THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."—Rom. 10:4.

A bewitching fortress of delusion has been built at the expense of Paul on the little word "end," which the translators in a fanciful manner have connected with the interpretation of the law.

Our present day preachers of falsehood are united in the con­clusion that the law ended when Christ came; but if we follow the real meaning concealed within this conclusion, we shall soon notice its failure to coincide with the Scriptures. In defense of their own deeds they say there is no longer any law of God; therefore trans­gression of the law has ceased to be a sin. In other words, what God forbade, namely, whoredom, murder, theft, false testimony, and the all-destroying lusts of the flesh, is permitted by Christ. They say he "defends" the sinner, and corroboration for this is sought in John 2:1, which, however, proves the opposite—for Jesus is the Advocate of the children of faith in the presence of the Father.

If the law was abolished with the death of Christ, then sin also ceased; for where there is no law, sin is not imputed, since the law determines what is sin. If this were the case no "advocate" would be needed to plead a cause before the Father. The fact is, how­ever, that Jesus, knowing the requirements of the law with respect to obedience, pleads the cause of the repentant before the Law­giver.

The lawless desire room for sin within the confines of atone­ment, and endeavor to establish proofs by misplacing Paul's words, "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." And the preachers of lawlessness interpret the meaning of grace in the fol­lowing manner: "Grace is like the mashed potatoes which mother makes. She heaps a dish full and we eat every bit of it. When she sees how much we like it, she fills the dish again and heaps it still more, and again we devour it greedily. Yes, glory be to God that we may thus eat, for Jesus has done everything in our stead," and so forth. Without hesitating at the mention of the extreme gluttony manifested in the above, ignorance is made to believe that Jesus washes swinish confessors in his blood as often as they, like filthy animals, see fit to wallow in the puddle of sin.

Why was the mercy seat of God established in the blood of Jesus and with the priests of the New Testament, who were charged to continue admonishing, after the Master's departure, a fallen generation with the words, "Be ye reconciled to God"? (2 Cor. 5:18-20.) Christ is the means of atonement, but if no law is con­nected with him which judges us guilty and causes us to feel separated from God, how are we to know that we need this means of atonement 7

Answers to these questions are to be found in our text, if we only understand it correctly. Let us then see what Paul means by "the end of the law." The word "end" is translated from the Greek word telos, the real meaning of which is object, or purpose. Thus Paul says, "For Christ is the object of the law for righteous­ness to every one that believeth." In other words, the righteous­ness demanded by the law was first revealed in and through the faith of Jesus Christ, which faith also takes shape in us if we walk according to the guidance of the Word of God in the foot­prints which faith has left behind. This is the object, or purpose, of the law. But what the law was incapable of bringing about, God has accomplished in sending his Son, who materialized, or ful­filled, through the power of faith, the requirements of the law in his own flesh, as Paul says in Rom. 8:7: "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God." But the spiritual mind of the believer loves to please the Father, and to such a person "the law of the Spirit" is indispensable. He also says, "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." (Rom. 7:12.) Because man has been weakened on account of the power of sin over his body, which hinders him from doing good, he is unable to fulfill its requirements unless the Spirit of God which operated through the Son urge him on.

What Paul means in our text is further established if we com­pare therewith James 5: 11, where the same word telos occurs with reference to the Lord. In the original Greek, as found in Wilson's Emphatic Diaglott, it states, "You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the end [telos] of the Lord." If they saw the end of the Lord, he would no longer exist. But here the wrong interpretation of the word goes too far even for those who discard the law; it demolishes the whole foundation of their air castle. The Swedish translators have seen the confliction in the use of this word as they have interpreted it; therefore they have changed it in a newer translation of the Bible so as to refer to Job alone. In this newer translation it says, "Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end he received of the Lord."

Concerning what does James speak? He endeavors to call attention to the object of the suffering Israel is to be subject to when Christ returns. He admonishes us to regard the prophets and Job "for an, example of suffering affliction, and of patience," because "we count them happy which endure." (James 5: 10, 11.) Why do we praise these deceased heroes? Because they have been a power in the world, by virtue of which their names continue to live among us as a testimony against the wicked, the cowardly, and the selfish, and as a praise to God for his most appropriate discipline —for his chastisement and love, through which he has revealed himself to us and taught us to know ourselves as he knows us.

