Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Who is Israel?

The Necessity of God's Law in Society

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2013-04-01

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver preaches from Ezekiel 22 to show that Jerusalem's moral collapse came from forgetting God and rejecting His law. He argues that God's law is holy, just, and good, and that it has lawful uses: as a schoolmaster to bring sinners to Christ, to give knowledge of sin, and as a rule of life for believers. The law also restrains evil in society; when it is not enforced, wickedness multiplies. America, like Jerusalem, has forgotten God and replaced His law with humanistic law, leading to societal decay. The greatest judgment is for God to leave a people alone. Believers must personally obey God's law and trust in Christ's righteousness, not their own.

[John Weaver] Well, let's open our Bibles today, if you would please, to the book of Ezekiel chapter 22. Ezekiel 22. I'm going to be preaching a message titled, The Necessity of God's Law in Society. The Necessity of God's Law in Society. And I hope you're going to be able to see, from the Word of God, the predicament that we're in and why we're in it. Notice in Ezekiel chapter 22, And we'll go read through verse 22. Ezekiel 22 verse 1. Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now thou son of man wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? Yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations. Then saith thou, thus saith the Lord God, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself. Thou art become guilty in thy blood, that thou hast shed, thou hast defiled thyself and thine idols which thou hast made, and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years.

[John Weaver] Therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen and a mocking to all the countries. Those that be near and those that be far from thee shall mock thee, which are infamous and much vexed. Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood. In thee have they set light by father and mother. In the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger. In thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow.

[John Weaver] Thou hast despised my holy things and hast profaned my sabbaths. In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood. And in thee they eat upon the mountains. In the midst of thee they commit lewdness. In thee have they discovered their father's nakedness. In thee have they polluted her that was set apart. or humbled her that was set apart for pollution, and one hath committed abomination with his neighbor's wife, another hath lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law, and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter. In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood. Thou hast taken usury and increase, thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion, and hast forgotten me, said the Lord. Behold, therefore, have I smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain, which thou hast made, and it by blood which hath been in the midst of thee. Can thine heart endure? Or can thine hands be strong in the days that I shall deal with thee? I, the Lord, have spoken it and will do it. And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee.

[John Weaver] And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, The house of Israel is to me become dross. All they are brass and tin and iron and lead in the midst of the furnace. They're even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, because you're all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you in the midst of Jerusalem, as they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin in the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it. So will I gather you in the midst And so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. Yea, I will gather you and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall you be melted in the midst thereof, and you shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you.

[John Weaver] The interesting thing is, when I read this passage initially, and I got to verse 1, When he says,"...moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city?" And the bloody city, of course, he's talking here about Jerusalem. And you have to remember that Jerusalem was basically a city of God's own choosing. It was considered to be His delight. And yet, we're reading now what has become of that city, what it turned into, and how God is going to judge it. I'm not sure that everyone in here knows, but most of you do know that the founders of this country, of America, referred to America basically as the new Israel, as a city set on a hill, or the new Zion. I don't know if you remember the song on Jordan's stormy banks, I stand and cast a wistful eye. I think the man who wrote that was William Stennett. And when he wrote that song, he was standing on the banks of the Mississippi River, looking westward.

[John Weaver] And so, he was looking to the new Israel, basically, and he was talking about America. So, you have to ask, what in the world has happened in our country? What has happened in our society? I want to show you from the Word of God, exactly where we are, and exactly what has happened. I know that I've preached many times on the subject of the Law of God.

[John Weaver] And I'm not necessarily going to re-preach those messages. However, I am going to remind you of several things in order that you might see in the context the proper application of this message. Our Lord did not come to destroy, to nullify, or negate the Law of God. In Matthew chapter 5, verses 17 through 19, if you want to turn there, whole Ezekiel 22, but turn to Matthew chapter 5, if you would, and look at verse 17. I'll quote a lot of verses, but I want you to see some of these passages. In Matthew chapter 5 and verse 17, our Lord said, think not that I'm come to destroy the law of the prophets. By the way, when He says think not, it literally means this, don't even let it enter into your mind. So, think not that I'm come to destroy the law of the prophets. I'm not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

[John Weaver] For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. So our Lord said very plainly, that he had not come to destroy the law or the prophets, he'd come to fulfill it.

[John Weaver] That is to put it into full force as continuous. You and I both know that there are people today that are referred to as antinomians. The word anti means against, nomos is the Greek word for law. It simply refers to people who are against God's law. In Romans chapter 7 and verse 12, the apostle Paul said, wherefore the law is holy. and the commandment is holy, just, and good." Now, if God pronounces His law holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good, it is beyond my comprehension how anyone can deny God's law or stand against God's law. Faith does not negate the law of God. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 3, and look closely at verses 30 and 31. Romans chapter 3, verses 30 and 31. Look what the Apostle Paul writes.

[John Weaver] It cannot be any plainer. Romans chapter 3, notice verse 30, he says, seeing it as one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith, do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid, yea, we establish the law. So any faith then that nullifies or negates the law of God is not a biblical faith. Biblical faith always establishes the law of God. And Paul is teaching the doctrine of justification by faith from Romans 3 all the way through Romans chapter 8. So he says, we established the law so our Lord then did not come to nullify or negate or abrogate or set aside the law of God rather he said he came to fulfill it by putting it into full force as continuous now how any Christian could be against the law of God I cannot understand you would have to ask yourself this question why would God set aside that which is holy just and good And why would any Christian be against that which is holy, just, and good?

[John Weaver] Now, the truth of the matter is this. Most of us have failed to understand and to perceive the proper uses of God's law in its theological, personal, societal, and national usage.

[John Weaver] Now let me just quote a verse, and I'm going to come back to this verse. In fact, I'll have you look at the entire passage momentarily. But the Apostle Paul in 1st Timothy chapter 1 in verse 8 said this, but we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully. So what does that tell us? It tells us first of all there are some lawful uses of God's law. It also tells us there are some unlawful uses of God's law. One of the unlawful uses of God's law Is it fallen man tries to use God's law as a standard of justification or as a standard of salvation? Let me just put it to you very bluntly. God never ever gave his law as a standard for salvation. No one has ever been saved by keeping the law.

[John Weaver] Not in the Old Testament, not in the New Testament. The Old Testament saints were saved by faith looking forward to the coming Messiah. Just like we're saved by faith looking backward to the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. You must remember I've taught on God's law a number of times and I've told you that the law of God demands three things of every individual. It demands a personal obedience. It demands a perfect obedience. And it demands a perpetual obedience.

[John Weaver] Now, if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3. And notice if you would beginning there with verse 10. Galatians 3 and verse 10. Notice this passage. Galatians 3 verse 10. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all the things which are written in the book of the law to do them. And that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident.

[John Weaver] For the just shall live by faith. And the law is not a faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them. Notice if you would, God says if you're going to live in the law, you've got to constantly, continually, keep the law and if you don't you're under the curse of God, which would be the curse of the law. No one has ever kept that law personally, perfectly, and perpetually except the Lord Jesus Christ. So obvious, it is obvious that we cannot be saved by the law. Now Christ did keep the law perfectly and he worked out a perfect righteousness.

[John Weaver] I'll explain this more in another sermon. But the Bible does say in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21, For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. So God then imputes to us the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Paul, before his conversion, was Saul the Pharisee. And Saul believed that he had kept the law of God perfectly.

[John Weaver] At least he had tried to keep it externally. But Paul realized when God convicted him of the difference between his imperfect righteousness and the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. Because in Philippians 3 and verse 20, he said, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. So if you're going to try to keep God's law to be saved, you're going to have a very imperfect righteousness. And it will never ever stand before God. Now, as you read through the New Testament, you're going to find that there are some negative passages concerning God's law.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you, if you will study the context of every negative passage, you will find that practically every negative passage can be explained in one of three easy ways. And the context will tell you which one is applicable. First of all, there are those passages in the Bible that deny the law as a means or as a standard of justification. Let me say this again, I know I've already said it, but God never ever gave his law as a means for salvation. Therefore, the Bible says in Galatians 3 in verse 21, Is the law 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. So the Apostle Paul says, there is no law that can give life. That's why the Bible says in Romans 3 in verse 20, Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall be no flesh justified in his sight.

[John Weaver] It's absolutely, totally, and completely impossible to be saved by the law. Therefore, you find a passage like Romans 6 and verse 14, and a lot of people take this out of context, where the Apostle Paul says, we're not under the law, but under grace. Well, what does the Apostle Paul mean? Take the context. He's talking about justification by faith. The law is not our means of justification. We are under grace as a means and as a standard of justification. The reason the law cannot condemn us, is because the law is not our standard. Grace is our standard. So there are those passages then that negate the fact that the law is a standard of justification or a standard of salvation.

[John Weaver] God never gave it for that. Secondly, there are those passages in the Bible that refer to the death-dealing nature of sin in relationship to the law. We read one of them in Galatians chapter 3. He said, If you do not obey the law, that is personally, perfectly, and perpetually, you're under the curse of the law. Well, what's the curse of the law? The answer is, it is death. Cursed is everyone because you will die, you're a debtor to the law, and the curse is death. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2 and verse 19, For I through the law am dead to the law.

[John Weaver] Now, the apostle didn't mean that therefore he could commit adultery and steal and lie and cheat. No, no, no. What he meant when he said, for I through the law am dead to the law, is that Christ has already taken the wrath and the anger of God for him because he had violated that law and therefore the wrath of God has been propitiated and appeased and satisfied and placated by the person and work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the law cannot curse him, the law cannot condemn him.

[John Weaver] So there are those passages. Then thirdly, there are those passages that refer to the ceremonial law. I want you to see one. Look in Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. And let me explain this. Ephesians 2, verses 14 and 15. The Bible says concerning Christ, For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, now watch, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, for to make it himself of twain, one new man, so making peace. Now the Bible does not say that He abolished the law. It says that he abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances. What ordinances is he talking about? Well, when you go back and look at verse 14, For he is our peace who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us. That refers to the middle wall in the tabernacle and in the temple. So he's talking about the ordinances, the ceremonial ordinances.

[John Weaver] I've had people tell me, Well, we don't go to a priest and we don't bring a sacrifice. Listen, God's law has not been abrogated. The ceremonial law, listen carefully, the ceremonial law has not been just abrogated, nullified, set aside. It has been fulfilled. We now have a great high priest, Jesus Christ. We still come to God the Father with a sacrifice. 1 Corinthians 5 verse 7, For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. We come to an altar. Jesus Christ is our altar. We come to a temple. Jesus Christ is our temple. In other words, Jesus Christ has fulfilled all of those types, emblems and symbols in the Old Testament that surrounded the tabernacle and in the temple. In fact, here's what Hebrews 13 verse 10 says. Listen carefully. We have an altar where they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. We have an altar which they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

[John Weaver] What is the apostle saying? If you want to go back to the types and shadows and emblems, you have no right to Jesus Christ. Why? Because Jesus Christ fulfilled all of those types and emblems and symbols. Jesus Christ is reality. Jesus Christ is true and truth. Why in the world would you want to go to a shadow? I've got news for you. I'd rather hug my wife than her shadow. I'd rather have the real thing than the shadow. And I'd rather have Jesus Christ than all of the ordinances in the Old Testament. He is the fulfillment.

[John Weaver] So, every negative passage in the New Testament can be explained either by a passage that denies the law as a means of justification, or it refers to the death-dealing nature of sin in relation to the law, Or it refers then to what you and I would call the ceremonial law. I hope you've understood so far that all I've done is try to establish the fact that the law has not been nullified. It has not been set aside.

[John Weaver] It has not been abrogated. Now if you want to argue with that, listen to Romans 6 verse 23. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, if you want to argue that the law has been totally done away with, try to avoid death. Just don't die. You know why you die? Because you're a sinner. You know why you're a sinner? Because you violated God's law. And the curse of God's law for violating it is death. Now, since the law of God has not been nullified, or abrogated or set aside, we've got to understand the law has many uses. There are some lawful uses to God's law. First of all, we're told in Galatians 3 and verse 24 that the law is our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. The law was our schoolmaster.

[John Weaver] I could spend an hour on this subject right here. But let me just tell you what the law teaches us. The law teaches us, first of all, that we're sinners. It teaches us, secondly, that we cannot save ourselves. No matter how hard you try, you cannot give to the law that which it demands.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, the law of God says that if we are ever to be saved, if we ever go across this great chasm between a holy God and an unholy sinner, That we must go through a mediator. Through someone else. Because we, in and of ourselves, cannot cross that chasm. So the law teaches us that we're sinners. It teaches us we can't save ourselves. It teaches us there's a huge chasm between a holy God and a sinner. And it teaches us if we ever get to God, it must be through the merits of another. So the law then is our schoolmaster. The old Puritans used to say this, the sharp needle of the law must precede the scarlet thread of the gospel. If you don't know you're a sinner, you're not a candidate for salvation.

[John Weaver] The law has to convict and condemn in order for you to see your need of a savior. Okay?

[John Weaver] Secondly, The law of God teaches us and gives us the knowledge of sin. I never finished quoting Romans 3 and verse 20 earlier, but the Bible says, 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. How do you know what sin is? And the answer is, God tells you. When God says thou shalt not steal, Any form of theft, fraud, deceit, is stealing. We know that it's wrong because God says do not do this.

[John Weaver] Now, many people try to take the law and just apply it externally. That was the problem with the Pharisees. They never saw the spiritual application of the law. And they never saw the spiritual intensity of the law. But if you look in Romans chapter 7 very quickly, you'll see how the law affected the apostle Paul. Notice if you would, in Romans chapter 7, beginning there with verse 7. Romans 7, verse 7. Notice if you would, what Paul says. He's talking about the law of God. In Romans 7, verse 7, what shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid!

[John Weaver] That is, don't even let that thought enter your mind. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law.

[John Weaver] Now stop and think about this. I had not known sin, but by the law. For I had not known lust, except the Lord said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law, sin was dead.

[John Weaver] Now look what he said. I was alive without the law once. That is when he was a Pharisee, thinking he had kept the law. But when the commandment came, when he saw the spirituality and the truth of it, sin revived and I died. What was Paul saying? Paul was saying, I found out that sin was something far more than that which is external. Sin is internal. It's a disposition. It's an attitude. Sin is in our lives. It's in our hearts. And he said, here I was as a Pharisee thinking, and as he said in Philippians chapter 3, touching the law, what? Blameless. Was he blameless? No.

[John Weaver] But he thought he was. Because he was a Pharisee and he just saw everything as externals. But when the commandment came, he said, sin revived and I died.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you something. When God forbids any sin, At the same time, He forbids any and every act that would lead up to that sin. When God says, thou shalt not murder, at the same time He forbids anger and wrath and hatred that would lead to that. When God says, thou shalt not commit adultery, He at the same time forbids covetousness and lustfulness. Our Lord clarified that in Matthew 5 verses 27-29. Just listen, our Lord said, You've heard it said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I say unto you that whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her in his heart hath committed adultery already. So when God then forbids the act of adultery or fornication at the same time, He's forbidding the covetousness, the lustfulness, and everything else that would lead up to that act.

