Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Holiness and Obedience

Promises Of The Law - Part 2

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: New Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2019-03-03

Synopsis: In this second message on the promises of the law, Pastor John Weaver argues that the law of God has not been nullified or set aside, but remains essential for revealing sin. He explains that without the law there is no knowledge of sin, and that the law serves multiple purposes including restraining evil, convicting of sin, and pointing to the need for a Redeemer. He refutes the idea that the Old Testament or the law should be discarded, showing from Scripture that the law is holy, just, and good, and that its proper use is to define sin and lead to Christ.

[John Weaver] 1 Kings chapter 8 and verse 56. We're continuing this series on the promises of the law and this is the second message today. 1 Kings 8 and verse 56. Notice what the Bible says, Solomon is praying and he says,"'Blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto His people Israel according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses, His servant.'" It is exceedingly clear that there were and there still are promises in the Law. As I pointed out in the first message last It is absolutely insane to try to deny the validity and the authority of the Old Testament. When you destroy the Old Testament at the same time, you destroy the New Testament, for the Old Testament is the very foundation on which the New Testament rests. And it's impossible to jerk a foundation or destroy a foundation without destroying the building that rests upon that foundation at the same time. So anyone who wishes to unhitch from the Old Testament, or deny the Old Testament or the Law, are actually denying the New Testament as well.

[John Weaver] I pointed out that there are 855 direct quotes from the Old Testament in the New Testament, and that did not count the 493 clear allusions in the New Testament to the Old Testament. nor the 138 possible allusions. Also we must remember that Jesus Christ Himself quoted from 24 of the Old Testament books. So obviously our Lord counted those books as authoritative and valid. And I do not know about you, but I'm not interested in trying to defy the Lord Jesus Christ or stand against Him. have to remember what He said in Matthew 5 and verse 17, that He did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. And may I remind you that we went through the Bible and I showed you how that phrase occurs over and over in the New Testament. And the Law and the Prophets is a phrase that refers to the totality of the Old Testament. And may I also remind you that I quoted from 2 Timothy 3.16-17 Scripture says that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable.

[John Weaver] And then of course from Romans 15 and verse 4 where the Apostle said, whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning. And then from 1 Corinthians chapter 10 where the Apostle took what happened to Israel in the Old Testament and applied it to the Corinthian Church in the New Testament. twice in that passage he said that everything that happened in the Old Testament was our example.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to repeat just for a little bit a portion of the sermon that I preached last week. I'm certainly not going to go into detail the way I did last week, and I will quote a verse or so, but I think it is very important that we understand and we remember how every negative passage in the New Testament concerning the Law can be explained. Everything has to be taken in its context. And when you consider the context of these negative passages, you're going to find that one of these four explanations will explain the negative passage in the New Testament. First of all, there are those passages that deny and denounce the law as a means of justification. The Law was never given for justification. The Law is never, not in the Old Testament, nor in the New Testament, nor has it ever been a means of salvation. And when people try to tell you that folks in the Old Testament were saved by their works, but people in the New Testament were saved by grace, that's a bunch of hooey.

[John Weaver] You better not believe that at all. Anyone who has ever saved has been saved by grace through faith. You're never saved by works. That's why Galatians 2 and verse 16 says this knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law But by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be be justified." So no one has ever been saved by keeping the Law. So there are those passages that announce the Law as a means of justification. Secondly, there are those passages speak concerning the death-dealing nature of sin in relation to the Law." And I quoted Romans 7 and verse 10 where the Apostle said, and the commandment which was ordained to life I found to be death. And of course I'm going to explain that a little bit further today how that the Law of course is indeed that which pronounces the death penalty against us.

[John Weaver] And then thirdly there are those passages that refer to the curse of the Law. So when you get to a passage like Galatians chapter 5 and verse 13, Christ, actually Galatians chapter 3 and verse 13 I believe it is, where it says, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us, for a curse is he who hangeth on a tree. So notice if you would, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, but He did not redeem us from the law. So there are those passages then that refer to the law and the curse of the law in relation to those who disobey. And then fourthly, are those passages that refer to the ceremonial law. Like Ephesians chapter 2 when the Bible tells us that He has taken the handwriting of the commandments which was contained in ordinances out of the way. And it is talking about the ordinances or the ceremonial laws in the Old Testament.

[John Weaver] Now let me just go ahead and say this, none of God's law has been negated, or nullified, or abrogated, or set aside. Even the ceremonial law that was observed in the tabernacle and the temple has not been negated or set aside. It has been fulfilled. So instead of the emblems and the types and the symbols, we now have the reality. Now, in the Old Testament, if you wanted to worship God, you had to go to the tabernacle or the temple.

[John Weaver] You had to go to the high priest. You had to bring a sacrifice and you had to have it on the altar. Well when you stop and think about that you have to understand that we have a great high priest, Hebrews chapter 4 the Lord Jesus Christ. have a sacrifice, Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 5.7, even Christ our Passover sacrifice for us. We have an altar, Hebrews 13 verse 10, we have an altar where they who serve the tabernacle, that is those symbols and emblems have no right to eat. And certainly we have a Temple because the Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 21 verse 3 that the tabernacle or the Temple of God is with men. So, He is our tabernacle. He is our Temple. So, So everything that was pictured in the Old Testament is now fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And may I remind you that the Bible says in Romans 7 in verse 12, wherefore the law is holy and the commandment holy, just and good. So when you're considering God's law, and God has pronounced it holy, and God has pronounced it just and good, then you would have to ask yourself this question, why would God nullify it?

[John Weaver] Why would he abrogate it? Why would he set it aside? Why would he destroy it? And you've heard me say this, I hope, many times. and you will remember it. I pointed out that a king rules by his law. And that certainly is true in reference to God. God rules by His law because His law is nothing more and nothing less than an expression of His will for His subjects and for His children. So, I hope you are beginning to see insanity of anyone who tries to denounce the Old Testament or denounce the Law.

[John Weaver] Now, I quoted a passage last week and I want to just amplify it a little more this week. In Matthew chapter 5 and verse 17 our Lord said,"'Think not that I am come to destroy the Law and the Prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.'"

[John Weaver] Now the word destroy is a very powerful Greek word. The word literally is katalouo and it literally means to destroy, to throw down, to cut loose, to subvert, overthrow, to abrogate, to nullify, to dismantle, to set aside, to bring to naught." So Jesus Christ says, do not even think this. Don't let it enter into your mind that I've come to set it aside, or make it naught, or destroy it, or nullify it. No, He said, I've come to fulfill. And the word fulfill is the word plerao and it means to fill and to keep full. So it means He came then to set it to into action as continuous. He did not come to destroy it.

[John Weaver] Now, today I want to just cover one little simple point, but it is a very important point. So, when you hear someone denouncing the Law, or denouncing the Old Testament, and by the way, you remember I told you that the Law and the Prophets refer to the totality, the Old Testament. So, if you deny the law, you are denying the Old Testament. If you deny the prophets, you are denying the Old Testament as well. But here is the truth, listen carefully, without the law there is no knowledge of sin. Without the law there is no knowledge of sin. So, ask yourself this question, what is sin?

[John Weaver] How do we know what is right and what is wrong? How do we know what is a violation of God's will and what is not a violation of God's will? Good and evil are determined by God and not by man. time man tries to determine for himself what is good or what is evil he brings the curse of God upon him because man always subverts and perverts that which is good and he will end up calling it evil or that which is evil and he will end up calling it good.

[John Weaver] If you would hold your Bibles to the verse Kings but look in the book of Isaiah chapter 5 if you would please and verse 20. first major prophet Isaiah chapter 5 verse 20, and look what our God says. Isaiah 5 verse 20, here is the woe, here is the curse. Isaiah 5 verse 20, woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. So He says, woe unto them that call evil good. One of them that call good evil. One of them that put darkness for light and light for darkness. One of them put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. So here is a curse that God places upon individuals who try to subvert and pervert that which He has declared as good and that which He has declared as evil. So in order to avoid this curse we must know what is good and what is evil based upon God's Word.

[John Weaver] Now, the Apostle Paul has clearly pointed out our source of knowledge. So, I want you to turn to the book of Romans chapter 3 and verse 20.

[John Weaver] Now, I quoted this passage last week, but I certainly did not emphasize that which I'm going to emphasize today. Because last week I was just concerned with pointing out those passages that mainly denounce the law as a means of justification. This is one of those passages. So if you look in Romans 3 in verse 20, he goes a little further. He says this, therefore by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight.

[John Weaver] And then he tells you why. For by the law is the knowledge of sin. By the law is the knowledge of sin. In other words, it is the law of God that teaches us, that shows us, that demonstrates for us that which is sin. While the law is not for our justification, that does not mean that the law is useless. There are many uses of God's law, but for salvation that is not one of them.

[John Weaver] Matthew Henry said it like this, listen carefully. That law which convicts and condemns us can never justify us. The law is the straight rule that which points out the right and the wrong. It is the proper use and intendment of the law to open our wound and therefore not likely to be our remedy. But notice he said the law is the straight rule. The darkened heart of man, the depraved heart of man could have never, ever formed an adequate conception of sin in and of himself.

[John Weaver] All you have to do today is look around this world and look at what so many people do in calling evil good. Look at the perversions. Look at the wickedness and and many people are celebrating it and announcing it and governments are subsidizing it Well, I want you to turn in your Bibles if you would to the book of Proverbs chapter 30 because our Lord is pointing out What people are like and I would simply say that this is a very accurate description of people in our day and age as well so in Proverbs chapter 30 beginning there with verse 11. Proverbs 30, verse 11.

[John Weaver] God says, there is a generation that cursed their father and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation. Can you imagine? Here's someone that's dishonoring their father and their mother, violation of the fifth commandment. Watch verse 12. There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. It's astounding that some of the most wicked, vile, corrupt people think they're doing nothing wrong. Then in verse 13, there's a generation, how lofty are their eyes and their eyelids are lifted up. Pride, arrogance, haughtiness. Then in verse 14, there is a generation whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives to devour the poor from off the earth and the needy from among men. And certainly, people have no hesitancy in cursing God or cursing man, no. And they have no hesitancy in destroying the innocent. So, the law is that which reveals for us sin and the sinfulness of man.

[John Weaver] But let me point something else out. The law that reveals the sinfulness of man and the law that tells us what sin actually is, is the same instrument which shows us and teaches us the holiness of God. In other words, we will never know really and truly how holy God is until we realize how sinful and how wickedness sin is. Because sin is the opposite of God's holiness.

[John Weaver] That's why he said in Jeremiah 44 in verse 4, oh do not that abominable thing which I hate. So you can never know God's holiness without knowing the sinfulness of sin. And you will never realize the wickedness of sin until you understand God's law, until you comprehend that law. So the law then, says the Apostle Paul, gives us the knowledge of sin. I want you to go in your Bible to Romans chapter 7. And I want you to hold this passage because we'll probably be coming back there. But look in Romans chapter 7 if you would please at verse 7. Romans 7 and verse 7. The Apostle asked a question, what shall we say then? And now here's the next question, is the law sin?

[John Weaver] Now he says, God forbid, that is perish the thought. Don't even let that thought enter into your mind. And then the apostle says, nay, I had not known sin, but by the law. So the law is that which exposes sin. He says, for I had not known lust, except the law had said, thou shalt not covet.

