Please take out your copy of God's Word and turn with me to Matthew's Gospel, chapter 5 and verse 17.
! I have to tell you I was really nervous about doing that without dropping everything.
! This morning will be our second consideration of verses 17 through 20 of chapter 5 of Matthew's Gospel.
Last week I focused our attention on the first half of verse 17 predominantly where Jesus says,
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
And we established together that Jesus has a high view of the Scripture and that the Scripture has a high view of Him.
We learned that the Jews of Jesus' day referred to the law in four different ways.
Let me remind you of those quickly.
First, they referred to the law as the Ten Commandments.
It was the law of Moses found in Exodus 20.
They also used this term to refer to the Pentateuch.
The first five books of the Old Testament said to have been authored by Moses.
Thirdly, they used this term to refer to the entirety of the Old Testament.
And then fourth, to refer to the rabbinical traditions.
Those laws that had been added to on top of God's Word revealed in the Old Testament.
This is the teaching that Jesus is referring to in Matthew 15 and verse 6 when He says,
For the sake of your tradition, you have made void the Word of God.
And so there was one erroneous use of this term, right?
Referring to the rabbinical traditions.
And then there are three that we pay attention to and need to understand as we read through the New Testament.
Jesus says,
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
And this phrase in its variance, the law or the prophets here, found in most places, the law and the prophets,
is used 15 times in the New Testament, always to refer to the entirety of the Old Testament.
So as Jesus says this,
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
This is what He's referring to, right?
All of the teaching of the Old Testament.
This is the Scripture that Jesus had a high view of.
His Bible in His day, which we now consider the Old Testament.
And it is this that Jesus says He did not come to abolish.
Now in verse 17, Jesus goes on to say,
I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.
Which presses the question,
What is the place of the law in the life of the Christian?
What do we, the New Testament church, do with the commands and precepts of the Old Testament?
Join me in reading today's text,
and I'm going to make every effort this morning to answer that question for our benefit to the glory of God.
So Matthew 5, verse 17 through 20.
It reminds you, beloved, that this is God's Word to us.
It was written for His glory and our good,
and we would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
Jesus said,
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.
For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law until all is accomplished.
Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Now then, if you have been with us for some time,
you will remember that we have found ourselves studying the Sermon on the Mount
because I set out to begin a study through Exodus chapter 20,
where we read of the law of Moses, most commonly called the Ten Commandments.
In my preparation, I was surprised to find a broad disagreement
concerning the place of the Ten Commandments in the life of the Christian.
And today's text was referenced often by every author I read,
no matter what position they held.
The crux of the disagreement concerns really what Jesus meant by,
I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill.
So we made a very last-minute change to our preaching schedule on a Friday before that Sunday,
which bought me ten weeks to sort through the complexity of the issue.
We went to the beginning of Matthew chapter 5,
and knowing full well we would arrive at Matthew chapter 5, verses 17 through 20.
Here we are today.
I'm sure that you have been patiently waiting to know why in the world I brought this stack of a dozen or so,
I think it's a baker's dozen of books,
and placed them to my left on a stool.
I promised that I did not do so to reference each of them this morning.
I'm not reading any quotations from any of these books this morning,
but rather to show you the level of work it has taken
to arrive at the position I will present to you today.
Now, to be clear, just because I've used these books doesn't necessarily make me right.
None of the authors of these books are infallible.
I am certainly not infallible.
And we all, like Jesus, ought to have a high view of the Scripture
to carefully weigh out what it says and give it careful application to our living.
I hope I've navigated that well and will continue to do so in the coming weeks.
So this is the complexity of the issue stack, right?
So when you're scratching your head, look here and go,
yeah, there's a lot, a lot happening here.
We may not always agree on all of the Bible's teaching or its application,
but make no mistake, beloved,
this church agrees that God's Word is the infallible,
inerrant, authoritative guide for our lives.
I've spent the last decade hanging all that I am on this book.
I would be nothing without it,
and to be more accurate, without the God of it.
It is by this Word that God has established and built this church,
and it will be only by neglect of it
or uncharitable disagreements about it
that this church will be torn apart.
So as we pick up matters on which many disagree,
let's agree that we will do so as partners.
People who love the Bible and the God of it.