[John Weaver] So Saul then, the Pharisee, thought that he was pretty good and that he'd kept the law blameless until the commandment came, that is when he saw it in its true light, and he said, sin revived and I died. It was the law of God that revealed his wickedness. By the way, every sin is a transgression of God's law. You cannot sin without violating God's law. 1 John 3 and verse 4 says this, Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law. For sin is the transgression of the law. So the law then teaches us what sin is. It's a lawful use of the law. The law teaches us. It's a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, yes. But it also teaches us what sin really is. Thirdly, the law of God is also a rule, a standard, a measuring rod for the Christian.

[John Weaver] We normally divide the Ten Commandments like the first four refer to our Lord and our duties to Him. and the last six refer to mankind, and our duties to mankind. If you and I would know how to act, to interact, and to treat each other in a biblical, godly, and holy manner, we must know the law of God. It's that simple. You know what the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 6 and verse 16? Listen carefully. He says, in as many as walk according to this rule, Peace be upon them and mercy upon the Israel of God. As many as walk according to this rule. The word rule is the Greek word kainon.

[John Weaver] We would spell it C-A-N-O-N, not C-A-N-N-O-N, that's the kind that shoots. But C-A-N-O-N. A canon is a rule, it's a standard. We talk about the canon of scripture, or the Old Testament canon, or the New Testament canon. So Paul says as many as walk according to this rule, he's talking about the Word of God. Peace be upon them and mercy upon the Israel of God. And the word kynan in the Greek literally means a measuring stick or a measuring rod or a rule.

[John Weaver] So what am I trying to tell you? That the Law of God is our rule, it is our standard of living. We're to live by God's Law. It is a means of sanctification. It is true the Holy Spirit is the agent in sanctification, but you cannot be a sanctified person if you're committing adultery and stealing and lying and murdering. There's no such thing. So sanctification has to be in obedience to the law as well as having the Holy Spirit of God work in our hearts and lead us and guide us. So those are proper uses of the law, lawful uses of the law. God gave the law to restrain the corruption of the unregenerate. He gave the law to restrain the wickedness of the wicked. Why? Because the law forbids sin. Now listen, God not only uses His law to forbid sin, He also uses His law to threaten the sinner, by showing him the just desserts and the just punishments for violating His law. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 17. We're going to look at a few verses very quickly. And I want you to understand one phrase particularly every time that God demands the death penalty for some sin. Deuteronomy chapter 17 and verse 17. Verse 7, I'm sorry. Deuteronomy 17 verse 7. Look what he says. The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death. And afterward the hands of all the people. Now watch this phrase. So shalt thou put the evil away from among you. Hmm. The hands of the witnesses must be first upon Him, then afterward the hands of all the people. And then He says, so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. Look in Deuteronomy 19 and verse 19.

[John Weaver] Here's a man who perjures himself. Look at it. Deuteronomy 19 verse 19, God says, Then shall you do unto him as he had thought to have done to his brother, so shalt thou put the evil away from among you. Watch verse 20, And those which remain shall hear and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you. And then I shall not pity, but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot. So God says, so shall you put the evil away from among you and watch and those which hear and fear shall henceforth commit no more any such evil look in Deuteronomy chapter 21 and verse 21 again he says it like this here is the penalty for rebellious son he says in verse 21 all the men of the city shall stone him with stones that he die So shalt thou put evil away from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear. Look in chapter 22 and verse 21.

[John Weaver] Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house. This is the young woman who's played the whore. They shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of the city shall stone her with stones that she die. Because she's following Israel to play the whore in her father's house, show thou put evil away from among you. Wow.

[John Weaver] Look in Deuteronomy 22 and verse 24. Deuteronomy 22 and verse 24. Then you shall bring them both out in the gate of that city, and you shall stone them with stones that they die. The damsel, because she cried not being in the city, and the man, because he had humbled his neighbor's wife, so shalt thou put away evil from among you."

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you something. Anytime God's law is applied, one of the functions of that law is to restrain evil. It not only condemns evil and sin, it shows the just and righteous punishment that follows those sins, And God says you execute the one who needs to be executed in order that others may hear and fear and not do any such wickedness and you put the wicked away from among you.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you a verse. Ecclesiastes 8 and verse 11. Listen carefully. Ecclesiastes 8 and verse 11. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily. Therefore the hearts of the sons of men in them is fully set to do evil." Did you hear that? Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily. The hearts of the sons of men in them are fully set to do evil.

[John Weaver] I want to ask you a question. I want you to just think. How is it that someone can murder not just one individual, but sometimes an entire family, and be on death row for 25 years or 30 years? And sometimes they never are executed. I told you, I think, I don't remember, about the man that I talked to in Iowa. The pastor and I went to visit him.

[John Weaver] And he had gone through a very bitter divorce. And the pastor told me, he said, he's a very angry, very bitter man. And we just went by to invite him to the meeting. And I never will forget the man's words. He immediately started talking about his divorce. And then he said this with great anger. He said, I should have killed her. I should have killed her. I should have killed her. He said, if I had killed her, I would have been in jail and out in seven years.

[John Weaver] He said, now I've got to pay her alimony all my life. Now, why was he thinking like that? Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily. If they had taken that murderer or any murderer and executed him just quickly, briefly, after he's proven guilty, See, the truth of the matter is this. If you apply God's law, it restrains sin and sinners. If you fail to apply God's law, it condones and encourages such wickedness.

[John Weaver] Do you realize that most murderers, most thieves and rapists are repeat offenders? I've got a friend that is an officer with the Sheriff's Department in our town. I saw him this week, and I said, how's business? He said, well, it's steady. We have a lot of repeat customers. And that's a fact. That's a fact.

[John Weaver] Now, I do want you to turn to 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy chapter 1. I told you that I was going to come to this passage. I quoted a little bit of it earlier. I want you to look at it, and we'll take a few minutes to go down the line. Look in 1 Timothy 1, and we're going to begin reading at verse 8. 1 Timothy 1, verse 8.

[John Weaver] The Apostle Paul says, But we know that the law of God is good if a man use it lawfully. So there's a lawful use of the law, there's an unlawful use of the law. Watch verse 9. Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, And

[John Weaver] if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. Now, how can Paul say that the law is not made for a righteous man? Because we've already seen that one of the uses of God's law is that it is our standard for sanctification in the sense that we are to walk obediently. and submissively to God's law. So how can Paul say then, it's not made for the righteous man?

[John Weaver] The answer is really simple. When Paul says the law is not made for the righteous man, he's teaching and showing us that the righteous man has already been made righteous in Jesus Christ, who has kept the law perfectly. He has filled every requirement of the law. Our righteousness is not in our own obedience. Our righteousness is in Jesus Christ. That's why in Romans 10 and verse 4 the Bible says, for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for everyone that believeth. How can Christ be the end of the law for righteousness for everyone that believeth? Very simply. I don't keep the law in order to be saved. I don't keep the law because I want to be made righteous. I keep the law in honor and respect and obedience to our Lord who has fulfilled every requirement of that law and my righteousness is in Christ. He's my perfect righteousness. When he said in Romans 10 in verse 4, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.

[John Weaver] The word end is the Greek word telos, which signifies that thing by which something is finished. It's closed. It's issue. It means to set out a certain point or definite goal. So all that Jesus Christ has done, and it was His goal, it was His definite purpose, He fulfilled every requirement of the law. And so He is the end of the law for righteousness to those who believe. So I believe in Him, and He is by my righteousness. We obey now the law of God.

[John Weaver] out of grace and out of obedience and for His honor and His glory. So, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. That doesn't mean that we don't keep it and obey it. We're not trusting in our obedience. We're trusting in His righteousness. Here's a second question. How can Paul say that the law was made for the wicked? He says, knowing this, that the law is not made for the righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient and ungodly, and he goes down the line.

[John Weaver] Well, let's look at this. He says in verse 8, we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully, knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless. The word lawless describes those who have no law, those who refuse law, those who are transgressors. So the law is made for the lawless. Secondly, he says for the disobedient. The word disobedient describes those that are insubordinate, who are lawless and refractory. The word properly refers to those individuals who are not under any submission or any authority. Then he says, ungodly. Look in verse 9. Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless disobedient, for the ungodly. The ungodly describes those who have no faith in God, and who do not honor him or worship him. They're without God in the world. By the way, the law of God is against all of those who do not worship the one true, the living God. And then he says in verse 9, and for sinners.

[John Weaver] A sinner. is one who violates God's law in every area. It includes sins of omission as well as sins of commission. Then he refers to the unholy. The unholy refers to those who fail in their duty toward God. They have no piety. They have no respect for God. They have no reverence for God. They're irreligious. And then he says the profane. The law is made for the profane. The word profane refers to those who are impious, those who are scoffers, those who mock, those who treat God with scorn and contempt, and His Word with scorn and contempt. They're like Esau. Where the Word of God says in Hebrews 12 and verse 16, lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of bread sold his birthright. What did Esau do? He despised his birthright. He despised spiritual things. He's profane.

[John Weaver] By the way, I've told you this before. You know where we get the word profane from? It's from the Latin. Pro, which means before or in front of, and phantom, temple. So a profane person is someone who is outside the temple. has no regard for the temple or anything inside the temple. So Esau was a profane person. He had no regard for God or the things of God.

[John Weaver] Then he says in verse 9 that the law was made for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers. Murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers are those who have reached the apex of their depravity. It is the height of ungratefulness and unthankfulness and rebellion against God. It is a despising of God and God's authority. Why? Because God delegated authority to fathers and mothers. Did you know that in the Bible, God demands the death penalty for striking or cursing a parent? If striking and cursing a parent merits the death penalty, how much more when one murders his father or his mother? It's the height of ungratefulness and unthankfulness. It's a despising of God and His authority. Then he uses in verse 9 the last word, manslayers. And the word manslayers refers then to murderers.

[John Weaver] And then he talks about, and for whoremongers, and for them that defile themselves with mankind, that'd be sodomites. For men-stealers, kidnappers, for liars, for perjured persons. Then he said, if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. The law of God condemns all of these things. And here's what the Apostle Paul is trying to get across to us. There is no sin. which man will not commit if he is unrestrained. It is absolutely incomprehensible for you and I to conceive in our minds how wicked, how vile, how corrupt, how rebellious individuals can be without the restraining power of God and without restraining law of God. You and I oftentimes are absolutely flabbergasted when we hear of the wickedness of people. We cannot believe that people could be that evil and that people could do those things. And yet they do.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn back in your Bibles. to the book of Ezekiel chapter 22. I have not forgotten my text. I said all that just to show you what is happening in Ezekiel chapter 22. Listen carefully. If you are going to really understand Ezekiel chapter 22, And if you put it in its proper perspective, if you really want to know what happened to Jerusalem, if you really want to know what happened to America, what you need to see is this, not just individuals, but you need to see an

[John Weaver] entire nation unrestrained, lawless, disobedient, ungodly, unholy, profane, sinners, murderers of fathers and mothers, manslayers, whoremongers, liars, perjurers, sodomites, thieves. You need to see a society in anarchy, mayhem and rebellion. Ezekiel 22 verse 1, Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now thou son of man, wilt thou judge? wilt thou judge the bloody city? Yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to watch. Show her all of her abominations. Jerusalem! Judah! Thus say thou, thus saith the Lord God, the city shed its blood in the midst of it. Murder. That her time may come and maketh idols against herself to defile herself. Idolatry. And a lot of this involved child sacrifice. Verse four. Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed. And thou hast defiled thyself and thine idols which thou hast made. And thou hast caused thy days to draw near, that is judgment, and art come even unto thy years. Therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all the countries. Those that be near and those that be far from thee shall mock thee, which are infamous and much vexed." Now watch, we're talking about the next verse, Behold the princes of Israel. Let's read this, Behold the congressmen, the president and his cabinet, the judicial system, everyone were in thee to their power to shed blood. What did they use their power and authority for?

[John Weaver] Murder and corruption. Verse 7, In thee have they set light by father and mother. Oh my soul, what's happening today? In the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with a stranger. In thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. Thou hast despised mine holy things. Thou hast profaned my sabbaths. Are we talking about Jerusalem or are we talking about America? In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood. And in thee eat upon the mountains. And in the midst of thee they commit lewdness. Oh my soul! In thee have they discovered their father's nakedness.

[John Weaver] not even the family, is safe. And thee, if they humbled her that was set apart for pollution, and one hath committed abomination with his neighbor's wife, and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter-in-law, and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter, and thee, if they taken gifts to shed blood, thou hast taken usury and increased, And thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion. Thou hast forgotten me, saith the Lord." Every one of these sins, every one of these corruptions, every one of these abominations that were in Jerusalem and in Judah are here in America. I want you to keep in mind concerning Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capital of Judah.

[John Weaver] It was the holy city. It was the place where the tabernacle was and later the temple in Judah and Jerusalem was where the priesthood was. It's where the law was. It's where the law was supposedly taught. Yet here is this city with all of the advantages of the priesthood and of the law and of the temple and the ordinances and the sacrifices and yet now you look at all of the lists of their abominations that are given here, where God says they're guilty of murder, and idolatry, and contempt

[John Weaver] of parents, and oppression of the stranger, oppression of the fatherless and the widow, neglect of holy things, profanation of the Sabbath, tailbearing, lewdness, incest, and cleanness of every sort, bribery, usury, extortion, dishonest gain. They denied, they denigrated, and they denounced and they disannulled the law of God in their lives and in their society. What happened? They became a perverted, corrupt, wicked, ungodly people. And look what God says, beginning there with verse 17. Look at it.

[John Weaver] And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross, all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead in the midst of the furnace. They are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, because you are all become dross, because therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem, As they gather silver and brass and iron and lead and tin in the midst of the furnace to blow the fire upon it, to melt it, so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there and melt you. Yea, I will gather you and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and you shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall you be melted in the midst thereof, and you shall know that I am the Lord have poured out my fury upon you."

[John Weaver] So let's ask some questions. What happened in Jerusalem? Why was the city set on a hill become all of a sudden the object of God's wrath and God's anger and a target for God's destruction? What turned their society, what turned their nation into a wicked, vile, putrid, and contemptible society? So contemptible that even the heathen mocked them and scorned them. Well, here's the answer. Look at Ezekiel 22 in verse 12, just the latter part.

