The Scottish Psalter was written anonymously in 1635 and published and appointed for use in worship by the Church of Scotland in 1650.  Scripture paraphrases were added in 1781.  The Scottish Psalter and Paraphrases was the primary hymnal used by the Church of Scotland through the 19^th century.  The Scottish Psalter was originally contained in one volume. When the Scripture paraphrases were added in the 18^th century, its addition expanded the singular volume. 

Psalm 1 

C.M. 8.6.8.6. 

1    That man hath perfect blessedness,
who walketh not astray
In counsel of ungodly men,
nor stands in sinners’ way, 

Nor sitteth in the scorner’s chair:
2    But placeth his delight
Upon God’s law, and meditates
on his law day and night. 

3    He shall be like a tree that grows
near planted by a river,
Which in his season yields his fruit,
and his leaf fadeth never:

And all he doth shall prosper well.
4    The wicked are not so;
But like they are unto the chaff,
which wind drives to and fro. 

5    In judgment therefore shall not stand
such as ungodly are;
Nor in th’ assembly of the just
shall wicked men appear. 

6    For why? the way of godly men
unto the Lord is known:
Whereas the way of wicked men
shall quite be overthrown.

The freedom of bondage from both sin and law presents a struggle since the sinner saved by grace has been changed, that is, he has been made alive in Christ; nevertheless, he is not yet glorified.  The struggle exists because it keeps us at the Cross of Christ; it presses us to trust in and depend upon the Master, leaning upon His everlasting arms.  We will examine more of that reality in the articles to come through the remainder of Romans 7. 

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul” (Psalm 19:7). 

The law comes from God and is perfect, good and holy.  Because we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, and because His righteousness is imputed unto us while our sin is imputed unto Him, then we understand that the law does not convert us; that comes by the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit through the preaching of the Gospel.  Because the law cannot be observed and obeyed by fallen man, because the law exposes our sin, we can receive the Gospel as the good news it is intended to be. 

Even for those who have not studied the law, as the Jews had, when the Gospel is preached, they must ask, “Why did the God become a Man, sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth?  Why did He leave His celestial glory to die upon a Roman cross?”  

What do we know from what we have learned in this series of articles thus far?  One of the things we have learned is that no man can meet the standard of righteousness expressed in the law.  When the law of God is expressed, sin is exposed, and the Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of sin, being unable to fulfill the law in our flesh.  The Spirit also convicts the sinner of righteousness; that Jesus Christ, the righteous Son, is the only One that is perfectly and sufficiently righteous to keep the Law, and thus becomes the eternal and sufficient sacrifice according to God’s eternal decree.  The Holy Spirit also convicts the sinner of judgment; that God’s divine justice was poured out upon Jesus Christ as the substitutionary Sacrifice, and for those who have believed upon Christ and placed their trust and dependence upon Him as Lord and Savior, and are declared by God to be justified before Him.  And for those who do not receive God’s gracious gift in His one and only Son, they receive the judgment of God’s holy wrath deservedly for their unrepentant sin.

Yet, if the law does not convert us in salvation, does this present a contradiction in what the Psalm declares?  No.  As the conversion of a soul takes place through the effectual calling of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit does use the law to convince the soul of sin, righteousness, and judgment.  The conversion of the dead soul to that of living soul is the converting work of God.  The perfect law, however, does convert the soul already made alive in Christ, however, by reflecting its holiness in and through and by Jesus Christ, the fulfillment, revelation, and expression of the law.  The conversion of our soul takes place when we are being conformed, by God’s grace, to the image of Jesus Christ, being changed from glory to glory.  The law in its glorious fulfillment in Christ keeps us clinging to the Cross, embracing grace, and cleaving to Christ alone because we see that the best of our righteousnesses, though saved, can never attain to the only righteous Man who ever lived, the only Jew who ever kept the law, the only Prophet who ever uttered God’s truth sinlessly, and the only Son who ever wholly obeyed His Father, Jesus Christ.

Believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him alone for His righteousness and His sufficient sacrifice upon Calvary’s tree.

“And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death” (Romans 7:10). 

