234 – GOD’S GREAT EXPERIMENTJuly 9, 1961
Henry F. Kulp
Galatians 3: 17 - 22 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Up to this point in the book of Galatians, Paul, is writing to the churches at Galatia, was proving that the law cannot save, it cannot keep, it cannot satisfy. And so the natural question follows—why do we have the law? Why did God give the law? And so Paul anticipates the question, and he answers it. If the law cannot save, keep him or make him better, why then, give the law?
1/ Notice three definite things are stated in this brief verse—that is Verse 19
(1) The law did have a beginning. Paul says it was added—added to something else that must have existed before the law itself came.
(2) The law had a definite purpose—because of transgression, or as we proceed to reveal the true nature of sin by transgression.
(3) The law also came to an end—just as it had a beginning. It was added till the seed should come. That little word, till, is usually over-looked. It is just a small word, it seems insignificant, but it is non-the-less important. The law was added till. That word. Till, means the same today as it did in the day that Paul wrote. May we just give you an illustration of what we mean. I can say to David when he asks if he can stay up late tonight—David, you may stay up till 10 o’clock. And that means David is to go to bed at 10 o’clock. Or, I can say to someone, I would like to borrow $50 till the first of the month. What does that mean? It means I will pay back the $50 at the first of the month. And so the law came to a conclusion when Christ came.
2/ Immediately, when you say the law had a beginning and it had an end, you have folks who get very excited. They say, Oh, that’s dangerous, that’s a terrible teaching.
A women came to a preacher after he finished preaching on the beginning and the end of the law one night, and she said, This teaching of yours is very frightening, because if you do away with the law, there is nothing to keep us faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ. So he said, Madam, Are you married? And she said, ”Yes,” I am. Do you know in the state in which you are living there is no law against adultery. Are you faithful to your husband? Have you committed adultery? She was shocked—she was astounded that a preacher would talk to her like that. She said, Of course, I have been faithful to my husband, No, I have not committed adultery. Well, suppose they do away with the law in this state, and it is no longer a crime to commit adultery? Will you commit adultery? Will you be faithful to your husband? She said, Why, of course I’ll still be faithful to my husband—I will not commit adultery. Well, why? There is no law that says it is a sin to commit adultery in this state—if they do away with it. She said, Well, I’ll be faithful to my husband, and I’ll not commit adultery because I love him. Oh, he said, The Law of Moses has been done away with—it does not keep us faithful to the Lord. We have something far greater to keep us faithful to the Lord—that is our love for the Lord.
I’d like you to notice a Scripture in conjunction with this.
II Corinthians 5: 14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
It is the love of Christ that constraineth us—notice, not the law, but the love of Christ constrains us. Literally, the clause means—the love of Christ over-masters us. That is to say, it makes us helpless to do otherwise than to win men to live for the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are over-mastered by Christ, it means that His life is ours. His truth is ours, His will is ours, and His passionate concern for men is ours.
Paul became consumed to the very core with the idea of the love of Christ. He became gripped by it, and it motivated him, it urged him on. So it is not the law, but the love of Christ which urges us and over-masters us.
3/ Nowhere in Scripture is the purpose of the law more clearly stated than in this verse. And don’t tell me that this applies only to the ceremonial, or the dietary or the sanitary laws or the sacrifices of the Old Testament. Paul is speaking of the law—the whole law, the Ten Commandments in particular.
4/ Now let us look at the beginning of the law. We have two questions here. When was the law added, and to what was it added? Let us look first of all at the words of John the Baptist as he spoke of the coming King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 1: 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. For the law was given by Moses.
Then also in John 7: 19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? The law started with Moses. Until God gave the Ten Commandants written on tables of stone to Israel through Moses, Israel knew nothing about the law, and for over 2,000 years from Adam to Moses, God gave no Ten Commandments to man. Man knew nothing about the Ten Commandments.
5/ Then notice the next part—the purpose of the law. It was added. The law did not exist until the time of Moses, but something else did exist to which the law was added. When we add something, we, of course, imply that there is something else to which this can be added. To what was the law added? Under what did man live before God gave the law to Moses? We all know the answer—it is very simple—it was the grace of God. Adam was under grace, Noah was under grace, Abraham was under grace. God dealt in grace before the law, and during the law, and since the law. But here we have law added to grace.