[John Weaver] Now, you have to remember that Paul was a Pharisee. The Pharisees reveled in their self-righteousness and in what they considered their obedience to the law. The Pharisees would have been considered the fundamentalist in the days of Jesus Christ. They were the ones that said we're holding to God's law. But the truth of the matter is the Pharisees had no understanding of the depth of God's law or the spirituality of God's law or the applications of God's law because they believed if they had not physically committed a sin. they were not guilty of violating the law. For instance, they believed if they had not taken a knife and plunged it into a man's heart then they were not a murderer. Or if they had not physically committed the act of adultery then they were not adulterers. They limited the law of God to that which was external. Now, the Apostle Paul said in Acts 23 and verse 6 that he was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee.

[John Weaver] So obviously, Pharisaism ran in his family. I want you to look now, whole Romans 7 please, but look now in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3. And let's begin reading there with verse 4. Because the Apostle Paul is here going to give something concerning himself. He's going to tell you what he could really boast in, what he was really proud of as an unsaved man, as a Pharisee. He says in the book of Philippians, chapter three, beginning with verse four, though I might also have confidence in the flesh. In other words, if you wanted to have confidence in your flesh, Paul said, I could do it. Here's why. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more. Why? circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, on Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless."

[John Weaver] Then he goes on to say,"'But what things were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ.'" Now the interesting thing here is the Apostle Paul said, in touching the righteousness of the law he was blameless." So, we have to ask this question, was the Apostle Paul before his conversion, Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee, did he really reach the righteousness of the law? Was he really blameless? Did he have an earned righteousness? Well, the answer to that question, or those questions, is yes and no.

[John Weaver] It depends upon which perspective you're coming from. If you're coming from the perspective of a Pharisee, yes, he had it, because they had a perversion of God's law. They misrepresented God's standard. I can tell you, listen carefully, I can tell you that I can jump flat footed, right straight from the ground, 20 feet up in the air. And you're going to sit there and say, preacher, you couldn't do that. Sure I can.

[John Weaver] As long as you allow me to define a foot. If I can make my own definitions, I can do whatever." And that is exactly what these Pharisees did. They defined the law in their terms so that they could keep their law, quote, unquote, and therefore they thought they were righteous and blameless. But the answer is no according to God's Word. because the Apostle Paul was a sinner. He says so himself. He did not keep God's law. He did not render to God's law that personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience that it demanded.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is this. When you look back in your Bibles to Romans 7 and verse 7, look what he said now. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid, nay, I had not known sin but by the law. So the law then, by that law, gives us a knowledge of sin. And then he says this, for I had not known lust, except the law had said thou shalt not covet.

[John Weaver] Now what Paul does in this verse is he singles out the 10th commandment. The 10th commandment is, thou shalt not covet. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, his ox, his ass, his maidservant, his manservant. In other words, thou shalt not covet, period. Now, the Apostle Paul said he had not known lust, except the law said, thou shalt not covet. So, what the law did was it revealed when he saw the law in its true application it revealed his sinfulness and his wickedness and he realized that he had violated God's law. The Tenth Commandment is just simply an aspect of this. May I remind you that when the Apostle Paul confesses that he had violated the Tenth Commandment, thou shalt not covet, He's also confessing that he violated the rest of the commandments and especially the first commandment thou shalt know other gods before me because Colossians 3 and verse 5 tells us that covetousness is

[John Weaver] idolatry So here's a man then who thought that he was blameless and He thought that He had touched the righteousness which was in the Law. And He did according to His pharisaical interpretation, but not according to the truth of God. Here is what Albert Barnes says, don't you listen carefully. He is trying to explain what Paul said and Paul is saying basically, I should not have been acquainted with the nature of sin, the sin of covetousness, that is except for the law.

[John Weaver] Then he goes on to say this, the desire might have existed but he would not have known it to be sinful and would not have experienced the raging, impetuous, and ungoverned propensity which he did when he found it to be forbidden. Man without law might have the strong feelings of desire. He might covet that which others possessed. He might take property or be disobedient to parents, but he would not know it is evil. Now listen carefully. The law fixes bounds to his desires and teaches him what is right and what is wrong. It teaches him where lawful indulgence ends and where sin begins.

[John Weaver] The word lust here is not limited as it is with us. It refers to all covetous desires to all wishes for that which is forbidden in us. So I could look at David's shirt and say, I like that shirt. I want that shirt. That's covetousness. It's not saying that I won't want to like it. Or I would ask him to give me that. And if I ask him for it and he says, no, you're not getting my shirt.

[John Weaver] You know what that would do? That would make me want it more. Of course, this is exactly what he's saying. And I told you last week, your lust is whatever you set your desires upon. Epithumia is the Greek word. Epi is a preposition upon. Thumos refers to passion or desire or lust. So your lust is whatever you set your desire upon. And this is why he said the word lust is here not limited as it is with us. In other words when we think of lust we think of sexual immorality. No, the word lust is a very broad term and includes basically everything.

[John Weaver] Now, the Apostle Paul said he had not known sin except by the law. Let me show you. Look if you would in Romans 7 and verse Let's read that. He says, but sin, taken occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. In other words, when he saw the law, he saw how terrible he was as a sinner. He says, for without the law, sin was dead. In other words, he did not, this is what Albert Barnes is talking about. He said you could have all kind of strong desires, you could have all kinds of lusts, but you would not know it was sin unless God had said so. So it says for without the law sin was dead, but with the law sin is alive now Look what he said in verse 9 for I was alive without the law once that is as a Pharisee, but when the commandment came that is when he came in its Spirituality when he understood it when the commandment came sin revived and I died.

[John Weaver] I So here he is in Philippians chapter 3 thinking that he's touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless. And all of a sudden God now opens his eyes and shows him the spirituality of the law. And now sin revives and he dies because he realized he's not sinless. He's not blameless. He is condemned because he's violated God's law and God's word.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to turn over to the book of Galatians chapter 3. and look, if you would please, at verse 19. Galatians 3, and notice, if you would please, verse 19. Here's a question, and it's going to be answered in this verse as well. Watch carefully. Galatians 3, verse 19. Wherefore then serveth the law? Why do we have the law? Wherefore then serveth the law? Here's the answer, it was added because of transgressions.

[John Weaver] Now watch, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made, that's Jesus Christ, and it was ordained by angels in the hands of a mediator. So let's just take the first part of verse 19. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions. So God gave us the law in order that we might see sin and understand sin, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to give you two quotes. One of them is a little more lengthy than the other, but I want you to listen, and the reason I want you to hear these quotes is to show you that what I'm telling you It's not something that I'm making up or something that I've dreamed up. But what I'm trying to show you is that what I'm teaching you is the historic position of Christianity.

[John Weaver] It is what has been believed down through the ages. So Albert Barnes says this, and he will explain it. in the next several messages I'm going to be amplifying them. But listen, he is talking about verse 19,"'Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgression.'" He says this,"'The meaning is that the law was given to show the true nature of transgressions, or to show what was sin. It was not to reveal a way of justification, but it was to disclose the true nature of sin, to deter men from committing it, to declare its penalty, to convince men of it, and thus to be an ancillary to and preparatory to the work of redemption through the Redeemer. This is the true account of the law of God as given to apostate man, and this use of the law still exists. This effect of the law is accomplished. Now he's going to give you six ways in which it was accomplished. Number one, by showing us what God requires what is duty.

[John Weaver] That's why the book of Micah says, He has showed the old man what is right and what doth the Lord require of thee. So He shows us what God requires and what is duty. It is a straight rule of what is right. And to depart from that is the measure of wrong. 2. It shows us the nature and the extent of transgression by showing us how far that we have departed from God's Law. 3. It shows that the just penalty of transgression and is thus fitted to reveal its true nature. 4. It is fitted to produce conviction for sin and thus shows how evil and bitter a thing transgression is. Number five, it thus shows its own ability, own inability to justify and save men, and is a preparatory arrangement to lead men to the cross of the Redeemer. At the same time, number six, the law was given with reference to transgressions in order to keep men from transgressions.

[John Weaver] It was designed to restrain and control them by its denunciations and by the fear of its threatened penalties. When Paul says that the law was given on account of transgressions, we're not to suppose that this was the sole use of the law, but that it was a main or leading purpose. It may accomplish many other important purposes, but this is one leading design. And this design it still accomplishes.

[John Weaver] It shows men their duty. It reminds them of their guilt. It teaches them how far they have wandered from God. It reveals to them the penalty of It shows them that justification by the law is impossible and that there must be some other way by which men must be saved. And since these advantages are derived from it, it is of importance that the law should be still proclaimed, that its high demands and its penalties should be constantly held up to the view of men. So, what he's trying to tell you is, You cannot deny, denounce, or throw away the law of God. To do so throws away the knowledge of sin. It throws away the penalty of sin. It throws away the restraint to hold men back from sinning. So the law has not been done away with.

[John Weaver] I want to give you one more quote. This one is by John Gill. He says this, it was added because of transgressions. 430 years after the covenant made with Abraham. It did not succeed it, nor take the place of it, and so make it null and void, but was over and above unto it for the sake of restraining transgressions, which had there been no law, men would not have been accountable for them.

[John Weaver] they would have gone into them without fear and with impunity. But the law was given to lay a restraint on men by forbidding such and such things on pain of death, and also for the detecting, discovering, and making known transgressions they are, their nature and consequence. These the Law charges men with, sets before them in their true light and proper colors, and convicts them of them, and stops their mouths, and pronounces them guilty before God. Moreover, the Law entered over and above any other revelation God was pleased to make, that the offense might abound, either that particular offense, the sin of Adam, or the justness of the imputation of it to his posterity." He goes on to say, and then he tells us this, that,"...the law was given for the punishing of transgressions, for which it curses and threatens with death, and inflicts it on Christless sinners.

[John Weaver] Hence it is clear there can be no justification by it, and yet it is not useless and insignificant." So, he is telling us there are proper uses of the law.

[John Weaver] Now, here is what I want to do. I want to show you from the Scripture everything that Albert Barnes said and everything that John Gill just said is nothing other than what the Scripture teaches. So, I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 1. Look in 1 Timothy chapter 1. And I hope I get to go over this passage in these messages a little, in a little more detail. But I want you to note what he says, 1 Timothy 1 beginning there with verse 8 he says this, but we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully. Now let me just stop right there. We know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully. What does that imply? That some may try to use the law unlawfully.

[John Weaver] such as using it as a standard of justification or trying to be saved by good works. That's what it implies. So, as just as there is a lawful use of the law, there's an unlawful use. Now, how is the law used lawfully? Well, he gives us one way. He says this in verse 9, knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient. Now, wait a minute. Let me stop there. What is he saying? The law is not made for a righteous man.

[John Weaver] You know, I remember when I went to the university, there were a lot of rules. And some kids broke the rules and got kicked out, got expelled. But the rules never bothered me. And the reason they never bothered me because I didn't want to break them anyhow. I wanted to do what was right. So as long as a man wants to do what's right, you know the law basically has nothing to do with him in that sense of the word. But now here's what he's saying, knowing this that the law is not made for righteous men but for the lawless and disobedient.

[John Weaver] Now if you were to take these two verses and and go over them. You can see how most of these are violations of the Ten Commandments, but watch if you would. Verse 9, knowing this that the law is not made for righteous men, 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, There is a Third Commandment. There is a Fifth Commandment. There is a Sixth Commandment. For whoremongers there is a Seventh Commandment.

[John Weaver] For them that defile themselves with mankind, for men stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine." So why then did God give the Law? To restrain. Because the Law says if you do this you are going to die. Here is the penalty for violating this Law. One of the things the law does beside giving us a knowledge of sin is it restrains.

[John Weaver] I Think I've told you this before But I won't tell you again because it's a good illustration Years ago. I was preaching in a Midwestern state And the pastor asked me if I would go with him just to invite a man to the church services And he told me he said he's not going to come but we want to go invite him anyhow. And he told me the man had gone through a bitter divorce. And he said, the man is very, very bitter. Well, I went with the pastor and I met the man and we invited him to church.

