REDEMPTION FROM UNDER LAW
Scripture: Gal. 4:5-7
This scripture is in many cases by many people misunderstood and misused. What does it mean “to redeem them that were under law?”
Who are under law?
Is a person under law when he transgresses the law or when he obeys the
law?
Is a person under law when he obeys God’s law out of pure love towards His redeemer, or is he under law when he tries to keep the law in order to gain redemption, salvation by works?
Were Adam and Eve under “law” when they stayed away from the forbidden tree or when they took and ate from the forbidden fruit?
Did Jesus redeem us from the law or from the curse/condemnation of the law?
Did Jesus redeem us from law keeping or from law keeping in order gaining justification, so-called righteousness by works, which is legalism.
Did the Lord conclude in the end that He made a mistake by giving mankind a law to keep, and thus take the law away and let people do what they like to do?
Qs. Which “Under law” situation needs redemption?
In order to answer that question we need to deal with the various scripture passages related to the expression “under law” Each passage has to be understood in its proper context.
Gal.4:4 Christ made under to law.
Other translations read: subject to law, like TCNT; Knox; JB.
When Christ was made of a woman or born from a woman, from Mary, it was in the time when the ceremonial law was still in existence. Everything that needed to be done under that law was done and He did. Except He never sacrificed a lamb for His sins, for He never sinned. 2Cor.5:21
“What is emphasized in these verses (Gal.4:4, 5) is that the one whom God sent to accomplish our redemption was perfectly qualified to do so. He was God’s Son. He was also born of a human mother. He was human as well as divine, the one and only God-man. And He was born ’under the law’, that is, of Jewish mother, into the Jewish nation, subject to the Jewish law. Throughout His life He submitted to all the requirements of the law. He succeeded where all others before and since have failed; He perfectly fulfilled the righteousness of the law. So the divinity of Christ, the humanity of Christ and the righteousness of Christ uniquely qualified Him to be man’s redeemer. If He had not been man, He could not have redeemed men. If He had not been a righteous man, he could not have redeemed unrighteous men. And if He had not been God’s Son, He could not have redeemed men for God or made them the sons of God” Dr.John R.W.Stott
“We add that the redemption won by Christ involved deliverance from the legal condemnation of the law. Not until Calvary was sin atoned for – both that committed before and that committed after the cross. (See.Hebr.9:15; 10:4-10, 14)”
The above statement is taken from the Sabbath School Quarterly Lesson June 2, 1990, page107
It should become clear already that the redemption of Christ does not mean redemption from keeping the law of God.
This is Satan’s aim to keep us from obeying God’s law.
“It is Satan’s studied effort to divert minds from the hope of salvation
through faith in Christ and obedience to the law of God………………In
apostolic times he led the Jews to exalt the ceremonial law, and reject Christ;
at the present time he induces many professing Christians, under pretense
of honoring Christ , to cast contempt on the moral law, and to teach that its
precepts may be transgressed with impunity” AA387
“But Christ has redeemed us from the law’s curse by becoming a curse for us. It is in this
sense that ‘Christ is the end of the law’ and we are no longer ‘ under’ it. It emphatically does not mean that there are now no moral absolutes except love, as the advocates of ‘the new morality’
taught in the 1960s, or that we now have no obligation to obey God’s law, as other antinomians teach”
“So the same cross of Christ which frees us from the law’s condemnation, commits us to law’s obedience”
Dr.John Stott in THE CROSS OF CHRIST p.281
A number of scripture passages make it very clear that Christ did not come to release us from keeping the law of God:
Psalms 40:8 law was within His heart
Isa. 42:21 He came to magnify the law
Matth.5:17, 18 He did not come to do away with the law
John 14:15 If ye love me keep my commandments
Rom.3:31 we establish the law
Rev.14:12 the people of Jesus keep the commandments of God
Rev.22:14(KJV) blessed are those who do his commandments
EGW states in TDG 246, Christ did not, by bearing the sinner’s guilt, release
man from his obligation to obey the law; for if the law could have been changed or abolished, He need not have come to this world to suffer and die. The very fact that Christ died for its transgressions attests the unchanging character of the father’s law.
