Pilgrim,

What is the "moral law"? You are trying to say that those who were not under the law, as given at Sinai, nevertheless sinned and are held accountable for their sins.

True. But your conclusion is that they are therefore judged according to a "moral law". You are using a term which is not given in scripture. What existed before the Mosaic Law was RIGHTEOUSNESS. God's righteousness existed then and is eternal. That is the standard by which men are judged. You seem to be calling it the "moral law" but that just confuses it with the written 10 commandments given at Sinai.

Romans 2:12 (and 16) tells us with regard to the Gentiles "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law"..."In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel".

This shows that some perish without law. Well what standard are they then judged by? By the Gospel, in which the righteousness of God is revealed, Romans 1:16-17. This is that righteousness of God WITHOUT the law which is manifested in the Gospel, being witnessed by the law and the prophets Rom 3:21.

So righteousness exists apart from the law. What is the full revelation of God's righteousness? The Mosaic law? NO! Christ IS. He is the express image of God's person. Heb 1:3.

All mankind will be judged according to that standard of righteousness as revealed in the Gospel in Christ. This is a standard which is HIGHER than that revealed in the law, which is why in Matthew 5:20 it says "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven." The scribes and pharisees knew the law, and tried to keep it to the letter, but Christ revealed the righteousness of God in the Gospel which exceeds what the law required, and which He actually imputes to His people through His blood.

This is the righteousness of God, the righteousness of faith, Romans 10. It is in this standard of righteousness which the believer walks, in a new principle of faith, not just outward obedience to commands engraved in stone, but obedience from the heart, by faith, to the law of faith as written upon the fleshy tables of the heart.

This is why the New Covenant as seen in Christ is so much more glorious than the Old - it fully reveals God's righteousness, and through Christ's perfect work all believers are made righteous in Him.

The Mosaic Law however isn't righteousness itself. It is a Law. It is a rule of righteousness with sanctions attached. In that it contains commandments those commandments certainly describe righteousness but they are nevertheless a 'rule' a 'law' with sanctions. The believer isn't under that. He walks in righteousness, but not in a 'law' principle, but in grace, by faith. There is no condemnation to the believer (Rom 8) because His sin has been atoned for by Christ, so he cannot be under law because law still threatens sanctions upon being broken. Walking in the Spirit by faith, he looks unto Jesus who is his righteousness.

Last edited by Ian_Potts; Tue Feb 10, 2004 9:51 AM.