[John Weaver] And, you know, I tried to talk with him a little bit and I had not talked to him five minutes. And all of a sudden, all the venom and poison came out. And he said to me, this divorce, and he's talking about his wife, and here are the exact words he said to me. Listen carefully. He said, I should have killed her. I should have killed her. I should have killed her. He said, if I'd killed her, I'd have been in prison now in seven years.

[John Weaver] Now she's got practically everything I ever worked for. And here's this man saying that I should have killed her. Why? Because he said, I could have been in prison and out in seven years had he known that the penalty for murder was death. And had that state applied that penalty, he may not have been thinking it had been better to kill her. You see what I'm saying?

[John Weaver] The law was meant to restrain. And as long as the law is not applied, there is no restraint. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 in verse 56. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 56. Look what the Bible says, a very, very short verse. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 56. God says, the sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law. Isn't that amazing? The sting of death is sin. Why are we so afraid to die? Why do we not want to die?

[John Weaver] Because we know we're guilty. Then he says the strength of sin is the law that is we understand the curse of the law Hmm now listen to this Albert Barnes again this short quote He says the idea is that sin is the cause of death It introduced it. It makes it certain it is the cause of the pain distress and agony and horror which attends it and Had there been no sin, men would not have died. If there were no sin, death would not be attended with horror or alarm.

[John Weaver] For why should innocents be afraid to die? What is innocence to fear anywhere in the universe of a just God? The fact, therefore, that men die is proof that they are sinners. And the fact that they feel horror and alarm is proof that they feel themselves to be guilty and they are afraid to go into the presence of a holy God. And that is true. It is God's law that gives a sting to death. Why? Because the law places a curse on all of those who violate God's holy law.

[John Weaver] Now, let me tell you something. Men may deny sin intellectually, but they cannot deny it practically. You can say, I have not sinned. I am not sinning. I will never sin. You can deny it intellectually all you want, but you're going to die. and that's gonna prove that you are a sinner, for the wages of sin is death. I heard a story a long time ago about the, do you realize that there are a lot of people who even deny sickness? They say it's all in the mind, it's an imagination. I heard about the little boy who ran into the house and he told his mother, mother, mother, he said, you know that lady down the street that's been sick so long?

[John Weaver] She says, no, no, son. You mean the lady that thinks she's been sick. He said, well now she thinks she's dead. Yeah, well, you know, you can deny it all you want, but you're going to die. And death is the proof of sin. Now, How do we know what sin is? Remember the Apostle Paul said in Romans 3 verse 20, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 3 and look if you would please at verse 4. Here is the clearest verse in the entire Bible that tells you what sin really is. 1 John 3 and look if you would please at verse 4. 1 John 3 verse 4. The scripture says, whosoever committed sin transgresses also the law, for sin is a transgression of the law. What is sin? It's transgressing God's law. How do I know that I sin? I violated God's law. I've broken his commandment. Sin is a transgression of the law. It is impossible to sin without violating God's law.

[John Weaver] God's law reveals sin It is the law of God that determines that which is right and that which is wrong It is the law of God which determines that which is good and that which is evil It is the law of God that tells us What we may do and what we may not do now There are some things that men do that are unwise and Some things that men do that are unnecessary. Some things that men do that are imprudent. But if it is not a violation of God's law, it is not sin. Sin is a violation of God's law. So mark it down in your mind that when you sin, you violate God's law. And it is only by His law that we have the knowledge sin. Without God's Law we don't know what sin is.

[John Weaver] Now let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this, when anyone suggests to you that we unhitch from the Old Testament or that the Law has no value he is not only being unbiblical but if he teaches others that same he is leading them astray as well. When someone and there are multitudes of Christians who will do this When someone naively says well, we're not under the law Please ask him to define sin and to tell you what sin is Because without the law There is no sin or we do not know what sin is there has to be a standard of And that standard is God's law. And God's law was never given to us for justification, but it has been given to us for a number of other reasons as well. So the law of God has not been nullified.

[John Weaver] It has not been abrogated. It has not been destroyed. And if it has, we would have no knowledge of right and wrong. We would have no knowledge of good and evil. If we're not under the law as a standard for revealing sin and knowing that which is holy and right, how do we determine what is sinful? How do we determine how to act? How do we determine what is a violation of God's law or God's will? Is moral relativism an acceptable standard? Of course not. What about situational ethics? Of course not. Situation Ethics says, well, prostitution is wrong here in America because we've got all these jobs that people can do. But if you go over to Thailand or Vietnam or someplace where there's got very little, well, it's all right there because it helps the economy. And you know, really? Well, I got news for you. Thou shalt not commit adultery applies in Thailand and Vietnam, just like it does in America. So, no, if you do away with God's law, you do away with the standard of what is right and what is wrong.

[John Weaver] Here's the next thing, if the law has been destroyed, if the law has been abrogated, if it's been nullified, if it's set aside, may I ask this question, what is wrong with murder? What is wrong with adultery? What is wrong with fornication? What is wrong with theft? What is wrong with idolatry? If the law has been set aside, why not embrace these things with open arms and take the attitude, let us eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we may die. It's absolutely insane. And let me ask you this question. If the law has been nullified, if the law has been set aside and abrogated, how is God going to judge sinners who die without Jesus Christ?

[John Weaver] What standard will He use? Well, He'll judge them by their works. Really? But there has to be a standard to judge them by their works. You do away with the law. You not only do away with sin, you do away with judgment as well. Hmm Here's one last thought and I must hasten to point this out that where there is no law There is no conviction of sin One of my favorite quotes from the old Puritans is this they always would say That the sharp needle of the law must precede the scarlet thread of the gospel In other words our wounds have to be opened and pricked before the gospel thread comes in and sews them up. So where there is no law, there cannot be any conviction of sin. Where there is no conviction of sin, there cannot be any repentance. Where there is no repentance, there is no salvation. I'm going to clarify this and point this out next Sunday, Lord willing, but let me tell you, Without the law, there is no salvation.

[John Weaver] It's not that the law saves us. It does not. It's not that we're justified by the law. We are not. But I will show you from scripture without the law, there is no salvation. So when someone denies the law of God, he's only denying sin. And the knowledge of sin, he's in essence denying salvation as well. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee this day.

[John Weaver] We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. We thank you, Father, for your law. Help us to understand, Father, that by the law is the knowledge of sin. And without that law, there is no knowledge of sin. Help us not to sin against thee, not to violate thy law, but to obey thee and honor thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen. ♪ ♪ you

Promises Of The Law - Part 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	sW1hTx0Z94c
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Holiness and Obedience
Genre	Sermon
Date	2019-03-03
Dictation Name
Book	Book 005: Promises Of The Law — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	67

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review of Part 1

Weaver recaps the previous message, emphasizing that the Old Testament is foundational to the New Testament and that Jesus did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. He reviews four categories of negative New Testament passages about the law: those denying it as a means of justification, those about sin's death-dealing nature, those about the curse of the law, and those about the ceremonial law.

1 Kings chapter 8 and verse 56. We're continuing this series on the promises of the law and this is the second message today. 1 Kings 8 and verse 56. Notice what the Bible says, Solomon is praying and he says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 8:56

"'Blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto His people Israel according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses, His servant.'"

It is exceedingly clear that there were and there still are promises in the Law. As I pointed out in the first message last week, it is absolutely insane to try to deny the validity and the authority of the Old Testament. When you destroy the Old Testament at the same time, you destroy the New Testament, for the Old Testament is the very foundation on which the New Testament rests. And it's impossible to jerk a foundation or destroy a foundation without destroying the building that rests upon that foundation at the same time. So anyone who wishes to unhitch from the Old Testament, or deny the Old Testament or the Law, are actually denying the New Testament as well.

I pointed out that there are 855 direct quotes from the Old Testament in the New Testament, and that did not count the 493 clear allusions in the New Testament to the Old Testament, nor the 138 possible allusions. Also we must remember that Jesus Christ Himself quoted from 24 of the Old Testament books. So obviously our Lord counted those books as authoritative and valid. And I do not know about you, but I'm not interested in trying to defy the Lord Jesus Christ or stand against Him. We have to remember what He said in Matthew 5 and verse 17, that He did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. And may I remind you that we went through the Bible and I showed you how that phrase occurs over and over in the New Testament. And the Law and the Prophets is a phrase that refers to the totality of the Old Testament. And may I also remind you that I quoted from 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Scripture says that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable.

And then of course from Romans 15 and verse 4 where the Apostle said, whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning. And then from 1 Corinthians chapter 10 where the Apostle took what happened to Israel in the Old Testament and applied it to the Corinthian Church in the New Testament. Twice in that passage he said that everything that happened in the Old Testament was our example. Now, I want to repeat just for a little bit a portion of the sermon that I preached last week. I'm certainly not going to go into detail the way I did last week, and I will quote a verse or so, but I think it is very important that we understand and we remember how every negative passage in the New Testament concerning the Law can be explained. Everything has to be taken in its context. And when you consider the context of these negative passages, you're going to find that one of these four explanations will explain the negative passage in the New Testament. First of all, there are those passages that deny and denounce the law as a means of justification. The Law was never given for justification. The Law is never, not in the Old Testament, nor in the New Testament, nor has it ever been a means of salvation. And when people try to tell you that folks in the Old Testament were saved by their works, but people in the New Testament were saved by grace, that's a bunch of hooey.

You better not believe that at all. Anyone who has ever been saved has been saved by grace through faith. You're never saved by works. That's why Galatians 2 and verse 16 says this:

Scripture Reading — Galatians 2:16

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

So no one has ever been saved by keeping the Law. So there are those passages that denounce the Law as a means of justification. Secondly, there are those passages that speak concerning the death-dealing nature of sin in relation to the Law. And I quoted Romans 7 and verse 10 where the Apostle said, "And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." And of course I'm going to explain that a little bit further today how that the Law of course is indeed that which pronounces the death penalty against us.

And then thirdly there are those passages that refer to the curse of the Law. So when you get to a passage like Galatians chapter 3 and verse 13, I believe it is, where it says, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." So notice if you would, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, but He did not redeem us from the law. So there are those passages then that refer to the law and the curse of the law in relation to those who disobey. And then fourthly, there are those passages that refer to the ceremonial law. Like Ephesians chapter 2 when the Bible tells us that He has taken the handwriting of the commandments which was contained in ordinances out of the way. And it is talking about the ordinances or the ceremonial laws in the Old Testament.

Now let me just go ahead and say this, none of God's law has been negated, or nullified, or abrogated, or set aside. Even the ceremonial law that was observed in the tabernacle and the temple has not been negated or set aside. It has been fulfilled. So instead of the emblems and the types and the symbols, we now have the reality. Now, in the Old Testament, if you wanted to worship God, you had to go to the tabernacle or the temple. You had to go to the high priest. You had to bring a sacrifice and you had to have it on the altar. Well when you stop and think about that you have to understand that we have a great high priest, Hebrews chapter 4, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a sacrifice, Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 5:7, even Christ our Passover sacrificed for us. We have an altar, Hebrews 13 verse 10, we have an altar where they who serve the tabernacle, that is those symbols and emblems, have no right to eat. And certainly we have a Temple because the Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 21 verse 3 that the tabernacle or the Temple of God is with men. So, He is our tabernacle. He is our Temple. So, everything that was pictured in the Old Testament is now fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And may I remind you that the Bible says in Romans 7 in verse 12, "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." So when you're considering God's law, and God has pronounced it holy, and God has pronounced it just and good, then you would have to ask yourself this question, why would God nullify it?

