Must We Keep the
Law for Salvation?
| Was
Herbert Armstrong correct in saying that we must keep the Law in order to receive
eternal life, and that everyone is walking in
sin who doesn't? The following will hopefully answer questions you may
have.
Moses stated that the fathers, who would include Abraham, did not have this covenant that was made with Israel. Abraham had another covenant, completely different from Israel's. This was the Abrahamic covenant1 (also referred to as the "covenant of circumcision" in Acts. 7:8); however, Abraham's circumcision was the badge (or evidence) of the covenant. Abraham was justified before he was circumcised (Rom. 4:9) and he believed God way before there was any kind of agreement (Rom. 4:10).
Reply:
The last part of verse 21 says: "...it shall
be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations." Circumcision is specifically addressed in the New Covenant as not being
necessary, yet in Genesis 17:18 we read that it was to be an "everlasting covenant." We must remember that it took time for the N.T. church to comprehend salvation was in Christ alone, apart from the Law. Exodus 14:13 was a type, a shadow, of the salvation yet to come, which we partake of through faith in Jesus Christ. It is those who "believe" that are saved, and not those who "believe and keep the Law," which belief produces a false gospel.
Reply: James is not talking about the works of the Law, but how true saving faith produces good works. Faith or belief without works is dead. Are these works of the Law? No. The Christian is dead to the Law:
The love of God in a Christian produces the fruit of the Spirit. Paul's detractors went from one extreme to the other--legalism or license--because they did not understand either law or grace. The works that HWA said were required for salvation were works of the Law. For more on this read: Are We Still Under the Law in Spite of Grace? (Includes at bottom: "Aren't works necessary for salvation?")
Some have argued that the Epistle of James was written to combat the teachings of Paul concerning faith. This is not true as the book of James was written about 45-50 A.D., which was before Paul wrote Romans and Galatians (57-60 A.D.)
Reply: Our faith has given us the victory and it is only through the blood of the Lamb ( not through our own strength or ability) that we are able to overcome. Victory comes by surrendering and resting, not by struggling.
All who have trusted Christ as their personal Savior are overcomers.
Reply: I John 2:3-4 says: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." We cannot make an assumption that the commandments given to Christians by Jesus Christ are the same commandments given to Israel under the first covenant. "Commandments" in the New Testament usually means something more than the Decalogue (Ten Commandments). When John speaks of the Mosaic Law or the Ten Commandments, he always uses the Greek word for law which is "nomos." When he speaks about the teachings or instructions of Jesus in regard to loving one another he uses "entole." I John 2:3-4 is referring to the commandments of Christ Jesus:
Verse 5 of I John 2 makes it plain that John is talking about Christ's words, not the O.T. commandments:
Jesus commanded his followers that they were to have love for one another.
His commandment is that we believe on the Son of God and love one another:
The above equally applies to I John 14:15 and I John 3:22 which has been answered. Read how a former Adventist explains this in more detail.
The Greek word metanoia, which is translated repentance in our English Bibles, means "a change of mind." When sinners turn to Christ in faith (Acts 16:31), they then will turn from sin. Repentance does not precede faith. (I Thes. 1:9). There are actually 150 verses in the New Testament that make salvation dependent on belief only. Acts 16:31 is only one of them:
The word repentance in the N.T. is primarily used for believers. Our life will change after trusting and believing on Christ and good fruits will be evident as we continue to abide in Him. If one rejects Jesus as the Son of God, they will be judged by His words, not the old Law (John 12:48). The Bible talks about the "law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). This refers to loving one another as Christ loved us (see John 13:34; 15:12).
Reply: The word "iniquity" fits better for the Greek word anomia. Another word for "sin" in this passage is "lawlessness." Sin is more than breaking the Ten Commandments. Unbelief is sin (Rom. 14:23); all unrighteousness is sin (I John 5:17); a neglect to do good is sin (James 4:17); drunkenness is sin: Gal. 5:21; pride is sin (Mark 7:22). Many sins are not addressed by the Ten Commandments. Sin is basically that which is contrary to the will of God.
Reply: Nothing is said in the N.T. about "keeping the Law" in order to stay out of sin. The Law condemns. The Law cannot produce righteousness; it can only reveal sin and show that we are sinners. The Law stirs up the sin nature and intensifies the awfulness of sin. One way it does this is by religious pride which is normally manifested in condemnation of others whom you feel are not living up to the Law as you are. Only perfect obedience could satisfy the demands of the Law, but that has never been possible. But, as a believer in Jesus Christ, we are able to live in the power of the Holy Spirit and He enables us to obey God's will (walk in the Spirit). This has to do with the sanctification of the Spirit in the believer's life.