[John Weaver] And God says, and has forgotten me, saith the Lord God. and has forgotten me. Do you realize when a nation forgets God, it rejects His law? When a nation forgets God, it replaces His law. When a nation forgets God, society crumbles and descends into anarchy, rebellion, and a cannibal mentality. When a nation forgets God, it destroys itself and incurs the wrath and anger of God. You know what God said to Israel in Hosea 13 in verse 9?

[John Weaver] Let me just quote it. He said, O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself. I want you to turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Jeremiah. I want to show you what happens when a people forget God. We're going to look at several passages right quickly. Look in Jeremiah chapter 18 and verse 15. Jeremiah 18 and verse 15. God says, Because My people have forgotten Me, they have burned incense to vanity.

[John Weaver] They have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths to walk in paths in a way not cast up. God said, when my people forgot me, they fell into idolatry. They left my paths. That is, they left my law. They left my way. And they walked in a way not cast up. In other words, there was no safety rails. You could fall over instantly. And that's what happens. When a people forget God, they either reject His law or replace His law.

[John Weaver] Look in Ezekiel chapter 23 and verse 35. Ezekiel 23 verse 35. Ezekiel 23 verse 35. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thine back. Therefore, bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms." What did he say? When you forget me and cast me behind your back, you're going to be filled with lewdness and whoredoms. Look what is happening in our society. Look at the adultery and the fornication And the sodomy? We rejected God and His law. Look in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. If you would turn to Hosea chapter 13 first, we'll look at a couple of verses. Hosea chapter 13, notice if you would verse 6. Hosea 13 verse 6, God says, according to their pasture, so were they filled. They were filled, and their heart was exalted, therefore have they forgotten me." Prosperity, plenty, and pride. We don't need the Lord. We've got it. Look at Hosea 4 and verse 6.

[John Weaver] Everybody can quote this one. Hosea 4 and verse 6. God says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee that thou shalt be no priest to Me. Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. God's law is the expression of His will. Our children are the expression of our will. God says, You forget Me, I forget your children. That's the lex talionis. That's the law of retribution. Perfect justice. Look in your Bibles to Hosea 8 and verse 14. Hosea 8 and verse 14.

[John Weaver] I think you can see where we are today religiously. Hosea 8 and verse 14, God says, For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples. We have churches on every corner. But we've forgotten God. We have forgotten God's law. The law of God is absolutely necessary in every aspect of life. It is also absolutely necessary and essential to society. For without God's law, society will collapse. If you really want to know what is happening in America, you look around and then you look in the Word of God. We have rejected God. We've rejected His law. We've replaced His law. We've forgotten Him. All we have now is pure humanistic law.

[John Weaver] We're destroyed as a nation. And most people are absolutely oblivious as to the cause of our destruction. They do not know what to do. They do not know where to turn. Since we have forgotten God, God may justly and righteously forget us. We're alone, left ourselves, left our will. Know what God said in Hosea 4 in verse 17. Listen to this. Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.

[John Weaver] Let me make just a couple of quick applications. The first one is this. One of the greatest judgments that God can inflict upon any society, or any nation, or any people, is to leave them alone. I've often said, really and truly, God does not have to raise His hand in judgment against us. All He has to do is leave us alone. That is judgment, and we'll destroy ourselves. Can you imagine being left alone by God? Can you imagine crying to God and God not hearing? One of the greatest judgments is when God just leaves us alone.

[John Weaver] The second thing is this. You must understand that we cannot live for other people. And in reality, we do not have any power over other people. But by God's grace, we can live for ourselves and we can be obedient whether anybody else is obedient or not is beside the point. I'm responsible for myself first and foremost, my wife secondly. But I'm responsible for myself, and she's responsible for herself, and you're responsible for yourself. And if you and I are not going to obey God's law and live righteously, how in the world can we expect everybody else to do it?

[John Weaver] How can we complain about the corruption of our government if we're a corrupt citizenry? When we do that which provokes God, we're forgetting God. We forget how dependent we are upon God. If you don't think you're dependent upon God, just ask Him not to give you breath for the next 30 minutes. The truth of the matter is, folks, when we refuse to be ruled by God, we condemn ourselves to be ruled by man.

[John Weaver] Here's one quote in closing from Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry, I believe, got the principle from the Word of God, but he said it like this, It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains. It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains. We must be ruled either by the Bible or by the bayonet, by the strong arm of man or by the Word of God. As for me in my house, I prefer to be ruled by God and be in submission to His law and His Word. You need to be as holy and as godly and as obedient as you can be As wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah were, God was willing to spare them if He found ten righteous people. And there's more than ten in this room. We must obey God. And God's Law is absolutely necessary in our society. Without it, we perish.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your Law. We ask, Father, that You would help us, make us obedient, make us holy, give us understanding, give us discernment that we may walk according to Thy will and according to Thy Word. We pray for these on the prayer list, Lord, and ask that You would undertake for them. Again, Father, give grace and give mercy. Help us to live for Thee, and we'll give Thee all the honor and praise and glory. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

The Necessity of God's Law in Society

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	wA6Mo4Ewg74
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Who is Israel?
Genre	Sermon
Date	2013-04-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 131: Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness — Chapter 12
Source Timed Segments	82

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: Jerusalem's Judgment and America's Parallel

Reading Ezekiel 22:1-22, Weaver notes that Jerusalem, once God's delight, became a bloody city under judgment. He draws a parallel to America, which founders called a 'new Israel,' and asks what has happened to our society.

Well, let's open our Bibles today, if you would please, to the book of Ezekiel chapter 22. Ezekiel 22. I'm going to be preaching a message titled, "The Necessity of God's Law in Society." The Necessity of God's Law in Society. And I hope you're going to be able to see, from the Word of God, the predicament that we're in and why we're in it. Notice in Ezekiel chapter 22, and we'll go read through verse 22. Ezekiel 22 verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:1-22

"Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? Yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations. Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord God, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself. Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed, and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years."

"Therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all the countries. Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed. Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood. In thee have they set light by father and mother. In the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger. In thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow." "Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths. In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness. In thee have they discovered their fathers' nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution. And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter. In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God. Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee. Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it. And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee."

"And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you."

The interesting thing is, when I read this passage initially, and I got to verse 1, when he says, "Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city?" And the bloody city, of course, he's talking here about Jerusalem. And you have to remember that Jerusalem was basically a city of God's own choosing. It was considered to be His delight. And yet, we're reading now what has become of that city, what it turned into, and how God is going to judge it. I'm not sure that everyone in here knows, but most of you do know that the founders of this country, of America, referred to America basically as the new Israel, as a city set on a hill, or the new Zion. I don't know if you remember the song "On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand and Cast a Wishful Eye." I think the man who wrote that was William Stennett. And when he wrote that song, he was standing on the banks of the Mississippi River, looking westward.

Christ Did Not Abolish the Law

Jesus came to fulfill the law, not destroy it (Matthew 5:17-19). The law is holy, just, and good (Romans 7:12). Faith establishes the law (Romans 3:31).

And I'm not necessarily going to re-preach those messages. However, I am going to remind you of several things in order that you might see in the context the proper application of this message. Our Lord did not come to destroy, to nullify, or negate the Law of God. In Matthew chapter 5, verses 17 through 19, if you want to turn there, hold Ezekiel 22, but turn to Matthew chapter 5, if you would, and look at verse 17. I'll quote a lot of verses, but I want you to see some of these passages. In Matthew chapter 5 and verse 17, our Lord said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets." By the way, when He says "think not," it literally means this: don't even let it enter into your mind. So, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."

"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." So our Lord said very plainly that He had not come to destroy the law or the prophets; He'd come to fulfill it. That is to put it into full force as continuous. You and I both know that there are people today that are referred to as antinomians. The word "anti" means against, "nomos" is the Greek word for law. It simply refers to people who are against God's law. In Romans chapter 7 and verse 12, the apostle Paul said, "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.

Scripture Reading — Romans 7:12

" Now, if God pronounces His law holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good, it is beyond my comprehension how anyone can deny God's law or stand against God's law. Faith does not negate the law of God. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 3, and look closely at verses 30 and 31. Romans chapter 3, verses 30 and 31. Look what the Apostle Paul writes.

It cannot be any plainer. Romans chapter 3, notice verse 30, he says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 3:30-31

"Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

So any faith then that nullifies or negates the law of God is not a biblical faith. Biblical faith always establishes the law of God. And Paul is teaching the doctrine of justification by faith from Romans 3 all the way through Romans chapter 8. So he says, we establish the law. So our Lord then did not come to nullify or negate or abrogate or set aside the law of God; rather He said He came to fulfill it by putting it into full force as continuous. Now how any Christian could be against the law of God I cannot understand. You would have to ask yourself this question: why would God set aside that which is holy, just, and good? And why would any Christian be against that which is holy, just, and good?

Lawful and Unlawful Uses of the Law

The law is good if used lawfully (1 Timothy 1:8). Unlawful use: trying to be justified by the law. Lawful uses: schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, knowledge of sin, rule of life for believers, and restraint of evil in society.

Now let me just quote a verse, and I'm going to come back to this verse. In fact, I'll have you look at the entire passage momentarily. But the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy chapter 1 in verse 8 said this,

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 1:8

"But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully."

So what does that tell us? It tells us first of all there are some lawful uses of God's law. It also tells us there are some unlawful uses of God's law. One of the unlawful uses of God's law is that fallen man tries to use God's law as a standard of justification or as a standard of salvation. Let me just put it to you very bluntly. God never ever gave His law as a standard for salvation. No one has ever been saved by keeping the law.

Not in the Old Testament, not in the New Testament. The Old Testament saints were saved by faith looking forward to the coming Messiah. Just like we're saved by faith looking backward to the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. You must remember I've taught on God's law a number of times and I've told you that the law of God demands three things of every individual. It demands a personal obedience. It demands a perfect obedience. And it demands a perpetual obedience.

Now, if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3. And notice if you would beginning there with verse 10. Galatians 3 and verse 10. Notice this passage. Galatians 3 verse 10:

Scripture Reading — Galatians 3:10-12

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. And that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident."

"For, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them." Notice if you would, God says if you're going to live in the law, you've got to constantly, continually, keep the law and if you don't you're under the curse of God, which would be the curse of the law. No one has ever kept that law personally, perfectly, and perpetually except the Lord Jesus Christ. So obvious, it is obvious that we cannot be saved by the law. Now Christ did keep the law perfectly and He worked out a perfect righteousness. I'll explain this more in another sermon. But the Bible does say in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." So God then imputes to us the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Paul, before his conversion, was Saul the Pharisee. And Saul believed that he had kept the law of God perfectly.

At least he had tried to keep it externally. But Paul realized when God convicted him of the difference between his imperfect righteousness and the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. Because in Philippians 3 and verse 20, he said, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." So if you're going to try to keep God's law to be saved, you're going to have a very imperfect righteousness. And it will never ever stand before God. Now, as you read through the New Testament, you're going to find that there are some negative passages concerning God's law. Let me tell you, if you will study the context of every negative passage, you will find that practically every negative passage can be explained in one of three easy ways. And the context will tell you which one is applicable. First of all, there are those passages in the Bible that deny the law as a means or as a standard of justification. Let me say this again, I know I've already said it, but God never ever gave His law as a means for salvation. Therefore, the Bible says in Galatians 3 in verse 21,

Scripture Reading — Galatians 3:21

"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."

So the Apostle Paul says, there is no law that can give life. That's why the Bible says in Romans 3 in verse 20, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight."

Scripture Reading — Romans 3:20

It's absolutely, totally, and completely impossible to be saved by the law. Therefore, you find a passage like Romans 6 and verse 14, and a lot of people take this out of context, where the Apostle Paul says, "We're not under the law, but under grace." Well, what does the Apostle Paul mean? Take the context. He's talking about justification by faith. The law is not our means of justification. We are under grace as a means and as a standard of justification. The reason the law cannot condemn us is because the law is not our standard. Grace is our standard. So there are those passages then that negate the fact that the law is a standard of justification or a standard of salvation.

God never gave it for that. Secondly, there are those passages in the Bible that refer to the death-dealing nature of sin in relationship to the law. We read one of them in Galatians chapter 3. He said, "If you do not obey the law, that is personally, perfectly, and perpetually, you're under the curse of the law." Well, what's the curse of the law? The answer is, it is death. Cursed is everyone because you will die, you're a debtor to the law, and the curse is death. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2 and verse 19, "For I through the law am dead to the law."

Now, the apostle didn't mean that therefore he could commit adultery and steal and lie and cheat. No, no, no. What he meant when he said, "For I through the law am dead to the law," is that Christ has already taken the wrath and the anger of God for him because he had violated that law and therefore the wrath of God has been propitiated and appeased and satisfied and placated by the person and work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the law cannot curse him, the law cannot condemn him.

So there are those passages. Then thirdly, there are those passages that refer to the ceremonial law. I want you to see one. Look in Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. And let me explain this. Ephesians 2, verses 14 and 15. The Bible says concerning Christ, "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity," now watch, "even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace." Now the Bible does not say that He abolished the law. It says that He abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances. What ordinances is he talking about? Well, when you go back and look at verse 14, "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." That refers to the middle wall in the tabernacle and in the temple. So he's talking about the ordinances, the ceremonial ordinances.

I've had people tell me, "Well, we don't go to a priest and we don't bring a sacrifice." Listen, God's law has not been abrogated. The ceremonial law, listen carefully, the ceremonial law has not been just abrogated, nullified, set aside. It has been fulfilled. We now have a great high priest, Jesus Christ. We still come to God the Father with a sacrifice. 1 Corinthians 5 verse 7, "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us." We come to an altar. Jesus Christ is our altar. We come to a temple. Jesus Christ is our temple. In other words, Jesus Christ has fulfilled all of those types, emblems and symbols in the Old Testament that surrounded the tabernacle and in the temple. In fact, here's what Hebrews 13 verse 10 says. Listen carefully. "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle." We have an altar which they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

What is the apostle saying? If you want to go back to the types and shadows and emblems, you have no right to Jesus Christ. Why? Because Jesus Christ fulfilled all of those types and emblems and symbols. Jesus Christ is reality. Jesus Christ is true and truth. Why in the world would you want to go to a shadow? I've got news for you. I'd rather hug my wife than her shadow. I'd rather have the real thing than the shadow. And I'd rather have Jesus Christ than all of the ordinances in the Old Testament. He is the fulfillment.

So, every negative passage in the New Testament can be explained either by a passage that denies the law as a means of justification, or it refers to the death-dealing nature of sin in relation to the law, or it refers then to what you and I would call the ceremonial law. I hope you've understood so far that all I've done is try to establish the fact that the law has not been nullified. It has not been set aside. It has not been abrogated. Now if you want to argue with that, listen to Romans 6 verse 23.