The Law Reveals the Knowledge of Sin

Weaver introduces the main point: without the law there is no knowledge of sin. He reads Romans 3:20 and explains that the law teaches us what sin is, though it cannot justify us.

How do we know what is right and what is wrong? How do we know what is a violation of God's will and what is not a violation of God's will? Good and evil are determined by God and not by man. Every time man tries to determine for himself what is good or what is evil he brings the curse of God upon him because man always subverts and perverts that which is good and he will end up calling it evil or that which is evil and he will end up calling it good. If you would hold your Bibles to the verse in Kings but look in the book of Isaiah chapter 5 if you would please and verse 20. First major prophet Isaiah chapter 5 verse 20, and look what our God says. Isaiah 5 verse 20, here is the woe, here is the curse. Isaiah 5 verse 20,

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 5:20

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter."

So He says, woe unto them that call evil good. Woe unto them that call good evil. Woe unto them that put darkness for light and light for darkness. Woe unto them that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. So here is a curse that God places upon individuals who try to subvert and pervert that which He has declared as good and that which He has declared as evil. So in order to avoid this curse we must know what is good and what is evil based upon God's Word.

Now, the Apostle Paul has clearly pointed out our source of knowledge. So, I want you to turn to the book of Romans chapter 3 and verse 20. Now, I quoted this passage last week, but I certainly did not emphasize that which I'm going to emphasize today. Because last week I was just concerned with pointing out those passages that mainly denounce the law as a means of justification. This is one of those passages. So if you look in Romans 3 in verse 20, he goes a little further. He says this,

Scripture Reading — Romans 3:20

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight."

And then he tells you why. "For by the law is the knowledge of sin." By the law is the knowledge of sin. In other words, it is the law of God that teaches us, that shows us, that demonstrates for us that which is sin. While the law is not for our justification, that does not mean that the law is useless. There are many uses of God's law, but for salvation that is not one of them.

The Law Exposes Sin's True Nature

Using Romans 7:7, Weaver shows that Paul, a former Pharisee, only understood sin through the law, specifically the tenth commandment against coveting. The law reveals the spirituality and depth of sin beyond external actions.

Now he says, "God forbid," that is perish the thought. Don't even let that thought enter into your mind. And then the apostle says, "Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law." So the law is that which exposes sin. He says, "For I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."

Now, you have to remember that Paul was a Pharisee. The Pharisees reveled in their self-righteousness and in what they considered their obedience to the law. The Pharisees would have been considered the fundamentalists in the days of Jesus Christ. They were the ones that said we're holding to God's law. But the truth of the matter is the Pharisees had no understanding of the depth of God's law or the spirituality of God's law or the applications of God's law because they believed if they had not physically committed a sin, they were not guilty of violating the law. For instance, they believed if they had not taken a knife and plunged it into a man's heart then they were not a murderer. Or if they had not physically committed the act of adultery then they were not adulterers. They limited the law of God to that which was external. Now, the Apostle Paul said in Acts 23 and verse 6 that he was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee.

So obviously, Pharisaism ran in his family. I want you to look now, hold Romans 7 please, but look now in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3. And let's begin reading there with verse 4. Because the Apostle Paul is here going to give something concerning himself. He's going to tell you what he could really boast in, what he was really proud of as an unsaved man, as a Pharisee. He says in the book of Philippians, chapter three, beginning with verse four,

Scripture Reading — Philippians 3:4-7

"Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless."

Then he goes on to say, "'But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.'" Now the interesting thing here is the Apostle Paul said, "...touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." So, we have to ask this question, was the Apostle Paul before his conversion, Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee, did he really reach the righteousness of the law? Was he really blameless? Did he have an earned righteousness? Well, the answer to that question, or those questions, is yes and no. It depends upon which perspective you're coming from. If you're coming from the perspective of a Pharisee, yes, he had it, because they had a perversion of God's law. They misrepresented God's standard. I can tell you, listen carefully, I can tell you that I can jump flat footed, right straight from the ground, 20 feet up in the air. And you're going to sit there and say, preacher, you couldn't do that. Sure I can.

As long as you allow me to define a foot. If I can make my own definitions, I can do whatever. And that is exactly what these Pharisees did. They defined the law in their terms so that they could keep their law, quote unquote, and therefore they thought they were righteous and blameless. But the answer is no according to God's Word. Because the Apostle Paul was a sinner. He says so himself. He did not keep God's law. He did not render to God's law that personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience that it demanded.

Now, the interesting thing is this. When you look back in your Bibles to Romans 7 and verse 7, look what he said now. "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law." So the law then, by that law, gives us a knowledge of sin. And then he says this, "For I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."

Now what Paul does in this verse is he singles out the 10th commandment. The 10th commandment is, "Thou shalt not covet." Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, his ox, his ass, his maidservant, his manservant. In other words, thou shalt not covet, period. Now, the Apostle Paul said he had not known lust, except the law said, "Thou shalt not covet." So, what the law did was it revealed when he saw the law in its true application it revealed his sinfulness and his wickedness and he realized that he had violated God's law. The Tenth Commandment is just simply an aspect of this. May I remind you that when the Apostle Paul confesses that he had violated the Tenth Commandment, "Thou shalt not covet," he's also confessing that he violated the rest of the commandments and especially the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," because Colossians 3 and verse 5 tells us that covetousness is idolatry.

The Law Was Added Because of Transgressions

From Galatians 3:19, Weaver explains that the law was given to show what sin is, to deter from it, and to lead to Christ. He quotes Albert Barnes and John Gill to support the historic Christian view of the law's purposes.

Now watch, "till the seed should come to whom the promise was made," that's Jesus Christ, "and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator." So let's just take the first part of verse 19. "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions." So God gave us the law in order that we might see sin and understand sin, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Now, I want to give you two quotes. One of them is a little more lengthy than the other, but I want you to listen, and the reason I want you to hear these quotes is to show you that what I'm telling you is not something that I'm making up or something that I've dreamed up. But what I'm trying to show you is that what I'm teaching you is the historic position of Christianity.

It is what has been believed down through the ages. So Albert Barnes says this, and he will explain it. In the next several messages I'm going to be amplifying them. But listen, he is talking about verse 19, "'Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions.'" He says this, "'The meaning is that the law was given to show the true nature of transgressions, or to show what was sin. It was not to reveal a way of justification, but it was to disclose the true nature of sin, to deter men from committing it, to declare its penalty, to convince men of it, and thus to be an ancillary to and preparatory to the work of redemption through the Redeemer. This is the true account of the law of God as given to apostate man, and this use of the law still exists. This effect of the law is accomplished." Now he's going to give you six ways in which it was accomplished. Number one, "by showing us what God requires, what is duty."

That's why the book of Micah says, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee." So He shows us what God requires and what is duty. It is a straight rule of what is right. And to depart from that is the measure of wrong. 2. It shows us the nature and the extent of transgression by showing us how far that we have departed from God's Law. 3. It shows that the just penalty of transgression and is thus fitted to reveal its true nature. 4. It is fitted to produce conviction for sin and thus shows how evil and bitter a thing transgression is. Number five, it thus shows its own inability to justify and save men, and is a preparatory arrangement to lead men to the cross of the Redeemer. At the same time, number six, the law was given with reference to transgressions in order to keep men from transgressions.

It was designed to restrain and control them by its denunciations and by the fear of its threatened penalties. When Paul says that the law was given on account of transgressions, we're not to suppose that this was the sole use of the law, but that it was a main or leading purpose. It may accomplish many other important purposes, but this is one leading design. And this design it still accomplishes. It shows men their duty. It reminds them of their guilt. It teaches them how far they have wandered from God. It reveals to them the penalty of sin. It shows them that justification by the law is impossible and that there must be some other way by which men must be saved. And since these advantages are derived from it, it is of importance that the law should be still proclaimed, that its high demands and its penalties should be constantly held up to the view of men. So, what he's trying to tell you is, you cannot deny, denounce, or throw away the law of God. To do so throws away the knowledge of sin. It throws away the penalty of sin. It throws away the restraint to hold men back from sinning. So the law has not been done away with.

I want to give you one more quote. This one is by John Gill. He says this, "It was added because of transgressions. 430 years after the covenant made with Abraham. It did not succeed it, nor take the place of it, and so make it null and void, but was over and above unto it for the sake of restraining transgressions, which had there been no law, men would not have been accountable for them." They would have gone into them without fear and with impunity. But the law was given to lay a restraint on men by forbidding such and such things on pain of death, and also for the detecting, discovering, and making known transgressions they are, their nature and consequence. These the Law charges men with, sets before them in their true light and proper colors, and convicts them of them, and stops their mouths, and pronounces them guilty before God. Moreover, the Law entered over and above any other revelation God was pleased to make, that the offense might abound, either that particular offense, the sin of Adam, or the justness of the imputation of it to his posterity. He goes on to say, and then he tells us this, that the law was given for the punishing of transgressions, for which it curses and threatens with death, and inflicts it on Christless sinners.

Hence it is clear there can be no justification by it, and yet it is not useless and insignificant. So, he is telling us there are proper uses of the law.

The Law Restrains Sin

Weaver uses 1 Timothy 1:8-10 to show that the law is good when used lawfully, and that it is made for the lawless to restrain evil. He illustrates with a story of a bitter man who considered murder but might have been restrained by a death penalty.

Such as using it as a standard of justification or trying to be saved by good works. That's what it implies. So, just as there is a lawful use of the law, there's an unlawful use. Now, how is the law used lawfully? Well, he gives us one way. He says this in verse 9, "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient." Now, wait a minute. Let me stop there. What is he saying? The law is not made for a righteous man.

You know, I remember when I went to the university, there were a lot of rules. And some kids broke the rules and got kicked out, got expelled. But the rules never bothered me. And the reason they never bothered me because I didn't want to break them anyhow. I wanted to do what was right. So as long as a man wants to do what's right, you know the law basically has nothing to do with him in that sense of the word. But now here's what he's saying, "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient."

Now if you were to take these two verses and go over them, you can see how most of these are violations of the Ten Commandments, but watch if you would. 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." There is a Third Commandment. There is a Fifth Commandment. There is a Sixth Commandment. "For whoremongers" there is a Seventh Commandment. "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." So why then did God give the Law? To restrain. Because the Law says if you do this you are going to die. Here is the penalty for violating this Law. One of the things the law does beside giving us a knowledge of sin is it restrains.

I think I've told you this before but I'll tell you again because it's a good illustration. Years ago I was preaching in a Midwestern state and the pastor asked me if I would go with him just to invite a man to the church services. And he told me he said he's not going to come but we want to go invite him anyhow. And he told me the man had gone through a bitter divorce. And he said, the man is very, very bitter. Well, I went with the pastor and I met the man and we invited him to church. And, you know, I tried to talk with him a little bit and I had not talked to him five minutes. And all of a sudden, all the venom and poison came out. And he said to me, this divorce, and he's talking about his wife, and here are the exact words he said to me. Listen carefully. He said, "I should have killed her. I should have killed her. I should have killed her." He said, "If I'd killed her, I'd have been in prison now in seven years."

Now she's got practically everything I ever worked for. And here's this man saying that I should have killed her. Why? Because he said, I could have been in prison and out in seven years. Had he known that the penalty for murder was death, and had that state applied that penalty, he may not have been thinking it had been better to kill her. You see what I'm saying? The law was meant to restrain. And as long as the law is not applied, there is no restraint. Wow.

The Law Gives Sin Its Strength

From 1 Corinthians 15:56, Weaver explains that the sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law, because the law pronounces the curse and penalty for sin, making death fearful.

