Change of Venue

Change of Venue

"Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be joined to another, even to Him Who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Romans 7:4).

The law is "holy, just, and good."  It can never be anything else, since God gave it to men as a standard - it is an expression of His perfection, and shows us that He must demand perfection of men.  Secondly, we have seen that Christ accomplished all the law in Himself, fulfilling every detail of it in His own human perfection, yielded and dependent upon the power of God.  He amplified it by giving to it an even stronger hold upon man and increasing its demands.  Consequently, He showed the sinfulness of man against a sharper background of light.  Then, having lived His life of perfection, He could go to the cross and die, and thus redeem us from the curse of the law.  How was this accomplished?

He did not destroy the law, for the law is perfect.  The law remains, but He takes all those who believe in His substitutionary death out from under the demands of the law, in order that they might be submitted to the even higher law of His love and grace.  When men desire to have a case at law taken from one locality to another or from the jurisdiction of one court to that of another, they may do so under established legal procedure.  This "change of venue" is expressed in a great passage in the Epistle to the Romans. "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be joined to another, even to Him Who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Romans 7:4).

This is the great result of the death of Jesus Christ: those who believe in Him are no longer under the necessary wrath of God, which must break forth wherever that perfect law is violated in thought, word, or deed.  Such violation merits Hell, but Christ took our Hell and there can be nothing left for us but His Heaven.  Henceforth there is no court in the universe that will receive a charge against God’s elect, or sit in judgment upon the one whom Christ has freed.

Dr. Barnhouse shows us that unless we take God’s graciously provided change of venue we will stand condemned before Him.  It is our responsibility as believers to share this message of grace to those who are lost and under judgment of God. 

Further Reading: Romans 7:1-6