Love, which is the fruit of the Spirit, fulfills the Law:
Law and faith are mutually exclusive.
Reply: The Ten Commandments are part of the Mosaic system or the Law of Moses. If we choose to keep the Law, we bring ourselves under obligation to keep the whole system of law given to the nation Israel, including moral, civil, and ceremonial precepts, sacrifices, priesthood, circumcision, feasts, year of Jubilee, Sabbatical year, New Moons, etc., all of which consisted of 613 commandments (the oral law and the written law). But when we don't keep the whole Law, we bring ourselves under the curse of the Law by violating one part while attempting to keep another.
If we insist that we have to do something or add something after we trust Christ, in order to affect our salvation, that is taking His death on the cross in vain. He was made a curse for us, but if we don't accept that truth we are saying that we are not guilty but that He is guilty. The natural man hates grace, because he wants to "do" something. But believing in the gospel of grace glorifies Jesus Christ and causes us to turn our eyes upon Him, not some ritual, ceremony or law.
Also see: Doesn't keeping the Ten Commandments play a part in salvation?
The rich young ruler (Luke 18:18) may have been of the Sanhedrin. He was not asking how he could earn salvation, but was wondering how he could be assured of entering into Messiah's kingdom. At the time he asked this, he and Jesus were still under the Mosaic Law and he wanted to know what good thing (or good work) would demonstrate that he was righteous and therefore be qualified for the kingdom. The official standard of righteousness before the cross was the Law of Moses (see John 1:17). Has anyone reached the standard of perfection the Law demanded? All of our good works fall far short of his absolute righteousness. Jesus came to call sinners (not the righteous) to repentance. (Matt. 9:13) Today when we turn to Jesus and believe that He died for our sins and trust Him as our Savior we are declared righteous before God (II Corinthians 5:21). Because of His Spirit indwelling us, we will love the Lord Jesus Christ, our brethren, and others, but we are not under any set of rules or code such as in Mosaic system in order to gain or maintain our salvation.
The words "spiritual Jew" are not found in Scripture. This teaching comes from believing that we are "modern day Israel" and that Gentile believers become such. However, we are all one in Christ Jesus. (Gal. 3:28) The verse that says, "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" just means that Abraham was saved by faith and we are saved by faith. We are a son of Abraham, but we aren't a "spiritual Jew,"
There is nowhere in the Bible where it says the Sabbath is the "test" commandment. In the Old Testament the Sabbath was a peculiar sign between God and the children of Israel. It was part of the old covenant and that old covenant was completely fulfilled in Christ. (Luke 24:44) Is it essential that we keep the Sabbath? (Q&A) The Sabbath in the New Testament [offsite link]
Reply: I Pet. 2:21 is placed in the context of suffering for righteousness sake, not keeping the Mosaic Law. The example Christ set was that of meekness, and Peter goes on in this chapter to discuss His meekness. No matter how good we become, we will never become like the Lord Jesus in this life. We don't become a Christian by following an example; it is Christ Himself that we follow after placing our faith in Him. God then places us "in Christ" and we are positionally sanctified by His Spirit. This means we are now "complete in Him." (Col. 2:10) The Word of God says His mind is to be in us (Phil. 2:5), but this comes only by impartation of His Spirit, not by imitation.
Reply: In the Psalms the word "Law" (torah) is talking about instruction. This word most often refers to a body of teaching; i.e., Deuteronomy and Leviticus, if not the entire Pentateuch or Decalogue which included 613 commandments. (See question above: "Aren't we supposed to try to keep the Ten Commandments?") In addition, the O.T. makes it clear that David broke the Law, yet he came to God and confessed his sins, and God saved him by faith. Faith excludes the works of the Law. Can anyone honestly say that they keep the whole Law?
Reply: Their "belief" does not encompass trusting Christ as their Savior. It is not true faith, but empty and counterfeit faith, because it is not accompanied with works of love. Faith works by love (Gal. 5:6) and works are evidence of faith. The demons have neither.
If we read this verse in context, especially the verses preceding it, it is clear that Jesus is talking about false prophets (which would include false teachers of today) who use the name of Christ and the Bible, but come in sheep's clothing to lead people astray through the broad way. Similar words are found in Matthew 25:41-45 and Luke 13:27. Nothing is said about not keeping the old covenant Law given to the nation Israel, which the Sabbath was a part of. Those who have trusted Christ as their Savior have a close, inward fellowship with Him and they want to obey His commands of love. They are not in the category of "workers of iniquity"; therefore, they will not hear Jesus say these words to them. "Iniquity" was discussed previously: Doesn't I John 3:4 tells us what sin is?