Because we know we're guilty. Then he says the strength of sin is the law, that is we understand the curse of the law. Hmm, now listen to this Albert Barnes again, this short quote. He says, "The idea is that sin is the cause of death. It introduced it. It makes it certain. It is the cause of the pain, distress, and agony, and horror which attends it. And had there been no sin, men would not have died. If there were no sin, death would not be attended with horror or alarm."

For why should innocents be afraid to die? What is innocence to fear anywhere in the universe of a just God? The fact, therefore, that men die is proof that they are sinners. And the fact that they feel horror and alarm is proof that they feel themselves to be guilty and they are afraid to go into the presence of a holy God. And that is true. It is God's law that gives a sting to death. Why? Because the law places a curse on all of those who violate God's holy law.

Now, let me tell you something. Men may deny sin intellectually, but they cannot deny it practically. You can say, I have not sinned. I am not sinning. I will never sin. You can deny it intellectually all you want, but you're going to die. And that's gonna prove that you are a sinner, for the wages of sin is death. I heard a story a long time ago about the, do you realize that there are a lot of people who even deny sickness? They say it's all in the mind, it's an imagination. I heard about the little boy who ran into the house and he told his mother, "Mother, mother," he said, "you know that lady down the street that's been sick so long?"

Sin Defined as Transgression of the Law

Weaver cites 1 John 3:4 to define sin as the transgression of the law. Without God's law, there is no standard for right and wrong, and no knowledge of sin.

God's law reveals sin. It is the law of God that determines that which is right and that which is wrong. It is the law of God which determines that which is good and that which is evil. It is the law of God that tells us what we may do and what we may not do. Now, there are some things that men do that are unwise and some things that men do that are unnecessary. Some things that men do that are imprudent. But if it is not a violation of God's law, it is not sin. Sin is a violation of God's law. So mark it down in your mind that when you sin, you violate God's law. And it is only by His law that we have the knowledge of sin. Without God's Law we don't know what sin is.

Applications and Warnings

Weaver applies the message by warning against unhitching from the Old Testament, arguing that without the law there is no conviction of sin, no repentance, and ultimately no salvation. He challenges those who say 'we are not under the law' to define sin.

Now let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this, when anyone suggests to you that we unhitch from the Old Testament or that the Law has no value he is not only being unbiblical but if he teaches others that same he is leading them astray as well. When someone, and there are multitudes of Christians who will do this, when someone naively says, "Well, we're not under the law," please ask him to define sin and to tell you what sin is. Because without the law there is no sin or we do not know what sin is. There has to be a standard of right and wrong. And that standard is God's law. And God's law was never given to us for justification, but it has been given to us for a number of other reasons as well. So the law of God has not been nullified.

It has not been abrogated. It has not been destroyed. And if it has, we would have no knowledge of right and wrong. We would have no knowledge of good and evil. If we're not under the law as a standard for revealing sin and knowing that which is holy and right, how do we determine what is sinful? How do we determine how to act? How do we determine what is a violation of God's law or God's will? Is moral relativism an acceptable standard? Of course not. What about situational ethics? Of course not. Situation Ethics says, well, prostitution is wrong here in America because we've got all these jobs that people can do. But if you go over to Thailand or Vietnam or someplace where there's got very little, well, it's all right there because it helps the economy. And you know, really? Well, I got news for you. "Thou shalt not commit adultery" applies in Thailand and Vietnam, just like it does in America. So, no, if you do away with God's law, you do away with the standard of what is right and what is wrong.

Here's the next thing, if the law has been destroyed, if the law has been abrogated, if it's been nullified, if it's set aside, may I ask this question, what is wrong with murder? What is wrong with adultery? What is wrong with fornication? What is wrong with theft? What is wrong with idolatry? If the law has been set aside, why not embrace these things with open arms and take the attitude, let us eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we may die. It's absolutely insane. And let me ask you this question. If the law has been nullified, if the law has been set aside and abrogated, how is God going to judge sinners who die without Jesus Christ?

What standard will He use? Well, He'll judge them by their works. Really? But there has to be a standard to judge them by their works. You do away with the law. You not only do away with sin, you do away with judgment as well. Hmm. Here's one last thought and I must hasten to point this out that where there is no law there is no conviction of sin. One of my favorite quotes from the old Puritans is this, they always would say that the sharp needle of the law must precede the scarlet thread of the gospel. In other words our wounds have to be opened and pricked before the gospel thread comes in and sews them up. So where there is no law, there cannot be any conviction of sin. Where there is no conviction of sin, there cannot be any repentance. Where there is no repentance, there is no salvation. I'm going to clarify this and point this out next Sunday, Lord willing, but let me tell you, without the law, there is no salvation.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Law Reveals Sin

Summary: The primary purpose of God's law is to give the knowledge of sin; without it, we cannot know what sin is.

Evidence: Romans 3:20: 'for by the law is the knowledge of sin.'

The Law is Not for Justification

Summary: The law was never given as a means of salvation; no one is justified by works of the law.

Evidence: Galatians 2:16: 'a man is not justified by the works of the law.'

The Law Restrains Evil

Summary: The law serves to restrain transgressions by threatening penalties, thus deterring sin.

Evidence: 1 Timothy 1:9: 'the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient.'

The Law Points to Christ

Summary: The law was added to lead men to the Redeemer by showing the impossibility of justification by works.

Evidence: Galatians 3:19: 'It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come.'

The Law Defines Good and Evil

Summary: God's law is the standard that determines what is right and wrong; man cannot define good and evil for himself.

Evidence: Isaiah 5:20: 'Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil.'

The Law is Holy, Just, and Good

Summary: The law reflects God's holy character and is not evil; it is good when used lawfully.

Evidence: Romans 7:12: 'the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.'

Key Arguments

Without the law there is no knowledge of sin

Summary: The law is the only means by which we understand what sin is; denying the law removes the concept of sin.

Evidence: Romans 3:20: 'for by the law is the knowledge of sin.'

The law was never given for justification

Summary: Salvation has always been by grace through faith, not by works of the law.

Evidence: Galatians 2:16: 'by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.'

The law restrains sin by its penalties

Summary: The law deters sin by threatening punishment, thus keeping men from transgressions.

Evidence: 1 Timothy 1:9-10 lists sins the law restrains.

The law was added to lead to Christ

Summary: The law shows the need for a Redeemer by revealing sin and its penalty.

Evidence: Galatians 3:19: 'It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come.'

Sin is defined as transgression of the law

Summary: 1 John 3:4 clearly states that sin is lawlessness; without law there is no sin.

Evidence: 1 John 3:4: 'sin is the transgression of the law.'

Denying the law undermines salvation

Summary: Without the law there is no conviction of sin, no repentance, and thus no salvation.

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

Scripture References

1 Kings 8:56

Context: Solomon's prayer acknowledging that not one word of God's good promise has failed.

Matthew 5:17

Context: Jesus said He did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill.

Romans 3:20

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

Romans 7:7

Context: Paul says he would not have known sin except through the law, specifically the command against coveting.

Romans 7:8-9

Context: Sin, taking occasion by the commandment, produced all manner of evil desire; when the commandment came, sin revived and Paul died.

Galatians 3:19

Context: The law was added because of transgressions until the Seed should come.

1 Timothy 1:8-10

Context: The law is good if used lawfully; it is made for the lawless and disobedient, listing various sins.

1 Corinthians 15:56

Context: The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

1 John 3:4

Context: Sin is the transgression of the law.

Isaiah 5:20

Context: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.

Proverbs 30:11-14

Context: Description of a generation that curses parents, is pure in its own eyes, proud, and devours the poor.

Philippians 3:4-7

Context: Paul's former confidence in the flesh as a Pharisee, blameless according to the law.

Romans 7:12

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

Galatians 2:16

Context: A man is not justified by works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

Context: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable.

Romans 15:4

Context: Whatever things were written before were written for our learning.

1 Corinthians 10

Context: Old Testament events are examples for New Testament believers.

Colossians 3:5

Context: Covetousness is idolatry.

Micah 6:8

Context: He has shown you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires.

Historical References

Albert Barnes

Context: Quoted extensively on the purpose of the law: to show the nature of sin, deter from it, and lead to Christ.

John Gill

Context: Quoted on Galatians 3:19, explaining the law was added to restrain transgressions and reveal sin.

Matthew Henry

Context: Quoted: 'That law which convicts and condemns us can never justify us.'

Pharisees

Context: Described as self-righteous fundamentalists who limited the law to external acts and perverted its true meaning.

Important Quotes

Without the law there is no knowledge of sin.

Significance: Central thesis of the message, summarizing the indispensable role of the law in revealing sin.

The law is the straight rule that which points out the right and the wrong.

Significance: Matthew Henry's definition of the law as the objective standard of morality.

I had not known sin, but by the law.

Significance: Paul's testimony that the law is the means by which sin is recognized.

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

Significance: Shows that the law gives sin its condemning power, making death fearful.

Sin is the transgression of the law.

Significance: The biblical definition of sin, directly tying it to God's law.

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

Significance: Puritan saying emphasizing that conviction of sin by the law is necessary before the gospel can be applied.

Discussion Questions

Why is it impossible to have knowledge of sin without God's law?

Context: Based on Romans 3:20 and the central argument of the message.

How does the law function as a 'straight rule' for determining right and wrong?

Context: Referencing Matthew Henry's quote and the need for an objective standard.

In what ways did the Pharisees misuse the law, and how can we avoid similar errors?

Context: From the discussion of Paul's pharisaical background and external obedience.

What does it mean that the law was 'added because of transgressions'?

Context: From Galatians 3:19 and the explanation of the law's purpose.

How does the law restrain sin in society and in individual lives?

Context: From 1 Timothy 1:8-10 and the illustration of the bitter man.

Why is the law necessary for conviction of sin and genuine repentance?

Context: From the application that without law there is no conviction, repentance, or salvation.

Applications

Do not unhitch from the Old Testament or deny the law

Summary: Reject any teaching that suggests the Old Testament or God's law has no value; such teaching is unbiblical and leads others astray.

Evidence: When anyone suggests to you that we unhitch from the Old Testament or that the Law has no value he is not only being unbiblical but if he teaches others that same he is leading them astray as well.

Use the law to define sin

Summary: When someone claims we are not under the law, ask them to define sin; without the law there is no standard for right and wrong.

Evidence: When someone naively says, 'Well, we're not under the law,' please ask him to define sin and to tell you what sin is.

Recognize the law's role in conviction and salvation

Summary: Understand that the law is necessary to bring conviction of sin, which leads to repentance and salvation; do not discard it.

