Law Vs GRace (2)

Romans 10:5–11 AVFor Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Introduction:

Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology Covenant of Works and Covenant of Grace The primary difference between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace is that the former concerns the relationship God had with Adam and Eve before the fall, while the latter concerns the relationship God has with the descendants of Adam after the fall. The covenant of works refers to the probationary state in which Adam and Eve were created. God gave them certain commands along with the promise of everlasting life, which was symbolized by the Tree of Life in the garden of Eden. The primary stipulation was that they were not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. In the covenant of works, the destiny of the human race was decided on the basis of performance, specifically, on the basis of the obedience of Adam and Eve. If they remained obedient, they would enter into an eternal state of blessedness.

Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology Covenant of Works and Covenant of Grace However, if they failed to conform to that stipulation, then they would die, along with their descendants. Adam and Eve miserably failed that test. They violated the covenant, and as a result the world was plunged into ruin.

Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology Covenant of Works and Covenant of Grace After the covenant of works was broken, God provided a new opportunity for man to be redeemed. He spared Adam and Eve and redeemed them despite their fallenness, and He did this on the basis of a new promise—the promise of redemption in the work of Christ. The Scriptures tell us we are saved by grace, and grace comes through the person and work of Christ. Christ saved us by becoming our champion. He became our substitute. That is why the New Testament refers to Him as “the second Adam.” He came into the world and placed Himself under the stipulations of the original covenant of works.

Because the Covenant of Works was broken, mankind is completely unable to obtain and maintain any level of righteousness that is pleasing and acceptable to God.

However, Paul’s people, the Jews, thought differently.

They arrogantly thought that they could obtain and maintain their own level of righteousness that was pleasing to God.

What began in Chapter 9 and verse 1 and continues here as Paul continues to contrast the differences between the self-righteousness of Jews and true righteousness that is received by faith.

I. Regulations Speaks (vs. 5)

Romans 10:5 AVFor Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

Once Paul had established the fact that Christ was the fulfillment of the law for the one that is believing, he then gives the reason for his statement in verse 5.

He writes regarding Moses and the law that was given him by God and compares, the law of righteousness that is based on the law and the righteousness that is based on faith.

Now, keep in mind that the Jews believed, and this goes back to all of Paul’s argument in this section, that they earned God’s favor by the keeping on the law.

And Paul’s argument is that that is why most of Israel is not saved because it is Christ, whom they reject, who is the end of the law.

Romans 3:20 AVTherefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

It all goes back to a very basic principle in Theology, the salvation is not based on works of any kind.

What the law does, if a man could keep it, is bring boasting, but faith ends all boasting because it is based on the merits of another.

Romans 3:27 AVWhere is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

So, Paul goes on to speak about the law that was given by Moses and the law of faith and compare the two; and the law has some pretty strict guidelines.

Listen, this message is not just a message about the reason why most of the Jews are not being saved, it is also a message for that person that you are trying to evangelize that believes that they can do it on their own.

A. The Regulation’s Righteousness (vs. 5a)

Romans 10:5 AVFor Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

To break apart the Jews dependence on the law for a right standing before God, the Apostle begins by talking about the law.

And here is the righteousness that is by the law.

The law could be likened to an agreement between two people.

One party will do their part if the other party does theirs.

If you obey the law, God will give us righteousness.

Here are the main aspects of Biblical law that will give righteousness.

1. Loving God ()

Deuteronomy 6:5 AVAnd thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Here is the top hinge on which all the law of righteousness swung; that you love God with all of your heart, all of your soul and with all of your strength.

That is the low of righteousness of which Moses wrote.

That if you have any hope of gaining righteousness based on the law, then it will only come as you obey the first hinge of the law.

What does it mean to love God with all of your heart, soul and strength?

In the Hebrew Bible, the terms heart and soul do not refer to separate components of the person.

Rather, the terms overlap in meaning, conveying the internal life, disposition, emotion and intellect.

And the Hebrew word for “might” means “exceedingly”.

The love that Israel was to have for Yahweh implies totality: as Yahweh is undivided in unity and alone worthy of worship, so the Israelites must have undivided loyalty to Him.

The Lord has no rivals; and to love and worship in other is to turn from God to an idol.

This kind of command to love is a responsive love.

Israel, just like us, had every reason to love the Lord.