Reply: In Acts where the Jews and Gentiles were preached to we read:
They are preaching about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and it was those that believed that turned to God. This is the true gospel that they preached.
Reply: "The Law" included the five books of Moses. The whole Mosaic system (which included the Ten Commandments) ended at the cross. The old covenant (Ex. 19:1 to Ex. 24:8) referred only to earthly blessings. The New Covenant is established on better promises than the old--these are spiritual promises.
The Law was given to Israel, not Gentiles. It was a was a national, temporal law, given for a national, temporal purpose.
To say one must follow the Mosaic Law or they won't be saved is one of the oldest heresies known. Study the book of Galatians. Heresies are mentioned in Galatians 5:20 as one of the "works of the flesh." Every cultic (or legalistic) group will always say we must add something to grace in order to be saved. This is another gospel.
We are not under the Mosaic Law, which belonged to the Aaronic priesthood. This priesthood was incomplete; it never brought redemption and acceptance before God. The spirit of the law will never change, but the letter of the law must change.
Isn't Hebrews 5:9 saying that we have to obey him in order to have salvation? Hebrews 5:9 says,
To "obey" Him is the same as to hearken to Him; to trust Him and put our faith in Him.
The words "obey him" in this verse are not referring to keeping the commandments as mediated by Moses, a.k.a. the old covenant Law with the Ten Commandments. Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant, not Moses; and it is the priesthood of Melchizedek and not the Levitical priesthood (which administered the letter of the Law) that Christians partake of. We must not confuse works of the Law with works of the Spirit. After placing our faith in Christ, we are dead to the Law and have newness of life in Christ Jesus. (Romans 7:4-6).
Matthew 5:17-19 says,
First of all, it helps us to understand that the book of Matthew covers three dispensations: the dispensation of Law, the dispensation of grace and the dispensation of the Kingdom. Today we are in the dispensation of grace; when Christ returns to set up His Kingdom, it will be the dispensation of the Kingdom. "Law and the prophets," "law of Moses and the prophets," and "Moses and the prophets," is a common phrase used in the N.T., and refers to the entire Mosaic system. The "law" mentioned in this verse is the 5 books of Moses and the writings of the prophets. This word "law" comes from the Greek nomos and refers to the whole book of the Law, or Old Testament, and not just the Ten Commandments. It includes sacrifices, circumcision and other rituals. Jesus was telling the scribes and Pharisees what God's true intent of the Law was and how their righteousness based on the Law was not enough. What He mentions is not found in the O.T.; e.g., divorce and swearing. If all of the Law was still in effect, we would need to keep all the sacrifices, rituals, new moons, etc. Jesus spoke of an internal righteousness (true righteousness) based on faith. This was in sharp contrast to the Pharisee's traditions and external righteousness based on the Law (which, by the way, was the only standard of righteousness that the Jews knew at this time). Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for everyone that believes. (Rom. 10:4) He fulfilled the Law, including all the prophets' predictions concerning His coming as the Messiah. While on earth, Jesus kept the Law of Moses, including the sacrificial offerings. It was the Pharisees' rules and traditions that He violated on occasion. The verses in Matt. 5:17-19 that talk about the Law being fulfilled are referring to after the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross. The ceremonies and rituals were done away with, not by destroying the Law, but by fulfilling it. The Greek word Plarosai for fulfill means "to complete, to fulfill, bring to a close, finish." Notice what Christ said after His resurrection:
Jesus fulfilled it (finished it). It served its purpose. How much plainer can this be? What did Jesus mean when He said that He came to fulfill the Law? [offsite link]
Matthew 5:48 says, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." If we want to be accepted by God on our own merits, the Law demands perfection, both inwardly and outwardly. The Law can only show us our sin and condemn us because we can never keep it perfectly. The Law reveals our need of a Savior and leads us to Christ. (Galatians 3:24) Jesus said, "...except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." Can anyone say that they are righteous, or that they keep the Law perfectly? No. Jesus was the only one that ever was. Because He died in our place, His righteousness is made over to us (II Corinthians 5:21) when we place our faith and trust in Him. (See: How Do I Receive Eternal Life?) Matthew 5:48 is part of the Sermon on the Mount, given under the Old Covenant. The Sermon on the Mount does not contain the gospel. The gospel is declared in I Corinthians 15:1, 3-4. The Sermon on the Mount - Is it For the Church Today? (the answer to this question is both "yes" and "no") [offsite link]
Philippians 2:12 says:
Paul was telling those believers in Christ to put into practice in their daily life, what God had already worked in them by His Spirit. Nothing here says they are to work for their salvation, but to work out the salvation God had already given them. The verb "work out" has the meaning of "work to full completion," which in Paul's day was similar to working a field, getting out all that one could. We are to become Christlike (Rom. 8:29) and let fruits of the Spirit show in our lives, but this has nothing to do with "working hard for our salvation." At the time this epistle was written there were many problems in the church, such as pride and disunity, and not working selflessly. God helps us to work out those problems in our life. Any "working" we do is always dependent on His working in us as vs. 13 shows. It is the grace of God through His Spirit which enables us to perform what is good.
