The rule for holiness is the law of God. We shall first discuss the law in a general sense, and then each commandment in particular.
תורה (torah), which is the Hebrew word for “law,” is derived from הורה (hora), which means “to teach,” “to instruct.” A law is thus a lesson or instruction in the way which one ought to go. This is likewise true for מצוה (mitzvah), which means “commandment,” הק (chãq), which means “institution,” as well as משפט (mishpat), which means “judgment” or “judgments.” To make a distinction between these words, as if the one were to refer to the moral, and others to the ceremonial and civil laws, is without foundation (cf. Ps 119). In Greek we have the word νόμος (nomos)—a derivative of νέμειν (nemein)—which means “to direct,” or “to distribute,” for the law governs the life of man, and reward or punishment is distributed commensurate with the compliance with these directives. In Latin we have the word lex—a derivative of legere—which means “to read,” for laws are read to the subjects and are displayed in order to be read. It can also be a derivative of ligare, which means “to obligate”—for the law obligates to obedience. “Law” in our language may be a derivative from “to know”1 because the knowledge of God’s law has been impressed upon man’s nature, and God has more clearly made it known to His church in order that they “might know them” (Ps 78:6). Thus by virtue of the etymology of the word we can say that the law is a known and binding rule of conduct.
The word “law” is used in various ways. It means 1) the law of nature (Rom 2:14-15); 2) the corruption of human nature which dominates in the unconverted, and frequently overpowers the converted (Rom 7:23); 3) the entire Word of God (Ps 19:7-8); 4) the books of Moses (Luke 24:44); 5) the gospel (Rom 3:27; Isa 2:3); 6) the civil laws (John 19:7); 7) the ceremonial laws (Heb 10:1); and 8) the moral law, comprehended in the ten commandments (Matt 22:36-38). The law in this latter connotation is the subject of our discussion here.
The law is the rule of life given to man by God, the only Lawgiver, to govern the disposition of his heart, thoughts, words, and conduct thereby.
If we view the law as a condition of the covenant of works, it carries with it the threat of death to transgressors and the promise of life to those who observe it perfectly. If, however, we view it in the context of the circumstances and the objective with which it was declared at Mount Sinai, then the true partakers of the covenant can indeed perceive what their transgressions do merit and what the consequences of perfect obedience would be. The punishment due upon them has been taken away by the Surety, however, and by their continual commission of offenses they readily perceive that they cannot perfectly keep the law nor obtain salvation by the law, but only through the Surety, Jesus Christ. They also understand that upon their transgressions God chastises them as a Father and that He graciously rewards their sincere efforts.
The Giver of the Law
The Lawgiver is God who is the Creator and Preserver of all things and the Lord of His church—His property. The act of legislating consists of several aspects. There must be 1) one who is superior to another in majesty and excellency; 2) proper subordination of the recipient of the law under the lawgiver; 3) the obligation of the subject to the superior to obey the laws which have been issued; and 4) laws themselves as they relate to conduct.
God alone, by virtue of His nature, is the majestic and exalted One. He gives life to man and by His influence preserves his being. The Lord Himself is worthy of being obeyed. He has the authority to issue commands, even if there were no creature. The existence of the creature presupposes its origin in Him, and therefore the creature is subject to Him in his existence and functioning. The creature is furthermore obligated to render all obedience to his Maker. Even if the intelligent creature did not have an express command, he is nevertheless, from the first moment of his existence, obligated to obey God as the only Lawgiver in all that He has impressed upon his nature and in all that He would either command or prohibit relative to a variety of matters. This obligation is even impressed upon the conscience of man so that he is acquainted with and approves of both his obligation toward, and the will of, this Lawgiver, and obligates himself to obey Him. This disposition renders man fit to know God, the Lawgiver, by His works and to perceive and experience this binding relationship in a more lively manner. Man, in the state of perfection, had all this perfectly impressed upon his nature, and after the fall this impression remained in all men, although imperfectly. This is generally referred to as the Law of Nature, which we have discussed in chapter one. After the covenant of works had been broken, the Lord established the covenant of grace. When God had confined His people to Abraham’s seed, and had separated them from other nations, He then pronounced the law with an audible voice from Mount Sinai and inscribed it in two tables of stone. This is generally referred to as The Law of the Ten Commandments. Of both the law of nature as well as the law of Scripture God is the author and giver (Rom 2:14-15). When God pronounced the law from Sinai, He began with, “I am the Lord thy God” (Exod 20:2); “There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy” (James 4:12). The Son of God stood in a relationship to the church as her Mediator and King from the very outset of the covenant of grace. The giving of the law is attributed to Him by reason of that relationship.
He is called “the angel,” that is, the messenger, because He was appointed by the Father as Mediator and also because the Father executes everything that pertains to the church by Him. “…He shall … suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger2 of the covenant” (Mal 3:1). He is the angel who has the name Jehovah in His bosom (Exod 23:20-21); this was the Angel Jehovah who appeared unto Abraham (Gen 18:1); this was the Angel who appeared unto Moses in the burning bush (Exod 3:2, 4, 6); and this same Angel, in His function as King, has given the law. This is evident in the following passage: “And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. This Moses … did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush. This is he (Moses), that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers” (Acts 7:30, 35, 38).
In the giving of the law, the Lord used the angels and Moses as His servants. This is to be observed in the following passages: “Who have received the law by the disposition of angels” (Acts 7:53); “… and it (the law) was ordained by angels in the hand of a Mediator” (Gal 3:19). In the giving of the law the angels have accompanied the Son of God, their Head, as His servants and surrounded the mountain (Deut 33:2). After the law had been inscribed in the tables of stone, the angels handed those stones to Moses (Gal 3:19). Moses, having received the tables from the angels, brought them to the people and laid them in the ark (Exod 34:29; Deut 10:5); similarly, he received the ceremonial laws from God upon the mountain and made them known to the people. In light of this it is said, “For the law was given by Moses” (John 1:17).