Evidence: Where there is no law, there cannot be any conviction of sin. Where there is no conviction of sin, there cannot be any repentance. Where there is no repentance, there is no salvation.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T15:07:13Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T04:06:23Z

Clean Transcript

Promises Of The Law - Part 2

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

1 Kings chapter 8 and verse 56. We're continuing this series on the promises of the law and this is the second message today. 1 Kings 8 and verse 56. Notice what the Bible says, Solomon is praying and he says, "'Blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto His people Israel according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses, His servant.'" It is exceedingly clear that there were and there still are promises in the Law. As I pointed out in the first message last week, it is absolutely insane to try to deny the validity and the authority of the Old Testament. When you destroy the Old Testament at the same time, you destroy the New Testament, for the Old Testament is the very foundation on which the New Testament rests. And it's impossible to jerk a foundation or destroy a foundation without destroying the building that rests upon that foundation at the same time. So anyone who wishes to unhitch from the Old Testament, or deny the Old Testament or the Law, are actually denying the New Testament as well.
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I pointed out that there are 855 direct quotes from the Old Testament in the New Testament, and that did not count the 493 clear allusions in the New Testament to the Old Testament, nor the 138 possible allusions. Also we must remember that Jesus Christ Himself quoted from 24 of the Old Testament books. So obviously our Lord counted those books as authoritative and valid. And I do not know about you, but I'm not interested in trying to defy the Lord Jesus Christ or stand against Him. We have to remember what He said in Matthew 5 and verse 17, that He did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets. And may I remind you that we went through the Bible and I showed you how that phrase occurs over and over in the New Testament. And the Law and the Prophets is a phrase that refers to the totality of the Old Testament. And may I also remind you that I quoted from 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Scripture says that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable.
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And then of course from Romans 15 and verse 4 where the Apostle said, whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning. And then from 1 Corinthians chapter 10 where the Apostle took what happened to Israel in the Old Testament and applied it to the Corinthian Church in the New Testament. Twice in that passage he said that everything that happened in the Old Testament was our example.
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Now, I want to repeat just for a little bit a portion of the sermon that I preached last week. I'm certainly not going to go into detail the way I did last week, and I will quote a verse or so, but I think it is very important that we understand and we remember how every negative passage in the New Testament concerning the Law can be explained. Everything has to be taken in its context. And when you consider the context of these negative passages, you're going to find that one of these four explanations will explain the negative passage in the New Testament. First of all, there are those passages that deny and denounce the law as a means of justification. The Law was never given for justification. The Law is never, not in the Old Testament, nor in the New Testament, nor has it ever been a means of salvation. And when people try to tell you that folks in the Old Testament were saved by their works, but people in the New Testament were saved by grace, that's a bunch of hooey.
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You better not believe that at all. Anyone who has ever been saved has been saved by grace through faith. You're never saved by works. That's why Galatians 2 and verse 16 says this: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." So no one has ever been saved by keeping the Law. So there are those passages that denounce the Law as a means of justification. Secondly, there are those passages that speak concerning the death-dealing nature of sin in relation to the Law. And I quoted Romans 7 and verse 10 where the Apostle said, "And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." And of course I'm going to explain that a little bit further today how that the Law of course is indeed that which pronounces the death penalty against us.
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And then thirdly there are those passages that refer to the curse of the Law. So when you get to a passage like Galatians chapter 3 and verse 13, I believe it is, where it says, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree." So notice if you would, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, but He did not redeem us from the law. So there are those passages then that refer to the law and the curse of the law in relation to those who disobey. And then fourthly, there are those passages that refer to the ceremonial law. Like Ephesians chapter 2 when the Bible tells us that He has taken the handwriting of the commandments which was contained in ordinances out of the way. And it is talking about the ordinances or the ceremonial laws in the Old Testament.
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Now let me just go ahead and say this, none of God's law has been negated, or nullified, or abrogated, or set aside. Even the ceremonial law that was observed in the tabernacle and the temple has not been negated or set aside. It has been fulfilled. So instead of the emblems and the types and the symbols, we now have the reality. Now, in the Old Testament, if you wanted to worship God, you had to go to the tabernacle or the temple.
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You had to go to the high priest. You had to bring a sacrifice and you had to have it on the altar. Well when you stop and think about that you have to understand that we have a great high priest, Hebrews chapter 4, the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a sacrifice, Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 5:7, even Christ our Passover sacrificed for us. We have an altar, Hebrews 13 verse 10, we have an altar where they who serve the tabernacle, that is those symbols and emblems, have no right to eat. And certainly we have a Temple because the Bible tells us in Revelation chapter 21 verse 3 that the tabernacle or the Temple of God is with men. So, He is our tabernacle. He is our Temple. So, everything that was pictured in the Old Testament is now fulfilled in Jesus Christ. And may I remind you that the Bible says in Romans 7 in verse 12, "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." So when you're considering God's law, and God has pronounced it holy, and God has pronounced it just and good, then you would have to ask yourself this question, why would God nullify it?
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Why would he abrogate it? Why would he set it aside? Why would he destroy it? And you've heard me say this, I hope, many times, and you will remember it. I pointed out that a king rules by his law. And that certainly is true in reference to God. God rules by His law because His law is nothing more and nothing less than an expression of His will for His subjects and for His children. So, I hope you are beginning to see the insanity of anyone who tries to denounce the Old Testament or denounce the Law.
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Now, I quoted a passage last week and I want to just amplify it a little more this week. In Matthew chapter 5 and verse 17 our Lord said, "'Think not that I am come to destroy the Law and the Prophets. I am not come to destroy but to fulfill.'"
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Now the word destroy is a very powerful Greek word. The word literally is kataluo and it literally means to destroy, to throw down, to cut loose, to subvert, overthrow, to abrogate, to nullify, to dismantle, to set aside, to bring to naught. So Jesus Christ says, do not even think this. Don't let it enter into your mind that I've come to set it aside, or make it naught, or destroy it, or nullify it. No, He said, I've come to fulfill. And the word fulfill is the word pleroo and it means to fill and to keep full. So it means He came then to set it into action as continuous. He did not come to destroy it.
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Now, today I want to just cover one little simple point, but it is a very important point. So, when you hear someone denouncing the Law, or denouncing the Old Testament, and by the way, you remember I told you that the Law and the Prophets refer to the totality, the Old Testament. So, if you deny the law, you are denying the Old Testament. If you deny the prophets, you are denying the Old Testament as well. But here is the truth, listen carefully, without the law there is no knowledge of sin. Without the law there is no knowledge of sin. So, ask yourself this question, what is sin?
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How do we know what is right and what is wrong? How do we know what is a violation of God's will and what is not a violation of God's will? Good and evil are determined by God and not by man. Every time man tries to determine for himself what is good or what is evil he brings the curse of God upon him because man always subverts and perverts that which is good and he will end up calling it evil or that which is evil and he will end up calling it good.
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If you would hold your Bibles to the verse in Kings but look in the book of Isaiah chapter 5 if you would please and verse 20. First major prophet Isaiah chapter 5 verse 20, and look what our God says. Isaiah 5 verse 20, here is the woe, here is the curse. Isaiah 5 verse 20, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." So He says, woe unto them that call evil good. Woe unto them that call good evil. Woe unto them that put darkness for light and light for darkness. Woe unto them that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. So here is a curse that God places upon individuals who try to subvert and pervert that which He has declared as good and that which He has declared as evil. So in order to avoid this curse we must know what is good and what is evil based upon God's Word.
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Now, the Apostle Paul has clearly pointed out our source of knowledge. So, I want you to turn to the book of Romans chapter 3 and verse 20.
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Now, I quoted this passage last week, but I certainly did not emphasize that which I'm going to emphasize today. Because last week I was just concerned with pointing out those passages that mainly denounce the law as a means of justification. This is one of those passages. So if you look in Romans 3 in verse 20, he goes a little further. He says this, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight."
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And then he tells you why. "For by the law is the knowledge of sin." By the law is the knowledge of sin. In other words, it is the law of God that teaches us, that shows us, that demonstrates for us that which is sin. While the law is not for our justification, that does not mean that the law is useless. There are many uses of God's law, but for salvation that is not one of them.
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Matthew Henry said it like this, listen carefully. "That law which convicts and condemns us can never justify us. The law is the straight rule that which points out the right and the wrong. It is the proper use and intendment of the law to open our wound and therefore not likely to be our remedy." But notice he said the law is the straight rule. The darkened heart of man, the depraved heart of man could have never, ever formed an adequate conception of sin in and of himself.
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All you have to do today is look around this world and look at what so many people do in calling evil good. Look at the perversions. Look at the wickedness and many people are celebrating it and announcing it and governments are subsidizing it. Well, I want you to turn in your Bibles if you would to the book of Proverbs chapter 30 because our Lord is pointing out what people are like and I would simply say that this is a very accurate description of people in our day and age as well. So in Proverbs chapter 30 beginning there with verse 11. Proverbs 30, verse 11.
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God says, "There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. There is a generation." Can you imagine? Here's someone that's dishonoring their father and their mother, violation of the fifth commandment. Watch verse 12. "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness." It's astounding that some of the most wicked, vile, corrupt people think they're doing nothing wrong. Then in verse 13, "There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up." Pride, arrogance, haughtiness. Then in verse 14, "There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men." And certainly, people have no hesitancy in cursing God or cursing man, no. And they have no hesitancy in destroying the innocent. So, the law is that which reveals for us sin and the sinfulness of man.
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But let me point something else out. The law that reveals the sinfulness of man and the law that tells us what sin actually is, is the same instrument which shows us and teaches us the holiness of God. In other words, we will never know really and truly how holy God is until we realize how sinful and how wicked sin is. Because sin is the opposite of God's holiness.
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That's why he said in Jeremiah 44 in verse 4, "Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate." So you can never know God's holiness without knowing the sinfulness of sin. And you will never realize the wickedness of sin until you understand God's law, until you comprehend that law. So the law then, says the Apostle Paul, gives us the knowledge of sin. I want you to go in your Bible to Romans chapter 7. And I want you to hold this passage because we'll probably be coming back there. But look in Romans chapter 7 if you would please at verse 7. Romans 7 and verse 7. The Apostle asked a question, "What shall we say then?" And now here's the next question, "Is the law sin?"
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Now he says, "God forbid," that is perish the thought. Don't even let that thought enter into your mind. And then the apostle says, "Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law." So the law is that which exposes sin. He says, "For I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."
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Now, you have to remember that Paul was a Pharisee. The Pharisees reveled in their self-righteousness and in what they considered their obedience to the law. The Pharisees would have been considered the fundamentalists in the days of Jesus Christ. They were the ones that said we're holding to God's law. But the truth of the matter is the Pharisees had no understanding of the depth of God's law or the spirituality of God's law or the applications of God's law because they believed if they had not physically committed a sin, they were not guilty of violating the law. For instance, they believed if they had not taken a knife and plunged it into a man's heart then they were not a murderer. Or if they had not physically committed the act of adultery then they were not adulterers. They limited the law of God to that which was external. Now, the Apostle Paul said in Acts 23 and verse 6 that he was a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee.
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So obviously, Pharisaism ran in his family. I want you to look now, hold Romans 7 please, but look now in your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3. And let's begin reading there with verse 4. Because the Apostle Paul is here going to give something concerning himself. He's going to tell you what he could really boast in, what he was really proud of as an unsaved man, as a Pharisee. He says in the book of Philippians, chapter three, beginning with verse four, "Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless."
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Then he goes on to say, "'But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.'" Now the interesting thing here is the Apostle Paul said, "...touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." So, we have to ask this question, was the Apostle Paul before his conversion, Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee, did he really reach the righteousness of the law? Was he really blameless? Did he have an earned righteousness? Well, the answer to that question, or those questions, is yes and no.
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It depends upon which perspective you're coming from. If you're coming from the perspective of a Pharisee, yes, he had it, because they had a perversion of God's law. They misrepresented God's standard. I can tell you, listen carefully, I can tell you that I can jump flat footed, right straight from the ground, 20 feet up in the air. And you're going to sit there and say, preacher, you couldn't do that. Sure I can.
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As long as you allow me to define a foot. If I can make my own definitions, I can do whatever. And that is exactly what these Pharisees did. They defined the law in their terms so that they could keep their law, quote unquote, and therefore they thought they were righteous and blameless. But the answer is no according to God's Word. Because the Apostle Paul was a sinner. He says so himself. He did not keep God's law. He did not render to God's law that personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience that it demanded.
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Now, the interesting thing is this. When you look back in your Bibles to Romans 7 and verse 7, look what he said now. "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law." So the law then, by that law, gives us a knowledge of sin. And then he says this, "For I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."
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Now what Paul does in this verse is he singles out the 10th commandment. The 10th commandment is, "Thou shalt not covet." Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, his ox, his ass, his maidservant, his manservant. In other words, thou shalt not covet, period. Now, the Apostle Paul said he had not known lust, except the law said, "Thou shalt not covet." So, what the law did was it revealed when he saw the law in its true application it revealed his sinfulness and his wickedness and he realized that he had violated God's law. The Tenth Commandment is just simply an aspect of this. May I remind you that when the Apostle Paul confesses that he had violated the Tenth Commandment, "Thou shalt not covet," he's also confessing that he violated the rest of the commandments and especially the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," because Colossians 3 and verse 5 tells us that covetousness is idolatry.
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So here's a man then who thought that he was blameless and he thought that he had touched the righteousness which was in the Law. And he did according to his pharisaical interpretation, but not according to the truth of God. Here is what Albert Barnes says, and you listen carefully. He is trying to explain what Paul said and Paul is saying basically, "I should not have been acquainted with the nature of sin, the sin of covetousness, that is except for the law."
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Then he goes on to say this, "The desire might have existed but he would not have known it to be sinful and would not have experienced the raging, impetuous, and ungoverned propensity which he did when he found it to be forbidden. Man without law might have the strong feelings of desire. He might covet that which others possessed. He might take property or be disobedient to parents, but he would not know it is evil." Now listen carefully. "The law fixes bounds to his desires and teaches him what is right and what is wrong. It teaches him where lawful indulgence ends and where sin begins."
