THE KING’S BUSINESS
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every legalist and moralist, every one who is trying ,to d o . something to get right with God instead of simply believing in what Jesus Christ has already done. Paul appeals again to the Mosaic law in which the Judaizers were putting their trust, as proving that every one who was seeking justification by doing the things the law required, by his own good deeds o f any kind, was under a curse. Paul says that the Mosaic law itself taught this, “ for it is written (in the Mosaic law), Cursed is every one who continueth not in all things that are written in 1 the book o f the law to do them” (Deut. 27:26). The law demands from every man who is to be justified by it, absolutely perfect obedience, obedience “in all things,” and continual obedience ( continueth ). I f a man should keep the law in 999 points and fail in one, as far as the law was concerned he would be under a curse. If he kept it in 1000 points for one hundred years, and then failed in one point he could not be justified by law (cf. James 2:10). I f a man should keep the law ninety-nine years and then violate it in one point he would he under a curse. But no man but one in all this world’s history has kept the law perfectly and with unbroken continuity; therefore justification by law is impossible for any man (Rom. 3:19, 20), and “ as many, as are out o f the deeds o f the law are under a curse.” Sunday, April 28 . Gal. 3 : 11 , 12 . Paul now brings forth another proof from Old Testament Scripture that “no . man is justified by (in) law in the sight o f God” A man may be right in the sight of man in law, for man does not see all, but he cannot be just “ in the sight o f God” in law, for God sees all and knows that every man has broken the law at some point (cf. Rom. 4 :2 ; 1 Cor. 4:4, R. V .). The Scripture proof that “no man is justi fied in law in the sight o f God” 'is this: The Scripture saith, “ The righteous shall live by (rather, out o f) faith (not. out of his doing, but out o f his believing—cf.
first way is the immediate thought here, the thought o f salvation through his “ seed” (Gen. 22:18) comes in further down (vs. 16-19). It is one o f the unique excellen cies o f the “ Scriptures” , even those books o f Scriptures which are most attacked in Qur day, and one o f the unanswerable proofs o f their Divine origin, that they “ foresaw” (v. 8 ) all the errors that will ever arise, and answered them before they arise. The most subtle and ingenious argu ments o f infidels and errorists in our own day have all been anticipated in the Bible. The one book that the one who wishes to refute infidels and errorists is the “ fore seeing” book—the Bible. In verse 9 Paul draws this conclusion from what the Bible said about Abraham: “ So then they that are 'o f / (out o f) faith are blessed with the faithful (believing) Abraham.” Here is another unanswerable argument put with a matchless skill. W e are not to attribute this matchless skill to the dialetic ability of Paul, but to the wisdom o f the Holy Spirit who spoke through Paul. Saturday, April 27 . Gal. 3 : 10 . Paul has shown how “they which are out o f faith are blessed with the faithful Abraham” : he now shows how they which are “o f (out o f) the works o f the law are under a curse.” The careless reader will miss the contrast o f verses 9 and 10. The contrast is between those who are “ blessed" and those who are “under a curse," and between those who are “ out of faith” and those who are "out of works of the law.” The one who simply believes is “blessed” : the one who seeks justification by doing something is “under a curse.” “As many as (there is not one single exception to the principle) are out o f the works o f the law”—i. e., as many as are trusting in keeping the Mosaic law, or any other law—trusting in their own good deeds in any way for justification—“are under a curse.” The Authorized Version says, “under the curse,” but the Revised Version is right in putting it “under a curse.” Very solemn words to contemplate are these for
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