Let us agree to work together through difficult doctrine and hard matters
as God is glorified in our unity in the truth.
So, to begin, and to give you a place to start your thinking and mine
for what I believe about the place of the law and the gospel,
I want to read to you from our statement of faith.
So if you're a member of this church, you've agreed to this.
This is what our church believes,
of the harmony of the law and the gospel.
And this is from our statement of faith that is largely based on the New Hampshire Confession of 1833.
And it reads as follows.
We believe that the law of God is the eternal and unchangeable rule of His moral government.
That it is holy, just, and good.
And that the inability which the Scriptures ascribe to fallen men to fulfill its precepts
arise entirely from their love of sin.
To deliver them from which and to restore them through a mediator to unfeigned obedience to the holy law
is one great end of the gospel
and of the means of grace connected with the establishment of the visible church.
I'm going to give that to you in my translation so you understand.
We believe that God's word is the eternal, unchangeable rule of His moral government.
So we believe in a moral law, and we'll talk more about that later.
And that is unchanging.
It's holy.
It's just.
It's good.
It's given to us for our good.
That our inability to keep it, that the Scriptures say we're unable to keep it as fallen men,
comes from our love of sin.
And that the gospel of Jesus Christ seeks to deliver us from that, right?
From our love of sin to a love of this moral law.
And that it is one great end, one of the great ends of the gospel and the grace of the church,
that we would do that very thing.
Keep this law.
This is what the New Hampshire Confession and our statement of faith says about the harmony of the law and the gospel.
So that gives us a starting point.
As people who believe that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone,
I assert to you that we have to be so careful to not become antinomians.
So there's your big word for today.
Antinomians.
We believe that the gospel is offered freely to mankind.
That there is no work that will ever gain us God's satisfaction.
We must be found in Christ's perfect work.
And being people who believe this, this is the gospel of Jesus Christ,
we must be careful that we don't become antinomians.
Antinomians.
Antinomian.
which is law, so without the law,
is one who takes the principle of salvation
by faith and divine grace
to the point of asserting
that the saved are not bound
to follow the Ten Commandments.
This seems to me to be inconsistent
with what Jesus is saying
in verses 17 and following.
He says,
I have not come to abolish them,
but rather, but to fulfill them.
Now to understand a bit more
about this word fulfill,
we must take a careful look
at what Matthew has done
with this word so far.
He's established a theme of fulfillment
in his gospel account
to this point in chapter 5.
Now as we begun our study
at the beginning of chapter 5,
we need to be sure not to miss this.
Maybe you picked it up
from your Bible reading
from this past week
as we were at the beginning of Matthew.
So to give you an example,
Matthew chapter 1, verses 22 and 23.
Matthew speaking of the birth of Christ says,
All this took place
to fulfill what the Lord
had spoken by the prophet.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive
and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which means God with us.
So this happened,
the way in which Christ was born
happened to fulfill,
to make God's promise complete
that had been spoken by the prophet.
We see this also
in chapter 2 and verse 15.
Chapter 2 and verse 17.
Chapter 2 and verse 23.
And chapter 4 and verse 14.
We see this repetition
leading to where we are.
And this theme carries throughout
the Gospel of Matthew
as well beyond today's text.
Jesus fulfilled,
didn't abolish,
but fulfilled the Old Testament
by being its fulfillment.
The promise kept.
All of the Old Testament
points to the person
and work of Jesus Christ.
All of the roads
of the Old Testament
lead to Him.
Jesus also points back
to the obedience
required by God.
So I skipped over one of them
as I was reading you
these fulfillment verses
in Matthew.
Matthew 3, verse 14 and 15.
When Jesus requests
that John the Baptist baptize Him,
Matthew records for us,
John would have prevented Him saying,
so John says to Him,
I need to be baptized by You.
And do You come to Me?
But Jesus answered Him,
Let it be so now,
for thus it is fitting
for us to fulfill
all righteousness.
Then He, being John,
consented.
So Jesus kept the law perfectly
and He is our perfect righteousness.
He also means this
when He talks about
fulfilling the Old Testament.
However,
Jesus intends for us
to grow in righteousness.
Isn't that the here and not yet
of the Christian faith?
We are found righteous in Christ
and yet we are growing in righteousness.
This is the doctrine of sanctification.
