Now we know that what things soever the law
saith
By "the law" is meant, not the law of nature, nor the civil law
of nations, nor the ceremonial law of the Jews, nor barely the
five books of Moses, nor the book of Psalms, of the Prophets, or
the writings of the whole Old Testament; but the moral law, as it
appears in the whole word of God, which every man is bound to
observe, of which all are transgressors, by which is the
knowledge of sin, which no man can be justified by, and which
Christ was made under, and came to fulfil. This law is
represented as a person speaking, and saying many things, some of
which are here mentioned; so, (hrwt hrma) , "the law says" so and so, is an usual
phrase with Jewish writers F25. The persons it speaks to,
are
them that are under the law;
the Jews were in a peculiar sense under it, as it was given to
them by Moses; all mankind are under it, as to the matter of it;
they are under obligation to obedience to it, and, through
disobedience, come under its sentence of condemnation. The elect
of God themselves were, and are in some sense under it; not
indeed as a covenant of works, or as in the hands of Moses, nor
as a yoke of bondage; nor are they obliged to seek for
justification by it, and are entirely delivered from the curse
and condemnation of it by Christ. They were under it, and that as
a covenant of works, as in Adam, the federal head and
representative of all mankind; and came under its sentence of
condemnation and death, for his sin, and their own actual
transgressions; which is consistent with the everlasting love of
God to them in Christ, the covenant of grace made with them in
him, as their head and surety, and their justification by him:
and they are now under it, as in the hands of Christ; and look
upon themselves as obliged, by the love of Christ, to yield a
cheerful obedience to it: here it means such as are transgressors
of the law, and so under obligation to punishment, without any
regard to Jew or Gentile, or any distinction God has made in his
own breast: and the things it says to such are, it charges them
with sin, and convicts them of it, both of its pollution and
guilt: so
that every mouth may be stopped;
and have nothing to say of the purity of their nature, which
appears to be so sadly stained; nor of their works of
righteousness, which are so few, and so very imperfect. The law
makes such a representation of things to them, that their mouths
are stopped from glorying in themselves, and in their works,
which are far from being adequate to the demands of the law; and
from complaining against the righteous judgment of God, should he
proceed against them in the most rigorous manner:
and all the world may become guilty before God;
Jews and Gentiles; all the individuals of mankind are guilty
before God, and will be found to be so, sooner or later: some
read it, "subject to God", and understand it of a subjection to
his grace, being brought to see their need of it, and of
salvation by it; but this is not the case of all the world,
rather (upodikov) ,
signifies a subjection to that justice, vengeance, and wrath of
God, to which all men are liable in their own persons; since they
are all found guilty by the law, and will appear to be so, and
therefore can never be justified by their obedience to it; which
is what the apostle is aiming at in all he here says, as appears
from what follows; all which "we know" to be true, and are fully
assured of, who know the nature and spirituality of the law, and
to whom it has come with light and power.