If there is no need or reason to be redeemed from keeping the law, from what are we to be redeemed then?
1. Not from HEALTH laws, they are for physical benefit
Lev.11:44; 1Peter 1:16; holy living.
2. Not from national government laws, Rom.13:1 part of God’s power.
3. Not from God’s moral law.
Rom.7:12, 22 Paul’s delight in the law.
Footnote NASB “The law is fundamentally good, but the result of the law is to bring
into the open the power of sin. It is sin, not the law that exposes it,
that deceives and kills(v.11).
Rom.7:6 what does Paul mean saying: being delivered from the law…? Or as
it reads in Gal.2;19 “……..dead to the law…”
Matthew Poole: “ye also are become dead to the law; i.e. ye are taken off
from all hopes to justification by it. The opposition seems to
require that he should have said, the law is dead to us; but
these two phrases are much the same. Q. What law does he mean?
A. Not only the ceremonial law but the moral law, for in that he instanceth
vs.7 The moral law is in force still; Christ came to confirm, and not to
destroy.” Matthew Poole on Rom.7:6
Luther: We are delivered from the Law in the sense that by faith in Christ
we obey the law and by grace freely and willingly do what the Law
demands of us.” Com.on Romans p.109
We serve God based upon a different relationship, not to law, but to Christ.
“Some will tell us that it is not service they object to, but service regulated by law.
But will they tell us what is to regulate service, if not law? Love, they say. This is a pure
fallacy. Love is not a rule, but a motive. Love does not tell me what to do; it tells me
how to do it.” Davis p.88 in “Romans for Everyday Man” (quote from Horatius Bonar)
Evangelical Com. “The problem has not been the law but ourselves”.
Rom.6:14 not under law but under grace.
“Of course they are still under law in the sense that it represents the
immutable will of God, which all believers are expected to fulfill in holy
behaviour; what Paul means by not being under law but under grace is that
we do not have to work from a fallen nature but by grace have been given a
new nature. Evangelical Com.
THREE POSITIONS UNDER LAW WHICH NEEDS REDEMPTION.
1. Gal.3:13 from the curse of the law; curse is result of transgression
1 John 3:4 sin is transgression of the law
James 1:14, 15 sin results in death
Rom.6:23 wages of sin is death, curse.
As man’s substitute and surety, the iniquity of men was laid upon Christ; He was counted a transgressor that He might redeem them from the curse of the law…….He, the Sin-Bearer, endures judicial punishment for iniquity and becomes sin itself for man. FLB 104
2. Exod.19:8; 24:3, 7 from being a self-achiever, we shall do it;
from Old Covenant mentality which was based on human
promises, Hebr.8:6-8 The Lord found “fault with them”.
World population is in Satan’s grip of self-achievement. Most religions outside Christianity are based on self-doing type of salvation, self-sacrifice in order to get a place in paradise.
To many Christians are also self-achievers, either in conservative legalism or
liberalism’s false concept of freedom in Christ
Self-achievement by way of:
God’s work of grace plus our works in addition to God’s work.
In this case works are not because we are saved but are labeled as an additional reason to become saved. This is legalism from which we have to be redeemed.
.
By faith alone – Sola Fide – without any works considered. Ephesians 2:8, 9 is practiced at the expense of 2:10 created in Christ Jesus unto good works
“Judgment will be ‘according to works’ (Mat.16:27; Rom.2:6; Rev.22:12) This
does not conflict with justification by grace through faith. Although justification is
a gift of God’s free grace, it involves the obligation to work out our new status in
practice. Thus at the final judgment, a person’s works will be the evidence of whether
a living faith is present in him or not. It is not a question of earning salvation by
good works: works are the evidence of the reality of the faith through
which we are saved.” (Dict.of theol. 358(2)
While we are to be in harmony with God’s law, we are not
saved by the works of the law, yet we cannot be saved without obedience.
EGW in FW p.95
While good works will not save even one soul, yet it is impossible for
even one soul to be saved without good works. Ib.p.111
Liberalism cries faith, faith and faith alone. Works of faith are not
treated as important or necessary.
