Theology of Holiness: 8: Law

The subjects of law and holiness may seem unrelated at first. However, as we find repeatedly throughout Romans, the concept of the law, judgment, atonement, grace, deliverance and salvation are intricately woven together. While we as Christians may not be bound under the Jewish law, we must know that "through the law comes the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 3:20). In this way, the law serves to make us aware of what we must do and how we must act. We are saved through faith but we are made aware of our need for salvation through the law. Therefore, the law is worthy of study and examination in the context of a theology of holiness.

Law
"In the same way, my friends, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we might bear fruit for God" (Rom. 7:4, NRSV). The theological concept of the law serves a background for our covenant relationship with God. This means that the law is not a part of an ordo salutis but a part of the background that illustrates why salvation is necessary. Despite its value, the law is usually overlooked when discussing salvation (Vanhoozer, 2005). "So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good" (Rom. 7:12, NRSV). While this twice quoted section from Romans 7 refers to a hypothetical situation (Schenck, 2006, MIN543 lecture), it does begin to point out the importance and continued standing of the law, even for the Christian. For me, the law is valuable in that it begins to establish the need for behavior that is becoming to God as well as establishing our utter need for Christ's atonement.
According to Wesley, "the law to which man is now subject is that of faith" (Lindstrom, 1980, p.147). This was due to the fact that Wesley contends that the Christian is free from Jewish ritual, Mosaic law and condemnation under the law, due to the absolution found in Christ (Lindstrom, 1980, p.78-80). Even so, the law is not only of value to humanity for all time, but it also stands as the forerunner to the Gospel. In fact, it could be said that "the Gospel is the law with a promise" (Schenck, 2006, MIN543 lecture). The law is also just, as "it gives each man his due and exactly prescribes what is right with respect to the Creator" (Lindstrom, 1980, p.77).
"The word "law" is the standard translation of the Greek word, "nomos". This word occurs thirty-one times in the Gospels" (Moo as cited in Reid, 2004, p.675). In most cases "nomos refers to the Pentateuch" (Moo as cited in Reid, 2004, p.675). In Hebrew, the word "torah" was used. However, instead of having the meaning of "law", "torah would be better translated "instruction", and this torah compromises the whole of the Pentateuch" (Wenham as cited in Vanhoozer, 2005, p.442).
Further reinforcing this concept, it should be noted that "the torah was never intended to be a charter for individuals… it was given to a people; and at its heart it was about how that people would live together, under God and in harmony" (Wright, 2006, p.82). In this line of thinking of the law as instruction, it is of value to consider the four ways in which Paul uses the term, "the law" (Schenck, 2006, MIN543 lecture). Paul was referencing the Pentateuch when speaking of the law in Romans 3. In I Cor. 9, Paul meant "law" as in the Jewish legal code. Paul also uses "the law" to refer to the "just requirements of the law, as kept by some Gentiles. Finally, Paul could also mean "law" to refer to the rule of sin and death (Schenck, 2006, MIN543 lecture).
Whenever the law is brought up, for most, the first thing that comes to mind are the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments, or Decalogue (ten words), are the basis of our understanding of God's law for human behavior. "Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came" (Gal. 3:24, NRSV). The Ten Commandments have been described as "the epitome of the Torah" (Williams, 2006, College Wesleyan Church lecture series). They serve to demonstrate to man that "God expects his followers to emulate his righteousness and justice" (Erickson, 2006, p.315). The Decalogue "reflect the core values of Israel's theology and moral outlook" (Wenham as cited in Vanhoozer, 2005, p.445), as given to them by God. Further, it is the Decalogue that illustrates "God's exclusive claim to (Israel)" (Gowan, 1994, p.180). While other parts of the Pentateuch help to build upon the concept of God's holiness, such as "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy" (Lev. 19:2, NRSV), none do so with as much clarity as the Decalogue.
It was these ten words which helped to define the complete holiness of God and the wretched state of man. This concept is most clear in the first commandment. It is this commandment, that we should no other gods before him sets the stage for both the sovereignty and holiness of God. In fact, the concept of God's holiness being the justification for law is one that DeNeff is in agreement with. "Where there are low views of God, there is no law" (DeNeff, 2004, p.21). Further, "if we forfeit the doctrine of the holiness of God, there is a lower level of commitment among those who would be Christians" (DeNeff, 2004, p.22). In other words, the holiness of God that is brought to us through the Decalogue has such impact that people can be eternally changed through the conclusion that God is indeed a holy God.
"The righteousness of God also means that his actions are in accord with the law he himself has established" (Erickson, 2006, p.313). For as stated by Jesus in Matt. 5:19, "Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments… will be called the least in the kingdom of heaven" (NRSV). This sentiment is reiterated in James 2:10, "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it" (NRSV). Furthermore, it is the first commandment, which calls for us to have no other gods before God that sets the precedent of God's holiness before man. As this commandment is broken both in mind and deed, it is this very commandment that set the need for the atoning work of Christ.
So then, the law is of importance. Wesley regarded the law as holy, just as the Bible states. He believed that the law, "in the highest degree (is) pure, chaste, clean and holy" (Wesley as cited in Lindstrom, 1980, p.77). Three uses of the law have been pointed out by Schenck. "The law serves to convict of sin, to lead man to Christ and the law serves to keep the justified and regenerated man alive" (Schenck, 2006, MIN543 lecture). Further, sanctification itself can be viewed "as an expression of both law and love" (Schenck, 2006, MIN543 lecture). Yet even for all of its worth, no one will be saved by keeping the law. "For no human being will be justified in his sight by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin" (Rom. 2:20, NRSV).
Paul himself, although "blameless under the law" (Phil. 3:6, NRSV), still knew this wasn't enough. For as he stated, "Whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ" (Phil. 3:7, NRSV). This was so that he would not be found with a "righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ" (Phil. 3:9, NRSV). Paul desires the righteousness that only comes from Christ. For Paul the righteousness of Christ means that he would, "be done with "my own righteousness" which is "ek nomou" (from/predicated on law) and that he would then acquire a new righteousness from God "ek theou" (from/predicated on God)" (Fee, 1995, p.322). Still, while Paul had gained salvation in Christ, he "was still enough of a Jew psychologically to be uncomfortable with saying in every situation that the law was no longer valid" (Thielman as cited in Reid, 2004, p.690). It is in this vein that Wesley believed that "by faith the law shall be established in the heart and life of man" (Lindstrom, 1980, p.82).