God's law
is the train tracks
on which our life in Christ
is meant to run.
Jesus,
having been raised from the dead
and ascended
to be seated
at the right hand of the Father,
gave to us
the Holy Spirit
who works as the engine
that drives us
down those tracks.
In Ezekiel 36,
verse 27,
Ezekiel says,
on behalf of God,
and I will put My Spirit within you
and cause you to walk in My statutes
and be careful to obey My rules.
The prophet Ezekiel does not say,
God says,
I will put My Spirit within you
and you may follow the whim
that you feel the Spirit is leading you to.
No.
He says there will be tracks
and I will drive you down those tracks.
My statutes
and My rules.
Further in today's text,
Jesus goes on to say,
and this will be a sweeping summary
of the rest of it,
for truly I say to you
until heaven and earth pass away,
so this apocryphic language
when all things are brought to an end,
not an iota,
not a dot,
the smallest letter
in the Hebrew alphabet,
the smallest mark
in the Hebrew alphabet,
none of that will pass
from the law
until it's all accomplished.
All things will be accomplished.
And then He goes on in verse 19,
and this is the most stark case for me.
Therefore, whoever relaxes
one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do the same
will be called least
in the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever does them and teaches them
will be called great
in the kingdom of heaven.
We are meant to pay attention to,
to obey,
and to teach others
to do the same,
these commandments of God.
And then, as Jesus is doing
all throughout the Sermon on the Mount,
verse 20,
for I tell you,
unless your righteousness exceeds
that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven.
The scribes and the Pharisees
were those who were viewed
as most holy in this day.
We're very good at keeping
the outward appearance
of holiness,
of keeping all of those laws
just so-so.
But Jesus declares woes upon them,
calls them whitewashed tombs,
right?
Pretty on the outside,
but full of dead people's bones.
These men were not righteous
before God,
but they gave the appearance of it.
And Jesus,
thematically throughout the Sermon on the Mount,
is calling us to a greater understanding
of the law of God of their day,
and hopefully for us as well,
that we would see
that what God requires of us
is whole person righteousness,
and that we see
that we need the righteousness of Christ
for this demand to be met.
At the end of Matthew chapter 5,
Jesus says,
you therefore must be perfect
as your heavenly Father
is perfect.
So we find our righteousness in Christ,
and then because we are righteous in Christ,
we pursue righteousness
by the law.
So,
I am anti-antinomian.
As an interesting aside,
many of you are aware
of the Great Awakening,
the First Great Awakening
in North America
was sparked off from a church
that a man named Jonathan Edwards
pastored,
and it began with two sermons
which were preached back to back,
and they were both anti-sermons.
The first was an anti-Arminianism sermon.
He made big the God of our salvation,
and the second was an anti-antinomianism sermon.
And what happened as a work of the Spirit
through Jonathan Edwards' preaching
is that young people
got a big picture of their salvation,
this God that has saved them,
their wretched self saved in God,
and they saw their need for obedience
to the law,
and they went out from these church meetings,
and they continued to meet together
and to consider the text of the sermon
and the sermon itself,
to talk about it,
and to pursue holiness together.
And people in their town said,
what is the weirdness that's happening
with these young people?
They have a huge God,
and they are devoting their lives to Him,
and they wanted to know about this God.
And the Great Awakening was kicked off
by young people
who had a high view of God
and of His law.
Now, Sinclair Ferguson once said,
words that end in IST and ISM
can be dangerous
because they pigeonhole people,
and people are not pigeons.
So, and if you want,
sometime I'll actually show you
the place that he said it
because he says it with a Scottish accent,
and it's much more wonderful than that.
But they pigeonhole people,
and people are not pigeons.
So we have to be careful, right,
when we set labels on belief systems
in this way.
Antinomianism comes in different varieties
and shapes.
I want to share at least three.
I'm going to share three.
There's at least three with you quickly
before we get back to the Scripture.
First, there's theological antinomianism.
Most every one that I read
that took an antinomian stance
seemed to fall into this category,
this theological or doctrinal category.
These antinomians are lovers
of the gospel of grace.
As they should be.
As they absolutely should be.
That we are saved by grace alone,
through faith alone,
in Christ alone.