Jas 5:10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.

Jas 5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

Here was the purpose of God with Job. Job, conducting him­self honorably throughout his life, was an example of virtue; but he had a feeling of self-righteousness which was unwarranted, because he had nothing to boast of before the God of perfection. In order to make him perfect in the righteousness of God—not in that of the law—he was placed in, the cleansing fire of the refiner. God saw with pleasure the beautiful result the fire brought about, and from the narrative we learn to value the sufferings we endure, which serve to ennoble, us. This and nothing else is what Jesus means, and those who go through similar refining-processes learn to appreciate God's object in using such methods. Like Job they realize the necessity of being cleansed from everything that is un­desirable before God.

In order completely to do away with the carnal mind, which more or less harbors animosity toward the law of God, God will make use of many different methods of refinement. He says through the prophet:

"I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early. Come and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he has smitten, and he will bind us up .

0, how well I would treat thee, [tile awakened and reanimated] Ephraim ... for the grace that I shall bestow upon thee shall be as the morning cloud, and as dew that falleth in the early morn­ing. Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, that thy words may come to light. For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings."—Hosea 5: 15 ; 6: 1, 4-6; accord­ing to the Swedish translation.

The law was a "schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." (Gal. 3:24.) No one seeks grace who has not felt himself condemned and lost. He who realizes the necessity of the knowledge of salva­tion, and of alliance with God, must also acknowledge the neces­sity of certain covenant conditions that are binding to both parties, because an alliance, or covenant, cannot be established without reciprocal conditions and oaths of allegiance. These must be writ­ten in the mind and put into the heart.—Heb. 10: 16.

Both the prophets and the laws of Jehovah pointed out the way to the faith of Jesus Christ by means of sacrifices and burnt offerings; but now, on the contrary, faith is constantly searching for hidden truth. And conscious of his unworthiness of the honor the grace of God offers, he who is chastised exclaims:

"Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me ... Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow ... Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."—Psalm 51: 2-10.

The schoolmaster—the law—fulfills its part of the work of salvation, in that its judgment unto death rests over the trans­gressor with a crushing heaviness, giving faith room to complete the work. (See the lecture entitled "Faith.")

When the storm has subsided and a deathlike calm prevails, the humiliated and crushed heart notices a mild and tender voice, which in an explanatory manner says, "It was the lost, the broken­hearted, that Jesus came to find, heal, and save. The sick one needs the doctor, not the one who is healthy. He did not come to call the righteous to betterment, but sinners." The heart begins as it were to beat anew. He breathes again. The crushing power of judgment is broken. He again receives the reasoning powers of the mind. He is willing to better himself. He begins to pray again. The name of Jesus is of more value to him now than ever before. Now he feels that God exists, and that he is a helper in distress, and "a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Now he understands "that he that hath loved another hath fulfilled the law."

"For this," adds Paul, "Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false wit­ness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other command­ment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neigh­bor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."-Rom. 13: 8-10.

The Old Man

The Scriptures prove that the old man is at enmity with the new until one or the other gains victory. The one which is vic­torious then wholly controls the natural being through the mind, the will power, and the limbs of that being. The first question is: How is the old man formed? James answers this question with the following words: "Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bring­eth forth death."—James 1:14, 15.

A natural, unspoiled being is not the old man. The old man, like the man nature brings forth, is conceived and developed by virtue of the nourishment necessary for the nature of the old man. Paul, in mentioning the limbs of the old man, gives us enlighten­ment as to what he consists of and how he grows. He speaks to those in whom the new man had assumed form and says, "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetous­ness, which is idolatry: for which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: in the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds." (Col. 3:5-9.) The limbs of the old man therefore consist of sinful lusts, which are opposed to the Word of God—carnal habits, which control and use the natural limbs of the body.

Each one of these limbs is formed by sensual excesses. The characteristics of the natural man are influenced by lust, and when lust has gained the upper hand, it rules despite the conviction of the mind as to what is wrong and harmful. The law of nature, limited by the commandment, "Thou shalt not covet," is trans­gressed. The first transgression gives birth to this or that limb, and a continuation thereof nourishes and develops that limb, the same growing stronger from time to time. All of a person's natural characteristics may be submitted to misuse, and when this takes place, all of them constitute the limbs of the old man and all his deeds. The Spirit of God mortifies this old man.--See Rom. 7 :11-24.