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:23

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Now, if you want to argue that the law has been totally done away with, try to avoid death. Just don't die. You know why you die? Because you're a sinner. You know why you're a sinner? Because you violated God's law. And the curse of God's law for violating it is death. Now, since the law of God has not been nullified, or abrogated or set aside, we've got to understand the law has many uses. There are some lawful uses to God's law. First of all, we're told in Galatians 3 and verse 24 that "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." The law was our schoolmaster.

I could spend an hour on this subject right here. But let me just tell you what the law teaches us. The law teaches us, first of all, that we're sinners. It teaches us, secondly, that we cannot save ourselves. No matter how hard you try, you cannot give to the law that which it demands. Thirdly, the law of God says that if we are ever to be saved, if we ever go across this great chasm between a holy God and an unholy sinner, that we must go through a mediator. Through someone else. Because we, in and of ourselves, cannot cross that chasm. So the law teaches us that we're sinners. It teaches us we can't save ourselves. It teaches us there's a huge chasm between a holy God and a sinner. And it teaches us if we ever get to God, it must be through the merits of another. So the law then is our schoolmaster. The old Puritans used to say this, "The sharp needle of the law must precede the scarlet thread of the gospel." If you don't know you're a sinner, you're not a candidate for salvation.

The law has to convict and condemn in order for you to see your need of a Savior. Okay? Secondly, the law of God teaches us and gives us the knowledge of sin. I never finished quoting Romans 3 and verse 20 earlier, but the Bible says, "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." How do you know what sin is? And the answer is, God tells you. When God says "Thou shalt not steal," any form of theft, fraud, deceit, is stealing. We know that it's wrong because God says do not do this.

Now, many people try to take the law and just apply it externally. That was the problem with the Pharisees. They never saw the spiritual application of the law. And they never saw the spiritual intensity of the law. But if you look in Romans chapter 7 very quickly, you'll see how the law affected the apostle Paul. Notice if you would, in Romans chapter 7, beginning there with verse 7. Romans 7, verse 7. Notice if you would, what Paul says. He's talking about the law of God. In Romans 7, verse 7, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid!"

That is, don't even let that thought enter your mind. "Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law." Now stop and think about this. "I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead."

Now look what he said. "For I was alive without the law once:" that is when he was a Pharisee, thinking he had kept the law. "But when the commandment came," when he saw the spirituality and the truth of it, "sin revived, and I died." What was Paul saying? Paul was saying, I found out that sin was something far more than that which is external. Sin is internal. It's a disposition. It's an attitude. Sin is in our lives. It's in our hearts. And he said, here I was as a Pharisee thinking, and as he said in Philippians chapter 3, "touching the law," what? "Blameless." Was he blameless? No.

But he thought he was. Because he was a Pharisee and he just saw everything as externals. But when the commandment came, he said, "sin revived, and I died." Now, let me tell you something. When God forbids any sin, at the same time, He forbids any and every act that would lead up to that sin. When God says, "Thou shalt not murder," at the same time He forbids anger and wrath and hatred that would lead to that. When God says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," He at the same time forbids covetousness and lustfulness. Our Lord clarified that in Matthew 5 verses 27-29. Just listen, our Lord said, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." So when God then forbids the act of adultery or fornication at the same time, He's forbidding the covetousness, the lustfulness, and everything else that would lead up to that act.

So Saul then, the Pharisee, thought that he was pretty good and that he'd kept the law blameless until the commandment came, that is when he saw it in its true light, and he said, "sin revived, and I died." It was the law of God that revealed his wickedness. By the way, every sin is a transgression of God's law. You cannot sin without violating God's law. 1 John 3 and verse 4 says this,

Scripture Reading — 1 John 3:4

"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

So the law then teaches us what sin is. It's a lawful use of the law. The law teaches us. It's a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, yes. But it also teaches us what sin really is. Thirdly, the law of God is also a rule, a standard, a measuring rod for the Christian.

We normally divide the Ten Commandments like the first four refer to our Lord and our duties to Him, and the last six refer to mankind, and our duties to mankind. If you and I would know how to act, to interact, and to treat each other in a biblical, godly, and holy manner, we must know the law of God. It's that simple. You know what the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 6 and verse 16? Listen carefully. He says,

Scripture Reading — Galatians 6:16

"And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God."

As many as walk according to this rule. The word "rule" is the Greek word "canon."

We would spell it C-A-N-O-N, not C-A-N-N-O-N, that's the kind that shoots. But C-A-N-O-N. A canon is a rule, it's a standard. We talk about the canon of scripture, or the Old Testament canon, or the New Testament canon. So Paul says "as many as walk according to this rule," he's talking about the Word of God. "Peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." And the word "canon" in the Greek literally means a measuring stick or a measuring rod or a rule.

So what am I trying to tell you? That the Law of God is our rule, it is our standard of living. We're to live by God's Law. It is a means of sanctification. It is true the Holy Spirit is the agent in sanctification, but you cannot be a sanctified person if you're committing adultery and stealing and lying and murdering. There's no such thing. So sanctification has to be in obedience to the law as well as having the Holy Spirit of God work in our hearts and lead us and guide us. So those are proper uses of the law, lawful uses of the law. God gave the law to restrain the corruption of the unregenerate. He gave the law to restrain the wickedness of the wicked. Why? Because the law forbids sin. Now listen, God not only uses His law to forbid sin, He also uses His law to threaten the sinner, by showing him the just desserts and the just punishments for violating His law. Let me show you.

The Law Restrains Evil in Society

Deuteronomy passages show that executing justice puts away evil and causes others to fear. Ecclesiastes 8:11 warns that delayed justice emboldens sinners. Failure to apply God's law encourages wickedness.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 17. We're going to look at a few verses very quickly. And I want you to understand one phrase particularly every time that God demands the death penalty for some sin. Deuteronomy chapter 17 and verse 17. Verse 7, I'm sorry. Deuteronomy 17 verse 7. Look what he says.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people."

Now watch this phrase.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"So thou shalt put the evil away from among you."

Hmm. The hands of the witnesses must be first upon him, then afterward the hands of all the people. And then He says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"so thou shalt put the evil away from among you."

Look in Deuteronomy 19 and verse 19. Here's a man who perjures himself. Look at it. Deuteronomy 19 verse 19, God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you."

Watch verse 20, "And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you." And then "thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." So God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"so shall you put the evil away from among you"

and watch "and those which hear and fear shall henceforth commit no more any such evil." Look in Deuteronomy chapter 21 and verse 21 again he says it like this: here is the penalty for a rebellious son. He says in verse 21,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear."

Look in chapter 22 and verse 21. "Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house." This is the young woman who's played the whore.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"They shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you."

Wow. Look in Deuteronomy 22 and verse 24. Deuteronomy 22 and verse 24.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you."

Now, I want to show you something. Anytime God's law is applied, one of the functions of that law is to restrain evil. It not only condemns evil and sin, it shows the just and righteous punishment that follows those sins, and God says you execute the one who needs to be executed in order that others may hear and fear and not do any such wickedness and you put the wicked away from among you. Now, let me give you a verse. Ecclesiastes 8 and verse 11. Listen carefully. Ecclesiastes 8 and verse 11. "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Did you hear that? Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, the hearts of the sons of men in them are fully set to do evil.

I want to ask you a question. I want you to just think. How is it that someone can murder not just one individual, but sometimes an entire family, and be on death row for 25 years or 30 years? And sometimes they never are executed. I told you, I think, I don't remember, about the man that I talked to in Iowa. The pastor and I went to visit him. And he had gone through a very bitter divorce. And the pastor told me, he said, "He's a very angry, very bitter man." And we just went by to invite him to the meeting. And I never will forget the man's words. He immediately started talking about his divorce. And then he said this with great anger. He said, "I should have killed her. I should have killed her. I should have killed her." He said, "If I had killed her, I would have been in jail and out in seven years."

He said, "Now I've got to pay her alimony all my life." Now, why was he thinking like that? Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily. If they had taken that murderer or any murderer and executed him just quickly, briefly, after he's proven guilty, see, the truth of the matter is this. If you apply God's law, it restrains sin and sinners. If you fail to apply God's law, it condones and encourages such wickedness.

1 Timothy 1:8-10: The Law Is for the Wicked

Paul lists the lawless, disobedient, ungodly, sinners, unholy, profane, murderers, sexually immoral, kidnappers, liars, and perjurers. The law is made to restrain such people; without it, society descends into anarchy.

Now, I do want you to turn to 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy chapter 1. I told you that I was going to come to this passage. I quoted a little bit of it earlier. I want you to look at it, and we'll take a few minutes to go down the line. Look in 1 Timothy 1, and we're going to begin reading at verse 8. 1 Timothy 1, verse 8.

The Apostle Paul says, "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." So there's a lawful use of the law, there's an unlawful use of the law. Watch verse 9. "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." Now, how can Paul say that the law is not made for a righteous man? Because we've already seen that one of the uses of God's law is that it is our standard for sanctification in the sense that we are to walk obediently and submissively to God's law. So how can Paul say then, it's not made for the righteous man?

The answer is really simple. When Paul says the law is not made for the righteous man, he's teaching and showing us that the righteous man has already been made righteous in Jesus Christ, who has kept the law perfectly. He has filled every requirement of the law. Our righteousness is not in our own obedience. Our righteousness is in Jesus Christ. That's why in Romans 10 and verse 4 the Bible says, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." How can Christ be the end of the law for righteousness for everyone that believeth? Very simply. I don't keep the law in order to be saved. I don't keep the law because I want to be made righteous. I keep the law in honor and respect and obedience to our Lord who has fulfilled every requirement of that law and my righteousness is in Christ. He's my perfect righteousness. When he said in Romans 10 in verse 4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

The word "end" is the Greek word "telos," which signifies that thing by which something is finished. It's closed. It's issue. It means to set out a certain point or definite goal. So all that Jesus Christ has done, and it was His goal, it was His definite purpose, He fulfilled every requirement of the law. And so He is the end of the law for righteousness to those who believe. So I believe in Him, and He is my righteousness. We obey now the law of God

out of grace and out of obedience and for His honor and His glory. So, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. That doesn't mean that we don't keep it and obey it. We're not trusting in our obedience. We're trusting in His righteousness. Here's a second question. How can Paul say that the law was made for the wicked? He says, "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient and ungodly," and he goes down the line.

Well, let's look at this. He says in verse 8, "We know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless." The word "lawless" describes those who have no law, those who refuse law, those who are transgressors. So the law is made for the lawless. Secondly, he says "for the disobedient." The word "disobedient" describes those that are insubordinate, who are lawless and refractory. The word properly refers to those individuals who are not under any submission or any authority. Then he says, "ungodly." Look in verse 9. "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly." The "ungodly" describes those who have no faith in God, and who do not honor him or worship him. They're without God in the world. By the way, the law of God is against all of those who do not worship the one true, the living God. And then he says in verse 9, "and for sinners."

A sinner is one who violates God's law in every area. It includes sins of omission as well as sins of commission. Then he refers to the "unholy." The "unholy" refers to those who fail in their duty toward God. They have no piety. They have no respect for God. They have no reverence for God. They're irreligious. And then he says "the profane." The law is made for the profane. The word "profane" refers to those who are impious, those who are scoffers, those who mock, those who treat God with scorn and contempt, and His Word with scorn and contempt. They're like Esau. Where the Word of God says in Hebrews 12 and verse 16, "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright." What did Esau do? He despised his birthright. He despised spiritual things. He's profane.

By the way, I've told you this before. You know where we get the word "profane" from? It's from the Latin. "Pro," which means before or in front of, and "fanum," temple. So a profane person is someone who is outside the temple, has no regard for the temple or anything inside the temple. So Esau was a profane person. He had no regard for God or the things of God.

Then he says in verse 9 that the law was made for "murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers." Murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers are those who have reached the apex of their depravity. It is the height of ungratefulness and unthankfulness and rebellion against God. It is a despising of God and God's authority. Why? Because God delegated authority to fathers and mothers. Did you know that in the Bible, God demands the death penalty for striking or cursing a parent? If striking and cursing a parent merits the death penalty, how much more when one murders his father or his mother? It's the height of ungratefulness and unthankfulness. It's a despising of God and His authority. Then he uses in verse 9 the last word, "manslayers." And the word "manslayers" refers then to murderers.

And then he talks about, "and for whoremongers, and for them that defile themselves with mankind," that'd be sodomites. "For menstealers," kidnappers, "for liars, for perjured persons." Then he said, "and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." The law of God condemns all of these things. And here's what the Apostle Paul is trying to get across to us. There is no sin which man will not commit if he is unrestrained. It is absolutely incomprehensible for you and I to conceive in our minds how wicked, how vile, how corrupt, how rebellious individuals can be without the restraining power of God and without restraining law of God. You and I oftentimes are absolutely flabbergasted when we hear of the wickedness of people. We cannot believe that people could be that evil and that people could do those things. And yet they do.

Ezekiel 22: A Nation Unrestrained

Jerusalem's sins—murder, idolatry, contempt for parents, oppression, sexual perversion, extortion—mirror America's sins. The root cause: they forgot God and His law.

I want you to turn back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 22. I have not forgotten my text. I said all that just to show you what is happening in Ezekiel chapter 22. Listen carefully. If you are going to really understand Ezekiel chapter 22, and if you put it in its proper perspective, if you really want to know what happened to Jerusalem, if you really want to know what happened to America, what you need to see is this, not just individuals, but you need to see an entire nation unrestrained, lawless, disobedient, ungodly, unholy, profane, sinners, murderers of fathers and mothers, manslayers, whoremongers, liars, perjurers, sodomites, thieves. You need to see a society in anarchy, mayhem and rebellion. Ezekiel 22 verse 1, "Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? Yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations."

Now I want you to watch. Show her all of her abominations. Jerusalem! Judah! "Thus say thou, Thus saith the Lord God; The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it." Murder. "That her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself." Idolatry. And a lot of this involved child sacrifice. Verse four. "Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near," that is judgment, "and art come even unto thy years. Therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all the countries. Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed." Now watch, we're talking about the next verse, "Behold the princes of Israel." Let's read this, "Behold the congressmen, the president and his cabinet, the judicial system, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood." What did they use their power and authority for?

Murder and corruption. Verse 7, "In thee have they set light by father and mother." Oh my soul, what's happening today? "In the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger. In thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths." Are we talking about Jerusalem or are we talking about America? "In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness." Oh my soul! "In thee have they discovered their fathers' nakedness."

