Chap. 3:13-29. ( Continued from page 45.)

If we wish to fully appreciate the emphasis the apostle here puts on the doctrine of the believer's redemption from the curse of the law, we must consider the difference between the position of believers under law and that given to believers now under grace, under Christianity. It is needful to remember that the law was not given to Abraham's seed according to faith, but to his seed after the flesh. It was given to the nation as an earthly nation, looked at as composed of men according to the flesh. It raised with them the question of man's ability to live by his own righteousness. Is it possible for a man to justify himself in the sight of God by his own efforts, or works ? The trial demonstrated the impossibility of it.

Now so long as the trial continued, when once it had been instituted, Abraham's children according to faith, in the midst of the nation, by virtue of their being a part of it, were as responsible as the rest to do the things required by the law. What then was the result for them ? What was the consequence for the true children of God of their being in this way under the law-under its obligation ?

Did they keep it ? No more than the others. Did they establish a righteousness of their own ? No more than the others. In result they were under the same penalty of failing to do so. Having broken the law, they were under the curse of the law, having to bow to being adjudged as deserving the death to which the law cursed them. The law made no provision for exempting the children of faith.

Let it be remembered that all this has no bearing on the eternal issues. It does not mean that the children of faith who died while the law was in force as the method of God's dealing with man after the flesh, lost faith's final and eternal blessing. No, in no wise. But as under the order of things God had set up for man in this world, they were guilty and deserving the curse of the law.

It is also evident that their death was not that of the law's curse. They died in faith, as the nth chapter of Hebrews makes plain. Now several questions arise demanding a satisfactory answer. How could the children of faith who died during the trial of law, and failed equally with the rest, be exempted from the law's penalty ? How can the children of faith now be exempted from the curse of the law? There is still another:God promised Abraham heirs-children of faith from the Gentiles as well as from his own-to inherit with him his blessing. How can Abraham's blessing come upon Gentiles?

One thing answers all these questions:God has provided a Substitute to undergo the curse in behalf of the heirs, to redeem them from the curse, to buy them out from under it. The children of faith who lived under the trial of law were anticipatively exempted from the death, or curse, of the law. Their pre-exemption from it was on the ground of a provision that God, in grace, was going to make for them. As anticipating Christ's being made a curse on their behalf, God did not inflict the curse upon them. Their death was not a penal death with judgment following it. Whether we speak of death as what man is appointed to, or as the curse of the law, they who were of faith-Abraham's seed-were bought out from it; the price of the purchase having been paid by Christ by dying in their behalf.

But if the death of Christ was the basis on which the heirs who lived while the law was in force were pre-exempted from the law's curse, now that the anticipated substitutionary death has been accomplished, the heirs of promise-the children of faith- are in no sense involved in the curse of the, law. Through Christ's death they are dead to the law. The death of Christ is God's justification for exempting believers both then and now from the penalty of not doing the requirements of the law.

As to the third question, Christ's being made a curse is the full carrying out of the law. The law was not set aside, it was not abrogated, but it was carried out to its full extent. It has operated even to the infliction of its penalty, though it was in the person of a Substitute; but so operating, it ends the law as God's method of dealing with men concerning their working out a righteousness of their own. "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth " (Rom. 10:4).

Now this ending of the law as God's public way of procedure with men was necessary before God could fulfil His promise to Abraham-to faith. As long as the law stood as God's method of dealing with men He could neither in part nor in full give to faith her inheritance. While the law was in force no believer among the Gentiles could possess even in part the inheritance promised. For this it was necessary to end the law as the principle of dealing with men. This should be evident-for the promise is on the principle of faith-but the law is the principle of works, not faith.

Now, as we have seen, while Christianity is not the complete fulfilment of promise, it is the beginning of fulfilment. God is now giving the heirs a part of their inheritance-the Spirit, who is a foretaste, an earnest, a present pledge, of the full portion to be received later. Gentile believers, then, as well as Jewish believers, are now, through Christ, possessing faith's promise in part. The law is no longer a hindrance to this (verses 13, 14).

This is of the very greatest moment. Through not seeing it, very serious errors have been made. Among them, perhaps, none is more serious than the doctrine, prevalent in many quarters, that the reception of the Spirit is dependent upon something additional to the faith on the principle of which we become Abraham's children. Whether we are Jews or Gentiles, we are born into Abraham's family, we are born through faith. The doctrine that some of the family, whatever the reason given for it, have not received the Spirit of God, is a practical denial of the characteristic difference between the dispensations of law and of Christianity. God then did not give His Spirit to indwell any of His children. Now He gives Him to all-no less to all Gentile believers than to all Jewish believers. Every heir of faith's inheritance, in this present time of the beginning of fulfilment, is inheriting, or possessing, the present earnest-the gift of the Spirit. The law no longer being the principle of God's ways, is no longer a hindrance to the blessing of Abraham coming on Gentiles.

The error of which I am speaking is a subtle revival of the Galatian error. True the form differs, but the same principle underlies both. Their error was that perfection-complete fulfilment-is by attainment, by self-effort, by progress in knowledge. Call it by whatever name, even believing the gospel, it is making believing the gospel a work of merit; and that is in principle the error of the Galatians. In both an addition to faith is required, so that faith is not made the sole principle on which the believer possesses his blessing.

