities and all crooked practices.

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«The words that I speak unto you,» said Christ, «they are spirit, and they are life.» The truth enshrined in the heart becomes a vitalizing power, and we cannot be too urgent in impressing this thought upon human minds. There is absolutely no panoply but truth. The only dishonour we should fear is rebellion against God. Let us make sure that we are working on Christ’s side, and cling closely to the Bible; for it alone will ennoble and purify. And when we are like-minded with our God, we shall be strong in His strength. Let us follow the example given us when «the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.»