6/ Grace, of course, is the good news of God, but the law is not good news to the sinner. On the contrary, the law is very, very bad news to the sinner. For the law tells a sinner how wicked he is, and how he is condemned. Therefore, bad news of the law was added to good news of grace. It did not take the place of grace. We don’t mix it with grace—it does not supplant the grace of God—it was added, and in the Greek it means to place alongside of.
7/ Now we have the purpose of the law. It was added, and it was placed alongside of grace to reveal the awfulness and the true character of sin. You might say, was their sin in the world before the law came? Of course there was—men died, and God brought punishment upon them for their sin—but sin was not looked upon as transgression until the law came.
8/ Notice, the words, Romans 4: 15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
Where no law is there is no transgression.
So you say, does that mean there was no sin before the law came? Most assuredly there was sin, and sin was just as wicked, just as horrible, just as terrible before the law, as it was at the time the law was in force. There was sin before the law, but no transgression. But God gave the law in order that He might reveal to man the awfulness of sin—how terrible committing sin is in the sight of God.
9/ Something can be morally wrong and not legally wrong. Something may be morally wrong and then become legally wrong. Take when automobiles first came in—there were no laws governing the speed and the behavior of those who drove the automobiles —they could go dashing about in their cars and people would duck and run and horses would become frightened and rear up because of these cars and people would say, There ought to be a law against them driving so fast. They were probably driving 15 or 20 or 25 miles an hour. So they made a law that it was against the law to go—we will say—more then 15 miles an hour. Now it was morally wrong to drive and scare people before the law came in. But then it became legally wrong to go faster than a certain speed.
10/ Romans 3: 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Notice, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. The law did not reduce sin, neither did it make sin worse, but it revealed sin to be terrible, to be horrible.
11/ Romans 5: 20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound that the true nature of sin is brought out. Up to 100 years ago it was perfectly legal to own slaves in the United States—you could buy a slave, or you could own slaves. You could buy and you could sell them, you could treat them anyway you wanted. There were no laws, so therefore, there was no transgression of the law when you owned or bought or sold slaves, but when the law came in and made it illegal to buy or sell or own a slave, it was made punishable. In both instances it is wrong, but the law made it legally wrong to own slaves.
13/ Then there is another illustration. Before World War I it was not a transgression of the law to drink or sell or to make intoxicating liquor, but during the war, prohibition came in, making it a transgression of the law to sell, to make or to buy intoxicating liquor. Then the 18th Amendment was repealed and it again became legal. The law against liquor was gone, but drinking was no more or less wrong before or after the repeal of the 18th Amendment, but when the law was enforced, the 18th Amendment made it wrong to buy or sell, or to make intoxicating liquor.
14/ The law shows the fact that sin exists, and the law also brings condemnation.
15/ Now the next thing we have to see in this is the fact that the law was given only to the nation Israel.
Romans 2: 12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Here you will notice there are two classes of people spoken about here—those who have sinned without the law, and those who have sinned in the law. Who are they?
Verse 14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
The 14th verse tells us—the Gentiles who have not the law. Surely, Scripture cannot be plainer. When you go back to Exodus 20 you will find that the law was given only to Israel.
Exodus 20: 1 - 4 And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
You will notice it is spoken to Israel—to no one else. The law was never given to the Gentiles.
16/ Romans 3: 19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
The law was given only to Israel, so it said only to those who are under Israel that they were to do these things. But then notice, that every mouth might be stopped and that all the world should become guilty before God. God gave the law to Israel to stop the mouths of all men everywhere forever who would teach salvation by works. God took this nation and for over 1,500 years put them under the law and proved to all men everywhere in every age, that men cannot live by law, and that they cannot possibly be saved by their own works. You don’t need any further proof. In 1,500 years not one single Jew was able to keep the law. Not one Jew was saved by keeping the law. Not one Jew was kept by keeping the law.
17/ God proved by the nation Israel that 1,500 years under the law could not change one individual. It could not change the human heart which was sinful, which is incurable.
18/ Then notice, Galatians 3: 19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
That the law was ordained by angels in the hands of a mediator. It would seem at first that this statement would glorify the law. You think, My this was a majestic scene of the Old Testament when the law was given.
It was a horrible sight.
Hebrews 2: 18 - 21 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
It was a horrible sight—the very circumstances under which to fear the law.
(Editor’s note: Why would you long to live under the fear of the wrath of God every day of your life? Choose Life through the Grace of God.)
AMEN
07/09/1961 / 234 - GOD’S GREAT EXPERIMENT / 04/03/2021
No comments:
Post a Comment