Our Liberty In Christ by Philip Mauro

thing in the Scriptures to support it. On the contrary, those who are saved by grace and redeemed by the blood of Christ, have a far greater obligation as regards obedi­ence to the Word of God than ever rested upon Israelites in the flesh. Let us then be on our guard against the idea that the believer in Christ is dead to the law of God; for that is exactly what he has been wade alive to. The mind of the flesh “is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7). Therefore a man must be born again ere he can be subject to the law of God; and this is but another way of saying that “except a man he born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God” (John 3:5). For to be in the King­dom of God means to be subject to the law of God. The believer is, however, delivered through the death of Christ from that “yoke of. bondage” wherein a man was re­ quired to attain unto righteousness (in other words-to— be justified) by the doing of those things required by the- law, including the whole system of sacrifices, ceremonies, observances of sacred days and seasons, mid the like. Peter speaks of the rites and ceremonial observances of the law as “a yoke * * which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear” (Acts 15: 10). And Paul speaks of these works of law as “the yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1).

The truth of the gospel in this regard is clearly set forth in Romans 9: 30-10: 11, which shows the great dif­ference between being under the law and being saved by faith in Christ; and an attentive reading of that passage I will no doubt enlighten such as are desirous of knowing ‘ God’s mind on this subject. We will endeavor to give the substance of it in simple words. In the preceding dispensation, that of the law and the prophets, Gentiles, having been left to themselves without either law or gos­pel, did not follow after righteousness. But now they (that is, those among them who have believed) have at­tained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel (all except the believing remnant referred to in the preceding verses of Romans 9) which followed after a law of righteousness, did not attain thereto. Why not ? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by works of law.

We see then, in this passage of Scripture, two roads leading to “righteousness,” one by faith in Christ, the other by works of law. The man who chooses the “faith” road attains his desired end, because he receives as a gift (in other words “by grace”’) the benefit of Christ’s work, referred to in the words of verse 28: “For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness; because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.’’ But the man who chooses the long road of “works of law,” never attains unto righteousness, because he is utterly unable to do the necessary