What did the apostle mean when he said that the commandment was ordained to life?  I believe he was referencing the Old Testament and the law in particular: 

“Ye shall therefore keep My statutes, and My judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.”  —Leviticus 18:5 

Yet, because it only exposed sin in my life, I was condemned by the law (“I found to be unto death”); that is, it dashed all hope of eternal life by the works of the law. 

“For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me” (Romans 7:11). 

Remember, speaking as to the life of a sinner prior to salvation by grace, he says that sin took occasion (Romans 7:8), or took the opportunity, because of the commandment that was given in the law.  How so?  Because of his fallen condition as Adam’s descendent, his flesh deceived him into thinking that he could possibly keep the commandment of God; which produced even greater depths of sin: pride and idolatry, for example.  Therefore, Paul says, “I was justly condemned” (‘by it slew me’). 

“Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12). 

The reason I know that the law and its commandments in particular are holy, just, and good is because it is justified in condemning me for the sin I commit through it (Romans 7:11). 

“Was then that which is good made death unto me?  God forbid.  But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful” (Romans 7:13). 

Here again, the apostle answers another objection before it could be raised.   Someone might say, “Okay Paul, you say the law is good, but how could anything that brings death be good?”  Paul answers by saying, that the law is so good and holy that it exposes sin exceedingly; yet, if it has done this, it has done its job gloriously because we understand that the role of the law, in its holiness and goodness, was to expose sin; and, as we read in Galatians 3:21-25 in Tuesday’s article, the law led us to Christ!

As Brother Miles is in Ireland on mission, his Wednesday Word may not be sent out for a few weeks.  Therefore, we’ve reached back to October 8. 2008 Wednesday Word archives from Miles’ website, www.isjesusenough.com.  As I’m posting this early for automatic publication at midnight early Wednesday morning, if Brother Miles does get another edition of The Wednesday Word out via email, Justification by Grace will post that article as well. 

If the Lord should bring him to remembrance, please continue to pray for Miles as he is ministering in Ireland. 

“Jesus is never seen until the Holy Spirit opens the eye. The water from the well of life is never received until the Holy Spirit has drawn it from the depths.” Spurgeon 

Contrary to much of today’s evangelical preaching, we must state that the message of New Birth is not the gospel. 

We have often touched on this subject in previous Wednesday Words, but now we need to give it a little more attention.  Much as we value the necessity of the New Birth we must remember that it is the work of the Holy Spirit within us and not the work of the Son for us.  Yes we all must be born again, but to preach being born again is to preach the fruit of the gospel and not the gospel itself! 

The work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration is, of course, vital.  Unless God the Holy Spirit intervenes upon the will and the conscience, the dead sinner will remain dead, the unwilling sinner will remain unwilling and the desperately hard sinner will remain tough and insensitive.  But, vital as the work of the Holy Spirit is, His work in us is not the gospel; it is not the perfect, finished saving acts of God in history in the person of the Lord Jesus! 

Mark it down; Jesus coming into our heart is not the gospel!  In fact, the command to “ask Jesus into your heart” is nowhere found in the Bible.  Jesus never once commanded anyone to do anything of the sort nor did the apostles ever suggest that this was the way to salvation!  As for Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me,” this was written to the Church, not to the unbeliever, so there is no warrant for using it as a proof text to support the practice of asking Jesus into the heart in order to be saved! 

‘Ask Jesus into your heart’ is a well-meaning sentiment that, as far as I can ascertain, comes out of old time revivalism and as a phrase it was introduced into Christianity to counteract the dead formalism that had taken over so-called Christianity.  In this day and age of rampant subjectivism, however, I venture to say that it has become a dangerous phrase because it conveys the impression that the one who has prayed this prayer is now saved simply because he has said this prayer.  Salvation is now by formula— “just ask Jesus into your heart.” Gone is the need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  Gone is the need for faith alone in Christ alone!  Yet, there are many preachers who maintain that to neglect to tell people to ask Jesus into their hearts is to neglect to preach the Gospel. 

The greatest news in the Universe, however, is not that we can be born again; the greatest news is that God invaded this world in the person of His Son and became the substitute for sinners in His doing and dying.  To cause people to major on the ‘doing’ of praying a formula prayer for salvation is far removed from trusting in the ‘done’ of the gospel. 