It is not only the misuse of the natural characteristics that forms and sustains the old man; his development is also brought about through the misuse of his spiritual characteristics. In this relation Paul mentions strife, witchcraft, envyings, wrath, and so forth. In other words, the sensual characteristics of the natural man, instead of being controlled by the Word of God, are induced by religious influences and pressure to practice false religion and to falsify the life manifestations of Christ and his apostles. So long as the man of sin continues to be religious, all his religion and his religious works will represent nothing but hypocrisy. He will be active in advocating miraculous healing, which is nothing more or less than witchcraft in the name of Jesus.

Such activities bear no resemblance to the tangible deeds exe­cuted by Christ and his apostles before the eyes of all. A man of sin will carry on conversions, and will be zealous for "the salva­tion of souls"; but the result will be manifested in sectarian achievements, party strife, envyings, and heresies. His worship will conform to his abuse of the characteristics which the natural person possesses and uses for the sustenance of life and the pro­tection of the body, according to the laws of nature. How often do we not see so-called converted Christians with cigars, snuff, and tobacco in their mouths. The question will then most naturally arise: Is it the new man that is nourished by poisonous tobacco? They make the claim that the old man is dead; but since the natural being does not require this nourishment—for then all per­sons, including suckling babes, would need it—it is a direct proof that the old man still lives, and that in order to keep himself alive he forces the natural being to serve him in this manner. The pro­pelling power of the old man is the lust of the eye and the flesh, and his propensities are awakened by what he sees others enjoy.

The god of fashion is the object of his worship and sacrifices. In this worship he differs from the natural as well as the new man. When the god of fashion commands: "Change your dress, increase your beauty, beautify your home, decorate your church, increase the number of your religious festivals, sacrifice more on this altar so that it will be attractive and inviting," he bows before the com­mand and thanks his god, who in all this bestows his blessing upon him. Yea, he goes even farther. In order to show what he calls the world how religious he is, he dresses in clothes designed for the purpose, like the enlarged borders of the garments of the Pharisees, the robes of priests, monks, and nuns, the former panta­loons and appurtenant short skirts of Adventist women, or the military uniforms of Salvation Army soldiers. All outward signs and marks of rank originate from the lusts of the flesh, belong to the old man, and represent transgressions of the faith of Christ. —See Mat. 23.

THE SELF-CRITICISM OF FAITH

"For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members."—Rom. 7: 22, 23.

In times past religious people talked a great deal of "the un­lucky sevens" and "the lucky eights." This was while they still practiced self-criticism in the religious life they as believers were leading. Many times things went to painful extremes on both sides. Many of the most honorable, most conscientious and zealous, who feared and loved God of all their soul, were abjudicated of their rights of childhood because they did not feel satisfied with them­selves. The judges who passed these judgments were "so happy," because they had been "born again" and had become completely sanctified," for which reason they looked upon themselves as "the lucky eights"; in other words, they meant that the experience men­tioned in the 8th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans was theirs.

The basis of this happiness consisted in knowing of "a before" and "a now." The period of their transition was described some­thing like this: "I felt very dissatisfied and unhappy in my sins. The flames of hell nearly licked my feet, and I felt myself gliding into the arms of the devil. But exactly at this or that hour I was saved, and since then I have lived in the Spirit. Oh, how happy I am!"

This talk of the year, the day, the hour, and the minute, when the "new birth" of these happy individuals was supposed to have taken place, was the cause of the deepest suffering on the part of those who had not experienced in a hypnotic way the supposed power of God in a wonderful manner. And many who were "saved" doubted their salvation in spite of their knowledge of a certain date of their emotion of mind. Those who could triumphantly speak of the hour of conversion sang songs of jubilee, while a thousand pangs tore asunder "the unlucky sevens," who retro­spectively sought in vain the date of their spiritual birth. It went without saying that they had not been born again, since they knew not the hour of the occurrence of this important event. These wretched people mourned their unhappy situation in silence, and sought the grace of God still more earnestly, bending their backs deeply and humbly under all the burdens the lucky eights saw fit to place on them. To be considered worthy of serving the great and merciful God through his happy children was something which acted as soothing emollient on the lacerated hearts which longed for the childhood of God. No abasement was too low, no burden too heavy, and no sacrifice too great for these crushed hearts; still they never won any acknowledgment for their well performed services. They were divested of all praise, for there was always some fault, real or imagined, that prevented them from uttering their exultation. They remained enclosed within the mystical seven of the Epistle to the Romans.

