Law

Definition

The Law as generally used in the Bible refers to the Law covenant given by Jehovah God to the nation of Israel at the hands of Moses as mediator. For this reason it is sometimes called the Mosaic Law, although no part of the law was made or given by Moses himself. False religion claims the law was divided into two parts:  (1) God’s Law, a moral law, written by Him, and (2) Moses’ law, a ceremonial law, written by him. It is unscripturally claimed that the ceremonial law was abolished, but not the moral law contained in the Ten Commandments. According to the Scriptures, the entire Law covenant, namely, the Ten Commandments as well as all sacrificial and cere­monial features pertaining to the Law, was fulfilled by Jesus Christ and abolished by being nailed to Christ’s torture stake A.D. 33. Christians are therefore not under any part of the Law, including the Ten Commandments.

Law Given Only to Nation of Israel, Thereby Separating Them

Psalm 147:19, 20 “He shows His word unto Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances unto Israel. He has not dealt so with any na­tion; and as for His ordinances, they have not known them.”

Deuteronomy 4:8 “And what great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?”

Exodus 31:16, 17 “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever.”

Moses Served as Mediator

John 1:17 “Because the Law was given through Moses, the un­deserved kindness and the truth came to be through Jesus Christ.”

Law to Serve Only Until Messiah Should Come

Galatians 3:19, 24 “Why, then, the Law? It was added to make transgressions manifest, until the seed should arrive to whom the promise had been made, and it was transmitted through angels by the hand of a mediator. Con­sequently, the Law has become our tutor leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith.”

Jehovah Nailed Law to Jesus’ Torture Stake, Putting It Out of Way

Colossians 2:13, 14 “God made you alive together with Him. He kind­ly forgave us all our trespasses and blotted out the handwritten document against us which con­sisted of decrees and which was in opposition to us, and He has taken it out of the way by nail­ing it to the torture stake.”

Paul Showed Law Jehovah Abol­ished Was God’s Law (Including “Sabbath Sign”) Which Had Separated Jews from Gentiles

Ephesians 2:11-16 “Therefore keep bearing in mind that formerly you were people of the nations as to flesh; ‘uncircumcision’ you were called by that which is called ‘circumcision’ made in the flesh with hands—that you were at that particular time without Christ, alienated from the state of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, and you had no hope and were with­out God in the world. But now in union with Christ Jesus you who were once far off have come to be near by the blood of the Christ. For He is our peace, He who made the two parties one and destroyed the wall in between that fenced them off. By means of His flesh He abolished the hatred, the Law of command­ments consisting in decrees, that He might create the two peoples in union with Himself into one new man and make peace, and that He might fully reconcile both peoples in one body to God through the torture stake, because He had killed off the hatred by means of Himself.”

In His Sermon on the Mount Jesus Referred to Other Parts of Law as Well as Ten Com­mandments, Thus Showing All One Law Gifts for altar

Matthew 5:23, 24 “If, then, you are bringing your gift to the altar and you there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, and go away; first make your peace with your brother, and then, when you have come back, offer up your gift.”

Compare Deuteronomy 16:16, 17.

Divorce

Matthew 5:31 “Moreover it was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ “

Compare Deuteronomy 24:1.

False swearing

Matthew 5:33 “Again you heard that it was said to those of an­cient times, ‘You must not swear without performing, but you must pay your vows to Jehovah.’ “

Compare Numbers 30:2.

Law of retaliation

Matthew 5:38 “You heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ “

Compare Exodus 21:23-25.

Love of neighbor

Matthew 5:43 “You heard that it was said: ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ “

Compare Leviticus 19:18.

Jesus Did Not Destroy the Law but Kept It Perfectly, as Example to the Jews

Galatians 4:4 “But when the full limit of the time arrived, God sent forth His Son, who was pro­duced out of a woman and who came to be under law.”

Leviticus 18:5 “Ye shall therefore keep My statutes, and My or­dinances; which if a man do, he shall live in them.”

