“THE law of the Lord is perfect,” and consequently requires perfection in every intelligent creature in the universe. Not simply what might be counted perfection as measured by man’s standard, but perfection as measured by the Lord’s view of perfection. It is the law of the Lord that is perfect. Its perfection is the perfection of the Lord, therefore it is his view of perfection to which men must perfectly conform. So says the Saviour, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:48.SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.1

The law of God is holy, and requires perfect holiness in every person; such holiness as may be measured by his own; for it is written, “Ye shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy.” The first quotation, however, expresses it all, “The law of the Lord is perfect.” It is simply the expression of what his will is concerning the duty of man, and that will must be perfect, because he himself is perfect, and his will can be nothing less than the emanation of himself. As says another, “The law is, in itself, the will of the Godhead, and God himself must be unholy before his will can be.” Said the Saviour, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.” And of himself he says, “I came down from Heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.” And, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me.” Therefore, the beloved disciple declares, ““He that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.2

Nor are we left to conjecture as to what it is in which this will is expressed, or as to what this perfect law is. By Paul, the Lord declares this in a connection so clear that it cannot be misunderstood: “Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law.” To know the will of God, therefore, is to be instructed out of the law. But in what is the law expressed? “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God?”SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.3

The law therefore out of which to be instructed is to know the will of God is the law that forbids theft, adultery, and idolatry. And to break that law is to dishonor God. That law is expressed in the ten commandments, and is the law of the Lord, which is perfect. And therefore the conclusion of the whole matter, the sum of all that hath been said, is: “Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.4

Therefore, “whatever God may overlook in those who know not their duty, yet, when he reveals his perfect law, that law cannot, from the nature of its Author, allow the commission of a single sin. But if its holiness be not maintained, man is so constituted that he could never become holy. Every change to a better course in man’s life must be preceded by a conviction of error—man cannot repent and turn from sin till he is convicted of sin in himself. Now, if the holiness of the law, as a standard of duty, be maintained, man may thus be enlightened and convicted of sin until he has seen the last sin in his soul; and if the law allowed one sin, there would be no way of convicting man of that sin, or of converting him from it; he would, therefore, remain, in some degree, a sinner forever.”SITI June 30, 1887, page 392.5

Now “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” But God does not want any man to remain a sinner forever. He sent his only begotten Son into the world, and called his name Jesus, that he might save the people from their sins. But in order to be saved from sin there must be repentance, and in order to repentance of sin there must be conviction of sin; and in order to conviction of sin there must be a knowledge of sin; and in order to a knowledge of sin, the law must be made known. “For by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Without the law of God there can never be any knowledge of a single sin; and without a knowledge of sin a man cannot repent of sin; and except there be repentance there can be no salvation from sin. Therefore the law must go before and drag sin to light that it may be seen in its enormity and its dreadful consequences, that that sense of guilt and danger may be produced “which is necessary in order that man may love a spiritual Saviour.” As has been well said: “Love in the soul is produced by the joint influence of the justice and mercy of God. It is impossible, therefore, in the nature of things, for a sinful being to appreciate God’s mercy, unless he first feel his justice as manifested in the holy law.”SITI June 30, 1887, page 393.1

Even so says the Scripture: “The law entered, that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound; that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:20, 21. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Romans 3:24-26. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!”SITI June 30, 1887, page 393.2

As therefore by the law of God is the knowledge of sin; as it reveals the whole duty of man and requires perfection on every point, even to the very thoughts and intents of the heart; and as the Saviour came and condemned sin in the flesh expressly that the righteousness, the perfection, of the law might be met and fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit; how essential it is that the commandments of God should be held before ourselves, and before all people, that we may meditate therein day and night, that Jesus may indeed save us from our sins. In view of these things, if we had not learned not to be surprised at any turn in the theology of the day, we should be astonished at the way in which the law of God has been slipped over by the churches of the land in the International Sunday-school Lessons during the present quarter.SITI June 30, 1887, page 393.3

What a splendid opportunity there was presented for the lesson committee to open to the people of this nation the vast field of God’s righteousness! But instead of devoting to the study of the ten commandments a whole quarter, at the very least, or six months, or a whole year even, which might well have been done, they passed by the whole subject in two Sundays. It might fairly be supposed that the Sunday-schools had a certain set time in which to study the Bible, and that they were bound to get over the whole book in the shortest time possible. But have not the people all their lives in which to study the word of God? And what could possibly be of more value to the people than the thorough study of that law which is a copy of God’s perfection, which reveals the whole duty of man, by which alone is the knowledge of sin, and without a knowledge of which no just conception can be had of the mercy of God as revealed in the salvation of the Lord Jesus Christ.SITI June 30, 1887, page 393.4

Men cannot appreciate the merit of Christ until they realize the demerit of sin, and of themselves as sinners. For Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Men cannot realize the righteousness of Christ and of faith in him until they realize the righteousness of the law and the unrighteousness of the transgressor of the law. For all unrighteousness is sin, and whatsoever is not of faith is sin. Therefore if the people in the Sunday-schools, or anywhere else, are ever to learn of the real salvation of Christ from sin, they will have to learn first what sin is, and that must be learned from the law of God, for by the law is the knowledge of sin, and such knowledge is not completed by any means by skimming over the ten commandments in two lessons of a half or three-quarters of an hour each. The knowledge so obtained must be at the best but superficial, and with superficial views of the law of God it is impossible to have more than superficial views of the gospel of Christ. And “not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.”SITI June 30, 1887, page 393.5

What would be thought of a college faculty that would attempt to carry a company of freshmen through Euclid in two lessons of three-quarters of an hour each? Then what should be thought of the lesson committee that did in two lessons of such length carry the Sunday-school children through that of which the inspired psalmist wrote, “I have seen an end of all perfection, but thy commandment is exceeding broad”?SITI June 30, 1887, page 393.6

“How God Has Spoken” The Signs of the Times 13, 25, pp. 391, 392.

“The Excellency of Christ” The Signs of the Times 13, 26, pp. 406, 407.