The truth is, the Gospel is not about our heart at all; rather, it concerns God’s heart of sheer grace that was demonstrated to us, apart from us and outside of us in the Christ event in time and history.  The gospel is not about how God acts in the believer, but rather about His saving acts outside the believer. 

Because of the gospel event, the Bible declares that we are freely justified by grace (Romans 3:24).  We are not justified because He has come into our heart.  No!  He has justified us freely by grace.  ‘Freely’ is a wonderful word!  Not only does it mean ‘without a cost’ it also means ‘without a cause’.  There is no quality, therefore, in the human heart which causes God to save us.  We are saved by grace and this grace was given to us, not when “Jesus came into our hearts”, but given to us in Christ Jesus before we were ever formed.  He “saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (2 Timothy 1:9). 

Grace, you remember, means that God accepts those who are unacceptable.  He does not accept us because He has come into our hearts and changed us into something satisfactory.  That then would no longer be grace.  He doesn’t declare us ‘not guilty’ because He has found a new righteousness within us.  The only perfect righteousness that He has ever found is the righteousness which is in Christ Jesus alone.  On this point, I love what John Bunyan says in his book, “Grace Abounding for the Chief of Sinners.”  At a particular time in his life he was going through deep torment of his mind and tells us, 

“-this sentence fell upon my soul: Thy righteousness is in heaven. And I saw that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, the same yesterday, today and forever.” 

In Conclusion: The big issue before us in this matter of salvation is not whether or not Christ is in us, but rather whether or not we are in Christ!  The ground of our acceptance before God is found entirely outside of us and not in us.  We are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” – Romans 3:24. 

And that’s the Gospel Truth 

Blessings
Miles

Miles McKee Ministries
“Is Jesus Enough?”
Box 541, Kingston Springs,
TN, 37082, USA
www.milesmckee.com 

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Miles McKee Ministries is a 501 (c) (3) faith ministry, dedicated to proclaiming Christ crucified and which is funded through the faithful giving of those who love the gospel. These are very challenging days— please pray for us. If the Lord is leading you to partner with us please click on this link or send your donations to us at the above address. Blessings!

The law does not oppose the promises of God because a man could never attain to righteousness by his own efforts (Romans 3:23; Isaiah 64:6).  Therefore, he could not stand justified before God because of the law. 

“But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe” (Galatians 3:22). 

This is the role and purpose of the law.  This is how it is eternally utilized in the lives of men.  It provides the standard of righteousness fulfilled in Jesus Christ alone, and that apart from faith in Jesus Christ, all men are condemned by the law as sinners. 

“But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed” (Galatians 3:23). 

Faith, as we saw in Romans 4, was exemplified and typified in Abraham all the way back in Genesis 15; however, what Paul speaks of here is the fulfillment of that faith in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:22) in the “fulness of time” (Galatians 4:4); because he states very clearly, “that should afterwards be revealed.” 

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). 

The “schoolmaster” is sometimes supposed, and even proposed to be a teacher, but that’s not what the Greek word (παιδαγωγος) means.  In Paul’s day, for both the Greek and Roman cultures, the pedagogue was a child or young man who led smaller children [to school].  This schoolmaster didn’t teach, wasn’t in charge of learning, or have oversight of education, as we think of tutors, teachers, principals, head masters or schoolmasters today.  It was merely someone who took the children by the hand and led them to school.  Similarly, the law is like that.  It doesn’t teach the sinner anything.  It merely exposes sin and the utter sinfulness of man.  The law was our schoolmaster (past tense).   The law led us to Christ because of our inability to keep the law as God’s righteous standard.  Through the law, we could not of ourselves or by ourselves be justified before God. 

“But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster” (Galatians 3:25). 

We do not need a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ when once we are in Christ by God’s grace through saving faith.  Sin is exposed by the brightness of Christ’s presence for the entire law has been fulfilled by Him and is fulfilled in Him.  It is as Paul said in Romans 6:14, “for ye are not under law, but under grace.” 

It may be prudent to note that as the law was not our teacher then, before we were saved, it is still not our teacher now.  Our teacher is a Person, the Holy Spirit.  He uses the law to reveal to us types, shadows, and examples fulfilled in the law by Christ. 

