The Advent of Easter, Part VIII by Pamela Christian—Copyright © 2019
With our focus on the Lenten Season, let’s consider the Law of God as revealed in both the Old and New Testaments. The entire reason God sent His only Son to earth, was to fulfill the Law He established concerning sin (the rejection of God) and the dreadful resulting consequences.
Some people claim Christians are inconsistent in their observance of the Biblical Laws, pointing to our maintaining certain sexual behaviors as sin, while violating laws such as not to eat certain foods such as pork or shellfish, for example.
What needs to be understood is the Old Testament Laws identified three categories of Laws: Civil Laws, Ceremonial Laws, and Moral Laws. The Laws are found in the first five books of the Old Testament, believed to have been written by Moses. Therefore, the Laws are often collectively referred to as the Mosaic Law.
The Civil Laws governed the earthly nation of Israel. The Ceremonial Laws governed the temple sacrifices and practices. The Moral Laws identified what God deems right and wrong, which includes the Ten Commandments. These Laws were for the nation of Israel, God’s chosen people.
Jesus said the Law was perfect and stated heaven and earth would pass away before the Law would fail. God established the Laws to reveal to mankind the high and holy standard we are to live. At the same time, the Law reveals without God’s intervention we cannot possibly fulfill the Law.
The Apostle Paul, the only Apostle the Bible records was taken into the third heaven, taught those who are born-again are released from the Law because Jesus personally fulfilled the Law. Every Law pointed to Jesus, and Jesus upheld and completed the requirements of the Law. With that, Jesus then established a new and better way.
The Civil Laws were established for the natural or earthly nation of Israel. However, Jesus provided the way for a new Israel—a spiritual Israel comprised of all who believe in and receive Jesus as their Redeemer—the Church. The principles of Old Testament civil laws are excellent guidelines for social order for all times.
The Ceremonials Laws were established to identify what is clean/holy and what is unclean/unholy. The sacrificial system revealed the tremendous gap between sinful humanity and a perfect God, and how costly it would be to bridge that gap.1 Understanding Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice once and for all, we no longer need the lesser forms of animal sacrifice. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection makes what was unclean, clean (Gentiles, foods, and more).2
The Moral Laws are also fulfilled by Jesus in that He kept all of them perfectly, every day in His earthly life. The Moral Laws reflect God’s standard of good and evil, and right and wrong and His immutable character. Since God’s views on morality don’t change, Jesus taught us to uphold the Moral Laws, which are the standard for all times.
Because Jesus fulfilled all the Law, and established a new way—a way of grace—we are no longer bound by the Law. This new way is known as the New Testament, but a better term is New Covenant. Our ability to be in right standing with God through the Law, has been fulfilled by Jesus. By placing our faith in Him, we are now able to be in right standing with God, through God’s grace. Believers enjoy the benefits of the Law fulfilled, and the surpassing benefit of living under God’s grace.
Perhaps most significant is knowing all the Laws from God are rooted in love—God’s transcending, overwhelming love for us. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:6-8) With Jesus as our example, then, we must respond to God in love. When Jesus was asked which is the greatest of the Laws, He replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
The Law of God is love.
As stated in an earlier post, God has created this world with both natural and spiritual laws. Whether we are aware of them or not we are subject to them all of us, regardless of our chosen religious beliefs. My book Renew Your Hope! Remedy for Personal Breakthroughs explores the various laws of God in overview.
Salvation is the first step of being transformed in Christ. The ongoing process is known as sanctification, which is the topic for the next post.
For March 20-21, 2019 read and meditate on the following Scriptures:
Matthew 5:17-18; Romans 3:20; Romans 7:1-6; Romans 10:13; 2 Corinthians 12:1-4; Galatians 3:25; Matthew 5:11; Mark 7:19; Acts 10:15; Acts 11:9
For deeper understanding of the New Covenant visit:
https://www.gotquestions.org/new-covenant.html
Footnotes:
- “Why Don’t We Follow All of the Old Testament Laws?” by J.D.Greear, https://jdgreear.com/blog/why-dont-we-follow-all-of-the-old-testament-laws/
- “Jesus Declares All Food Clean” by Dr. D. Lance Waldie http://harvestbiblechurch.net/blog/jesus-declares-all-food-clean
Scroll down below to access earlier posts in this series. To view the entire list of planned devotions, see the Introduction.
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