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| C. I. SCOFIELD |
"A lawyer has asked Christ what he has to
do, and He turns him to the
law, not as the way to be saved, but the answer to his condition. The man gives the summary of the law as love to God and his neighbor, and Christ says, 'Thou hast answered
right.' But we are not saved by right answers or a correct creed, but by Christ's work. The law is something to
do, not to talk about. 'The man that
doeth these things shall live by them.' [Gal. 3:12.] But he is willing to justify himself, instead of letting God do it, and the law never serves that end, but condemns us. ['For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.' Rom. 3:20.] There never will be in the universe such a thing as an unjudged sin, either in ourselves or in our Substitute. [Sin's penalty must be paid: 'For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Rom. 6:23.] Grace is the basis of all our blessing, and grace is 'getting everything for nothing.' We have here three things:
1. Grace comes to the sinner where he is.
2. [Grace] saves the sinner as he is.
3. [Grace] cares for him to the end.
How beautiful to note that if this man went down to Jericho, Jesus came up from Jericho in His last journey to the cross. [The man's works could not avail; whereas Jesus did it all! He 'saves to the uttermost'! Heb. 7:25.] The man does nothing, can do nothing, has not to lift himself up on his elbows; all is done for him--saved where he is, then kept by the way, and cared for to the end."[1]
Reference:
[1] C. I. Scofield,
Goodly Portions, Vol. IV, No. 10 (October 1892), pg. 74, brackets added.