The talk of the lucky eights and the unlucky sevens has grad­ually ceased. The cause of this is partly due to the fact that those who practiced self-criticism have gained a foothold in the Word of God, and now compare themselves with the Man; of sorrows, and partly because the authors of such judgments have been exposed through their own grim calendar of crimes as children of the devil instead of children of God.

Many think that Paul wrote the seventh chapter of Romans before he became converted. We, on the other hand, see in this chapter the self-criticism of a true believer, expressing the thorough and noble experience of one who knew the law of the Spirit, which, though unwritten, has been active from the beginning—Paul ad­dressed his letter "to them that know the law." What person knows the law of the kingdom of God? The one who, because of a living faith in Christ, comprehends the purpose of the written law; namely, that we should love God above, all, things and our fellow men as ourselves, and guard against aggression and unrighteousness.

In ten well worded paragraphs of law, God showed his adopted people the way love should walk. Their deeds were to be con­fined within this appropriate boundary, so that the rights of neither God nor man should be curtailed or encroached upon. But since man was of flesh Cnd the law was completely spiritual, the Word was irritating to the untamed flesh. Before man had even grasped what covetousness was, he had been driven by the inspira­tion of the flesh to transgress the spiritual meaning of the law. And even if he had not committed a transgression subject to punishment before the letter of the law, the spiritual meaning of the Word, "thou shalt not covet," had power before God to sentence the flesh to death. Here is where the believer is made conscious of sin, of the law of sin, of the effects of sin, also of grace in Christ, of the law of faith, and of the ability to bring about re­demption through the sacrificial law and the atonement system, which accompany faith from Paradise lost to Paradise restored.

The purpose of the law of God is to ward off transgressions against God and our fellow men, and to keep the road leading to God clear. But because such a law exists, people are made trans­gressors, partly in accordance with and partly against their 'will; because where there is no law, no one will be accused or sentenced, since there is no knowledge of sin. The law judges deeds already committed, but the very root of the deed is to be sought in the misled demands of desire or need, which a man cannot know until he has become acquainted with the law. Therefore Paul says, "For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was or­dained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me."—Rom. 7:9-11.

As soon as Paul discovered the very root of evil through the guidance of the Spirit, he found that the law condemned it. The discovery was not caused by the law, but by love toward God, because such love makes a person's mind keener. Paul adds, "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful."—Rom. 7:12, 13.

This shows that if the so-called "lucky eights" had known sin and the law as they should be known, and had passed their judg­ments from a position on the plane of the elevated sanctuary of faith, many of them would not have become transgressors of the law of God, to say nothing of the civil law of the world. Sin, when it is placed in the light of the faith of Christ, assumes ex­ceedingly large proportions. Sin is what kills. It seems to be un­forgivable, and a repentant person will die willingly with the crucified One in hopes of receiving grace and of obtaining life from the dead through the resurrection. Such a knowledge of sin and of the effect of the law forbids the transgression of the law.

The law of faith and the effect of grace. The law of faith knows of no limits when it comes to performing good deeds. That law does not permit even a thought of evil deeds, inasmuch as the letter of the law has been a schoolmaster which has given, instruction concerning what is right and wrong. The law of faith is demonstrated in the life of Christ, prompting each person who assumes a position on the territory of faith to strive for perfection. The Master said, `Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."—Mat. 5:48.

The propelling power of grace leaves good deeds, and the person who performs these good deeds claims no honor for them. He has received grace instead of a well earned sentence of death. This is why he loves his Benefactor, and is thankful and glad because of the conditional promises of salvation., which he believes with all his soul. This faith has united him with the tree of Christ—the Logos of God—as a grafted limb. This good power of life pro­duces fruit which is of service to the sick, to those wounded by sin, and to those sentenced by the law. However, a limb of faith brings forth only a small part of the pure power of the tree, of which he himself has been nourished during the time he has labored. So long as he remains in the faith, he can neither receive praise for what he has done nor punishment for imperfection; neither can he commit sin, that is, transgress knowingly.