Reply: Salvation comes by faith in and through Jesus Christ and no one else and nothing else. To believe one must keep the works of the Law in order to be saved, or to maintain salvation, is to refuse to see that the Law was our schoolmaster (i. e., paidagōgos) to lead us to Christ.
Jesus made it clear that He is the door to salvation.
To believe that one must keep the Law in order to have salvation is saying that Christ forgave our past sins upon faith in Him, but from here on out our salvation is dependent on Law keeping. Despite what HWA said, this is teaching salvation by works, because adding any kind of works to faith makes Christ's atoning sacrifice of no effect.
The two (works and salvation) are incompatible.
Reply: This verse says, "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." It does not say, "Blessed are they which do the Ten Commandments..." All through the N.T. other things are called "the commandments." It is "washing our robes in the blood of Christ" which gives us access to the Holy City. Therefore, it is careless to assume that the commandments Jesus gave his followers and for Christians are the same commandments given to Israel through covenant by Moses. Those who insist the Law must be kept, such as the Sabbath, are making a declaration that one must couple faith in Jesus with keeping the Law for the sake of salvation, which is a false gospel. The Law cannot save anyone, neither can it enhance your salvation. The Law could only condemn the one who broke the Law; not reward him for keeping it. Those who say one has to keep the Law--any of it--are putting the Law on par with Jesus as a Savior. They are making the Law a false god "besides" the true God and our Savior, Jesus. We can never on our own achieve the level of perfection that God requires. All we can do, therefore, is finally admit that we are totally incapable of measuring up to God's standards of righteousness. It is not by any righteousness achieved on our part that results in our salvation and sanctification; it is only through Christ; having His righteousness imputed to us, for our righteousness. Anything we accomplish by keeping the righteousness of the Law, is but filthy rags before Him.
Reply: The Law was given to Israel by covenant. Those that believe we must keep the Law say that it is " God's Law."2 But God gave it to the nation Israel.
The Israelites broke the first covenant; they couldn't perform what the Law demanded. Those that try to keep the Law will always come up short. In fact, there is a sense of religious pride in those who are trying to keep the Law and it normally manifests itself in condemnation of others whom they feel are not living up to the Law as they are. The New Covenant has the provision of a Savior and He is our Intercessor. Our emphasis is on Him, not on trying to keep the Sabbath, refraining from eating certain meats, tithing, observing days, etc., for salvation. The Law is not sin (Rom. 7:12); it shows sin as "exceedingly sinful" and produces death in those who are under it (Rom. 7:13). The Law reveals sins (vs.7); the Law arouses sin (vv. 8-9); the Law kills (vv. 10-11); the Law shows the sinfulness of sin (vv. 12-13); the Law cannot change us (v. 14); the Law cannot enable us to do good (vv. 15-21); the Law cannot set us free (vv. 21-25). We have explained that the Mosaic Law (which includes the Ten Commandments) was given to lead men to Christ Jesus.
The word translated "end" is telos in the Greek. It stands in the emphatic first position in the Greek sentence and means that Christ is the Purpose and Goal of the Law, the Object to which the Law pointed. Christ, who was sinless, fulfilled all of the Law (Matt. 5:17-18) by keeping it perfectly. His life paid the penalty for our sins on the cross and now the Law points to Him as the source of righteousness that the Law could not (and does not) provide. To try to establish our own righteousness by keeping the Law will cause us to stumble over the Law and not recognize Christ as the end of the Law.