They rightly have seen and experienced
the law of God
as the thing that drove them to Christ.
And the law is used in this way, right?
To expose our sinfulness.
To show us how far we've fallen short
of the holy standard of God.
Paul writes about this
in Galatians 3,
verses 24-26,
when he says,
So then,
the law was our guardian
until Christ came,
in order that we might be justified
by faith.
But now that faith has come,
we are no longer under a guardian,
for in Christ Jesus,
you are all sons of God
through faith.
When Paul talks of this guardian,
and the guardian would have been
like a tutor.
Somebody that the father would have hired
to keep their son in line.
And typically this man
was given the privilege,
the ability to discipline the son.
So, you can imagine
a young man being taken to school
who doesn't want to go to school.
And the guardian walks along
behind him with a stick
and smacks him every time
he tries to divert off the road.
This is the picture of a guardian,
right?
That we would be brought to Christ.
So the theological antinomian says,
look, it's accomplished this task.
Now that we're in Christ,
we're no longer,
as Paul says here,
under the law.
We've been set free from the law.
And they desire to be consistent
in that way.
I can appreciate that.
I can appreciate that they're saying,
wait, wait, wait.
Right?
We want to be very clear
not to lay any burden on anybody
except to give them
the free offer of the gospel.
This can be found also
in Bunyan's writing
in Hogan's Progress.
And I don't think Bunyan
was an antinomian,
but he expresses this.
If you stick around here long enough,
I'm going to read this entire book to you
in little bits and pieces.
He expresses this
in the story of Faithful.
As Faithful has joined Christian
on his journey,
and they have both gone up
this hill called Difficult.
This hill called Difficult.
He's recounting what happened to him
when he went up this hill.
And Faithful says,
but good brother, hear me out.
So soon as the man overtook me,
he was but a word and a blow,
for down he knocked me
and laid me for dead.
But when I was a little come
to myself again,
I asked him wherefore he served me so.
Why?
Why did he serve me so?
He said,
because of my secret inclining
to Adam the first.
Because I think
that I can be justified by work.
Because of my secret inclining
to Adam the first.
And with that he struck me
another deadly blow on the breast
and beat me down backward.
So I lay at his feet
as dead as before.
So when I came to myself again,
I cried him mercy.
But he said,
I know not how to show mercy.
And with that,
he knocked me down again.
He had doubtless made me,
made an end of me.
But that one came by
and bid him forbear,
bid him to stop.
Christian says,
who was that
that bid him forbear?
And Faithful says,
I did not know him at first,
but as he went by,
I perceived the holes
in his hands and his side.
Then I concluded
that he was our Lord.
So I went up the hill.
Christian says,
that man that overtook you
was Moses.
He spareth none,
neither knoweth he how
to show mercy
to those that transgress
the law.
So these antinomians
rightly celebrate the fact
that those who are in Christ Jesus
have his righteousness
and are no longer slaves
to the law.
No longer under the oppression
of the law
that only condemns.
The great preacher,
Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones,
once said,
if your presentation
of the gospel
does not expose it
to the charge
of antinomianism,
you are probably
not putting it correctly.
And he's saying,
there must be this
free offer.
There must be this
come with your wretchedness
and receive the righteousness
of Christ
by faith in Him.
But,
these antinomians fail to see
that having brought us
to Christ,
the law becomes
our friend.
Having once served
as our enemy
to show us our great need
of Christ,
once found in Him,
it becomes
our friend.
Listen to the way that Paul
does this very thing
with the law
in Ephesians 6,
verse 1 and 2,
where he instructs
children in the church
to obey your parents
and the Lord,
for this is right.
He says,
honor,
citing Exodus 20,
honor your father
and mother.
This is the first commandment
with a promise.
So,
he employs it
to help us
know how it is
we should walk
in the light
of the gospel
and that the two
are harmonious
together.
So,
that's the first type
of antinomian
that I would encourage
you not to be.
Secondly,
there's an exegetical
antinomian.
These antinomians
make the law
a single page.
They want to simplify
the law
as the law
that must be dealt
with all together.
Right?
So,
if we are no longer
under the law,
if the law
has been fulfilled,
then it is altogether
done away with.
They fail,
I assert humbly
to you,
to make distinctions
in types of law.
Civil,
ceremonial,
and moral.