Not even the family is safe. "In thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution, and one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter. In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God." Every one of these sins, every one of these corruptions, every one of these abominations that were in Jerusalem and in Judah are here in America. I want you to keep in mind concerning Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capital of Judah. It was the holy city. It was the place where the tabernacle was and later the temple in Judah and Jerusalem was where the priesthood was. It's where the law was. It's where the law was supposedly taught. Yet here is this city with all of the advantages of the priesthood and of the law and of the temple and the ordinances and the sacrifices and yet now you look at all of the lists of their abominations that are given here, where God says they're guilty of murder, and idolatry, and contempt

of parents, and oppression of the stranger, oppression of the fatherless and the widow, neglect of holy things, profanation of the Sabbath, talebearing, lewdness, incest, and uncleanness of every sort, bribery, usury, extortion, dishonest gain. They denied, they denigrated, and they denounced and they disannulled the law of God in their lives and in their society. What happened? They became a perverted, corrupt, wicked, ungodly people. And look what God says, beginning there with verse 17. Look at it.

Forgetting God Leads to Judgment

When a nation forgets God, it rejects His law, falls into idolatry and lewdness, and incurs His wrath. Hosea 4:6: 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.' God's judgment may be to leave a people alone.

"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you."

So let's ask some questions. What happened in Jerusalem? Why was the city set on a hill become all of a sudden the object of God's wrath and God's anger and a target for God's destruction? What turned their society, what turned their nation into a wicked, vile, putrid, and contemptible society? So contemptible that even the heathen mocked them and scorned them. Well, here's the answer. Look at Ezekiel 22 in verse 12, just the latter part.

And God says, "and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God." And hast forgotten me. Do you realize when a nation forgets God, it rejects His law? When a nation forgets God, it replaces His law. When a nation forgets God, society crumbles and descends into anarchy, rebellion, and a cannibal mentality. When a nation forgets God, it destroys itself and incurs the wrath and anger of God. You know what God said to Israel in Hosea 13 in verse 9? Let me just quote it. He said, "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself." I want you to turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Jeremiah. I want to show you what happens when a people forget God. We're going to look at several passages right quickly. Look in Jeremiah chapter 18 and verse 15. Jeremiah 18 and verse 15. God says, "Because my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity."

"They have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up." God said, when my people forgot me, they fell into idolatry. They left my paths. That is, they left my law. They left my way. And they walked in a way not cast up. In other words, there was no safety rails. You could fall over instantly. And that's what happens. When a people forget God, they either reject His law or replace His law.

Look in Ezekiel chapter 23 and verse 35. Ezekiel 23 verse 35. Ezekiel 23 verse 35. "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms." What did he say? When you forget me and cast me behind your back, you're going to be filled with lewdness and whoredoms. Look what is happening in our society. Look at the adultery and the fornication and the sodomy. We rejected God and His law. Look in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. If you would turn to Hosea chapter 13 first, we'll look at a couple of verses. Hosea chapter 13, notice if you would verse 6. Hosea 13 verse 6, God says, "According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me." Prosperity, plenty, and pride. We don't need the Lord. We've got it. Look at Hosea 4 and verse 6.

Everybody can quote this one. Hosea 4 and verse 6. God says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." God's law is the expression of His will. Our children are the expression of our will. God says, "You forget Me, I forget your children." That's the lex talionis. That's the law of retribution. Perfect justice. Look in your Bibles to Hosea 8 and verse 14. Hosea 8 and verse 14.

I think you can see where we are today religiously. Hosea 8 and verse 14, God says, "For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples." We have churches on every corner. But we've forgotten God. We have forgotten God's law. The law of God is absolutely necessary in every aspect of life. It is also absolutely necessary and essential to society. For without God's law, society will collapse. If you really want to know what is happening in America, you look around and then you look in the Word of God. We have rejected God. We've rejected His law. We've replaced His law. We've forgotten Him. All we have now is pure humanistic law.

We're destroyed as a nation. And most people are absolutely oblivious as to the cause of our destruction. They do not know what to do. They do not know where to turn. Since we have forgotten God, God may justly and righteously forget us. We're alone, left to ourselves, left to our will. Know what God said in Hosea 4 in verse 17. Listen to this. "Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone." Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.

Applications: Personal Obedience and Dependence on God

The greatest judgment is God leaving us alone. We must live obediently ourselves. If we refuse God's rule, we will be ruled by tyrants. Patrick Henry: 'It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains.'

Let me make just a couple of quick applications. The first one is this. One of the greatest judgments that God can inflict upon any society, or any nation, or any people, is to leave them alone. I've often said, really and truly, God does not have to raise His hand in judgment against us. All He has to do is leave us alone. That is judgment, and we'll destroy ourselves. Can you imagine being left alone by God? Can you imagine crying to God and God not hearing? One of the greatest judgments is when God just leaves us alone.

The second thing is this. You must understand that we cannot live for other people. And in reality, we do not have any power over other people. But by God's grace, we can live for ourselves and we can be obedient whether anybody else is obedient or not is beside the point. I'm responsible for myself first and foremost, my wife secondly. But I'm responsible for myself, and she's responsible for herself, and you're responsible for yourself. And if you and I are not going to obey God's law and live righteously, how in the world can we expect everybody else to do it?

How can we complain about the corruption of our government if we're a corrupt citizenry? When we do that which provokes God, we're forgetting God. We forget how dependent we are upon God. If you don't think you're dependent upon God, just ask Him not to give you breath for the next 30 minutes. The truth of the matter is, folks, when we refuse to be ruled by God, we condemn ourselves to be ruled by man. Here's one quote in closing from Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry, I believe, got the principle from the Word of God, but he said it like this, "It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains." It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains. We must be ruled either by the Bible or by the bayonet, by the strong arm of man or by the Word of God. As for me and my house, I prefer to be ruled by God and be in submission to His law and His Word. You need to be as holy and as godly and as obedient as you can be. As wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah were, God was willing to spare them if He found ten righteous people. And there's more than ten in this room. We must obey God. And God's Law is absolutely necessary in our society. Without it, we perish.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Perpetuity and Goodness of God's Law

Summary: God's law has not been abolished; it is holy, just, and good. Jesus came to fulfill it, not destroy it. Faith establishes the law.

Evidence: Matthew 5:17-19; Romans 7:12; Romans 3:31. Weaver says, 'Our Lord did not come to destroy, to nullify, or negate the Law of God.'

Lawful Uses of the Law

Summary: The law is good if used lawfully: to reveal sin, drive us to Christ, guide Christian living, and restrain societal evil.

Evidence: 1 Timothy 1:8; Galatians 3:24; Romans 3:20; Romans 7:7. Weaver explains the law as schoolmaster, knowledge of sin, rule of life, and restraint.

The Law as Restraint in Society

Summary: God's law, when enforced, restrains evil by punishing offenders and deterring others. Delayed justice emboldens sin.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24; Ecclesiastes 8:11. Weaver: 'If you apply God's law, it restrains sin... If you fail to apply God's law, it condones and encourages such wickedness.'

Forgetting God Leads to National Decay

Summary: When a nation forgets God, it rejects His law, resulting in idolatry, immorality, and societal collapse. America parallels Jerusalem's sins.

Evidence: Ezekiel 22:12; Jeremiah 18:15; Ezekiel 23:35; Hosea 4:6; 8:14; 13:6. Weaver: 'When a nation forgets God, it rejects His law... society crumbles.'

Judgment Through Divine Abandonment

Summary: One of God's greatest judgments is to leave a people alone to their own devices, resulting in self-destruction.

Evidence: Hosea 4:17. Weaver: 'One of the greatest judgments that God can inflict upon any society... is to leave them alone.'

Personal Responsibility and Obedience

Summary: Believers must obey God's law personally, regardless of societal corruption. Refusing God's rule leads to tyranny.

Evidence: Weaver: 'I'm responsible for myself first and foremost... How can we complain about the corruption of our government if we're a corrupt citizenry?'

Key Arguments

Christ fulfilled, not abolished, the law

Summary: Jesus said He came to fulfill the law, meaning to put it into full force as continuous. The law remains holy, just, and good.

Evidence: Matthew 5:17-19; Romans 7:12. Weaver: 'Our Lord did not come to destroy, to nullify, or negate the Law of God.'

Faith establishes the law, not voids it

Summary: Justification by faith does not nullify the law; rather, it establishes it. Any faith that negates God's law is unbiblical.

Evidence: Romans 3:31. Weaver: 'So any faith then that nullifies or negates the law of God is not a biblical faith.'

The law was never given as a means of salvation

Summary: No one is justified by the law; it demands personal, perfect, perpetual obedience. Only Christ fulfilled it. Salvation is by grace through faith.

Evidence: Galatians 3:10-12, 21; Romans 3:20. Weaver: 'God never ever gave His law as a standard for salvation.'

Negative NT passages about law refer to justification, curse, or ceremonies

Summary: Passages that seem negative toward the law are about the law as a means of justification, the death-dealing curse of sin, or the ceremonial law fulfilled in Christ.

Evidence: Romans 6:14; Galatians 2:19; Ephesians 2:14-15. Weaver explains each category.

The law restrains evil when enforced

Summary: God commanded capital punishment for certain sins to put away evil and cause others to fear. Delayed justice emboldens sinners.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24; Ecclesiastes 8:11. Weaver: 'If you apply God's law, it restrains sin and sinners.'

America's moral collapse mirrors Jerusalem's because of forgetting God

Summary: Ezekiel 22 lists sins present in America: murder, idolatry, sexual perversion, oppression, extortion. The root is forgetting God and His law.

Evidence: Ezekiel 22:1-12. Weaver: 'Every one of these sins... are here in America.'

Forgetting God leads to idolatry and lewdness

Summary: When people forget God, they turn to vanity, leave His paths, and fall into sexual immorality.

Evidence: Jeremiah 18:15; Ezekiel 23:35. Weaver: 'When a people forget God, they either reject His law or replace His law.'

God's judgment can be to leave a people alone

Summary: The greatest judgment is divine abandonment, where God lets a people destroy themselves. This is seen in Hosea 4:17.

Evidence: Hosea 4:17. Weaver: 'One of the greatest judgments that God can inflict... is to leave them alone.'

Scripture References

Ezekiel 22:1-22

Context: The main text: God's judgment on Jerusalem for bloodshed, idolatry, sexual sins, oppression, and forgetting Him.

Matthew 5:17-19

Context: Jesus came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it; not one jot or tittle will pass until all is fulfilled.

Romans 7:12

Context: The law is holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good.

Romans 3:30-31

Context: Faith does not make void the law; we establish the law.

1 Timothy 1:8

Context: The law is good if a man use it lawfully.

Galatians 3:10-12

Context: Those under the law are under a curse; no one is justified by the law; the just shall live by faith.

2 Corinthians 5:21

Context: Christ was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Philippians 3:9

Context: Paul desired to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness from the law.

Galatians 3:21

Context: If a law could give life, righteousness would be by the law.

Romans 3:20

Context: By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified; by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Romans 6:14

Context: We are not under the law but under grace—referring to justification, not lawlessness.

Galatians 2:19

Context: Through the law Paul died to the law, meaning Christ bore the law's curse for him.

Ephesians 2:14-15

Context: Christ abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances, i.e., the ceremonial law.

Hebrews 13:10

Context: We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.

Romans 6:23

Context: The wages of sin is death; the gift of God is eternal life. Death proves the law is still in effect.

Galatians 3:24

Context: The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.

Romans 7:7-9

Context: Paul would not have known sin except by the law; when the commandment came, sin revived and he died.

1 John 3:4

Context: Sin is the transgression of the law.

Galatians 6:16

Context: As many as walk according to this rule (canon), peace and mercy be on them.

Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

Context: Capital punishment commands to put away evil and cause others to hear and fear.

Historical References

America's founders called it a 'new Israel' or 'city on a hill'

Context: Weaver compares America to Jerusalem as a nation chosen by God that has fallen into sin.

William Stennett's hymn 'On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand'

Context: Weaver mentions the hymn writer looking westward to America as the new Israel.

Patrick Henry quote: 'It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains.'

Context: Weaver uses this quote to emphasize that forgetting God leads to tyranny.

Important Quotes

Our Lord did not come to destroy, to nullify, or negate the Law of God.

Significance: Establishes the sermon's foundational premise that God's law remains in force.

God never ever gave His law as a standard for salvation.

Significance: Clarifies the unlawful use of the law and guards against legalism.

The sharp needle of the law must precede the scarlet thread of the gospel.

Significance: Summarizes the law's role in convicting sinners and driving them to Christ.

If you apply God's law, it restrains sin and sinners. If you fail to apply God's law, it condones and encourages such wickedness.

Significance: Key argument for the societal necessity of God's law.

One of the greatest judgments that God can inflict upon any society, or any nation, or any people, is to leave them alone.

Significance: Highlights the severity of divine abandonment as judgment.

It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains.

Significance: Patrick Henry quote used to warn against the consequences of national apostasy.

We must be ruled either by the Bible or by the bayonet, by the strong arm of man or by the Word of God.

Significance: Presents the ultimate choice between God's law and human tyranny.

Discussion Questions

In what ways does Ezekiel 22's description of Jerusalem mirror the moral condition of America today?

Context: Weaver draws direct parallels between the sins listed in Ezekiel 22 and modern American society.

How does understanding the lawful uses of God's law (schoolmaster, knowledge of sin, rule of life, restraint) change the way we view the Old Testament law?

Context: Weaver explains the proper uses of the law from 1 Timothy 1:8 and other passages.

Why is it dangerous to use God's law as a means of justification, and how does the gospel free us from that error?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that the law was never given for salvation and that righteousness comes through faith in Christ.

What does Ecclesiastes 8:11 teach about the relationship between swift justice and the restraint of evil? How should this inform our view of the criminal justice system?

Context: Weaver cites this verse to argue that delayed execution of justice emboldens sinners.

How can believers personally uphold God's law in a society that has largely rejected it?

Context: Weaver stresses personal responsibility and obedience regardless of societal trends.

What does it mean for God to 'leave a people alone,' and why is that considered a severe judgment?

Context: Weaver explains that divine abandonment leads to self-destruction, citing Hosea 4:17.

How does the ceremonial law's fulfillment in Christ help us understand which aspects of the Old Testament law are still binding?

Context: Weaver distinguishes between moral, civil, and ceremonial law, showing Christ fulfilled the ceremonial shadows.

Patrick Henry said, 'It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains.' How do we see this principle at work in history and today?

Context: Weaver quotes Henry to warn that forgetting God leads to loss of liberty.

Applications

Trust in Christ's righteousness, not your own law-keeping

Summary: Believers must rest in the imputed righteousness of Christ, who perfectly fulfilled the law, rather than trying to be justified by obedience.

Evidence: Weaver: 'Our righteousness is not in our own obedience. Our righteousness is in Jesus Christ.'

Use the law lawfully for personal sanctification

Summary: Christians should use God's law as a rule of life to guide holy living, not as a means of salvation.

Evidence: Weaver: 'The Law of God is our rule, it is our standard of living. We're to live by God's Law.'

Advocate for the enforcement of God's law in society

Summary: Believers should support the application of God's moral law in civil government to restrain evil and promote justice.

Evidence: Weaver: 'If you apply God's law, it restrains sin and sinners.'