Matthew 5:17, 19, 20 “Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I came, not to destroy, but to fulfill. Whoever, therefore, breaks one of these least com­mandments and teaches mankind to that effect, he will be called ‘least’ in relation to the King­dom of the heavens. As for any­one who does them and teaches them, this one will be called ‘great’ in relation to the King­dom of the heavens. For I say to you that if your righteousness does not abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter into the Kingdom of the heavens.”

Jesus Demonstrated Pharisees Were Lawbreakers Through Their Traditions, Hence Would Be Excluded from Kingdom

Matthew 15:1-3, 6 “Then there came to Jesus from Jerusalem Pharisees and scribes, saying: ‘Why is it Your disciples overstep the tradition of the men of for­mer times?’… In reply He said to them: ‘Why is it you also over­step the commandment of God because of your tradition? . .. And so you have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition.’ “

Matthew 21:43, 45 “‘This is why I say to you, The Kingdom of God will be taken from you and be given to a nation producing its fruits.’ Now when the chief priests and the Pharisees had heard His illustrations they took note that He was speaking about them.”

Jesus Fulfilled Law by Bringing in the Realities, Those Things Pictured by the Law

Matthew 5:17, 18 “Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I came, not to destroy, but to fulfill; for truly I say to you that sooner would heaven and earth pass away than for the smallest letter or one particle of a letter to pass away from the Law by any means and not all things take place.”

Colossians 2:16, 17 “Therefore let no man judge you in eating and drinking or in respect of a feast day or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath, for those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ.”

Hebrews 10:1, 2 “For since the Law has a shadow of the good things to come, but not the very substance of the things, men can never with the same sacrifices from year to year which they offer continually make those who approach perfect. Otherwise, would the sacrifices not have stopped being offered?”

Jesus Came as Perfect Sacrifice for Removal of Sin

Hebrews 10:8-10 “After first say­ing, ‘You did not desire nor did You approve of sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt-offer­ings and sin offering’—sacrifices which are offered according to the Law—then He actually says, ‘Look! I am come to do Your will.’ He does away with what is first that He may establish what is second. By the said ‘will’ we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.”

Scriptures Show Jesus Himself Was the Reality of the Passover Lamb

Exodus 12:5, 21 “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old: you shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats. Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them, Draw out, and take you lambs according to your families, and kill the passover.”

1 Corinthians 5:7 “For, indeed, Christ our passover has been sacrificed.”

1 Peter 1:19 “But it was with precious blood, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, even Christ’s.”

Revelation 5:12 “The Lamb that was slaughtered is worthy to receive the power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”

Other Features of Law Covenant Ended to Permit Realities to Begin

Hebrews 9:1-3, 9, 10, 24 “For its part, then, the former covenant used to have ordinances of sa­cred service and its holy place upon this earth. For there was constructed a first tent compart­ment in which were the lamp-stand and also the table and the display of the loaves; and it is called ‘the Holy Place’. But behind the second curtain was the tent compartment called ‘the Most Holy’. This very tent is an illustration for the appointed time that is now here, and in keeping with it both gifts and sacrifices are offered. . . . They were legal requirements pertain­ing to the flesh and were imposed until the appointed time to set things straight. For Christ en­tered, not into a holy place made with hands which is a copy of the reality, but into heaven it­self, now to appear before God for us.”

Command to Keep the Sabbath Forever Did Not Mean Ten Commandments Would Apply for All Time to Come

Exodus 31:16, 17 “Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual [‘o-lam’] covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever [l’o-lam’].”

Same Hebrew Expressions Used in Connection with Law on Sacrifices

Exodus 40:15 “Their anointing shall be to them for an everlasting [‘o-lam’] priesthood throughout their generations.”

Leviticus 6:18, 22 “Every male among the children of Aaron shall eat of it, as his portion for ever [‘o-lam’] throughout your generations, from the offerings of Jehovah made by fire: . .. And the anointed priest that shall be in his stead from among his sons shall offer it: by a statute for ever [‘o-lam’] it shall be whol­ly burnt unto Jehovah.”

Paul Shows Priesthood and Sac­rifices Definitely Ended, Hence Ten Commandments Also

Hebrews 7:11, 12, 18, 19 “If, then, perfection were really through the Levitical priesthood, (for with it as a feature the people were given the Law,) what further need would there be for another priest to arise . .. ? For since the priesthood is being changed, there comes to be of necessity a change also of the law. Certainly, then, there occurs a setting aside of the preceding commandment on ac­count of its weakness and inef­fectiveness. For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in besides of a better hope did, through which we are drawing near to God.”