Additionally prudent to add is the reminder that the law has not been abolished, put away, or done away with because it “is holy …and just, and good” (Romans 7:12), for the law and all its commandments come from God.

On Tuesday morning, March 3, 1970, with the district superintendant in attendance, Brother Don McKinney used the text of 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 to preach a sermon titled, “Particular Election.”  After the message was preached, it was put to the congregation that all those who had believed what Brother Mac had preached to please stand.  All those who stood were asked to leave the church. 

That day marked the beginning of Heritage Baptist Church.  With just a small group of 47 active members at that time, the church met in a judge’s office for a few weeks and later rented the old Chamber of Commerce building.  God provided the congregation with a very nice building a few years later.

Although Brother McKinney has recently been called home to be with the Lord, Heritage Baptist Church has grown in grace, by God’s grace, and has been strengthened in faith these past forty years by Brother McKinney’s passionate exposition of God’s truth. 

The leadership of Heritage Baptist Church has given Justification by Grace, and Jon Cardwell in particular, permission to make Brother McKinney’s sermon, “Particular Election,” available on SermonAudio.com.  You can go to the SermonAudio.com page to freely download or listen to the sermon by CLICKING HERE, or you can listen to the sermon at our audio extension, http://justificationbygrace.blogspot.com.

“What shall we say then?  Is the law sin?  God forbid.  Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Romans 7:7). 

Paul mentioned in Romans 7:5 that “the motions of sin… were by the law”; that is, the sufferings, afflictions, and passions of sin came by the law and were revealed through the law.  Paul anticipates, that because he said this, someone might suggest the absurd notion that the law was sin.  Once again, how can the law be sin when it comes forth from God? 

Then, Paul gives a personal example of his own experience with the law by explaining that he didn’t even know he was lusting until covetousness was revealed by the law as sin; and here, the apostle quotes Exodus 20:17. 

“But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.  For without the law sin was dead” (Romans 7:8). 

Once he learned that particular command of the law, all kinds of evil lusts and desires arose within him (“wrought in me all manner of concupiscence”).   “For without the law sin was dead”; in other words, that before he was awakened to the knowledge of certain laws within the Scriptures, it didn’t mean that he didn’t sin, it just meant that the awareness of that sin was not alive in his mind and thinking.  When you see the sign that says, “Wet Paint,” it stirs in the natural man the inclination to touch it. 

“For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died” (Romans 7:9). 

With the knowledge and awareness of sin that comes through the law, sin is awakened and alive, and here, Paul says he “died.”  He’s not speaking of our death to the law here as saved souls; he speaks of the sinner’s condemnation in the sight of a holy God.  He is still speaking in the past tense.  Because sin is awakened and alive, a sinner cannot stand justified in the presence of this holy, and just, and good God. 

In order to more properly illustrate the Role of the Law, and segue into our next point, the Restrictions of the Law (Law’s Inability), it would be especially good for our understanding to look at Galatians 3:21-25, which we will do in the next article.

“Faith’s Review and Expectation” is a hymn that is more commonly known today as “Amazing Grace.”  Penned by John Newton (1725-1807), this hymn first appeared in Olney Hymns published in 1779.  1 Chronicles 17:16-17 was the inspirational text that prompted Mr. Newton’s hymn. 

The version below was Hymn 41 on pages 58-59 from a copy of Olney Hymns Complete, published by T. Nelson and Sons, London, Edinburgh, and New York in 1856. 

John Newton, a former slave ship captain, was saved by God’s grace and became a pastor, first receiving the curate at Olney, Buckinghamshire in 1764, and then accepting the position of Rector at St. Mary Woolnoth in London in 1779. 

FAITH’S REVIEW AND EXPECTATION
also known as “Amazing Grace”

C.M. 8.6.8.6. (New Britain) 

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound!)
That sav’d a wretch like me!
I once was lost but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears reliev’d;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believ’d!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,
His word my hope secures:
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine:
But God, who call’d me here below,
Will be forever mine.

We are already told in Romans 6:14 that the believer is not under Law, but instead, under grace; and in a series of recent articles in Romans 6, we took a look at one dimension of that principle by illustrating the law as freedom from bondage, and then the reality of lordship in the blessedness of being a bond slave to Christ.  Here, Paul appeals to Jews who have been raised and trained in the Law.

