V. Of Legal and Evangelical Obedience
V. Of Legal and Evangelical Obedience
Even when the vow of unreserved obedience has been taken, there may still be two sorts of obedience—that of the law, and that of the gospel. Just as there are two Testaments, an Old and a New, so there are two styles of religion, two ways of serving God. This is what Paul speaks of in Romans, when he says, 'Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under law but under grace' (6:14), and further speaks of our being 'freed from the law,' so 'that we serve in newness of the spirit and not in the oldness of the letter' (7:6); and then again reminds us, 'Ye received not again the spirit of bondage unto fear, but ye received the Spirit of adoption' (8:15).
The threefold contrast points very evidently to a danger existing among those Christians of still acting as if they were under the law, serving in the boldness of the letter and in the spirit of bondage. One great cause of the feebleness of so much Christian living is because it is more under law than under grace. Let us see what the difference is.
What the law demands from us, grace promises and performs for us.
The law deals with what we ought to do, whether we can or not, and by the appeal to motives of fear and love stirs us to do our utmost. But it gives no real strength, and so only leads to failure and condemnation. Grace points to what we cannot do, and offers to do it for us and in us.
The law comes with commands on stone or in a book. Grace comes in a living, gracious Person, who gives His presence and His power.
The law promises life, if we obey. Grace gives life, even the Holy Spirit with the assurance that we can obey.
Human nature is ever prone to slip back out of grace into the law, and secretly to trust to trying and doing its utmost. The promises of grace are so divine, the gift of the Holy Spirit to do all in us is so wonderful, that few believe it. This is the reason they never dare take the vow of obedience, or, having taken it, turn back again. I beseech you, study well what gospel obedience is. The gospel is good tidings. Its obedience is part of that good tidings—that grace, by the Holy Spirit, will do all in you. Believe that, and let every undertaking to obey be in the joyous hopefulness that comes from faith in the exceeding abundance of grace, in the mighty indwelling of the Holy Spirit, in the blessed love of Jesus whose abiding presence makes obedience possible and certain.