In Defense of the Law of God

In answer to the claim that Christ's death had abolished the Ten Commandments along with the ceremonial law, Wesley said: “The moral law, contained in the Ten Commandments and enforced by the prophets, He did not take away. This is a law that can never be broken, which ‘stands firm as the faithful witness in heaven.’”LF 111.2

Wesley declared that the law and the gospel were in perfect harmony. “On the one hand, the law continually makes way for the gospel and points us to it. On the other hand, the gospel continually leads us to fulfill the law more exactly. For instance, the law requires us to love God, to love our neighbor, to be meek, humble, or holy. We feel that we are not able to do these things.... But we see a promise of God to give us this love and to make us humble, meek, and holy. We lay hold of this gospel, this good news.... ‘The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us,’ through faith in Christ Jesus....LF 111.3

“Among the worst enemies of the gospel of Christ,” said Wesley, “are people who ... teach others to break ... not only one commandment, whether of the least or of the greatest, but all the commandments at once.... They honor Him just as Judas did when he said, ‘Greetings, Rabbi,’ and kissed Him.... It is nothing less than betraying Him with a kiss, to talk of His blood and take away His crown, to make light of any part of His law under the pretense of advancing His gospel.”^{14Wesley, Sermon 25.}LF 111.4