Remember God and His law to avoid national judgment

Summary: Individuals and nations must not forget God or reject His law, lest they incur His wrath and self-destruction.

Evidence: Weaver: 'When a nation forgets God, it rejects His law... society crumbles.'

Take personal responsibility for obedience

Summary: Regardless of societal decay, each believer is responsible to obey God's law personally and be a righteous influence.

Evidence: Weaver: 'I'm responsible for myself first and foremost... How can we complain about the corruption of our government if we're a corrupt citizenry?'

Recognize divine abandonment as judgment

Summary: Understand that when God leaves a people to their own ways, it is a severe judgment leading to destruction; pray for national repentance.

Evidence: Weaver: 'One of the greatest judgments that God can inflict... is to leave them alone.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:48:03Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T15:35:42Z

Clean Transcript

The Necessity of God's Law in Society

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Well, let's open our Bibles today, if you would please, to the book of Ezekiel chapter 22. Ezekiel 22. I'm going to be preaching a message titled, "The Necessity of God's Law in Society." The Necessity of God's Law in Society. And I hope you're going to be able to see, from the Word of God, the predicament that we're in and why we're in it. Notice in Ezekiel chapter 22, and we'll go read through verse 22. Ezekiel 22 verse 1: "Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? Yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations. Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord God, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself. Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed, and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years."
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"Therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all the countries. Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed. Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood. In thee have they set light by father and mother. In the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger. In thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow."
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"Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths. In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness. In thee have they discovered their fathers' nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution. And one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter. In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God. Behold, therefore I have smitten mine hand at thy dishonest gain which thou hast made, and at thy blood which hath been in the midst of thee. Can thine heart endure, or can thine hands be strong, in the days that I shall deal with thee? I the Lord have spoken it, and will do it. And I will scatter thee among the heathen, and disperse thee in the countries, and will consume thy filthiness out of thee."
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"And thou shalt take thine inheritance in thyself in the sight of the heathen, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you."
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The interesting thing is, when I read this passage initially, and I got to verse 1, when he says, "Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city?" And the bloody city, of course, he's talking here about Jerusalem. And you have to remember that Jerusalem was basically a city of God's own choosing. It was considered to be His delight. And yet, we're reading now what has become of that city, what it turned into, and how God is going to judge it. I'm not sure that everyone in here knows, but most of you do know that the founders of this country, of America, referred to America basically as the new Israel, as a city set on a hill, or the new Zion. I don't know if you remember the song "On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand and Cast a Wishful Eye." I think the man who wrote that was William Stennett. And when he wrote that song, he was standing on the banks of the Mississippi River, looking westward.
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And so, he was looking to the new Israel, basically, and he was talking about America. So, you have to ask, what in the world has happened in our country? What has happened in our society? I want to show you from the Word of God, exactly where we are, and exactly what has happened. I know that I've preached many times on the subject of the Law of God.
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And I'm not necessarily going to re-preach those messages. However, I am going to remind you of several things in order that you might see in the context the proper application of this message. Our Lord did not come to destroy, to nullify, or negate the Law of God. In Matthew chapter 5, verses 17 through 19, if you want to turn there, hold Ezekiel 22, but turn to Matthew chapter 5, if you would, and look at verse 17. I'll quote a lot of verses, but I want you to see some of these passages. In Matthew chapter 5 and verse 17, our Lord said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets." By the way, when He says "think not," it literally means this: don't even let it enter into your mind. So, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
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"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." So our Lord said very plainly that He had not come to destroy the law or the prophets; He'd come to fulfill it.
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That is to put it into full force as continuous. You and I both know that there are people today that are referred to as antinomians. The word "anti" means against, "nomos" is the Greek word for law. It simply refers to people who are against God's law. In Romans chapter 7 and verse 12, the apostle Paul said, "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." Now, if God pronounces His law holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good, it is beyond my comprehension how anyone can deny God's law or stand against God's law. Faith does not negate the law of God. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 3, and look closely at verses 30 and 31. Romans chapter 3, verses 30 and 31. Look what the Apostle Paul writes.
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It cannot be any plainer. Romans chapter 3, notice verse 30, he says, "Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." So any faith then that nullifies or negates the law of God is not a biblical faith. Biblical faith always establishes the law of God. And Paul is teaching the doctrine of justification by faith from Romans 3 all the way through Romans chapter 8. So he says, we establish the law. So our Lord then did not come to nullify or negate or abrogate or set aside the law of God; rather He said He came to fulfill it by putting it into full force as continuous. Now how any Christian could be against the law of God I cannot understand. You would have to ask yourself this question: why would God set aside that which is holy, just, and good? And why would any Christian be against that which is holy, just, and good?
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Now, the truth of the matter is this. Most of us have failed to understand and to perceive the proper uses of God's law in its theological, personal, societal, and national usage.
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Now let me just quote a verse, and I'm going to come back to this verse. In fact, I'll have you look at the entire passage momentarily. But the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy chapter 1 in verse 8 said this, "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." So what does that tell us? It tells us first of all there are some lawful uses of God's law. It also tells us there are some unlawful uses of God's law. One of the unlawful uses of God's law is that fallen man tries to use God's law as a standard of justification or as a standard of salvation. Let me just put it to you very bluntly. God never ever gave His law as a standard for salvation. No one has ever been saved by keeping the law.
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Not in the Old Testament, not in the New Testament. The Old Testament saints were saved by faith looking forward to the coming Messiah. Just like we're saved by faith looking backward to the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. You must remember I've taught on God's law a number of times and I've told you that the law of God demands three things of every individual. It demands a personal obedience. It demands a perfect obedience. And it demands a perpetual obedience.
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Now, if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Galatians chapter 3. Galatians chapter 3. And notice if you would beginning there with verse 10. Galatians 3 and verse 10. Notice this passage. Galatians 3 verse 10: "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. And that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident."
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"For, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them." Notice if you would, God says if you're going to live in the law, you've got to constantly, continually, keep the law and if you don't you're under the curse of God, which would be the curse of the law. No one has ever kept that law personally, perfectly, and perpetually except the Lord Jesus Christ. So obvious, it is obvious that we cannot be saved by the law. Now Christ did keep the law perfectly and He worked out a perfect righteousness.
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I'll explain this more in another sermon. But the Bible does say in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 21, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." So God then imputes to us the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Paul, before his conversion, was Saul the Pharisee. And Saul believed that he had kept the law of God perfectly.
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At least he had tried to keep it externally. But Paul realized when God convicted him of the difference between his imperfect righteousness and the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. Because in Philippians 3 and verse 20, he said, "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith." So if you're going to try to keep God's law to be saved, you're going to have a very imperfect righteousness. And it will never ever stand before God. Now, as you read through the New Testament, you're going to find that there are some negative passages concerning God's law.
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Let me tell you, if you will study the context of every negative passage, you will find that practically every negative passage can be explained in one of three easy ways. And the context will tell you which one is applicable. First of all, there are those passages in the Bible that deny the law as a means or as a standard of justification. Let me say this again, I know I've already said it, but God never ever gave His law as a means for salvation. Therefore, the Bible says in Galatians 3 in verse 21, "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." So the Apostle Paul says, there is no law that can give life. That's why the Bible says in Romans 3 in verse 20, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight."
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It's absolutely, totally, and completely impossible to be saved by the law. Therefore, you find a passage like Romans 6 and verse 14, and a lot of people take this out of context, where the Apostle Paul says, "We're not under the law, but under grace." Well, what does the Apostle Paul mean? Take the context. He's talking about justification by faith. The law is not our means of justification. We are under grace as a means and as a standard of justification. The reason the law cannot condemn us is because the law is not our standard. Grace is our standard. So there are those passages then that negate the fact that the law is a standard of justification or a standard of salvation.
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God never gave it for that. Secondly, there are those passages in the Bible that refer to the death-dealing nature of sin in relationship to the law. We read one of them in Galatians chapter 3. He said, "If you do not obey the law, that is personally, perfectly, and perpetually, you're under the curse of the law." Well, what's the curse of the law? The answer is, it is death. Cursed is everyone because you will die, you're a debtor to the law, and the curse is death. The Apostle Paul said in Galatians 2 and verse 19, "For I through the law am dead to the law."
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Now, the apostle didn't mean that therefore he could commit adultery and steal and lie and cheat. No, no, no. What he meant when he said, "For I through the law am dead to the law," is that Christ has already taken the wrath and the anger of God for him because he had violated that law and therefore the wrath of God has been propitiated and appeased and satisfied and placated by the person and work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the law cannot curse him, the law cannot condemn him.
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So there are those passages. Then thirdly, there are those passages that refer to the ceremonial law. I want you to see one. Look in Ephesians chapter 2. Ephesians chapter 2, verses 14 and 15. And let me explain this. Ephesians 2, verses 14 and 15. The Bible says concerning Christ, "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity," now watch, "even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace." Now the Bible does not say that He abolished the law. It says that He abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances. What ordinances is he talking about? Well, when you go back and look at verse 14, "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us." That refers to the middle wall in the tabernacle and in the temple. So he's talking about the ordinances, the ceremonial ordinances.
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I've had people tell me, "Well, we don't go to a priest and we don't bring a sacrifice." Listen, God's law has not been abrogated. The ceremonial law, listen carefully, the ceremonial law has not been just abrogated, nullified, set aside. It has been fulfilled. We now have a great high priest, Jesus Christ. We still come to God the Father with a sacrifice. 1 Corinthians 5 verse 7, "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us." We come to an altar. Jesus Christ is our altar. We come to a temple. Jesus Christ is our temple. In other words, Jesus Christ has fulfilled all of those types, emblems and symbols in the Old Testament that surrounded the tabernacle and in the temple. In fact, here's what Hebrews 13 verse 10 says. Listen carefully. "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle." We have an altar which they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.
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What is the apostle saying? If you want to go back to the types and shadows and emblems, you have no right to Jesus Christ. Why? Because Jesus Christ fulfilled all of those types and emblems and symbols. Jesus Christ is reality. Jesus Christ is true and truth. Why in the world would you want to go to a shadow? I've got news for you. I'd rather hug my wife than her shadow. I'd rather have the real thing than the shadow. And I'd rather have Jesus Christ than all of the ordinances in the Old Testament. He is the fulfillment.
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So, every negative passage in the New Testament can be explained either by a passage that denies the law as a means of justification, or it refers to the death-dealing nature of sin in relation to the law, or it refers then to what you and I would call the ceremonial law. I hope you've understood so far that all I've done is try to establish the fact that the law has not been nullified. It has not been set aside.
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It has not been abrogated. Now if you want to argue with that, listen to Romans 6 verse 23. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Now, if you want to argue that the law has been totally done away with, try to avoid death. Just don't die. You know why you die? Because you're a sinner. You know why you're a sinner? Because you violated God's law. And the curse of God's law for violating it is death. Now, since the law of God has not been nullified, or abrogated or set aside, we've got to understand the law has many uses. There are some lawful uses to God's law. First of all, we're told in Galatians 3 and verse 24 that "the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." The law was our schoolmaster.
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I could spend an hour on this subject right here. But let me just tell you what the law teaches us. The law teaches us, first of all, that we're sinners. It teaches us, secondly, that we cannot save ourselves. No matter how hard you try, you cannot give to the law that which it demands.
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Thirdly, the law of God says that if we are ever to be saved, if we ever go across this great chasm between a holy God and an unholy sinner, that we must go through a mediator. Through someone else. Because we, in and of ourselves, cannot cross that chasm. So the law teaches us that we're sinners. It teaches us we can't save ourselves. It teaches us there's a huge chasm between a holy God and a sinner. And it teaches us if we ever get to God, it must be through the merits of another. So the law then is our schoolmaster. The old Puritans used to say this, "The sharp needle of the law must precede the scarlet thread of the gospel." If you don't know you're a sinner, you're not a candidate for salvation.
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The law has to convict and condemn in order for you to see your need of a Savior. Okay?
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Secondly, the law of God teaches us and gives us the knowledge of sin. I never finished quoting Romans 3 and verse 20 earlier, but the Bible says, "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." How do you know what sin is? And the answer is, God tells you. When God says "Thou shalt not steal," any form of theft, fraud, deceit, is stealing. We know that it's wrong because God says do not do this.
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Now, many people try to take the law and just apply it externally. That was the problem with the Pharisees. They never saw the spiritual application of the law. And they never saw the spiritual intensity of the law. But if you look in Romans chapter 7 very quickly, you'll see how the law affected the apostle Paul. Notice if you would, in Romans chapter 7, beginning there with verse 7. Romans 7, verse 7. Notice if you would, what Paul says. He's talking about the law of God. In Romans 7, verse 7, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid!"
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That is, don't even let that thought enter your mind. "Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law."
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Now stop and think about this. "I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead."
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Now look what he said. "For I was alive without the law once:" that is when he was a Pharisee, thinking he had kept the law. "But when the commandment came," when he saw the spirituality and the truth of it, "sin revived, and I died." What was Paul saying? Paul was saying, I found out that sin was something far more than that which is external. Sin is internal. It's a disposition. It's an attitude. Sin is in our lives. It's in our hearts. And he said, here I was as a Pharisee thinking, and as he said in Philippians chapter 3, "touching the law," what? "Blameless." Was he blameless? No.
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But he thought he was. Because he was a Pharisee and he just saw everything as externals. But when the commandment came, he said, "sin revived, and I died."
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Now, let me tell you something. When God forbids any sin, at the same time, He forbids any and every act that would lead up to that sin. When God says, "Thou shalt not murder," at the same time He forbids anger and wrath and hatred that would lead to that. When God says, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," He at the same time forbids covetousness and lustfulness. Our Lord clarified that in Matthew 5 verses 27-29. Just listen, our Lord said, "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." So when God then forbids the act of adultery or fornication at the same time, He's forbidding the covetousness, the lustfulness, and everything else that would lead up to that act.
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So Saul then, the Pharisee, thought that he was pretty good and that he'd kept the law blameless until the commandment came, that is when he saw it in its true light, and he said, "sin revived, and I died." It was the law of God that revealed his wickedness. By the way, every sin is a transgression of God's law. You cannot sin without violating God's law. 1 John 3 and verse 4 says this, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." So the law then teaches us what sin is. It's a lawful use of the law. The law teaches us. It's a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, yes. But it also teaches us what sin really is. Thirdly, the law of God is also a rule, a standard, a measuring rod for the Christian.
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We normally divide the Ten Commandments like the first four refer to our Lord and our duties to Him, and the last six refer to mankind, and our duties to mankind. If you and I would know how to act, to interact, and to treat each other in a biblical, godly, and holy manner, we must know the law of God. It's that simple. You know what the Apostle Paul said in Galatians 6 and verse 16? Listen carefully. He says, "And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." As many as walk according to this rule. The word "rule" is the Greek word "canon."
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We would spell it C-A-N-O-N, not C-A-N-N-O-N, that's the kind that shoots. But C-A-N-O-N. A canon is a rule, it's a standard. We talk about the canon of scripture, or the Old Testament canon, or the New Testament canon. So Paul says "as many as walk according to this rule," he's talking about the Word of God. "Peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." And the word "canon" in the Greek literally means a measuring stick or a measuring rod or a rule.