No virtue in faith; Faith is the condition upon which God has seen fit to
promise pardon to sinners; not that there is any virtue in
faith whereby salvation is merited,………ib.100
Faith is not our saviour, Christ is.
Matth.7:21-23, only lip service and no proper practice.
Not known by Christ because of practicing iniquity, NASB “You who
practice lawlessness”.
What is lawlessness(iniquity) ? 1 John 3; 4.
The following statements should be taken seriously:
To take the position that you can break God’s law, for Christ has done it all, is a position of death, for you are as verily a transgressor as anyone. FW p.71
While we are to be in harmony with God’s law, we are not saved by the works of the law, yet we cannot be saved without obedience. FW 95
He does not save us by law; neither will He save us in disobedience to law ib.95/6
3. Redemption from sin itself. Matth.1:21
“The sinner is not saved in his sins, but from his sins”. EGW-FW 31
REDEMPTION IN ACTION.
1. From the curse, the wages of sin.
Gal.3:13.
It’s transgression of God’s law which places us under the curse.
God is the Lawmaker and sets the punishment.
Gen.2:17 Death penalty upon transgression.
Eze.18:9, 20 Who shall live, who shall die.
John 3:36 Curse, wrath of God remains upon the unbeliever.
How does this redemption take place?
a. Not by removing or ignoring the law.
b. Not by man keeping the law more strictly after transgression.
Only two options:
i. Man suffers the penalty, and is lost for ever.
ii. Or establishing a legal substitute.
God offers mankind the second option, substitute.
John 3:16 It is God’s gift, not man’s gift to appease an angry God.
Isa.53:4-6 Our sins laid upon Him.
2Cor.5:21 Made a sinner in our place.
2. From legalism, being a self-achiever (legalistic conservatism or
free liberalism)
Rom.6:14 constantly reminding ourselves we are saved by grace,
not by our works. Different motivation must rule.
Eph.2:8-10 Must be burned in mind, soul and body. Saved by grace
through faith and created unto good works
This was Paul’s disappointment with the Galatians, turned away from
Christ’s work to their own.
Gal.1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called
you into the grace of Christ.
They were led into another “gospel”, the so-called false
“gospel” of salvation by works.
Gal.3:1, 2 The works of law or the hearing of faith?
Lost sight of Christ, meaning of the cross had become clouded
Gal.3:1, 2 it was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was exhibited as crucified. The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? NRSV
Gal.3:3 Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit ending with the flesh? NRSV
This applies to legalism and liberalism, both are setting their own
standard. Not the standard of Christ, working in us by His grace
through faith Not because of His workmanship in us(Eph.2:10) but our
own workmanship of the flesh.
This does not apply to obedience by faith in Christ.
Gal.2:20 Paul still living, but now he lives the life of Christ.
Gal.2:21; Rom.3:31 Paul did not nullify grace or the law.
3.FROM SIN ITSELF.
1 Cor.1:30 “He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us
wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption.” NRSV
In sanctification we experience the saving from sin as promised in
Matth.1:21, saving not in sin but from sin. (FW 31)
“He does not save us by law; neither will he save us in
disobedience to law.”EGW-FW95
If Christ is the source of our life, if He is our sanctification, then the
following applies:
“He lived the law of God, and honored it in a world of transgression,
revealing to the heavenly universe, to Satan, and to all the fallen sons and daughters
of Adam that through His grace humanity can keep the law of God”.AG42
REDEMPTION’s OBJECT.
Gal.4:5 “…that we might receive the adoption of sons…”
7 no more a servant but a son and heir of God through Christ.
A servant works for wages and because he has to, he must work.
A son/daughter works because they are children, they desire to please the
father, they want to serve, it is their delight as it was with Christ’s,
Psalm 40:8.
The message of Gal.4:4-7 is that Christ came to deliver us from slave-ship, servant hood and to make us redeemed sons and daughters of God and thus heirs of His promised kingdom of glory through the principles of the kingdom of grace.
Pastor Jan.T.Knopper
October 2006
Edited August 2010
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