Deuteronomy 30:11-14

“Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in Heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into Heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.”

It is a very prevalent idea in the world, that all people shall be saved by the law under which they live; so that Jews, Turks, and heathen of every description, have as good a prospect of salvation, as those who enjoy the light of the Gospel. But there has been only one way of salvation from the fall of Adam to the present moment. How far God may be pleased to extend mercy for Christ’s sake to some who have not had an opportunity of hearing the Gospel, we cannot presume to say; but to those who have the Scriptures in their hands we are sure that there is no hope of acceptance, but through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the way of salvation revealed to Adam, confirmed to Abraham, and more fully opened in the Mosaic law. It was of this that Moses spoke in the words before us; to elucidate which, we shall inquire,

I. What is the commandment here spoken of?

What it was may be seen by consulting,

1. The testimony of Moses himself.

It was not the moral law that was given on Mount Sinai, but “the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb, Deuteronomy 29:1.”

The law given on Mount Sinai, of which Horeb was a part, was strictly a covenant of works; but that which was given in the land of Moab, was a covenant of grace.

That law on Mount Sinai made no provision for the smallest transgression; it simply said, Do this, and live.

That law in the land of Moab was accompanied with the sprinkling of the blood of sacrifices both on the altar and on the people, Exodus 24:3-8; and intimated, that through the blood of the great Sacrifice, that their iniquities, if truly repented of, might be forgiven. This distinction is very carefully noticed in the Epistle to the Hebrews, where Paul, mentioning some particulars not related by Moses, declares, that, by the covenant thus ratified, remission of sins was provided for, and might be obtained by all who sought it in the appointed way.

2. An inspired exposition of the passage, Romans 10:5-10.

The apostle Paul is expressly contrasting the nature of the two covenants; the Law, he tells us, required perfect obedience, and said, “He that does these things shall live by them, Leviticus 18:5 and Deuteronomy 27:26.” But the Gospel, that is, “the righteousness which is of faith, speaks in this way;” and then he quotes the words before us, and explains them as referring to the Gospel. Some have thought that he quoted these words only in a way of accommodation; but it is plain that he understood them as strictly applicable to his point. Speaking of the righteousness which is of faith, he says, “But what does it say?” He then, quoting the very words of Moses, answers, “The word is near you, even in your mouth and in your heart;” and then he adds, “This is the word of faith which we preach.”

If then the Apostle was inspired by the Holy Spirit, the matter is clear; and the Gospel was the commandment of which Moses spoke.

It is worthy of observation, that Christ and his Apostles speak of it under very similar terms. Our Lord says, “This is the work of God, that you believe on him whom he has sent;” by which he means, that it is the work which God requires of us, John 6:28-29. Paul calls the Gospel, “the law of faith, Romans 3:27.” John says, “This is his commandment, that you believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, 1 John 3:23.” And “obeying the Gospel” is the common term used for believing in Christ, Romans 10:15; Romans 16:26; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17.

3. The particular characters by which this covenant in Moab is distinguished.

Moses speaks of it as plainly revealed, and as easily understood. Now this representation accords with that dispensation of the Gospel which was given to the Jews; they had no necessity for anyone to ascend up to Heaven, or to go over the sea, to bring them information about the way of life; for God had already revealed it to them from Heaven; he had shown them by the moral law that they were all in a state of guilt and condemnation; and he had shown them by the ceremonial law that they were to be saved by means of a sacrifice, which should in due time be offered. And though that revelation was comparatively obscure—yet any Jew with pious dispositions might understand it sufficiently to obtain salvation by it.

But these characters in the fullest sense agree with the Gospel as it is made known to us. We are not left to inquire whether there is a Savior or not? Whether Christ has come down from above? Or whether he has been raised up again from the dead? We know that he has come into the world; that he has “died for our sins, and has risen again for our justification.” We know that he has done everything that is necessary for our reconciliation with God, and will do everything that can be necessary for the carrying on and perfecting the salvation of our souls.

There is no uncertainty about any point that is of importance to us to know. Nor indeed is there any difficulty in understanding what he has revealed. All that is required, is, a simple, humble, teachable spirit; and to such a one, however ignorant he is in other respects, every part of the Gospel is dear.

The humble Christian “has within himself the witness” of all the fundamental truths of the Gospel. What doubt can he have that he is a guilty and condemned creature; or that he needs an atonement for his sins, and a better righteousness than his own for his justification before God? What doubt can he have that he needs the influences of the Holy Spirit to renew him after the divine image, and to render him fit for Heaven?