We are today living in the dispensation of grace:
To understand the dispensations gives new light on this subject of Law and grace. The book of Matthew actually covers three dispensations: that of Law, grace and the Kingdom, but the Epistles of Paul clearly show that believers are no longer under the dispensation of Law, but are now in the dispensation of grace. This subject has been thoroughly explained in the introductions covering the dispensations in J. Vernon's McGee's studies on Hebrews (i. e., notice especially the Hebrews 7:2-19 study aired on the M-F broadcasts) The 5 year schedule for these studies is listed on our site. The spiritual blessing given to the Church are separate from the temporal blessings promised to the nation Israel. Neither can the church be called "spiritual Israel."3 As believers, when Christ died, we died in Him and we were raised in Him. His righteousness is imputed to us (Rom. 5:19) and His righteousness is fulfilled in us (Rom. 8:4); something the Law could never do. It is the Holy Spirit which now produces a life of obedience in Him. The old nature is crucified, the new man walks in newness of life, reaping the fruit of the Spirit. This is the process of sanctification by the Holy Spirit, which makes us righteous in God's sight. We never become perfect, but as we yield to Him, we learn to walk in the Spirit, and this growth in grace goes on our entire lifetime. In summation, when we trust Christ as our Savior, this marvelous grace supplies the filling of the Spirit to live on a higher plane than Law demanded. We receive everything we need in Him.
Question from ESN to our readers:
Did Herbert Armstrong really believe that God wanted us to keep the Law? Or wasn't it a good way for him to control others and keep them in his exclusive group? All spiritual authority that tries to control its members is a false authority! For Armstrong (and all who preach his views) to use this legalistic (and mind-manipulating) teaching in order to place fear and guilt into one hinders that person from knowing the true gospel of grace. All deceptive, exploitive and false groups have rules and laws that they say must be obeyed, or else one will lose their eternal life. HWA taught that salvation is a "process." This is a lie. It is mind control that is a process and self-deprogramming from mind control is a process. Salvation is a decision of the will. Herbert Armstrong taught satanic lies and preached an evil counterfeit of the Bible. See our section: Questioning Herbert W. Armstrong (was he who he said he was?) This subject of grace versus Law has only been touched on. Since it cannot be covered thoroughly in one article, and since Herbert Armstrong, Gerald Flurry and many other similar offshoots and legalistic churches hold to keeping the Law for salvation, our readers should continue to study more on their own. Take a concordance and look up how many times the word "grace" is used in the N.T. Other good sources are: Galatians Series: Six tapes that go through every chapter of Galatians. These messages by the late J. Vernon McGee make the subject of grace and law clear. Order from Thru the Bible Radio Network, 1-800-65-BIBLE. (See our Links for more on TTB Radio.) Seventh-day Adventism Renounced (This classic online book is helpful for those who are questioning Herbert Armstrong's teachings. Interesting chapters are 11: "Did the Pope Change the Sabbath?" and chapter 21: "Forty-Seven Prominent Texts Used by Sabbatarians Examined.") [book is also available through Amazon] Info compiled by
Exit & Support Network™ Footnotes: 1 There are several covenants mentioned in the Bible: The Adamic (Gen. 3:15), the Noahic (Gen. 9:16), the Abrahamic (Gen. 12:2), the Mosaic (Ex. 19:5), the Palestinian (Deut. 30:3), the Davidic (2 Sam. 7:16) and the New Covenant (Heb. 8:8). The covenants are normally unconditional in the sense that God obligates Himself in grace, by declaring, "I will" to accomplish certain purposes, despite any failure on the part of the person or people with whom he covenants. In the case of the Mosaic covenant, the fulfillment of the promises was made conditional upon Israel's obedience: "If you will indeed obey..." 2 The words "God's law" are only found in one place in the Bible, Nehemiah 10:29 which says: "They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God..." Whenever Jesus referred to the Law, he never referred to to it as "God's law" but rather the law of the Jews, and declared that it was Moses who gave the people the law. The apostle Paul brings out that the true law of God is the Spirit of the law, and this is quite plainly stated in Rom. 7:6. 3 How is the Term Israel Used in the New Testament? (Shows how the church is not "spiritual Israel") (also covers Gal 6:16) [offsite link]
Law and Grace, Works and Christ (What is the relationship of law to grace and how do we reconcile the commands in the O.T. law with grace?) [offsite link] The Law of Moses and the Grace of God What is the Believer's Rule of Life? (What part and place does the law have in sanctification?) Questions About the Law, Works and Salvation The Christian Life and How it is to be Lived [offsite link]
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