Shall mortal man be more just [righteous] than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? (Job 4:17)
In Part 1, I began with the assumption that Christians would answer both questions with a resounding, “No!” I then established that because Yahweh1 does not change (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, James 1:17), His everlasting righteousness (Psalm 119:142) doesn’t change, and because His righteousness doesn’t change, neither does the triune moral law (His commandments, statutes, and judgments) that conveys His righteousness to us.
Pre-Sinai Law
Practically speaking, this is where many modern Christians find themselves living as if they are more righteous than Yahweh. Because they erroneously believe the Ten Commandments and their respective statutes and judgments did not exist prior to Moses’ interaction with God at Mt. Sinai, they believe the law was only relevant to the Mosaic Covenant. They consequently dismiss the idea that Yahweh’s triune law transcends the covenants. As a result, they also reject any notion that His law is relevant under the New Covenant. But if the law that reflects God’s moral nature doesn’t transcend the covenants, then neither does His righteousness. Righteousness would, for the most part, be left to conjecture—every man doing that which is right in his own eyes, per Judges 21:25.
Yahweh’s triune moral law did not come into existence at Mt. Sinai. Over 500 years prior to Moses, Abraham kept that same law:
And YHWH appeared unto him [Isaac], and said, … I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because that Abraham [thy father] obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. (Genesis 26:2-5)
The book of Jasher2 expounds upon Abraham’s law observance and, in so doing, identifies the law he kept:
…Abram served the Lord his God all the days of his life, and he walked in His ways and followed His law. (Jasher 12:42)
…He [Yahweh] said unto me [Abraham], to thy seed I will give all these lands, and they shall inherit them when [at the time of Moses] they keep my commandments, my statutes and my judgments that I have commanded thee [Isaac], and which I shall command them. Now therefore my son, hearken to my voice, and keep the commandments of the Lord thy God … that it may be well with thee and thy children forever. …teach then thy children and thy seed the instruction of the Lord and His commandments. (Jasher 26:24-26)
In Jasher 26, we find the law that Abraham kept structured into three integral components—commandments, statutes, and judgments. This is the same structure Moses later codified under the Mosaic Covenant:
Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which YHWH your God commanded to teach you…. (Deuteronomy 6:1)
There is a plethora of pre-Sinai evidence for the existence of Yahweh’s moral law, including the fact that Moses himself used it to judge the nation of Israel prior to receiving the two tablets on Mt. Sinai:
And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses sat to judge the people…. When they have a matter, they come unto me; and I judge between one and another, and I do make them know the statutes of God, and his laws. (Exodus 18:13-16)
This was recorded two chapters prior to Moses’ descending Mt. Sinai with the Decalogue. The two tablets didn’t mark the beginning of Yahweh’s moral law, but the beginning of the Mosaic Covenant.
Covenant Change
It is true that the covenants (the way Yahweh chooses to deal with man at any given time) change. But Yahweh and His everlasting righteousness transcend not only the covenants, but time itself. Therefore, the triune moral law that conveys His righteousness to man also transcends the covenants.
The Old Covenant and its approach to the moral law of Yahweh (i.e., that the law be kept for righteousness—Deuteronomy 6:25) has been superseded by the New Covenant (Romans 10:4) and Christ’s imputed righteousness to us (Romans 3:22-26, 4:6-8). However, the moral laws that have been integral to all the covenants have not been abrogated. They cannot be abrogated without effectively abrogating Yahweh’s everlasting righteousness.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19-20)
But seek ye first the kingdom of God [established on His moral law], and his righteousness [as reflected in His moral law]…. (Matthew 6:33)
Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:31)
Is mortal man more just or righteous than God?
To eliminate Yahweh’s triune moral law is to eliminate His everlasting righteousness, and to eliminate His righteousness dictates that we institute and live our lives by our own righteousness.
Anyone who refuses to admit that Yahweh’s righteousness (as represented in His moral law) transcends all covenants, must then admit that man is at least as righteous as Yahweh. Why? Because without his immutable, fixed, and perpetual righteousness, Yahweh would be just as fickle as finite man. Praise God, He’s not fickle, and neither has He withdrawn His righteous guide as represented in His commandments, statutes, and judgments.
The law sends us to the gospel for our justification; the gospel sends us to the law to frame our way of life.3
Related posts:
“Yahweh’s Everlasting Righteousness, Part 1”
Yahweh’s Everlasting Righteousness (Audio Sermon)
Yah’s Laws: Are They For Today?
Law and Kingdom: Their Relevance Under the New Covenant
1. YHWH, the English transliteration of the Tetragrammaton, is most often pronounced Yahweh. It is the principal Hebrew name of the God of the Bible and was inspired to appear nearly 7,000 times in the Old Testament. Regrettably, it was deleted by the English translators. In obedience to the Third Commandment and the many Scriptures that charge us to proclaim, swear by, praise, extol, call upon, bless, glorify, and hold fast to His name, we have chosen to memorialize His name here in this document and in our lives. For a more thorough explanation concerning important reasons for using the sacred name of God, see “The Third Commandment.”
2. Although Jasher is not a part of canonized Scripture, it is cited in Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18.
3. Samuel Bolton, The Moral Law: A Rule of Obedience, <http://www.the-highway.com/articleFeb00.html>.
Exellent, clear forceful analysis. God bless you.
Ted, this is the best thing on this subject I have ever read. Simple, brief, clear, easy to understand immutable truth. Thank you. Because your words always make me think, here I will add a comment from my personal perspective:
The conscience of man, imbued by the Creator, is the powerful evidence that everything you say here is true. Unless there is a short circuit, such as sociopaths may have, the creature has the Creator’s moral truth within him. It is hard to rationalize away the truth that is already within us. Man must deny the truth of YAHWEH’s moral law and righteousness to conduct himself contrary to that law. Hopefully, in so doing, man will be troubled by his sin, recognize his need for Christ and Grace, turn from sin and embrace the Savior.
Amen and amen! Ultimately, the law and its implications mean little, if we’re not convicted by it of our own personal sins and drawn to Yahweh via the blood atoning sacrifice and resurrection of Christ.