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So what am I trying to tell you? That the Law of God is our rule, it is our standard of living. We're to live by God's Law. It is a means of sanctification. It is true the Holy Spirit is the agent in sanctification, but you cannot be a sanctified person if you're committing adultery and stealing and lying and murdering. There's no such thing. So sanctification has to be in obedience to the law as well as having the Holy Spirit of God work in our hearts and lead us and guide us. So those are proper uses of the law, lawful uses of the law. God gave the law to restrain the corruption of the unregenerate. He gave the law to restrain the wickedness of the wicked. Why? Because the law forbids sin. Now listen, God not only uses His law to forbid sin, He also uses His law to threaten the sinner, by showing him the just desserts and the just punishments for violating His law. Let me show you.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy chapter 17. We're going to look at a few verses very quickly. And I want you to understand one phrase particularly every time that God demands the death penalty for some sin. Deuteronomy chapter 17 and verse 17. Verse 7, I'm sorry. Deuteronomy 17 verse 7. Look what he says. "The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people." Now watch this phrase. "So thou shalt put the evil away from among you." Hmm. The hands of the witnesses must be first upon him, then afterward the hands of all the people. And then He says, "so thou shalt put the evil away from among you." Look in Deuteronomy 19 and verse 19.
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Here's a man who perjures himself. Look at it. Deuteronomy 19 verse 19, God says, "Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you." Watch verse 20, "And those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more any such evil among you." And then "thine eye shall not pity; but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." So God says, "so shall you put the evil away from among you" and watch "and those which hear and fear shall henceforth commit no more any such evil." Look in Deuteronomy chapter 21 and verse 21 again he says it like this: here is the penalty for a rebellious son. He says in verse 21, "And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear." Look in chapter 22 and verse 21.
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"Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house." This is the young woman who's played the whore. "They shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you." Wow.
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Look in Deuteronomy 22 and verse 24. Deuteronomy 22 and verse 24. "Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you."
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Now, I want to show you something. Anytime God's law is applied, one of the functions of that law is to restrain evil. It not only condemns evil and sin, it shows the just and righteous punishment that follows those sins, and God says you execute the one who needs to be executed in order that others may hear and fear and not do any such wickedness and you put the wicked away from among you.
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Now, let me give you a verse. Ecclesiastes 8 and verse 11. Listen carefully. Ecclesiastes 8 and verse 11. "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." Did you hear that? Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, the hearts of the sons of men in them are fully set to do evil.
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I want to ask you a question. I want you to just think. How is it that someone can murder not just one individual, but sometimes an entire family, and be on death row for 25 years or 30 years? And sometimes they never are executed. I told you, I think, I don't remember, about the man that I talked to in Iowa. The pastor and I went to visit him.
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And he had gone through a very bitter divorce. And the pastor told me, he said, "He's a very angry, very bitter man." And we just went by to invite him to the meeting. And I never will forget the man's words. He immediately started talking about his divorce. And then he said this with great anger. He said, "I should have killed her. I should have killed her. I should have killed her." He said, "If I had killed her, I would have been in jail and out in seven years."
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He said, "Now I've got to pay her alimony all my life." Now, why was he thinking like that? Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily. If they had taken that murderer or any murderer and executed him just quickly, briefly, after he's proven guilty, see, the truth of the matter is this. If you apply God's law, it restrains sin and sinners. If you fail to apply God's law, it condones and encourages such wickedness.
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Do you realize that most murderers, most thieves and rapists are repeat offenders? I've got a friend that is an officer with the Sheriff's Department in our town. I saw him this week, and I said, "How's business?" He said, "Well, it's steady. We have a lot of repeat customers." And that's a fact. That's a fact.
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Now, I do want you to turn to 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy chapter 1. I told you that I was going to come to this passage. I quoted a little bit of it earlier. I want you to look at it, and we'll take a few minutes to go down the line. Look in 1 Timothy 1, and we're going to begin reading at verse 8. 1 Timothy 1, verse 8.
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The Apostle Paul says, "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." So there's a lawful use of the law, there's an unlawful use of the law. Watch verse 9. "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and
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if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." Now, how can Paul say that the law is not made for a righteous man? Because we've already seen that one of the uses of God's law is that it is our standard for sanctification in the sense that we are to walk obediently and submissively to God's law. So how can Paul say then, it's not made for the righteous man?
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The answer is really simple. When Paul says the law is not made for the righteous man, he's teaching and showing us that the righteous man has already been made righteous in Jesus Christ, who has kept the law perfectly. He has filled every requirement of the law. Our righteousness is not in our own obedience. Our righteousness is in Jesus Christ. That's why in Romans 10 and verse 4 the Bible says, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." How can Christ be the end of the law for righteousness for everyone that believeth? Very simply. I don't keep the law in order to be saved. I don't keep the law because I want to be made righteous. I keep the law in honor and respect and obedience to our Lord who has fulfilled every requirement of that law and my righteousness is in Christ. He's my perfect righteousness. When he said in Romans 10 in verse 4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
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The word "end" is the Greek word "telos," which signifies that thing by which something is finished. It's closed. It's issue. It means to set out a certain point or definite goal. So all that Jesus Christ has done, and it was His goal, it was His definite purpose, He fulfilled every requirement of the law. And so He is the end of the law for righteousness to those who believe. So I believe in Him, and He is my righteousness. We obey now the law of God
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out of grace and out of obedience and for His honor and His glory. So, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. That doesn't mean that we don't keep it and obey it. We're not trusting in our obedience. We're trusting in His righteousness. Here's a second question. How can Paul say that the law was made for the wicked? He says, "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient and ungodly," and he goes down the line.
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Well, let's look at this. He says in verse 8, "We know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless." The word "lawless" describes those who have no law, those who refuse law, those who are transgressors. So the law is made for the lawless. Secondly, he says "for the disobedient." The word "disobedient" describes those that are insubordinate, who are lawless and refractory. The word properly refers to those individuals who are not under any submission or any authority. Then he says, "ungodly." Look in verse 9. "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly." The "ungodly" describes those who have no faith in God, and who do not honor him or worship him. They're without God in the world. By the way, the law of God is against all of those who do not worship the one true, the living God. And then he says in verse 9, "and for sinners."
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A sinner is one who violates God's law in every area. It includes sins of omission as well as sins of commission. Then he refers to the "unholy." The "unholy" refers to those who fail in their duty toward God. They have no piety. They have no respect for God. They have no reverence for God. They're irreligious. And then he says "the profane." The law is made for the profane. The word "profane" refers to those who are impious, those who are scoffers, those who mock, those who treat God with scorn and contempt, and His Word with scorn and contempt. They're like Esau. Where the Word of God says in Hebrews 12 and verse 16, "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright." What did Esau do? He despised his birthright. He despised spiritual things. He's profane.
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By the way, I've told you this before. You know where we get the word "profane" from? It's from the Latin. "Pro," which means before or in front of, and "fanum," temple. So a profane person is someone who is outside the temple, has no regard for the temple or anything inside the temple. So Esau was a profane person. He had no regard for God or the things of God.
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Then he says in verse 9 that the law was made for "murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers." Murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers are those who have reached the apex of their depravity. It is the height of ungratefulness and unthankfulness and rebellion against God. It is a despising of God and God's authority. Why? Because God delegated authority to fathers and mothers. Did you know that in the Bible, God demands the death penalty for striking or cursing a parent? If striking and cursing a parent merits the death penalty, how much more when one murders his father or his mother? It's the height of ungratefulness and unthankfulness. It's a despising of God and His authority. Then he uses in verse 9 the last word, "manslayers." And the word "manslayers" refers then to murderers.
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And then he talks about, "and for whoremongers, and for them that defile themselves with mankind," that'd be sodomites. "For menstealers," kidnappers, "for liars, for perjured persons." Then he said, "and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." The law of God condemns all of these things. And here's what the Apostle Paul is trying to get across to us. There is no sin which man will not commit if he is unrestrained. It is absolutely incomprehensible for you and I to conceive in our minds how wicked, how vile, how corrupt, how rebellious individuals can be without the restraining power of God and without restraining law of God. You and I oftentimes are absolutely flabbergasted when we hear of the wickedness of people. We cannot believe that people could be that evil and that people could do those things. And yet they do.
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I want you to turn back in your Bibles to the book of Ezekiel chapter 22. I have not forgotten my text. I said all that just to show you what is happening in Ezekiel chapter 22. Listen carefully. If you are going to really understand Ezekiel chapter 22, and if you put it in its proper perspective, if you really want to know what happened to Jerusalem, if you really want to know what happened to America, what you need to see is this, not just individuals, but you need to see an
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entire nation unrestrained, lawless, disobedient, ungodly, unholy, profane, sinners, murderers of fathers and mothers, manslayers, whoremongers, liars, perjurers, sodomites, thieves. You need to see a society in anarchy, mayhem and rebellion. Ezekiel 22 verse 1, "Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? Yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations."
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Now I want you to watch. Show her all of her abominations. Jerusalem! Judah! "Thus say thou, Thus saith the Lord God; The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it." Murder. "That her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself." Idolatry. And a lot of this involved child sacrifice. Verse four. "Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed; and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near," that is judgment, "and art come even unto thy years. Therefore have I made thee a reproach unto the heathen, and a mocking to all the countries. Those that be near, and those that be far from thee, shall mock thee, which art infamous and much vexed." Now watch, we're talking about the next verse, "Behold the princes of Israel." Let's read this, "Behold the congressmen, the president and his cabinet, the judicial system, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood." What did they use their power and authority for?
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Murder and corruption. Verse 7, "In thee have they set light by father and mother." Oh my soul, what's happening today? "In the midst of thee have they dealt by oppression with the stranger. In thee have they vexed the fatherless and the widow. Thou hast despised mine holy things, and hast profaned my sabbaths." Are we talking about Jerusalem or are we talking about America? "In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood: and in thee they eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness." Oh my soul! "In thee have they discovered their fathers' nakedness."
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Not even the family is safe. "In thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution, and one hath committed abomination with his neighbour's wife; and another hath lewdly defiled his daughter in law; and another in thee hath humbled his sister, his father's daughter. In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God." Every one of these sins, every one of these corruptions, every one of these abominations that were in Jerusalem and in Judah are here in America. I want you to keep in mind concerning Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the capital of Judah.
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It was the holy city. It was the place where the tabernacle was and later the temple in Judah and Jerusalem was where the priesthood was. It's where the law was. It's where the law was supposedly taught. Yet here is this city with all of the advantages of the priesthood and of the law and of the temple and the ordinances and the sacrifices and yet now you look at all of the lists of their abominations that are given here, where God says they're guilty of murder, and idolatry, and contempt
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of parents, and oppression of the stranger, oppression of the fatherless and the widow, neglect of holy things, profanation of the Sabbath, talebearing, lewdness, incest, and uncleanness of every sort, bribery, usury, extortion, dishonest gain. They denied, they denigrated, and they denounced and they disannulled the law of God in their lives and in their society. What happened? They became a perverted, corrupt, wicked, ungodly people. And look what God says, beginning there with verse 17. Look at it.
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"And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the Lord have poured out my fury upon you."
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So let's ask some questions. What happened in Jerusalem? Why was the city set on a hill become all of a sudden the object of God's wrath and God's anger and a target for God's destruction? What turned their society, what turned their nation into a wicked, vile, putrid, and contemptible society? So contemptible that even the heathen mocked them and scorned them. Well, here's the answer. Look at Ezekiel 22 in verse 12, just the latter part.
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And God says, "and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord God." And hast forgotten me. Do you realize when a nation forgets God, it rejects His law? When a nation forgets God, it replaces His law. When a nation forgets God, society crumbles and descends into anarchy, rebellion, and a cannibal mentality. When a nation forgets God, it destroys itself and incurs the wrath and anger of God. You know what God said to Israel in Hosea 13 in verse 9?
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Let me just quote it. He said, "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself." I want you to turn in your Bibles, first of all, to Jeremiah. I want to show you what happens when a people forget God. We're going to look at several passages right quickly. Look in Jeremiah chapter 18 and verse 15. Jeremiah 18 and verse 15. God says, "Because my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity."
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"They have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up." God said, when my people forgot me, they fell into idolatry. They left my paths. That is, they left my law. They left my way. And they walked in a way not cast up. In other words, there was no safety rails. You could fall over instantly. And that's what happens. When a people forget God, they either reject His law or replace His law.
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Look in Ezekiel chapter 23 and verse 35. Ezekiel 23 verse 35. Ezekiel 23 verse 35. "Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast forgotten me, and cast me behind thy back, therefore bear thou also thy lewdness and thy whoredoms." What did he say? When you forget me and cast me behind your back, you're going to be filled with lewdness and whoredoms. Look what is happening in our society. Look at the adultery and the fornication and the sodomy. We rejected God and His law. Look in your Bibles to the book of Hosea. If you would turn to Hosea chapter 13 first, we'll look at a couple of verses. Hosea chapter 13, notice if you would verse 6. Hosea 13 verse 6, God says, "According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me." Prosperity, plenty, and pride. We don't need the Lord. We've got it. Look at Hosea 4 and verse 6.
#74 | 59:32 to 1:01:19 | cleaned
Everybody can quote this one. Hosea 4 and verse 6. God says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." God's law is the expression of His will. Our children are the expression of our will. God says, "You forget Me, I forget your children." That's the lex talionis. That's the law of retribution. Perfect justice. Look in your Bibles to Hosea 8 and verse 14. Hosea 8 and verse 14.
#75 | 1:01:19 to 1:02:14 | cleaned
I think you can see where we are today religiously. Hosea 8 and verse 14, God says, "For Israel hath forgotten his Maker, and buildeth temples." We have churches on every corner. But we've forgotten God. We have forgotten God's law. The law of God is absolutely necessary in every aspect of life. It is also absolutely necessary and essential to society. For without God's law, society will collapse. If you really want to know what is happening in America, you look around and then you look in the Word of God. We have rejected God. We've rejected His law. We've replaced His law. We've forgotten Him. All we have now is pure humanistic law.
#76 | 1:02:14 to 1:03:09 | cleaned
We're destroyed as a nation. And most people are absolutely oblivious as to the cause of our destruction. They do not know what to do. They do not know where to turn. Since we have forgotten God, God may justly and righteously forget us. We're alone, left to ourselves, left to our will. Know what God said in Hosea 4 in verse 17. Listen to this. "Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone." Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.
#77 | 1:03:09 to 1:03:57 | cleaned
Let me make just a couple of quick applications. The first one is this. One of the greatest judgments that God can inflict upon any society, or any nation, or any people, is to leave them alone. I've often said, really and truly, God does not have to raise His hand in judgment against us. All He has to do is leave us alone. That is judgment, and we'll destroy ourselves. Can you imagine being left alone by God? Can you imagine crying to God and God not hearing? One of the greatest judgments is when God just leaves us alone.
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The second thing is this. You must understand that we cannot live for other people. And in reality, we do not have any power over other people. But by God's grace, we can live for ourselves and we can be obedient whether anybody else is obedient or not is beside the point. I'm responsible for myself first and foremost, my wife secondly. But I'm responsible for myself, and she's responsible for herself, and you're responsible for yourself. And if you and I are not going to obey God's law and live righteously, how in the world can we expect everybody else to do it?
#79 | 1:04:53 to 1:05:42 | cleaned
How can we complain about the corruption of our government if we're a corrupt citizenry? When we do that which provokes God, we're forgetting God. We forget how dependent we are upon God. If you don't think you're dependent upon God, just ask Him not to give you breath for the next 30 minutes. The truth of the matter is, folks, when we refuse to be ruled by God, we condemn ourselves to be ruled by man.
#80 | 1:05:44 to 1:06:27 | cleaned
Here's one quote in closing from Patrick Henry. Patrick Henry, I believe, got the principle from the Word of God, but he said it like this, "It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains." It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains. We must be ruled either by the Bible or by the bayonet, by the strong arm of man or by the Word of God. As for me and my house, I prefer to be ruled by God and be in submission to His law and His Word. You need to be as holy and as godly and as obedient as you can be. As wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah were, God was willing to spare them if He found ten righteous people. And there's more than ten in this room. We must obey God. And God's Law is absolutely necessary in our society. Without it, we perish.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your Law. We ask, Father, that You would help us, make us obedient, make us holy, give us understanding, give us discernment that we may walk according to Thy will and according to Thy Word. We pray for these on the prayer list, Lord, and ask that You would undertake for them. Again, Father, give grace and give mercy. Help us to live for Thee, and we'll give Thee all the honor and praise and glory. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
#82 | 1:07:54 to 1:08:28 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T01:48:03Z

