Dead To The Law
"Ye also are become dead
to the law by the body of Christ." Romans 7:4,
When Jesus Christ died as our Substitute under the
penalty of the law, he silenced its thunderous threats and broke its power of
condemnation. The sentence of the Lawgiver against the transgressor was
satisfied in our representative – "The soul that sinneth, it shall
die." And, "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are
in Christ Jesus."
As Christ has fulfilled the types of the ceremonial law,
he has abolished the obligation of believers to the moral law. The handwriting
of ordinances that was against us, he has taken out of the way, nailing it to
the cross. It was an ancient custom to cancel bonds with a nail. And our Lord
has cancelled the law against us, being nailed to the cross.
All are
agreed that Christ did away with obligation to the ceremonial law. But, many
are still as Ishmael, under the bondage of the moral law. Brethren, it was the
moral, not the ceremonial law that had the power to condemn us. And it is this
law's curse which Christ nullified by his death. The ceremonial law of
sacrifices was the gospel in shadows, appointed for the relief of men. The
ceremonial law was a foreshadowment of our
justification in Christ. This was not contrary to us. Our Savior died under the
power and force of the moral law in his life, our Substitute rendered the exact
requirements of the law in perfect obedience. In his death, he received its
full penalty and execution. And in him we died. By the cross of Christ we are
dead to the law. The law can have no power over us until the virtue of our
surety's death has ceased! And that cannot be. Now, when the blood of Christ is
applied to our hearts by faith, we are not brought under the law. We are freed
from it and married to Christ. Fixing our eyes upon the righteousness and shed
blood of Christ, we sing with the full assurance of faith -
Free from the law, O happy
condition!
Jesus hath bled, and there is
remission!
Does
this mean that believers are antinonian (against
law)? Perish the thought! Never does the true born child of God say that he is
free to sin, free to break the law. But we do refuse to become entangled again
with the yoke of bondage. We will not be brought again under the covenant of
works, obeying God by a legal principle. Our principle of life is, "the
love of Christ constraineth us." We live by faith in Christ’s satisfaction
of the law, and walk by the heart principle of love to God and our fellowmen.
We are dead to the law and alive to God, by Jesus Christ.
This gives us comfort and freedom. The law can only bring
fear and bondage. Righteousness can never come by the law, neither for
justification, nor sanctification. Brethren, let us live by faith in Christ,
not frustrating the grace of God, "for if righteousness come by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain."
Don Fortner