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The word lust here is not limited as it is with us. It refers to all covetous desires, to all wishes for that which is forbidden in us. So I could look at David's shirt and say, I like that shirt. I want that shirt. That's covetousness. It's not saying that I won't want to like it. Or I would ask him to give me that. And if I ask him for it and he says, no, you're not getting my shirt.
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You know what that would do? That would make me want it more. Of course, this is exactly what he's saying. And I told you last week, your lust is whatever you set your desires upon. Epithumia is the Greek word. Epi is a preposition upon. Thumos refers to passion or desire or lust. So your lust is whatever you set your desire upon. And this is why he said the word lust is here not limited as it is with us. In other words when we think of lust we think of sexual immorality. No, the word lust is a very broad term and includes basically everything.
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Now, the Apostle Paul said he had not known sin except by the law. Let me show you. Look if you would in Romans 7 and verse 8. Let's read that. He says, "But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence." In other words, when he saw the law, he saw how terrible he was as a sinner. He says, "For without the law sin was dead." In other words, he did not, this is what Albert Barnes is talking about. He said you could have all kind of strong desires, you could have all kinds of lusts, but you would not know it was sin unless God had said so. So it says, "For without the law sin was dead," but with the law sin is alive. Now look what he said in verse 9, "For I was alive without the law once," that is as a Pharisee, "but when the commandment came," that is when he came in its spirituality, when he understood it, "when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died."
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So here he is in Philippians chapter 3 thinking that he's touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless. And all of a sudden God now opens his eyes and shows him the spirituality of the law. And now sin revives and he dies because he realized he's not sinless. He's not blameless. He is condemned because he's violated God's law and God's word.
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Now I want you to turn over to the book of Galatians chapter 3 and look, if you would please, at verse 19. Galatians 3, and notice, if you would please, verse 19. Here's a question, and it's going to be answered in this verse as well. Watch carefully. Galatians 3, verse 19. "Wherefore then serveth the law?" Why do we have the law? "Wherefore then serveth the law?" Here's the answer, "It was added because of transgressions."
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Now watch, "till the seed should come to whom the promise was made," that's Jesus Christ, "and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator." So let's just take the first part of verse 19. "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions." So God gave us the law in order that we might see sin and understand sin, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
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Now, I want to give you two quotes. One of them is a little more lengthy than the other, but I want you to listen, and the reason I want you to hear these quotes is to show you that what I'm telling you is not something that I'm making up or something that I've dreamed up. But what I'm trying to show you is that what I'm teaching you is the historic position of Christianity.
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It is what has been believed down through the ages. So Albert Barnes says this, and he will explain it. In the next several messages I'm going to be amplifying them. But listen, he is talking about verse 19, "'Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions.'" He says this, "'The meaning is that the law was given to show the true nature of transgressions, or to show what was sin. It was not to reveal a way of justification, but it was to disclose the true nature of sin, to deter men from committing it, to declare its penalty, to convince men of it, and thus to be an ancillary to and preparatory to the work of redemption through the Redeemer. This is the true account of the law of God as given to apostate man, and this use of the law still exists. This effect of the law is accomplished." Now he's going to give you six ways in which it was accomplished. Number one, "by showing us what God requires, what is duty."
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That's why the book of Micah says, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee." So He shows us what God requires and what is duty. It is a straight rule of what is right. And to depart from that is the measure of wrong. 2. It shows us the nature and the extent of transgression by showing us how far that we have departed from God's Law. 3. It shows that the just penalty of transgression and is thus fitted to reveal its true nature. 4. It is fitted to produce conviction for sin and thus shows how evil and bitter a thing transgression is. Number five, it thus shows its own inability to justify and save men, and is a preparatory arrangement to lead men to the cross of the Redeemer. At the same time, number six, the law was given with reference to transgressions in order to keep men from transgressions.
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It was designed to restrain and control them by its denunciations and by the fear of its threatened penalties. When Paul says that the law was given on account of transgressions, we're not to suppose that this was the sole use of the law, but that it was a main or leading purpose. It may accomplish many other important purposes, but this is one leading design. And this design it still accomplishes.
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It shows men their duty. It reminds them of their guilt. It teaches them how far they have wandered from God. It reveals to them the penalty of sin. It shows them that justification by the law is impossible and that there must be some other way by which men must be saved. And since these advantages are derived from it, it is of importance that the law should be still proclaimed, that its high demands and its penalties should be constantly held up to the view of men. So, what he's trying to tell you is, you cannot deny, denounce, or throw away the law of God. To do so throws away the knowledge of sin. It throws away the penalty of sin. It throws away the restraint to hold men back from sinning. So the law has not been done away with.
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I want to give you one more quote. This one is by John Gill. He says this, "It was added because of transgressions. 430 years after the covenant made with Abraham. It did not succeed it, nor take the place of it, and so make it null and void, but was over and above unto it for the sake of restraining transgressions, which had there been no law, men would not have been accountable for them."
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They would have gone into them without fear and with impunity. But the law was given to lay a restraint on men by forbidding such and such things on pain of death, and also for the detecting, discovering, and making known transgressions they are, their nature and consequence. These the Law charges men with, sets before them in their true light and proper colors, and convicts them of them, and stops their mouths, and pronounces them guilty before God. Moreover, the Law entered over and above any other revelation God was pleased to make, that the offense might abound, either that particular offense, the sin of Adam, or the justness of the imputation of it to his posterity. He goes on to say, and then he tells us this, that the law was given for the punishing of transgressions, for which it curses and threatens with death, and inflicts it on Christless sinners.
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Hence it is clear there can be no justification by it, and yet it is not useless and insignificant. So, he is telling us there are proper uses of the law.
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Now, here is what I want to do. I want to show you from the Scripture everything that Albert Barnes said and everything that John Gill just said is nothing other than what the Scripture teaches. So, I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 1. Look in 1 Timothy chapter 1. And I hope I get to go over this passage in these messages a little, in a little more detail. But I want you to note what he says, 1 Timothy 1 beginning there with verse 8 he says this, "But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully." Now let me just stop right there. We know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully. What does that imply? That some may try to use the law unlawfully.
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Such as using it as a standard of justification or trying to be saved by good works. That's what it implies. So, just as there is a lawful use of the law, there's an unlawful use. Now, how is the law used lawfully? Well, he gives us one way. He says this in verse 9, "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient." Now, wait a minute. Let me stop there. What is he saying? The law is not made for a righteous man.
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You know, I remember when I went to the university, there were a lot of rules. And some kids broke the rules and got kicked out, got expelled. But the rules never bothered me. And the reason they never bothered me because I didn't want to break them anyhow. I wanted to do what was right. So as long as a man wants to do what's right, you know the law basically has nothing to do with him in that sense of the word. But now here's what he's saying, "Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient."
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Now if you were to take these two verses and go over them, you can see how most of these are violations of the Ten Commandments, but watch if you would. 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." There is a Third Commandment. There is a Fifth Commandment. There is a Sixth Commandment. "For whoremongers" there is a Seventh Commandment.
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"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." So why then did God give the Law? To restrain. Because the Law says if you do this you are going to die. Here is the penalty for violating this Law. One of the things the law does beside giving us a knowledge of sin is it restrains.
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I think I've told you this before but I'll tell you again because it's a good illustration. Years ago I was preaching in a Midwestern state and the pastor asked me if I would go with him just to invite a man to the church services. And he told me he said he's not going to come but we want to go invite him anyhow. And he told me the man had gone through a bitter divorce. And he said, the man is very, very bitter. Well, I went with the pastor and I met the man and we invited him to church.
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And, you know, I tried to talk with him a little bit and I had not talked to him five minutes. And all of a sudden, all the venom and poison came out. And he said to me, this divorce, and he's talking about his wife, and here are the exact words he said to me. Listen carefully. He said, "I should have killed her. I should have killed her. I should have killed her." He said, "If I'd killed her, I'd have been in prison now in seven years."
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Now she's got practically everything I ever worked for. And here's this man saying that I should have killed her. Why? Because he said, I could have been in prison and out in seven years. Had he known that the penalty for murder was death, and had that state applied that penalty, he may not have been thinking it had been better to kill her. You see what I'm saying?
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The law was meant to restrain. And as long as the law is not applied, there is no restraint. Wow.
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Now, I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 15 in verse 56. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 56. Look what the Bible says, a very, very short verse. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 56. God says, "The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law." Isn't that amazing? The sting of death is sin. Why are we so afraid to die? Why do we not want to die?
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Because we know we're guilty. Then he says the strength of sin is the law, that is we understand the curse of the law. Hmm, now listen to this Albert Barnes again, this short quote. He says, "The idea is that sin is the cause of death. It introduced it. It makes it certain. It is the cause of the pain, distress, and agony, and horror which attends it. And had there been no sin, men would not have died. If there were no sin, death would not be attended with horror or alarm."
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For why should innocents be afraid to die? What is innocence to fear anywhere in the universe of a just God? The fact, therefore, that men die is proof that they are sinners. And the fact that they feel horror and alarm is proof that they feel themselves to be guilty and they are afraid to go into the presence of a holy God. And that is true. It is God's law that gives a sting to death. Why? Because the law places a curse on all of those who violate God's holy law.
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Now, let me tell you something. Men may deny sin intellectually, but they cannot deny it practically. You can say, I have not sinned. I am not sinning. I will never sin. You can deny it intellectually all you want, but you're going to die. And that's gonna prove that you are a sinner, for the wages of sin is death. I heard a story a long time ago about the, do you realize that there are a lot of people who even deny sickness? They say it's all in the mind, it's an imagination. I heard about the little boy who ran into the house and he told his mother, "Mother, mother," he said, "you know that lady down the street that's been sick so long?"
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She says, "No, no, son. You mean the lady that thinks she's been sick." He said, "Well now she thinks she's dead." Yeah, well, you know, you can deny it all you want, but you're going to die. And death is the proof of sin. Now, how do we know what sin is? Remember the Apostle Paul said in Romans 3 verse 20, "For by the law is the knowledge of sin." I want you to look in your Bibles to 1 John chapter 3 and look if you would please at verse 4. Here is the clearest verse in the entire Bible that tells you what sin really is. 1 John 3 and look if you would please at verse 4. 1 John 3 verse 4. The scripture says, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." What is sin? It's transgressing God's law. How do I know that I sin? I violated God's law. I've broken his commandment. Sin is a transgression of the law. It is impossible to sin without violating God's law.
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God's law reveals sin. It is the law of God that determines that which is right and that which is wrong. It is the law of God which determines that which is good and that which is evil. It is the law of God that tells us what we may do and what we may not do. Now, there are some things that men do that are unwise and some things that men do that are unnecessary. Some things that men do that are imprudent. But if it is not a violation of God's law, it is not sin. Sin is a violation of God's law. So mark it down in your mind that when you sin, you violate God's law. And it is only by His law that we have the knowledge of sin. Without God's Law we don't know what sin is.
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Now let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this, when anyone suggests to you that we unhitch from the Old Testament or that the Law has no value he is not only being unbiblical but if he teaches others that same he is leading them astray as well. When someone, and there are multitudes of Christians who will do this, when someone naively says, "Well, we're not under the law," please ask him to define sin and to tell you what sin is. Because without the law there is no sin or we do not know what sin is. There has to be a standard of right and wrong. And that standard is God's law. And God's law was never given to us for justification, but it has been given to us for a number of other reasons as well. So the law of God has not been nullified.
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It has not been abrogated. It has not been destroyed. And if it has, we would have no knowledge of right and wrong. We would have no knowledge of good and evil. If we're not under the law as a standard for revealing sin and knowing that which is holy and right, how do we determine what is sinful? How do we determine how to act? How do we determine what is a violation of God's law or God's will? Is moral relativism an acceptable standard? Of course not. What about situational ethics? Of course not. Situation Ethics says, well, prostitution is wrong here in America because we've got all these jobs that people can do. But if you go over to Thailand or Vietnam or someplace where there's got very little, well, it's all right there because it helps the economy. And you know, really? Well, I got news for you. "Thou shalt not commit adultery" applies in Thailand and Vietnam, just like it does in America. So, no, if you do away with God's law, you do away with the standard of what is right and what is wrong.
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Here's the next thing, if the law has been destroyed, if the law has been abrogated, if it's been nullified, if it's set aside, may I ask this question, what is wrong with murder? What is wrong with adultery? What is wrong with fornication? What is wrong with theft? What is wrong with idolatry? If the law has been set aside, why not embrace these things with open arms and take the attitude, let us eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we may die. It's absolutely insane. And let me ask you this question. If the law has been nullified, if the law has been set aside and abrogated, how is God going to judge sinners who die without Jesus Christ?
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What standard will He use? Well, He'll judge them by their works. Really? But there has to be a standard to judge them by their works. You do away with the law. You not only do away with sin, you do away with judgment as well. Hmm. Here's one last thought and I must hasten to point this out that where there is no law there is no conviction of sin. One of my favorite quotes from the old Puritans is this, they always would say that the sharp needle of the law must precede the scarlet thread of the gospel. In other words our wounds have to be opened and pricked before the gospel thread comes in and sews them up. So where there is no law, there cannot be any conviction of sin. Where there is no conviction of sin, there cannot be any repentance. Where there is no repentance, there is no salvation. I'm going to clarify this and point this out next Sunday, Lord willing, but let me tell you, without the law, there is no salvation.
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It's not that the law saves us. It does not. It's not that we're justified by the law. We are not. But I will show you from scripture without the law, there is no salvation. So when someone denies the law of God, he's only denying sin and the knowledge of sin, he's in essence denying salvation as well. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee this day.
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We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. We thank you, Father, for your law. Help us to understand, Father, that by the law is the knowledge of sin. And without that law, there is no knowledge of sin. Help us not to sin against thee, not to violate thy law, but to obey thee and honor thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T15:07:13Z