We'll talk about
a bit more soon.
They fail to do this
and they take the law
collectively
and they sweep it away
now that we're found
in Christ.
And thirdly,
there is the
experimental
antinomian
or experiential.
I don't know
if that's really
a word though.
Experimental
antinomian.
This is the one
I am most
concerned about.
This is why
we wanted to pick up
and preach through
Exodus 20
to be sure
that we don't
err in this way.
This antinomian
says,
I have the grace
of God,
therefore,
I can live
however I please.
Romans 6,
verse 1 and 2,
Paul says,
what shall we say
then?
Having been set free
from the law,
are we to continue
in sin
that grace
may abound?
And then he says,
in a Greek expletive,
by no means.
May it never be.
This is a response
to that.
How can we
who died
to sin
still live in it?
And how
did Paul
and the Roman church
know
whether or not
they were living
in sin?
The law.
God's moral law
contained in
their
Scripture.
The problem
with
both
antinomianism
and on the other
side of the coin
legalism
is that they
both
divorce
the law
of God
from the
character
of God.
The one
fails to see
the law
as a means
to bring us
to the loving
kindness of God.
That'd be the
legalist.
The other
fails to see
the law
as God's
loving
instruction
for His
people.
We very
quickly
could play
a game
and I
won't
but if
I were
to
throw
a word
out
to you
you
could
quickly
come up
with the
opposite
of the
word
up
down
inside
outside
many
who
understand
this
word
if I
were to
say
antinomian
they would
say
legalist
but the
truth of
it is
that the
opposite
of
antinomianism
is
gospel
and the
opposite
of legalism
is
gospel
so we
work
as God's
people
to walk
very
carefully
down
the
middle
now
you turn
over
your
bulletin
this is
chapter 19
this text
of the
London
Baptist
Confession
of
1689
for the
sake of
time I'm
going to
spare you
the history
of the
London
Baptist
Confession
but I
want you
to be
aware
I read
to you
previously
the
New
Hampshire
Confession
statement
this is
much
longer
statement
the
Westminster
Confession
also
chapter 19
speaks
on this
the
Westminster
Divines
spent
more
pages
and
more
time
working
through
the
harmony
of the
law
and the
gospel
than
any
other
part
of
their
work
this
isn't
quite
the
longest
chapter
in the
London
Baptist
Confession
but it's
very
close
to it
because
these
divines
wanted to
be very
careful
now just
because
something is
old doesn't
make it
right
amen
but it
can be
helpful
it can
be helpful
that when
we look
back across
history
and see
see the
way that
churches
and councils
have
ordered
themselves
looked at
the scriptures
and arrived
at things
it can
inform
us
if
we're
way
off
it
could
be
that
we've
wandered
away
from
orthodoxy
altogether
so let me
run through
these statements
with a few
comments
and some
scripture
referencing
for them
and this
is kind
of the
outline
for the
case
the case
against
antinomianism
so number
one
God gave
to Adam
a law
of
universal
obedience
written
in his
heart
they
base
this
off
Genesis
127
so God
created
man
in his
own
image
so God
himself
being
holy
in the
image
of God
he created
him
male and
female
he created
them
God
himself
obedient
to
himself
right
so
Adam's
created
in that
very
same
image
and
a
particular
precept
of not
eating
the fruit
of the
tree
of knowledge
of good
and evil
Genesis
chapter 2
verse 16
and 17
by which
he bound
him in
all his
posterity
to personal
entire
exact
and perpetual
obedience
promised life
upon the
fulfilling
and threatened
death upon
the breach
of it
and endued
him
with power
and ability
to keep
it
so this is the place
we find Adam
and Eve
coming in
chapter 2
into the beginning
of chapter 3
the command
not to eat
of this
particular
and
Satan
comes along
brings
deception
they give
into it
want to be
like
gods
and transgress
this particular
command
given to
them
point number
two
the same
law that was
first written
in the heart
of man
continued
to be a
perfect rule
of righteousness
after the
fall
and was
delivered
by God
upon
Mount
Sinai
in
ten
commandments
and
written
in
two
tablets
the
four
first
containing
our
duty
towards
God
and
the
other
six
our
duty
to
man
in the
coming
weeks
we'll
look at
those
and we'll
look at
them
categorically
in
that
way
so
this
second
point
in
chapter
19
of
London
Baptist
confession
is
saying
this
very
same
law
has
been
written
on
the
hearts
of
man
we
have
been
given
this
knowledge
of
how
it
is
we
are
meant
to
go
and
God
in
his
mercy
wrote
it
down
etched
it
in
stone
his
people
did
still
not
quite
get
it
and
he
said
here
I'll
write
it
down
for
you
that
you
might
take
it
up
and
read
it
and
obey
it
Paul
speaks
!
