Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

The moral portion of the Law (such as the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:2-17)) that lays out God's requirements for human conduct toward God and other people is still a valid indicator of God's standard as to how we are to act. (As Jesus said in Matthew 22:35-40, all the Law and the teaching of the prophets can be summed up in the two commandments, "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind," (Deuteronomy 6:5) and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18).)

However, obedience to the Law is not the means by which humans receive salvation and eternal life. That is done solely through faith in Christ and the redemption that He accomplished through His sinless life, atoning death, and resurrection (Ephesians 2:8-9). (As Paul points out in Romans 1 and Romans 4, even in the Old Testament (in passages such as Habakkuk 2:4 and Genesis 15:6) it was actually faith in God and His promises that saved people and made them righteous or acceptable in God's sight, rather than their obedience to the Law, which no one has ever kept (or has even been capable of keeping) perfectly (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16).) 

Even though Christians are saved entirely by God's grace (undeserved love and favor) through this faith, they should still strive to conform to the moral portion of the Law -- not as a means of being saved, but out of love and gratitude to God for the salvation that He has already made possible for them through Christ.

The ceremonial or worship-related portion of the Law (as distinct from the Law's moral provisions) was intended solely as a guide for the nation of Israel, as a foreshadowing of the manner in which the Messiah whom God had promised would come from the nation of Israel, and would provide the means of spiritual redemption and eternal life for Israel (and for the whole world, as well) by the sacrificial shedding of His blood. These provisions no longer apply to Christians today, since they were completely and finally fulfilled by Christ.

May 09 2017 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Aurel Gheorghe Supporter

First, we should notice the distinction between the Moral Law of God – the Ten Commandments (TC), and Law of Moses, the Ceremonial Law (CL). 

On Mount Sinai, God gave Moses both laws – the TC which defines what sin is and the CL containing the solution to the sin problem. The Law of God, the TC, was written by God’s finger on two tablets of stone (Ex 31:18; 32:16) – while the CL was written by Moses in a book (Deut 31:24-26; 2 Chronicles 35:12)

The TC were placed in the Ark (Ex 40:20), while the CL were placed in the side of the Ark (Deut 31:26). The TC are comprised of 10 Commandments, while the CL contained over 100 “ordinances,” specific rules and regulations. These two sets of laws, the one moral and the other ceremonial, were thus entirely different and served different purposes: the CL pointed forward to Christ while the TC, which are eternal, were written by the finger of God.

God explain to Moses the distinction between the two laws and Moses explained it to the people: “And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might do them in the land whither you go over to possess it” (Deut 4:13, 14).

The CL had seven feasts representing important events in the plan of salvation. The first 3 feasts represented events during Christ’s First Coming: the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits.
The Feast of Weeks represented Pentecost which occurred after Christ’s ascension. The last 3 feasts pointed to the Second Coming of Christ: the Feast of Trumpets, the Feast of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. 

When Christ died, the temple curtain was ripped in two from top to bottom (Matt 27:50-51) symbolizing that the sacrificial system had ended. Atonement for sins was available only through Christ, and the symbolic practices had been fulfilled through Christ. 

Instead of the Jewish sacrificial system, Christians today celebrate Lord's Supper. 

Paul makes is abundantly clear that the ordinances contained in the CL were nailed to the cross and circumcision, feast and sacrificial system is no longer required for salvation.. (Col 2:14-17; Eph 2:15; Gal 5:2; 1 Cor 7:19).

It is also clear that Paul is talking only about the CL and not the TC because: 1. none of the TC addresses circumcision, food, drink or festivals, and 2. the TC were written by God while the CL were handwritten by Moses.

God's Moral Law, the Ten Commandments are still binding and will last for eternity! (Psalm 119:89; 111:7,8).

May 11 2017 • 12 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

Does the Law of Moses still apply today?

The Law of Moses is generally considered not to be directly binding on Christians today as a legal covenant, having been fulfilled and replaced by the New Covenant through Jesus Christ. While ceremonial and civil laws (e.g., dietary, sacrifices) are obsolete, the underlying moral principles—such as those found in the Ten Commandments—are considered enduring and reaffirmed in the New Testament. 

Rather, the law's underlying moral principles can apply today.

Example: Not to steal - Not to murder - then we have sanitary laws: wash your hands before you eat - separate the sick from the healthy - these are just a few examples we can apply the principles of the law today.

Christians live under the "Law of Christ" or "Law of Love," which often intensifies the ethical demands of the Mosaic Law rather than just repeating them.

Christians are not under the Mosaic Law as a legal system, but it continues to be "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness". 

Even Jesus declares the old (Law of Moses) obsolete in light of the new covenant, just as Jeremiah prophesied. In Galatians, Paul tells them, “We are no longer under the supervision of the law” since Jesus has come (Gal 3:25), and in Romans, Paul wrote, “We are not under law, but under grace” (Rom 6:15).

The New Testament authors teach that the Mosaic law is brought to its fulfilment in Christ and therefore is no longer binding upon God's people. Christians, therefore, are not under the law covenant and are not bound to obey its prescriptions, but Christians can apply the principles of the law, because laws can change, but principles are fixed.

The “Law of Moses” ended with the coming of Christ and His death, John 1:17 says, "For THE LAW was given through Moses, but GRACE and truth came through Jesus Christ."

Does the Bible say we are no longer under the law?

Romans 6:14-23 New Living Translation (NLT):

"Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace. "

20 hours ago • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report