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#2. The gospel as preached by Paul was in accordance with
the testimony of the law and the prophets.
pp. 125 - 127
It would probably not be easy to find complete agreement among our readers as to the
chronological order of Paul's epistles. This question does not, however, influence our
present investigation, and we will therefore take the canonical order and commence with
the Epistle to the Romans though here we may all be in agreement that it was the last
epistle written before the change of dispensation. If we can prove that this epistle fulfils
the Apostle's claim as cited at the head of this article, the case is practically settled, for if
the latest epistle of the series adheres closely to the law and the prophets, the earlier ones
must have done so also.
We commence reading this epistle, and in the second verse we are faced with the fact
that "the gospel of God", to which the Apostle had been "separated", was "promised
afore by His prophets in the holy scriptures" (Rom. 1: 2). This gospel was "for the
obedience of faith among all nations" (Rom. 1: 5), and its power was the provision of
righteousness by faith--a provision to be found promised in the prophets:
"As it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Rom. 1: 17: Hab. 2: 4).
After having proved both Jew and Gentile to be under sin, giving in Rom. 3: 13-18 a
continuous and composite series of quotations from the Psalms, the Apostle returns to the
subject of the provision of righteousness by faith, which constitutes the basis of the
gospel:
"But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by
the law and the prophets" (Rom. 3: 21).
This righteousness by faith belongs to the believer by imputation, and in Rom. 4:
both Abraham and David are quoted:
"For what saith the Scriptures? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him
for righteousness" (Rom. 4: 3).
"Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and
whose sins covered" (Rom. 4: 6, 7).
Pursuing this theme, we come to Rom. 10: There the Apostle speaks of Christ as
being the "end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth", and declares that
it was "ignorance" on the part of Israel that led them to attempt to produce a
righteousness of their own. For even though Moses described the righteousness which is
of the law--"That the man that doeth those things shall live by them" in Deut. 30: 12,
13 he is insistent upon the nature of the gospel message (Rom. 10: 6-10), as also are the