Law or Gospel?

It was about a year ago that our church had outreach signs produced. One of the signs reads "Christ Is Lord Obey Him". The reaction to the sign from unbelievers as we displayed it at multiple evangelism events was expected. But what was surprising was the rabid reaction that we received from those who claim Christianity. The disdain from this group may have surpassed the negativity that we received on the streets.

A picture of the sign found its way onto social media and some of the reactions included, "The Gospel would be great. That is not the Gospel.", "Hope they did more than just present the law.", "So this isn't the Gospel..", "That is not the gospel of Christ. There's no good news in it. It's obey, obey, obey...." and so on and so forth. This response from Christians is really a microcosm of the state of the church. It is a symptom of a larger problem: the church has failed to teach a proper understanding of the law of God, man's relationship to it, and the relationship of law to gospel.

Some of the misunderstanding in modern Christianity regarding the law of God comes from de-emphasizing the Old Testament. In 2018 Andy Stanley preached that Christians should "unhitch" from the Old Testament. Although many pastors would not go so far as to make that statement, they are already practically "unhitched" from the Old Testament by their lack of teaching and emphasis on it. The Bible is one story, one message, one gospel, given by one divine author. Every text, from Genesis to Revelation, is necessary for the Christian.

Now, let us return to the sign. Is "Christ Is Lord Obey Him" a gospel message? Is it law? Are law and gospel opposed to one another?

Christ and the Law

Consider the words of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:17-20 reads,

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."

I fear that Jesus would be thrown out of many evangelical churches today were He to preach this message. Is this law or is it gospel?

17 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. Jesus begins by making a clear and definitive statement that He did not come to do away with the law. Just to make sure there was no misunderstanding, He stated it twice. Jesus references the "Law" and the Prophets". Here, He is not specifically speaking of the law, but rather referencing the entire Old Testament, although the law would be included.  At the end of verse 17 He provides the contrast revealing what He did come to do. He came to fulfill the law. The Greek word translated "fulfill" (πληρόω) means to "bring to full expression". Christ is that full expression of the law.

What does it mean that Christ fulfilled the law?

1. Christ fulfilled the demands of the moral law through His active obedience to the law and He fulfilled the penalty of the law through His passive obedience by submitting to death on the cross for our transgressions.
2. Christ fulfilled the ceremonial law as He was the final sacrifice for sin. He is the substance of the shadows (Heb. 8:5-6, 9:11-15). The sacrifices, and all the rituals that accompanied them, were done day by day and year by year, but Christ shed His blood once-for-all so there is no longer a need for sacrifice (Heb. 10:3-4, 10). These laws were not abolished, but they were fulfilled through Christs substitutionary atonement and have been transposed into the heavens where His blood speak for us (Heb. 9:12-14).
3. Christ's death and resurrection inaugurated the New Covenant in which the law of God is written upon the very hearts of His people (Jer. 31:33-34).

18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Jesus continues His teaching by declaring the surety and perpetuity of the law. He doesn't want them to miss this, so He says "truly" or "Amen" (ἀμήν). Listen! Not even the smallest stroke of a letter will pass until everything has been accomplished. The French Reformer John Calvin wrote that Jesus was teaching "that the truth of the law, and of every part of it, is secure, and that nothing so durable is to be found in the whole frame of the WORLD." [1] The perfect divine truth of the law of God will never pass away.

19 “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus then provides some ramifications of His statements. Here, he specifically references "commandments" (ἐντολή) or the law. He is not broadly referencing the Old Testament as He did previously. He is speaking of the totality of the legal ordinances. We can see this from the next section of teaching in verses 21-48 (Matt 5:21-48). What of those who disregard these commandments? He calls them least in the kingdom of heaven! Christ adds emphasis by stating  one of the "least" of these commandments. What a dire warning from our Lord, and yet it seems that so many are quick to do just that. Conversely, those who do and teach these commandments, Christ will call great in His kingdom. Lord, grant that this can be said of us.

20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Jesus concludes this section with a declaration of gospel truth. The Pharisees were regarded as the most righteous among the Israelites. They also perceived themselves to be so, yet their obedience was external and empty (Matt 23:23). This statement by Jesus would be one of the most demoralizing things that the people could hear. That is exactly the point! Jesus was saying unless you perfectly adhere to the demands of the law, which is impossible for fallen mankind to accomplish, you will not enter the kingdom. We are in desperate need of a Savior - One who could perfectly keep the demands of the law on our behalf to serve as our representative and One who could take the penalty of sin for us. That is exactly what Jesus did and that is exactly what Jesus is declaring! The One who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21). His imputed righteousness is how we are declared, "not guilty!" and how our righteousness "surpasses that of the Pharisees". We receive his imputed righteousness and the desire to keep God’s law is written upon our hearts.

What can we observe from this teaching by our Lord?

• God's law is perfect. Jesus revealed that, contrary to what some believed (and believe), He did not come to do away with the law. Instead, He wholeheartedly affirms it. The Law of the Yahweh is perfect (Ps. 119:7). It is a reflection of the very nature of God. Those who keep it and teach others to keep it, Christ will call great in His kingdom.
• God's law is perpetual. The law of God will never pass away; not even the smallest line or dot. It is sure, and it will last forever. Because it is a reflection of God’s nature, it will continue as it is bound to His existence.
• Christ preached the law. Without law, there is no gospel. Those who attempt to remove the law from the gospel end up declaring a different gospel altogether. Through the law comes the knowledge of sin (Rom. 3:20). Jesus grounded His gospel presentation in the law. It is foolishness to pit law and gospel against one another, as law is an essential component of gospel. No man can be saved by the law and that’s exactly what Jesus declared. May we follow the example of Christ as we seek to properly proclaim the message of the gospel.

In this passage Christ revealed that He is Lord with authority over the law. Only the Lawgiver has the right to affirm or annul the law. He is Lord over all and He is the LORD, Yahweh, of the Old Testament. Jesus also confirmed the perfection and perpetuity of God's law and declared that the ones who keep it will be considered great in His kingdom. Jesus' gospel message could be legitimately stated as, “Christ Is Lord Obey Him”.

Let us, for another thing, beware of despising the law of the Ten Commandments. Let us not suppose for a moment that it is set aside by the Gospel, or that Christians have nothing to do with it. The coming of Christ did not alter the position of the Ten Commandments one hair’s breadth. If anything, it exalted and raised their authority. (Rom. 3:31.) The law of the Ten Commandments is God’s eternal measure of right and wrong. By it is the knowledge of sin. By it the Spirit shows men their need of Christ, and drives them to Him. To it Christ refers His people as their rule and guide for holy living. In its right place it is just as important as “the glorious Gospel.”—It cannot save us. We cannot be justified by it. But never, never let us despise it. It is a symptom of an ignorant and unhealthy state of religion, when the law is lightly esteemed. The true Christian “delights in the law of God.” (Rom. 7:22.)[2] — J.C. Ryle

In part 2 we will consider what is the message of the good news of the kingdom as we continue to assess Christ’s lordship and our obedience to him.

 

 

[1] John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 278.

[2] J.C Ryle, Expository Thoughts on Matthew, (Edinburgh: Logos Bible Software, 2012), Matt. 5:13-20.