THE TWO SIDES OF THE LAW INTRODUCTION

By Nyron Medina

The great Law of God– the Ten Commandments, when given by God on Mt. Sinai (Ex 20) to the Israelites had a more far reaching significance than just a mere code of works conduct.

The fact that God said this “ And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments” (ex 20;6) ; meant that Love for God was indeed keeping the law, thus behind the works of the Law was a grand spiritual principle which if anyone had it, they would truly keep the works enshrined in the two tables of stone.

John the Apostle saw this fact and this is why he said the following; “ By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love Gpd, and keep his commandments….” (1John 5: 2,3). And the apostle Paul saw the same thing and declared: “ Owe no man anything but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law… love worketh no ill to his neighbor : Therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law.” (Rom 13:8). Love is the great principle behind the works of the law , and “ God is Love… (1 John 4:8, 16). The ten commandments turns out therefore to be a testimony of the love of God– God’s nature– Himself.

It is no small wonder to proclaim that the law has two sides. A wokrs side, and a side that corresponds to the Love of God . This is the plain testimony of the scriptures, for they speak about: “ Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works?” (Roma 3:27). Also we are told: “ For we know that the law is spiritual …” (Rom 7:14). Thus the law of God has a “works side “ and a “spiritual side”.

When we read of David saying : “The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul (Ps 19:7); “ The law of his God is in his heart: none of his steps shall slide. (Ps 37:31); “ I delight to do thy will , oh my God: yea thy law is within my heart” (Ps 40:8); and Heb 10:16 which states: “ This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them”, he is speaking of the spiritual law.

Now what is the spiritual law? It is the Love of God. It is God’s Divine Nature. We know that God is not a shape or a particular form, “...God is a Spirit…” ( John 4:24) as Christ declared; and God is God by nature. “ Howbeit then, when ye knew not God ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods” (Gal 4:8). “ Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakes of the Divine Nature…” (2Pet 1:4). Thus God’s Nature is what the spiritual law explains.

In Ps 119:172 we are told: “ … all thy commandments are righteousness.”.this is both the spiritual law and the law of works. They are equally righteousness, but the works of the law are called the righteousness which is the law. Observe : “And be found in him not having mine own righteousness , which is of the law…”” (Phil 3:9). “ But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness hath not attained to the law of righteousness..” (Rom 9:31) . But the spiritual law is called the righteousness of God. “ For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God .” ( Rom 10:3). This is why we are told that the righteousness of God is a righteousness “ apart from “ the law. “( But now the righteousness of God without ( Gk. “apart from “) the law (Rom 3:21) . This righteousness is something different from the works of the law, it is not the same as the works of the law, it is God’s Divine Nature because God is called “ The Lord our Righteousness.” (Jer 23:6).

This righteousness of God is the righteousness which is revealed in the gospel (Rom 1:16,17) and comes to us through the Faith of Jesus Christ whereby we are justified ( Rom 3:22; Gal 2:16).

When through Faith we keep God’s law of works (the righteousness of the law) as seen in Rom 3:30,31, we also exalt God’s name or glorify Him. “ I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name forevermore.” (Ps 86:12). Now we can understand that when we transgress God’s law we do two things; we sin, and we fall short of the Glory ( Divine Nature) of God, “For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God.” (Rom 3:23). Therefore , to understand the fact that the law has two sides, and to understand the constitution of both sides, is to achieve a clarified view of the gospel or science of salvation, and this causes one to know how to trust God, and how to live before His face.

Finally, we have the testimony of the Spirit of Prophecy. “ After Adam’s sin and fall, nothing was taken from the Law of God. The principles of the Ten commandments existed before the fall, and were of a character suited to the condition of a holy order of beings. The principles were more explicitly stated to man after the fall, and worded to meet the case of fallen intelligent beings. This was necessary in consequence of the minds of men being blinded by transgression.” Ellen White Christ in His Sanctuary p 20. “The law of the commandments is not to be looked upon as much from the prohibitory side, as from the mercy side.” Ellen White Selected Messages Bk 1 pg 235.

May God add His blessings to those who see the two sides of the law, and who have the spiritual law in their hearts and as a consequence keep the works side of the law. AMEN