of
the
Gentiles
those
who
would
have
been
outside
of
this
law
in
Romans
chapter
2
verse
14
and
into
the
first
half
of
15
for
when
Gentiles
who
do
not
have
the
law
by
nature
do
what
the
law
requires
they
are
a
law
to
themselves
they
are
giving
us
evidencing
that
they
have
it
in
them
even
though
they
do
not
have
the
law
they
show
that
the
work
of
the
law
besides
this
law
commonly
called
moral
so
here
you
get
the
distinction
the
ten
commandments
work
for us
as a
framework
and we're
going to
look at
these
at
length
in the
coming
weeks
right
for
God's
moral
law
besides
this
law
commonly
called
moral
God
was
pleased
to
give
to
the
people
of
Israel
ceremonial
laws
containing
several
typical
ordinances
partly
of
worship
prefiguring
Christ
his
graces
actions
sufferings
and
benefits
and
partly
holding
forth
diverse
instructions
of
moral
duties
all
which
ceremonial
laws
being
appointed
only
to
the
time
of
reformation
talking
about
the
time
of
Christ
are
by
Jesus
Christ
the
true
Messiah
and
only
law
giver
who
was
furnished
with
power
from
the
father
for
that
end
abrogated
which
means
cancelled
and
taken
away
so
what
that
statement
is
saying
that
all
of
these
ceremonial
laws
the
sacrificial
system
was
meant
to
point
us
to
the
greater
requirement
of
the
perfect
sacrifice
that
is
Christ
so
that
sacrifice
having
been
made
those
ceremonial
laws
are
no
longer
necessary
so
when
we
read
the
old
testament
and
we
read
the
ceremonial
laws
it
should
cause
us
to
praise
God
for
Christ
we
don't
have
to
continually
offer
sacrifice
we
have
that
final
and
completed
sacrifice
in
our
Lord
and
Savior
Jesus
Christ
the
writer
of
Hebrews
says
in
Hebrews
chapter
10
and
verse
1
for
since
the
law
has
but
a
shadow
of
the
good
things
to
come
instead
of
the
true
form
of
these
realities
it
can
never
by
the
same
sacrifices
that
are
continually
offered
every
year
make
perfect
those
who
draw
near
and
the
case
he's
making
is
that
Christ
can
accomplish
what
the
law
could
not
okay
fourth
to
them
also
he
gave
sundry
various
judicial
or
civil
laws
which
expire
together
with
the
state
of
that
people
not
obliging
any
now
by
virtue
of
that
institution
their
general
equity
only
being
of
moral
use
so
what's
he
saying
right
these
people
living
in a
theocracy
were
given
these
civil
laws
and
now
that
theocracy
does
not
exist
anymore
those
laws
also
are
not
of
use
other
than
to
point
us
to
some
moral
guideline
to
help
us
to
think
and
to
be
careful
and
to
look
at
the
way
God
would
have
us
proceed
in
particular
matters
let me
show you
an
example
of how
Paul
does
this
in
1st
Corinthians
chapter
9
verses
8
through
10
Paul
says
do I
say
these
things
on
human
authority
what's
he been
talking
about
he's been
talking
about
the fact
that he
deserves
he could
be paid
for the
work he's
doing
but he's
decided
not to
be
so
but he's
making
the case
that he
could be
paid
for the
work
that he's
doing
so he
says
do I
say
these
things
on
human
authority
does
not
the
law
say
the
same
right
so here's
one of
those
uses
of law
what's
he
talking
you
shall
not
muzzle
an
ox
when
it
treads
out
the
grain
so he
references
what we
believe
is a
civil
law
and they
would
have
obeyed
this
law
they
wouldn't
muzzle
the ox
as it
treads
out
the
grain
they
let
the
ox
eat
grain
as it
treaded
it
out
but then
he
says
and this
is
verse
9
is
it
for
oxen
that
God
is
concerned
does
he
not
certainly
speak
!