The law of sin in the members of the body. What is it that is termed the law of sin in our limbs? It is not the governmental law of God, the ten commandments, neither is it the law of faith, because of the former comes the knowledge of what constitutes sin, and of the latter comes the righteousness of God manifested in visible personified. instruments of the faith. The law of sin in a man's limbs is the power which has, through covetousness, united his limbs with the world and the lusts of apostasy. Man has formed habits and thoughts which are very difficult to root out, but which must be suppressed before it is possible for the perfect fruits of faith to appear.

In order to illustrate more fully, let us term the law of sin the law of the farmer, the law of faith the law of the musician, and the ten commandments of the kingdom of God the law of an estate to which the tenant, the farmer, is subject to. It is the duty of the farmer to perform his daily labors, to pay his taxes, and obey the law of the estate as long as he lives. In order to get any returns from the ground—his source of income—he must till it, which work is prescribed by the law under which he per­forms his daily work. His hands become hard and coarse, and he takes powerful, but heavy steps. At the age of fifty or sixty years, his limbs are so stiff because of the heavy and difficult work, that he carries the stamp of the farmer wherever he goes. It can even be seen whether he is a good farmer or a poor farmer.

A musician comes to the place and the farmer, who has always loved music, is inspired by the desire to learn to play the violin. In fact he desires to accompany this musician. The law of the estate says, "You are a farmer on the grounds of this estate and must remain here." In spite of this the farmer endeavors to learn in secret, though lacking the slightest knowledge of the laws of music. But his limbs are so stiff and his fingers so unmanageable that he is unable to play a single tone correctly, wherefore he lays down his beautiful instrument in anguish and asks, "Is it possible for me to learn to play as well as you, professor?"

The professor answers, "Your talents are good, but you must acquaint yourself with the laws of music and let your limbs practice them, just as you have practiced the law of the farmer." "Stop !" says the law of the estate. "You are a farmer for life on this estate."

The farmer suffers deeply and says, "In order to live in my parental home I must assume the duties of my parents as long as I live! Sold under the law, I can be freed from the estate, but I will nevertheless become a transgressor before the law as long as I live, unless I perform my service." The professor sup­plies his ransom fee, but still the farmer is not free. He ap­parently dies. Only then does the power which the estate exer­cises over him crumble. He awakens from his deathlike trance. As soon as he has moved from the estate, he devotes his whole life to music. Thanks to the kindness of the professor he now becomes a devoted scholar. But to his own annoyance he finds that the farmer's law accompanies him, and remains in his limbs, so that he is unable to catch up with the requirements of the law of music. His limbs fail to obey the law of his will, that is, the law of music. The professor never rebukes him, because lie sees how hard the farmer works in his limbs in, order to get them to serve him. The farmer's son, on the other hand, who has not had time to become awkward under the law of farming, finds no trouble in learning the theories and technical points of music, nor in learning its practical part. His progress makes both the professor and the farmer rejoice. But the old farmer's progress is the cause of still more happiness to both, inasmuch as it is brought about against overwhelming powers of opposition. And every time he makes the least little mistake, he has reason to say:

"For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in. me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me."—Rom. 7:15-21.

As long as the pupil does not return to his old life and habits, but practices music, he gains confidence and experience. If he return to the estate and sell himself anew under its laws, the professor will be less apt to bother with him—his name will be cancelled from the musician's register. Many who have been under the gospel power of salvation have done this. They have returned to the authority of the law and have become separated for all time from the perfect law of faith because of a life of carnal desires.

The perfecting law of faith .impels the life manifestations of a life in the Spirit, which manifestations never deviate from the conditions revealed by the Word of God through the Son of man. Therefore, the person who dies to the world in order to become perfect in the faith of Jesus Christ can think of no other way to attain to the climax of perfection than the way which the farmer of our illustration must go. He loved, served, and prayed, but to become a professor of music required a surpassing efficiency, obtainable only through a complete deliverance from the farmer's law and through an entire renewal of his whole being.

The person entering the territory of faith may often, in his endeavors to make good things perfect, have the most painful reason to exclaim, "0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ?" But consolation from the Father of grace fills the heart with solace, and hope exclaims under the pressure,""I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."—Rom. 7 :24, 25.

There is no condemnation for these courageous heroes who "die daily" with the Son of truth in order to remain in him. And the Spirit, or the law of faith, will finally deliver them from the law and body of sin and death through the resurrection.