“If the Gospel is hidden from any, it is because the god of this world has blinded their eyes;” it is not the intricacy or obscurity of the Gospel that makes it unintelligible to them, but the simplicity and brightness of it, “they love darkness rather than light;” and complain of the Gospel, when the fault is only in themselves. As revealed to us, the Gospel is not obscure; as revealed in us, it is bright as the meridian sun.

Such then “is the commandment which God commands us this day.” We proceed to consider,

II. What is the obedience which this covenant at Moab requires.

1. This covenant at Moab demands from us an inward approbation of the heart.

Without this, all the knowledge of men or angels would be of little use. On this our salvation altogether depends. Moses says, “The word is in your heart;” and Paul’s exposition of it is, “If you shall believe in your heart that God has raised the Lord Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved.” Thus a mere rational assent to divine truth is particularly excluded from the office of saving; and salvation is annexed to that faith only which calls forth all the affections of the soul, “a faith which works by love.”

As “a commandment,” it is to have all the force of a law within us, “casting down imaginations with every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,” and “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” It is not sufficient that we merely acknowledge the death and resurrection of Christ as parts of our creed; we must see and feel the necessity of them in order to the deliverance of our souls from death and Hell; and we must also glory in them, as the infinitely wise, gracious, and all-sufficient means of our redemption. We must have such a view of these truths, as makes us to “account all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of them! Philippians 3:8.” This was insisted on as necessary to the admission of converts into the Christian Church. And it is the experience of all who truly belong to Christ, Romans 6:17.

2. This covenant at Moab demands from us an outward confession of them with the mouth.

It is curious to observe what minute attention the Apostle paid to the words of Moses, and what emphasis he has laid upon them. Moses had transiently observed, “The word is in your mouth and in your heart;” but the Apostle amplifies the idea, and shows repeatedly that the confessing of Christ with the mouth is quite as necessary as the believing on him with the heart; by the latter indeed we obtain “righteousness;” but by the former we obtain complete “salvation, Romans 10:9-10.”

In that age, to confess Christ before men was to subject oneself to persecutions and death in their most cruel forms; but our Lord would not acknowledge anyone as his disciple, who would neglect to do it; he warned his disciples that such cowardice would infallibly exclude them from the kingdom of Heaven.

How necessary then and indispensable, must a confession of Christ in this age be, when we have nothing to fear but the loss of some temporal interest, and the being stigmatized with some ignominious name! Truly, if we are ashamed to confess him, we may well be banished from his presence as the weakest and most contemptible of the human race! Mark 8:38.

Let this then be considered by all who would secure the salvation of their souls; they must openly confess their attachment to Christ, and must “follow him outside the camp, bearing his reproach.” A public acknowledging of him indeed will not supersede the necessity of internal piety; nor will the piety of the heart supersede the necessity of honoring Christ by an open profession of our faith; both are necessary in their place; and both must be combined by those who would derive any benefit from either.

Learn then from hence,

1. To value aright the privileges you enjoy.

The Jews were far exalted above the heathen; but we are no less exalted above them; for we have the substance, of which the Jews had only the shadow. But even among Christians also there is a great difference; some having the Gospel more fully and clearly opened to them than others. We pray God that the light which you enjoy may be improved by you; else it will leave you in a more deplorable state than Sodom and Gomorrah!

2. To guard against entertaining discouraging thoughts about the salvation of your souls.

Moses tells you that you have no occasion for such thoughts; and Paul guards you against the admission of them into your minds, “Say not in your heart,” who shall do such and such things for me? It is very common for people to think their salvation on one account or other is unattainable. But “what could God have done for us that he has not done?” or what provision do we need which he has not laid up in store for us? To say, ‘This salvation is not for me,’ is to contradict the Scriptures, and to “make God a liar.” Repeatedly is it said, that “whoever believes in Christ, and whoever shall call on his name—shall be saved.” It matters not whether he is a Jew or a Gentile, a greater sinner or a lesser sinner; for “God is rich unto all that call upon him,” whatever guilt they may have contracted, or whatever discouragements they may labor under, Romans 10:11-13.

Put away then all unbelieving fears, and know, that, as the Gospel is revealed for the benefit of all, so it shall be effectual for all who believe and obey it!

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)