Law Covenant Replaced by New Covenant Mediated by Christ Jesus Through His Sacrifice

2 Corinthians 3:5, 6, 12-14 “Our being adequately qualified issues from God, who has indeed adequately qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, not of a written code, but of spirit; for the writ­ten code condemns to death, but the spirit makes alive. Therefore, as we have such a hope, we are using great freeness of speech, and not doing as when Moses would put a veil upon his face, that the sons of Israel might not gaze intently at the end of that which was to be done away with. But their mental perceptions were dulled. For to this present day the same veil remains unlifted at the reading of the old covenant, because it is done away with by means of Christ.”

Hebrews 8:6, 13 “But now Jesus has obtained a more excellent public service, so that He is also the mediator of a corresponding­ly better covenant, which has been legally established upon better promises. In His saying ‘a new covenant’ He has made the former one obsolete. Now that which is made obsolete and grow­ing old is near to vanishing away.”

Christians Still Live by Princi­ples Embodied in Law

Matthew 5:21, 22 “You heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You must not murder.’ .. . However, I say to you that everyone who continues angry with his brother will be account­able to the court of justice; but whoever addresses his brother with an unspeakable word of con­tempt will be accountable to the Supreme Court; whereas who­ever says, ‘You despicable fool!’ will be liable to the fiery Ge­henna.”

Matthew 5:27, 28 “You heard that it was said, ‘You must not com­mit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone that keeps on look­ing at a woman so as to have a passion for her has already com­mitted adultery with her in his heart.”

Matthew 5:43-47 “You heard that it was said: ‘You must love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ However, I say to you: Continue to love your enemies and to pray for those persecuting you. . .. For if you love those loving you, what reward do you have? are not also the tax collectors doing the same thing? And if you greet your brothers only, what extraordinary thing are you doing? Are not also the people of the nations doing the same thing?”

Force That Moves to Obedience Is Righteous Active Force of God; More Powerful than Sanctions of the Law

2 Corinthians 3:15-18 “In fact, down till today whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their hearts. But when there is a turning to Je­hovah, the veil is taken away. Now Jehovah is the spirit; and where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is freedom. And all of us, while we with unveiled faces re­flect like mirrors the glory of Jehovah, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, exactly as done by Jehovah the Spirit.”

Galatians 5:18, 22 “Furthermore, if .you are being led by spirit, you are not under law. … the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Although Christians Not Under Ten Commandments, it is Proper to Quote Them as Supporting Proof

Ephesians 6:1-3 “Children, be obe­dient to your parents in union with the Lord, for this is right­eous: ‘Honor your father and mother’; which is the first com­mand with a promise: ‘That it may go well with you and you may endure a long time on the earth.’ “

Compare Deuteronomy 5:16.

Romans 13:8-10 “Do not be owing anybody a single thing, except to love one another; for he that loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. For the law code, ‘You must not commit adultery, You must not murder, You must not steal, You must not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there is, is summed up in this word, namely, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does not work evil to one’s neigh­bor; therefore love is the Law’s fulfillment.”

Compare Exodus 20:13-15, 17; Leviticus 19:18.

Laws Against Idolatry Restated to Christians as a Requirement for Them

1 Corinthians 10:14 “Therefore, my beloved ones, flee from idolatry.”

Galatians 5:19, 20 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, and they are fornication,… idolatry.”

Colossians 3:5 “Deaden, therefore, your body members which are up­on the earth as respects . .. covetousness, which is idolatry.”

1 John 5:21 “Little children, guard yourselves from idols.”

Christians Not Under Law of Moses but Are Saved by Faith Through God’s Undeserved Kindness

Romans 6:14 “For sin must not be master over you, seeing that you are not under law but under undeserved kindness.”

Ephesians 2:8, 9 “By this undeserved kindness, indeed, you have been saved through faith; and this not owing to you, it is God’s gift. No, it is not owing to works, in order that no man should have grounds for boasting.”

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