Deuteronomy: An Expositional Commentary Love the Lord Your God (vv. 1–9) There was much the people knew about him and about what he had done. They knew him as Creator of all things. They knew him as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They knew him by personal experience. Many of them had seen his mighty acts: of judgement upon the Egyptians and upon those among themselves who had sinned; of deliverance in bringing them out of Egypt. They had all eaten manna day after day, and quail. They had drunk water out of the rock. Their clothes had not worn out and their sandals still protected their feet from the rocky paths they travelled. We who know of the giving and coming of the Son of God—his life, ministry, death and resurrection—and who have tasted of his grace have even greater reason to love God. It is to the shame of many of us that our love is so fitful and half-hearted.

To love God is to love Him with everything that is in us.

And to turn to idols; whether it be a person, a job or entertainment is to run to an idol and to fail to obey the top hinge on which all the law of righteousness swings; to love God.

2. Loving your neighbor ()

Leviticus 19:18 AVThou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

The lower hinge on which swings the sum of the law is to love your neighbor.

But not only to love your neighbor, but to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

In the NT, Jesus said to love your neighbor as yourself.

Matthew 22:39 AVAnd the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Mark 12:31 AVAnd the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Mark 12:33 AVAnd to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

Jesus was confronted with a situation during his earthly ministry when He came face to face with a lawyer.

Now, the lawyers were the experts in the law and they came to Jesus:

Luke 10:25 AVAnd, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

The whole purpose of the question was an attempt to get Christ to deny the law of Moses and then they would have reason to have Him arrested and killed.

But he asks Jesus:

Luke 10:25 AVAnd, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

Jesus put the ball back in his court.

Luke 10:26 ESVHe said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?”

Which the lawyer said:

Luke 10:27 AVAnd he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Then Jesus answers with the Law of Righteousness.

Luke 10:28 AVAnd he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

Now, Jesus just hit this man with an unachievable option.

But here is the interesting part.

Luke 10:29 AVBut he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

Luke 10:30 ESVJesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.

So, this man admits by his statement that he does not love his neighbor as himself, but where is the mention of the commandment to love God?

Does this lawyer really think that he has loved God the way that Jesus said that you had to love Him?

Probably not!

I mean if he realized that he had not loved his neighbor the way that God demanded, it probable that he knows that he does not love God the way he is suppose to.

But he is going to go with the one that he feels that he can better justify himself; and that is what the text says.

Then Jesus goes into the Parable about the Good Samaritan.

And the point?

Our neighbors are not just those people that we live next door to, although they are included.

Our neighbors are anyone to whom we come in contact.

Moses wrote about the laws righteousness, what it meant and the law hinges on two main points.

Mark 12:30–31 AVAnd 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 neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

These are the two greatest commandments; not because the other commandments are not important, but because in these two commandments Christ sums up our relationship with God and our relationship with our fellow man.

Because if you look at the law of God, all of the laws have their fulfillment in one of the two of these areas.

The laws righteousness?

Love God with everything and love your neighbor as you love yourself.

B. The Regulations Requirements (vs. 5b)

Romans 10:5 ESVFor Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them.

The laws regulation is to love God with everything in you and to love you neighbor as yourself.

But the laws requirement is that if you perform those things to obtain righteousness will have to continue to perform those things to keep that righteousness.

Because the law demands absolute perfection in every detail of the law.

James 2:10 AVFor whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

In other words, if such were possible, a person who failed in only one point of the law would remain just as lost as a person who failed in every point of the law.

Romans: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Israel Was Ignorant of the Place of Faith Anyone who is not utterly self-deceived realizes the impossibility of never stumbling even in the smallest way. And the foolish person who does presumptuously rely on his own obedience to the law will attain only the imperfect and unacceptable righteousness that his imperfect obedience merits. In God’s sight, such righteousness is wholly unrighteous and can never remove sin or earn divine favor.

Galatians 3:11 AVBut that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Leviticus 18:5 AVYe shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

If you can do them and do them faithfully and completely

Leviticus 18:5 AVYe shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

If you can do them completely, faithfully and consistently, then you would have earned the right to life through your own merits.

Galatians 3:11 AVBut that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

Romans: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Israel Was Ignorant of the Place of Faith The truths that Paul emphasizes here may be summarized as follows: First, the man who pursues salvation by trying to keep the law will be judged on the basis of that effort. Second, it is impossible to keep all the law. Third, the inevitable failure of works righteousness results in eternal damnation

If one depends on the righteousness of their life to obtain righteousness before God, then they will have not live by that and will be judged by that.