Promises Of The Law - Part 2

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this second message on the promises of the law, Pastor John Weaver argues that the law of God has not been nullified or set aside, but remains essential for revealing sin. He explains that without the law there is no knowledge of sin, and that the law serves multiple purposes including restraining evil, convicting of sin, and pointing to the need for a Redeemer. He refutes the idea that the Old Testament or the law should be discarded, showing from Scripture that the law is holy, just, and good, and that its proper use is to define sin and lead to Christ.

Introduction and Review of Part 1

Scripture Reading — 1 Kings 8:56

"'Blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto His people Israel according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised by the hand of Moses, His servant.'"

You better not believe that at all. Anyone who has ever been saved has been saved by grace through faith. You're never saved by works. That's why Galatians 2 and verse 16 says this:

Scripture Reading — Galatians 2:16

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

The Law Reveals the Knowledge of Sin

Weaver introduces the main point: without the law there is no knowledge of sin. He reads Romans 3:20 and explains that the law teaches us what sin is, though it cannot justify us.

Scripture Reading — Isaiah 5:20

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter."

Scripture Reading — Romans 3:20

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight."

The Law Exposes Sin's True Nature

Scripture Reading — Philippians 3:4-7

"Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more: Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless."

The Law Was Added Because of Transgressions

Hence it is clear there can be no justification by it, and yet it is not useless and insignificant. So, he is telling us there are proper uses of the law.

The Law Restrains Sin

The Law Gives Sin Its Strength

From 1 Corinthians 15:56, Weaver explains that the sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law, because the law pronounces the curse and penalty for sin, making death fearful.

Sin Defined as Transgression of the Law

Weaver cites 1 John 3:4 to define sin as the transgression of the law. Without God's law, there is no standard for right and wrong, and no knowledge of sin.

Applications and Warnings

Promises Of The Law - Part 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	sW1hTx0Z94c
Subject	New Testament Studies
Course	Romans: Law, Obedience, and Sanctification: Holiness and Obedience
Genre	Sermon
Date	2019-03-03
Dictation Name
Book	Book 005: Promises Of The Law — Chapter 2
Source Timed Segments	67

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review of Part 1: Weaver recaps the previous message, emphasizing that the Old Testament is foundational to the New Testament and that Jesus did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. He reviews four categories of negative New Testament passages about the law: those denying it as a means of justification, those about sin's death-dealing nature, those about the curse of the law, and those about the ceremonial law.
The Law Reveals the Knowledge of Sin: Weaver introduces the main point: without the law there is no knowledge of sin. He reads Romans 3:20 and explains that the law teaches us what sin is, though it cannot justify us.
The Law Exposes Sin's True Nature: Using Romans 7:7, Weaver shows that Paul, a former Pharisee, only understood sin through the law, specifically the tenth commandment against coveting. The law reveals the spirituality and depth of sin beyond external actions.
The Law Was Added Because of Transgressions: From Galatians 3:19, Weaver explains that the law was given to show what sin is, to deter from it, and to lead to Christ. He quotes Albert Barnes and John Gill to support the historic Christian view of the law's purposes.
The Law Restrains Sin: Weaver uses 1 Timothy 1:8-10 to show that the law is good when used lawfully, and that it is made for the lawless to restrain evil. He illustrates with a story of a bitter man who considered murder but might have been restrained by a death penalty.
The Law Gives Sin Its Strength: From 1 Corinthians 15:56, Weaver explains that the sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law, because the law pronounces the curse and penalty for sin, making death fearful.
Sin Defined as Transgression of the Law: Weaver cites 1 John 3:4 to define sin as the transgression of the law. Without God's law, there is no standard for right and wrong, and no knowledge of sin.
Applications and Warnings: Weaver applies the message by warning against unhitching from the Old Testament, arguing that without the law there is no conviction of sin, no repentance, and ultimately no salvation. He challenges those who say 'we are not under the law' to define sin.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Without the law there is no knowledge of sin

The law is the only means by which we understand what sin is; denying the law removes the concept of sin.

Romans 3:20: 'for by the law is the knowledge of sin.'

The law was never given for justification

Salvation has always been by grace through faith, not by works of the law.

Galatians 2:16: 'by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.'

The law restrains sin by its penalties

The law deters sin by threatening punishment, thus keeping men from transgressions.

1 Timothy 1:9-10 lists sins the law restrains.

The law was added to lead to Christ

The law shows the need for a Redeemer by revealing sin and its penalty.

Galatians 3:19: 'It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come.'

Sin is defined as transgression of the law

1 John 3:4 clearly states that sin is lawlessness; without law there is no sin.

1 John 3:4: 'sin is the transgression of the law.'

Denying the law undermines salvation

Without the law there is no conviction of sin, no repentance, and thus no salvation.

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

Scripture References

1 Kings 8:56: Solomon's prayer acknowledging that not one word of God's good promise has failed.
Matthew 5:17: Jesus said He did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill.
Romans 3:20: By the deeds of the law no flesh is justified; by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Romans 7:7: Paul says he would not have known sin except through the law, specifically the command against coveting.
Romans 7:8-9: Sin, taking occasion by the commandment, produced all manner of evil desire; when the commandment came, sin revived and Paul died.
Galatians 3:19: The law was added because of transgressions until the Seed should come.
1 Timothy 1:8-10: The law is good if used lawfully; it is made for the lawless and disobedient, listing various sins.
1 Corinthians 15:56: The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.
1 John 3:4: Sin is the transgression of the law.
Isaiah 5:20: Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.
Proverbs 30:11-14: Description of a generation that curses parents, is pure in its own eyes, proud, and devours the poor.
Philippians 3:4-7: Paul's former confidence in the flesh as a Pharisee, blameless according to the law.
Romans 7:12: The law is holy, and the commandment holy, just, and good.
Galatians 2:16: A man is not justified by works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable.
Romans 15:4: Whatever things were written before were written for our learning.
1 Corinthians 10: Old Testament events are examples for New Testament believers.
Colossians 3:5: Covetousness is idolatry.
Micah 6:8: He has shown you, O man, what is good and what the Lord requires.

Historical References

Albert Barnes: Quoted extensively on the purpose of the law: to show the nature of sin, deter from it, and lead to Christ.
John Gill: Quoted on Galatians 3:19, explaining the law was added to restrain transgressions and reveal sin.
Matthew Henry: Quoted: 'That law which convicts and condemns us can never justify us.'
Pharisees: Described as self-righteous fundamentalists who limited the law to external acts and perverted its true meaning.

Important Quotes

Without the law there is no knowledge of sin.

Central thesis of the message, summarizing the indispensable role of the law in revealing sin.

The law is the straight rule that which points out the right and the wrong.

Matthew Henry's definition of the law as the objective standard of morality.

I had not known sin, but by the law.

Paul's testimony that the law is the means by which sin is recognized.

The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

Shows that the law gives sin its condemning power, making death fearful.

Sin is the transgression of the law.

The biblical definition of sin, directly tying it to God's law.

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

Puritan saying emphasizing that conviction of sin by the law is necessary before the gospel can be applied.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

Why is it impossible to have knowledge of sin without God's law?

[Context]

Based on Romans 3:20 and the central argument of the message.

[Question]

How does the law function as a 'straight rule' for determining right and wrong?

[Context]

Referencing Matthew Henry's quote and the need for an objective standard.

[Question]

In what ways did the Pharisees misuse the law, and how can we avoid similar errors?

[Context]

From the discussion of Paul's pharisaical background and external obedience.

[Question]

What does it mean that the law was 'added because of transgressions'?

[Context]

From Galatians 3:19 and the explanation of the law's purpose.

[Question]

How does the law restrain sin in society and in individual lives?

[Context]

From 1 Timothy 1:8-10 and the illustration of the bitter man.

[Question]

Why is the law necessary for conviction of sin and genuine repentance?

[Context]

From the application that without law there is no conviction, repentance, or salvation.

Applications

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