The Necessity of God's Law in Society

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver preaches from Ezekiel 22 to show that Jerusalem's moral collapse came from forgetting God and rejecting His law. He argues that God's law is holy, just, and good, and that it has lawful uses: as a schoolmaster to bring sinners to Christ, to give knowledge of sin, and as a rule of life for believers. The law also restrains evil in society; when it is not enforced, wickedness multiplies. America, like Jerusalem, has forgotten God and replaced His law with humanistic law, leading to societal decay. The greatest judgment is for God to leave a people alone. Believers must personally obey God's law and trust in Christ's righteousness, not their own.

Introduction: Jerusalem's Judgment and America's Parallel

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 22:1-22

"Moreover, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Now thou son of man, wilt thou judge, wilt thou judge the bloody city? Yea, thou shalt show her all her abominations. Then say thou, Thus saith the Lord God, The city sheddeth blood in the midst of it, that her time may come, and maketh idols against herself to defile herself. Thou art become guilty in thy blood that thou hast shed, and hast defiled thyself in thine idols which thou hast made; and thou hast caused thy days to draw near, and art come even unto thy years."

Christ Did Not Abolish the Law

Jesus came to fulfill the law, not destroy it (Matthew 5:17-19). The law is holy, just, and good (Romans 7:12). Faith establishes the law (Romans 3:31).

Scripture Reading — Romans 7:12

" Now, if God pronounces His law holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good, it is beyond my comprehension how anyone can deny God's law or stand against God's law. Faith does not negate the law of God. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 3, and look closely at verses 30 and 31. Romans chapter 3, verses 30 and 31. Look what the Apostle Paul writes.

It cannot be any plainer. Romans chapter 3, notice verse 30, he says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 3:30-31

"Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

Lawful and Unlawful Uses of the Law

Scripture Reading — 1 Timothy 1:8

"But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully."

Scripture Reading — Galatians 3:10-12

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. And that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident."

Scripture Reading — Galatians 3:21

"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."

So the Apostle Paul says, there is no law that can give life. That's why the Bible says in Romans 3 in verse 20, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight."

Scripture Reading — Romans 3:20

It's absolutely, totally, and completely impossible to be saved by the law. Therefore, you find a passage like Romans 6 and verse 14, and a lot of people take this out of context, where the Apostle Paul says, "We're not under the law, but under grace." Well, what does the Apostle Paul mean? Take the context. He's talking about justification by faith. The law is not our means of justification. We are under grace as a means and as a standard of justification. The reason the law cannot condemn us is because the law is not our standard. Grace is our standard. So there are those passages then that negate the fact that the law is a standard of justification or a standard of salvation.

Scripture Reading — Romans 6:23

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Scripture Reading — 1 John 3:4

"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

Scripture Reading — Galatians 6:16

"And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God."

As many as walk according to this rule. The word "rule" is the Greek word "canon."

The Law Restrains Evil in Society

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people."

Now watch this phrase.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"So thou shalt put the evil away from among you."

Hmm. The hands of the witnesses must be first upon him, then afterward the hands of all the people. And then He says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"so thou shalt put the evil away from among you."

Look in Deuteronomy 19 and verse 19. Here's a man who perjures himself. Look at it. Deuteronomy 19 verse 19, God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"Then shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done unto his brother: so shalt thou put the evil away from among you."

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"so shall you put the evil away from among you"

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear."

Look in chapter 22 and verse 21. "Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house." This is the young woman who's played the whore.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"They shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you."

Wow. Look in Deuteronomy 22 and verse 24. Deuteronomy 22 and verse 24.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24

"Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbour's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you."

1 Timothy 1:8-10: The Law Is for the Wicked

Ezekiel 22: A Nation Unrestrained

Jerusalem's sins—murder, idolatry, contempt for parents, oppression, sexual perversion, extortion—mirror America's sins. The root cause: they forgot God and His law.

Forgetting God Leads to Judgment

Applications: Personal Obedience and Dependence on God

The Necessity of God's Law in Society

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	wA6Mo4Ewg74
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness: Who is Israel?
Genre	Sermon
Date	2013-04-01
Dictation Name
Book	Book 131: Romans: Justification, Faith, and Imputed Righteousness — Chapter 12
Source Timed Segments	82

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: Jerusalem's Judgment and America's Parallel: Reading Ezekiel 22:1-22, Weaver notes that Jerusalem, once God's delight, became a bloody city under judgment. He draws a parallel to America, which founders called a 'new Israel,' and asks what has happened to our society.
Christ Did Not Abolish the Law: Jesus came to fulfill the law, not destroy it (Matthew 5:17-19). The law is holy, just, and good (Romans 7:12). Faith establishes the law (Romans 3:31).
Lawful and Unlawful Uses of the Law: The law is good if used lawfully (1 Timothy 1:8). Unlawful use: trying to be justified by the law. Lawful uses: schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, knowledge of sin, rule of life for believers, and restraint of evil in society.
The Law Restrains Evil in Society: Deuteronomy passages show that executing justice puts away evil and causes others to fear. Ecclesiastes 8:11 warns that delayed justice emboldens sinners. Failure to apply God's law encourages wickedness.
1 Timothy 1:8-10: The Law Is for the Wicked: Paul lists the lawless, disobedient, ungodly, sinners, unholy, profane, murderers, sexually immoral, kidnappers, liars, and perjurers. The law is made to restrain such people; without it, society descends into anarchy.
Ezekiel 22: A Nation Unrestrained: Jerusalem's sins—murder, idolatry, contempt for parents, oppression, sexual perversion, extortion—mirror America's sins. The root cause: they forgot God and His law.
Forgetting God Leads to Judgment: When a nation forgets God, it rejects His law, falls into idolatry and lewdness, and incurs His wrath. Hosea 4:6: 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.' God's judgment may be to leave a people alone.
Applications: Personal Obedience and Dependence on God: The greatest judgment is God leaving us alone. We must live obediently ourselves. If we refuse God's rule, we will be ruled by tyrants. Patrick Henry: 'It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains.'

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Christ fulfilled, not abolished, the law

Jesus said He came to fulfill the law, meaning to put it into full force as continuous. The law remains holy, just, and good.

Matthew 5:17-19; Romans 7:12. Weaver: 'Our Lord did not come to destroy, to nullify, or negate the Law of God.'

Faith establishes the law, not voids it

Justification by faith does not nullify the law; rather, it establishes it. Any faith that negates God's law is unbiblical.

Romans 3:31. Weaver: 'So any faith then that nullifies or negates the law of God is not a biblical faith.'

The law was never given as a means of salvation

No one is justified by the law; it demands personal, perfect, perpetual obedience. Only Christ fulfilled it. Salvation is by grace through faith.

Galatians 3:10-12, 21; Romans 3:20. Weaver: 'God never ever gave His law as a standard for salvation.'

Negative NT passages about law refer to justification, curse, or ceremonies

Passages that seem negative toward the law are about the law as a means of justification, the death-dealing curse of sin, or the ceremonial law fulfilled in Christ.

Romans 6:14; Galatians 2:19; Ephesians 2:14-15. Weaver explains each category.

The law restrains evil when enforced

God commanded capital punishment for certain sins to put away evil and cause others to fear. Delayed justice emboldens sinners.

Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24; Ecclesiastes 8:11. Weaver: 'If you apply God's law, it restrains sin and sinners.'

America's moral collapse mirrors Jerusalem's because of forgetting God

Ezekiel 22 lists sins present in America: murder, idolatry, sexual perversion, oppression, extortion. The root is forgetting God and His law.

Ezekiel 22:1-12. Weaver: 'Every one of these sins... are here in America.'

Forgetting God leads to idolatry and lewdness

When people forget God, they turn to vanity, leave His paths, and fall into sexual immorality.

Jeremiah 18:15; Ezekiel 23:35. Weaver: 'When a people forget God, they either reject His law or replace His law.'

God's judgment can be to leave a people alone

The greatest judgment is divine abandonment, where God lets a people destroy themselves. This is seen in Hosea 4:17.

Hosea 4:17. Weaver: 'One of the greatest judgments that God can inflict... is to leave them alone.'

Scripture References

Ezekiel 22:1-22: The main text: God's judgment on Jerusalem for bloodshed, idolatry, sexual sins, oppression, and forgetting Him.
Matthew 5:17-19: Jesus came not to destroy the law but to fulfill it; not one jot or tittle will pass until all is fulfilled.
Romans 7:12: The law is holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good.
Romans 3:30-31: Faith does not make void the law; we establish the law.
1 Timothy 1:8: The law is good if a man use it lawfully.
Galatians 3:10-12: Those under the law are under a curse; no one is justified by the law; the just shall live by faith.
2 Corinthians 5:21: Christ was made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
Philippians 3:9: Paul desired to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness from the law.
Galatians 3:21: If a law could give life, righteousness would be by the law.
Romans 3:20: By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified; by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 6:14: We are not under the law but under grace—referring to justification, not lawlessness.
Galatians 2:19: Through the law Paul died to the law, meaning Christ bore the law's curse for him.
Ephesians 2:14-15: Christ abolished the law of commandments contained in ordinances, i.e., the ceremonial law.
Hebrews 13:10: We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.
Romans 6:23: The wages of sin is death; the gift of God is eternal life. Death proves the law is still in effect.
Galatians 3:24: The law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ.
Romans 7:7-9: Paul would not have known sin except by the law; when the commandment came, sin revived and he died.
1 John 3:4: Sin is the transgression of the law.
Galatians 6:16: As many as walk according to this rule (canon), peace and mercy be on them.
Deuteronomy 17:7; 19:19-20; 21:21; 22:21,24: Capital punishment commands to put away evil and cause others to hear and fear.

Historical References

America's founders called it a 'new Israel' or 'city on a hill': Weaver compares America to Jerusalem as a nation chosen by God that has fallen into sin.
William Stennett's hymn 'On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand': Weaver mentions the hymn writer looking westward to America as the new Israel.
Patrick Henry quote: 'It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains.': Weaver uses this quote to emphasize that forgetting God leads to tyranny.

Important Quotes

Our Lord did not come to destroy, to nullify, or negate the Law of God.

Establishes the sermon's foundational premise that God's law remains in force.

God never ever gave His law as a standard for salvation.

Clarifies the unlawful use of the law and guards against legalism.

The sharp needle of the law must precede the scarlet thread of the gospel.

Summarizes the law's role in convicting sinners and driving them to Christ.

If you apply God's law, it restrains sin and sinners. If you fail to apply God's law, it condones and encourages such wickedness.

Key argument for the societal necessity of God's law.

One of the greatest judgments that God can inflict upon any society, or any nation, or any people, is to leave them alone.

Highlights the severity of divine abandonment as judgment.

It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains.

Patrick Henry quote used to warn against the consequences of national apostasy.

We must be ruled either by the Bible or by the bayonet, by the strong arm of man or by the Word of God.

Presents the ultimate choice between God's law and human tyranny.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

In what ways does Ezekiel 22's description of Jerusalem mirror the moral condition of America today?

[Context]

Weaver draws direct parallels between the sins listed in Ezekiel 22 and modern American society.

[Question]

How does understanding the lawful uses of God's law (schoolmaster, knowledge of sin, rule of life, restraint) change the way we view the Old Testament law?

[Context]

Weaver explains the proper uses of the law from 1 Timothy 1:8 and other passages.

[Question]

Why is it dangerous to use God's law as a means of justification, and how does the gospel free us from that error?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that the law was never given for salvation and that righteousness comes through faith in Christ.

[Question]

What does Ecclesiastes 8:11 teach about the relationship between swift justice and the restraint of evil? How should this inform our view of the criminal justice system?

[Context]

Weaver cites this verse to argue that delayed execution of justice emboldens sinners.

[Question]

How can believers personally uphold God's law in a society that has largely rejected it?

[Context]

Weaver stresses personal responsibility and obedience regardless of societal trends.

[Question]

What does it mean for God to 'leave a people alone,' and why is that considered a severe judgment?

[Context]

Weaver explains that divine abandonment leads to self-destruction, citing Hosea 4:17.

[Question]

How does the ceremonial law's fulfillment in Christ help us understand which aspects of the Old Testament law are still binding?

[Context]

Weaver distinguishes between moral, civil, and ceremonial law, showing Christ fulfilled the ceremonial shadows.

[Question]

Patrick Henry said, 'It is when a people forget God, that tyrants forge their chains.' How do we see this principle at work in history and today?

[Context]

Weaver quotes Henry to warn that forgetting God leads to loss of liberty.

Applications

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