[NOTE: I believe that he addresses the Jew specifically because these believing Jews, who have been trained in the Law of Moses rather than merely knowing, or are familiar with the Law of Moses, will be able to teach those less familiar with the Law.  See Hebrews 5:12]. 

The Law has rule and dominion.  It has authority because it comes from God.  Yet, although it has authority, it has no authority over one who is dead.  Its commands and demands are useless upon those who obviously cannot carry them out, either actively or passively. 

“For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.  So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man” (Romans 7:2-3). 

So Paul uses an illustration with which the Jews can easily relate: marriage.  From the Jewish understanding of the Law in Genesis 2, Genesis 38, Deuteronomy 25, &etc., they recognized that if a husband died, the wife is not under any obligation to that dead husband.  The Sadducees that tempted Christ in Matthew 22 with the hypothetical man having a wife, but after he died, the wife went to brother after brother as each one died, for a total of seven brothers.  If the man who died had no brothers, the woman was free to marry whomever she wished.  This seemed to be a fairly common understanding in Christ’s days, as well, as before and after. 

“Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God” (Romans 7:4). 

This may seem a contradiction to some because the previous example speaks of one living and one dead; the living one being free to marry another.  Yet, this speaks of the dead being free to marriage in the context of resurrection (Romans 6:4-6).  Though we are crucified with Christ in His death and burial when we are saved by God’s grace, we are also raised in the likeness of His resurrection, free to marry another, which is none other than the Lord, Christ.  Note also, it is we who have died unto the law and not the law unto us.  “The law is… holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12), because, again we must remind ourselves, it comes from God. 

“For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death” (Romans 7:5). 

These two verses give us context for what Paul is talking about, as well as amplifying his illustration of marriage and death.  First, the context is that “we were in the flesh”; that is, we were in the flesh before we were saved (and most especially speaking to his Jewish brethren, the exclusive “we,” yet still applicable to every soul saved by grace); we were under the law and its authority (past tense).  As a result of being in the flesh then, the fruit that came forth from our lives was not “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [or] temperance” (Galatians 5:22, 23).  Instead, the fruit which we bore were “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like,” because these are the fruit of the flesh unto death, and “they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). 

“But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:6). 

Now that we are in Christ, we serve God, not by keeping every element of the law (oldness of the letter), but instead by living a resurrected life unto God by “the newness of the [indwelling Holy] Spirit.”   Christ’s atoning death was our deliverance when God’s grace brought us identification, justification, redemption, and regeneration by faith in Christ alone.

Grace is an eternal truth that carries with it all the power of heaven, so when we are delivered from the bondage of sin and death through Jesus Christ, justification by faith may be exhilarating to our souls because of truth’s freedom, and thus we may have a tendency toward licentiousness; that is, treating grace as if it were a license to sin.  Romans 6:1-23 confronts that very issue: “What shall we say then?  Shall we continue to sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid” (Romans 6:1, 2). 

When the Holy Spirit reveals that tendency of license to us, we may tend to offset that extreme with legalism; that is, treating grace as if it must be maintained by certain works of the laws and ordinances of the Bible.  The apostle Paul addresses this in Romans 7:1-25. 

Pharisaical and Popish religion carries legalism to an even greater extreme by adding traditions to Biblical law, and calling that “grace,” denying the truth of justification by faith alone (sola fide); while “Christian” cults carry legalism even further by removing grace altogether and imposing unbiblical rules and regulations upon its subjects in order to be justified. 

Therefore, as we read through Romans 7 we will recognize that not only does a struggle exist for the soul saved by grace, but also that this struggle must exist between flesh and spirit, and between license and legalism, for it is in the struggle that we face daily that keeps us at the Cross of Jesus Christ. 

In the next several doctrinal articles we will examine three main points from Romans 7:1-13. 

1.         The RULE of the Law.
2.         The ROLE of the Law.
3.         The RESTRICTIONS of the Law. 

It may be more functional or helpful to view them this way: 

1.         The Law’s AUTHORITY.
2.         The Law’s UTILITY.
3.         The Law’s INABILITY.