for
our
sake
it
was
written
for
our
sake
because
the
plowman
should
plow
in
hope
and
the
thresher
thresh
in
hope
of
sharing
in
the
crop
you
see how
Paul
does
that
very
thing
he
takes
this
sundry
judicial
law
he
says
we're
not
really
too
concerned
actually
about
the
ox
being
able
to
eat
when
it
wants
to
eat
as
it
treading
out
the
grain
God
speaking
this
so
that
we
would
have
some
example
and
be
concerned
about
those
who
serve
in
gospel
efforts
okay
fifth
here's
where that
language
gets so
fun
the
moral
law
dof
forever
bind
all
does
forever
bind
all
as
well
justified
persons
as
others
to
the
obedience
thereof
and
that
not
only
in
regard
of
the
matter
contained
in
it
but
also
in
respect
of
the
authority
of
God
the
creator
who
gave
it
neither
doth
Christ
in
the
gospel
any
way
dissolve
but
much
strengthen
this
obligation
this
is
what
I've
been
saying
to
you
right
that
we
are
meant
to
be
keepers
of
the
moral
law
and
Christ
gives
adds
to
that
right
he
doesn't
take
away
from
it
but
he
actually
raises
our
understanding
of
the
law
and
the
way
in
which
we're
meant
to
keep
it
as
God's
redeemed
people
two
places
in
scripture
here
James
2
8
through
11
James
says
if
you
really
fulfill
the
royal
law
according
to
the
scripture
you
shall
love
your
neighbor
as
yourself
you
are
doing
well
but
if
you
show
partiality
you
are
committing
sin
and
are
convicted
by
the
law
as
transgressors
so
he's
saying
to
the
church
this
is
a
law
you
should
keep
and
if
you
don't
you
are
sinning
for
whoever
keeps
the
whole
law
but
fails
in
one
point
has
become
guilty
of
all
of
it
for
he
who
said
he's
referencing
the
law
do
not
commit
adultery
also
said
do
not
murder
if
you
do
not
commit
adultery
but
do
murder
you
have
become
a
transgressor
of
the
law
so
James
upholds
its
value
and
its
place
in
the
Christian
life
Paul
wrote
in
Romans
3
31
do
we
!
overthrow
the
is that
the
question
we're
asking
I
believe
that
it
is
do
we
then
overthrow
the
law
by
this
faith
and
he
says
again
with
an
expletive
by
no
means
on
the
contrary
we
uphold
the
law
right
sixth
this
is
the
long
one
for
good
reason
although
true
believers
be not
under
the
law
as
a
covenant
of
works
so
these
divines
are
saying
to
us
and
we
don't
keep
the
law
to
be
saved
to
be
thereby
justified
or
condemned
yet
it
is
of
great
use
to
them
as
well
as
to
others
in
that
as
a
rule
of
life
informing
them
of
the
will
of
God
and
their
duty
it
directs
and
binds
them
to
walk
accordingly
discovering
also
the
sinful
pollutions
of their
natures
hearts
and
lives
so as
examining
themselves
thereby
they may
come to
further
conviction
of
humiliation
for
and
hatred
against
sin
so
God
is
saying
there
right
this
is
how
the
law
helps
us
right
shows
us
how
to
go
and
then
shows
us
when
we're
not
going
when
we
have
jumped
the
tracks
it
helps
us
we
get
back
on
the
tracks
it
is
likewise
of
use
to
the
regenerate
to
restrain
their
corruptions
in
that
it
forbids
sin
and
the
threatenings
of
it
serve
to
show
what
even
their
sins
deserve
and
what
afflictions
in
this
life
they
may
expect
for
them
although
freed
from
the
curse
and
unallayed
rigor
of
unsatisfied
undone
away
with
rigor
thereof
of
the
curse
right
so it
helps
us
to
see
the
temporary
consequence
for
sin
we
know
that
our
eternal
state
if we're
in
christ
is
sure
and
secure
but
what
about
the
between
it
helps
us
to
see
the
challenges
found
in
transgressing
the
law
the
promise
of
it
likewise
show
them
god's
approbation
of