Another serious thing about it is, like the Galatian error, it denies the full meaning of the death of Christ; for in the measure in which something on our part is required as essential to the reception of faith's blessing, which now is the Spirit, in that measure the meaning of Christ's death is denied. The death of Christ means the end of requirement -of all self-effort.

How little the Galatians thought they were denying the meaning of Christ's death! How little the Judaizers of the present day realize they are reproducing the principle of the Galatian error! But what folly it is when looked at in the light of the apostle's doctrine of Christ's being made a curse! What a delusion to seek to establish a claim to faith's blessing! What a misconception of Christianity !

But let us turn to verses 15-18. There were those who probably argued that the law was given after promise, and so superseded it, set it aside, made it of no effect. Paul's answer is, The promise was made, not only to Abraham, but also to a particular Seed, 1:e., to Christ. Now the law, coming in between Abraham and Christ, could not disannul a promise made to Christ. Christ's inheritance it is, therefore, that was promised to Abraham on the principle of faith. Since he is the pattern, the heirs, who share the promise with him, must have it on the same principle-that of faith, not of works.

The objector may say, Why then the law ? What was the good of it ? The answer is, There was need of convicting of sin, of stopping all boasting. The conversion of sins into transgressions-violations of positive prohibitions-was the service the law did. The effect of its work was that every mouth was stopped (Rom. 3:19). Not only is the unregenerated Israelite proved to have nothing to boast of; not only is the unbelieving Gentile shown to be in guilt; but even the very heirs of Abraham themselves are demonstrated by their transgressions to have no claim to blessing. The law thus shows that faith in the sovereign promise of God is the one only way of blessing-not self-effort.

The need of this lesson is the reason why law came in between promise and Christ. It was added to promise to serve the purpose of demonstrating this necessary lesson. Its place therefore was a secondary one. It was not intended by God to abide permanently. It was His purpose that it should pass away when Christ came.

Moreover, the circumstances of its establishment were in keeping with its character. as a temporary institution. It was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. It was not like the covenant with Abraham in which God entered upon a contract where He was the only contracting party. In the law, it was two parties contracting together (verses 19, 20).

In the Abrahamic covenant God came forth in His absolute sovereignty, saying, " I will." There were no limitations upon His will save those He imposed upon Himself. It was a covenant in which promise is without conditions. No requirements are made in order to its being fulfilled. No self-effort is demanded of the one to be blessed. The blessing promised is absolutely unconditional. It is of faith only therefore.

The legal covenant has not that character. There are two parties to it. It is not God saying, in absolute sovereignty, "I will," but God undertaking obligations the fulfilment of which is to depend on the faithfulness of the other party to the agreement. Such a contract, or covenant, as this would not be suitably administered by Christ, however fittingly it was in the hands of Moses. But if Moses declares that he is to be superseded by Christ (see Deut. 18:15), he is witnessing that his administration must give place to the administration of the One who is greater than he. The law, then, plainly has an intermediate place between promise and Christ, With the coming of the Seed to whom the promise was confirmed, the administration of law gives place to another of a very different character, unspeakably higher. Christ's administration is that of the sovereign "I will" of God.

It may be thought this view of the relations of law and Christianity makes the law to be against the promises of God. The apostle insists it is not so. He affirms that God never expected man to produce a righteousness of his own. He gave him a law that demanded it, but the life which produces it is not by the law. The question raised under law was not, On what principle does God give life ? but, Can man acquire life by his own effort ? Nor, On what principle will God fulfil promise ? but, Can man work out a righteousness of his own ? Can he claim the promise on that ground ?

Scripture's answer is, All are under sin, whether under law or not, and none can show he has the slightest claim to the promise. The promise, then, is on the principle of faith. It must necessarily be so. The time arriving for the fulfilment of promise, it is given to them that believe (verses 21, 22).

Until that time the heirs under the law were like children under the watchful eyes of guardian attendants. They were on their way to Christ, waiting for the time to come to receive their promise. The law's voice to them was ever, Remember, you cannot establish your own righteousness. Christ-the coming Christ-is your righteousness. Justification is by faith, not works (verses 23, 24).

The apostle now goes on to show that with the coming of Christianity the heirs are no longer under the guardian attendant (verse 25).His work has been done, the lesson of it abides of course, but the heirs have been given the privilege of taking a new place (see John i:12).In this new place they are no longer servants, and are free to be in the practical enjoyment of the sonship, or adoption, which goes with that new place. If hitherto the children of faith were servants, they are now sons. If formerly they looked for justification through Jesus Christ, they now have the liberty of sons. If they were children of faith in old times, by the same faith they now are sons (verse 26).

Christian baptism is a witness to the change that has occurred. As long as the children remained in the position of servants they were not called upon to put on Christ. Baptism, in figure, declares our identification with Christ; not now, of course, as One who is living in our earthly life, but as having died out of this life and risen up into a new place (verse 27). We are, then, in connection with Him there. This new place is His really, but believers now belong to Him there. They are now in Christ-the risen Christ. But in Christ the distinctions of earth and the old creation have passed away. We are all one with Him, identified not only in life and nature with Him, but also with His position (verse 28).

But if we belong to Christ risen, are connected with Him in His new position, we are Abraham's seed, 1:e., we are children of faith and heirs according to promise. Even we who among the Gentiles have believed are of faith's family, and are inheritors of faith's portion (verse 29).

We have seen that now faith has begun to possess its portion. Having the Spirit is the beginning of possessing the promise. C. Crain

(To be continued.)