WITH terrible malignancy, these men, who made their boast in the Law, would have destroyed Him who came to fulfill the Law and the prophets, had they been per witted to do so.
The legalist cannot understand the grace of God. To him there is nothing so important as the observance of rules and regulations. Spiritual realities are an unsolved mystery to him, and even distressed mankind are of small moment compared with the performance of religious rites and ceremonies. But the heart of God, as expressed in the life of Jesus, puts the emphasis, not on some sacramental system, but upon faith in the Word of the Lord and devotion to the Person of Christ. God’s rest, after the work of creation was finished, had soon been broken because of man’s sin, and He had never kept a sabbath of perfect freedom from service to mankind since. As the Father thus wrought, so the Son was constantly occupied in repairing sin’s ravages. For Him there could be no sabbath rest from toil and labor until the work of redemption was accomplished.
“O Lord, we now the path retrace
Which Thou on earth hast trod,
To man Thy wondrous love and grace,
Thy faithfulness to God!
Unmoved by Satan’s subtle wiles,
Or suffering, shame, or lose,
Thy path uncheered by earthly smiles,
Led only to the cross.
O Lord, with sorrow and with shame,
We meekly would confess,
How little we, who bear Thy name,
Thy mind, Thy ways, express.”
―J. C. Deck