obedience
and
what
blessings
they
may
expect
upon
the
performance
thereof
though
not
as
due
them
by
the
law
as
a
covenant
of
works
so
as
man's
doing
good
and
refraining
from
evil
because
the
law
encourages
to
the
one
and
deterrent
from
the
other
is
no
evidence
of
his
being
under
the
law
and
not
under
grace
and
that
last
part
of
it
I'm
pretty
sure
what
they're
saying
is
if
a
man
is
doing
well
or
if
a
man
is
doing
poorly
it
is
not
necessarily
the
evidence
of
whether
or
not
he's
in
the
faith
right
that
was
an
anti
prosperity
gospel
statement
there
at
the
end
right
so
Galatians
chapter 2
in
verse
16
Paul
says
we know
that a
person
is not
justified
by works
of the
law
but
through
faith
in
Jesus
Christ
so
we
also
have
believed
in
Christ
Jesus
in
order
to
be
justified
by
faith
in
Christ
and
not
by
works
of
the
law
because
by
works
of
the
law
no
one
will
be
justified
so
we
will
not
be
declared
accepted
by
being
keepers
of
the
law
but
as
those
who
have
been
accepted
we
will
want
we
will
desire
to
be
keepers
of
the
law
and
Romans
8
1
Paul
says
there's
therefore
now
no
condemnation
for
those
who
are
in
Christ
Jesus
seventh
and
lastly
neither
are
the
aforementioned
uses
of
the
law
contrary
to
the
grace
of
the
gospel
but
do
sweetly
comply
with
it
the
spirit
of
Christ
subduing
and
enabling
the
will
of
man
to
do
that
freely
and
cheerfully
which
the
will
of
God
revealed
in
the
law
requireth
to be
done
so
the
spirit
of
Christ
stops
us
from
sinning
and
enables
us
presses
us
to
what
the
law
requires
of
us
again
Paul
Galatians
3
and
verse
21
is
the
law
then
contrary
to
the
promises
of
God
certainly
not
for
if
a
law
had
been
given
that
could
give
life
then
righteousness
would
indeed
be
by
the
law
and
Romans
8
verses
3
and
4
so
this
for
me
puts
the
nail
in
the
coffin
of
antinomianism
those
who
would
say
I
just
want
to
follow
the
whim
of
the
spirit
the
spirit
doesn't
function
this
way
but
they
believe
that
he
does
Paul
here
said
for
God
is
done
with
the
law
weakened
by
the
flesh
!
in
the
flesh
right
so
he's
talking
about
how
the
law
can't
bring
us
righteousness
but
we
find
righteousness
in
Christ
verse
4
in order
that
the
righteous
requirement
of the
law
might
be
fulfilled
in
us
being
in
Christ
who
there's
activity
who
walk
not
according
to
the
flesh
but
according
to
the
spirit
so
what
is
this
work
that
the
Spirit
is
doing
!
right
fulfilling
the
righteous
requirement
of the
law
right
causing
us
to
walk
in
its
way
so
because
I
believe
that
we
ought
not
be
antinomians
we
will
spend
the
coming
weeks
in
Exodus
20
learning
from
the
commandments
that
God
etched
in
the
two
tablets
given
to
Moses
on
Mount
Sinai
we
will
look
at
what
each
of
those
good
commandments
!
ask
that
we
do
perform
and
what
each
of
them
forbid
and
we
will
be
reminded
all
along
that
we
are
not
accepted
by
God
because
of
our
keeping
of
the
commandments
praise
God
rather
we
are
accepted
by
God
because
Jesus
kept
the
commandments
and
because
Jesus
was
punished
for
our
failure
to
keep
the
commandments
!
beloved
if
you
are
in
Christ
you
have
been
adopted
by
a
loving
father
who
does
not
love
you
just
as
you
are
but
loves
you
in
spite
of
who
you
are
and
because
he
loves
you
he
desires
to
see
you
changed
for
his
glory
on
the
front
of
your
bulletin
in
conclusion
a
Puritan
preacher
named
Thomas
Goodwin
said
the
law
is
delightful
because
obedience
is
delightful
and
we
do
not
understand
that
as
we
should
let's
pray
together