WHO NEEDS A SAVIOR, ANYWAY? (The Law or the Gospel?)

ROMANS 3:10-18: “…As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become worthless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they deceive with their tongues. Vipers’ venom is under their lips. Their mouth are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and wretchedness are in their paths, and the path of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes.” CSB

OBSERVATION: Who needs a Savior, anyway? This is the question the world is asking each day. Paul has outlined three different kinds of people in the opening of his letter to the church in Rome. There is the flagrant sinner, the non-religious moralist, and finally, the religious moralist.

• The sinner is lost in his sin and does not see the need for a Savior.

• The non-religious moralist is secure in their innate goodness and the works that they do.

• The religious moralist is secure in their religious service and external good works.

Yet, Paul is clear – “All have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God!” (Romans 3:23). The sinner’s fate is obvious by their actions. The moralist’s fate is cloaked by their good deeds. The religious person’s fate is covered by ritual and sacrifice. Yet, all of them are lost. There is no one who is righteous. No one is seeking God. They are all miserably lost in their sins!

All men and women need a Savior!

If this is so obvious as we look upon mankind from the bleachers of life, then why aren’t people lining up to be saved, to put their faith in Jesus Christ? It is because they do not see their sin. They are either lost completely in it or they have covered it so that they can ignore it. There is only one thing that can reveal man’s sinful condition.

It is the Law of God!

Romans 3:19-20: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are subject to the law, so that every mouth may be shut and the whole world may become subject to God’s judgment. For no one will be justified in his sight by the works of the law, because the knowledge of sin comes through the law.” CSB

We love the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ. We love to speak of mercy and grace. We love to talk about God’s love and long-suffering. Yet, all of these truths are veiled until we meet Him as our Savior. And, the only way we can meet Him as our Savior is to see the reality of our sin. The only thing that reveals our sin is the Law of God. Paul, in Romans 7, states,

Romans 7:7-12: “What should we say then?  Is the law sin? Absolutely not!  But I would not have known sin if it were not for the law.  For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, Do not covet. And sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment,  produced in me coveting of every kind. For apart from the law sin is dead. Once I was alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life again, and I died. The commandment that was meant for life resulted in death for me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me,  and through it killed me. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.” CSB

Our pulpits are filled with preaching about the love of God. We sing about His goodness. We presume upon His mercy and grace. Yet, we have stopped proclaiming the Law of God. We have failed to teach the whole counsel of God, and as a result, we have churches filled with people who do not know they are sinners. We cannot neglect the Law for the preaching of the Gospel. And, we cannot neglect the Gospel for the preaching of the Law!

We must faithfully preach both the Law and the Gospel!

I grew up in a tradition that faithfully read both the Law and the Gospel each Sunday morning. Both of these sections of Scripture were meant to frame the text for the sermon. The Law proclaimed the Holiness and Justice of God and revealed our sin. The Gospel proclaimed God’s answer to sin – the Cross of Jesus Christ. Without the Law, we don’t even see our sin and need for a Savior. Without the Gospel, there is no hope for our brokenness and sin.

We need the Law and the Gospel!

The Law brings us to Christ. The Cross unites us with Christ. The Law reveals my sin. The Cross removes my sin. The Law points the way to the Holiness of God. The Gospel unites me with the one who changes my life so that I can walk in this path. The Law is holy, just, and good. The Cross is where God’s Law was fulfilled in the One who alone was holy, just, and good.

We are never saved by the preaching of the Law. Yet, without it, we never understand our need for a Savior. Without the Law, we never will visit the Cross. When we come to the Cross, when we discover the forgiveness and righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death and victorious resurrection, are we then done with the Law?

Romans 3:28-31: “For we conclude that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only?  Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not!  On the contrary, we uphold the law.” CSB

There is salvation in no one but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The Law, before we are saved, reveals our sin and brings us to our Savior. The Law, after we are saved, continues to show us the areas in our lives that need to be surrendered to God and shines a light on the pathway of righteousness. The Law reveals the Holiness of God, and so, as Paul states,

“Do we then nullify the law through faith? Absolutely not!  On the contrary, we uphold the law.”

We need the Law and the Gospel!

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Law. It is holy, just, and good. Thank You for shining the light on my sin and bringing me to the Cross. Jesus, thank You for Your Grace and Your great sacrifice for my sins. Thank You for saving me and making me a child of God! Holy Spirit, thank You for Your transforming work in my life and for granting me the grace each day to walk in the light of God’s Word. I thank You, that what the Law could not do because of the weakness in my flesh, You are doing each day through the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus! Lord, help me to walk in the balance of…

The Law and the Gospel!

In Jesus’ Name!