The Law Was Given Through Moses: Overview of the Law

Introduction

So as we continue our study in the OT we have seen why we should read and study these 39 books.

We have also seen four main themes that we need to look for as we read the OT to help us see the big picture of God’s story of redemption that has its culmination in Christ.

Anybody remember the four themes?

Tonight, we are going to look specifically at how we should read, understand, and apply the law to our lives. . . for we will be soon walking through each one of the Ten Commandments.

Tonight, we will ask and answer four questions:

What is the Law?

How do we interpret the Law?

What is the Purpose of the Law?

How do we apply the Law to our lives as Christians who live under the New Covenant?

What is the Law?

The authors of Scripture can use the word law or laws to refer to four things:

Used in the plural, “laws” can refer to the 600 plus laws Israel was commanded to obey to show their loyalty to God.

Used in the singular, “law” can refer to all of these laws collectively (Matt. 5:18).

“Law” can refer to the Pentateuch (the book of the Law: (Joshua 1:8).

“Law” used in the NT can refer to the entire OT religious system (1 Cor. 9:20).

For our purposes tonight and moving forward in our study, we will use the word “law” or “laws” in the first three instances.

So What does the law of God require?

The new city catechism responds this way:

the law requires. . . Personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience; that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love our neighbor as ourselves. What God forbids should never be done and what God commands should always be done.

Jesus gave us what the law is and what is required of us:

Matthew 22:37–40 ESV

And he said to him, “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.”

So now that we know what the law is. . . how do we interpret it?

How do we interpret the Laws in the Old Testament?

Traditional approach: Three Divisions of the Law

Categorizing the law into three categories:

Civil

Laws regulating civil life: crime, punishment, economics, etc.

Ceremonial

Laws dealing with sacrifices and worship rituals.

Moral

Timeless truths regarding God’s dealings with his people that are still binding today.

The implications that some theologians take is that both the ceremonial and civil laws have been abolished and fulfilled in Christ and are no longer binding on Christians. . . but the moral law, because it stems from God’s character is still binding on Christians today.

This is a helpful system to understand the different parts of the law, however, these divisions do not seem to be reflected in the OT or referred to by the NT authors.

No clear distinction in the types of law seem to be valid.

A better question to ask when interpreting the law is. . .

How does the New Testament address the Law?

First, according to 2 Corinthians 3:7-18, the Old Covenant has passed away.

Second, according to Romans 6:14 and Romans 10:4, as Christians, we are no longer under the law. . . referring to the Old Covenant.

Yet this raises some questions:

If the Old Covenant has passed away and is no longer binding. . .

Why did God give it in the first place?

Wouldn’t this mean that the laws that condemn homosexuality, murder, lying, and adultery are no longer binding for us?

Does this mean that nothing in the Old Testament laws applies to us?

Does this mean we can throw away all the laws and live in whatever way we want?

First let’s answer the question as to why God gave the law in the first place if he knew we could not keep it. . . the other questions will be answered when we look at how we should apply the law to our lives as Christians under the New Covenant.

What is the Purpose of the Law?

The original purpose of the law was to give life. . .

Romans 7:10 ESV

The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.

Yet, because of man’s sin and rebellion the law did not give life but actually increased sin. . .

Romans 5:20 ESV

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,

This was not due to a defect in God’s law but rather the wickedness of human sin.

So, we could say that the initial purpose of the law was to give life. . . but God’s transcendent and ultimate purpose of the law was to increase and reveal sin. . .

Romans 3:20 ESV

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Because of man’s sin, the law can no longer bring life but it can only reveal sin and bring death. . . for only if one is able to keep the law perfectly can someone be justified by the law. . .

Galatians 3:10 ESV

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

So if it is impossible for us to keep the law since the fall. . . why did God give the law??

We can say that there were three specific reasons. . .

First, the law reveals the holy nature and will of God.

By knowing God’s law we can learn about God’s character, his ways, his actions, and his desires.

Second, once we have seen the holy character of God, the law shows us our sinful nature and the disobedience of our hearts, which points us to our need for a savior.

This is why Paul says the law was our “guardian” that guided us and showed us our need for Christ. . . read Galatians 3:19-29

Galatians 3:19–29 ESV

Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Lastly, as we just learned previously, as Christians under the new covenant, the law can teach us and exhort us how to live a life worthy of our our savior through applying the theological principles from the law in the Old Covenant that we see continued in the new.

Psalm 19:7-9 “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.”

Now that we know the law’s purpose. . . lets circle back to the other questions as to if the laws in the OT still applies to us today as Christians under the New Covenant.

So How Do We Apply The Law?

Even though the Old Covenant has been made obsolete and we are no longer under the law, Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17-18).

Therefore, we must see and view the Old Covenant as fulfilled and completed in the New Covenant.

Theologian Stephen Wellum says

“Since all of the biblical covenants are part of the one plan of God, no covenant is unrelated to what preceded it, and no covenant can be understood apart from its fulfillment in Christ, it is right to say that all of the biblical covenants reach their end goal in Christ and the new covenant.” -Stephen Wellum

This means that if commands are continued and renewed in the new covenant, then they are still binding for us today as Christians under the New Covenant of Christ. This is also referred to as “the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

Wellum again says:

“A crucial implication of this point is that we, as new covenant believers, must view and apply the previous biblical covenants to ourselves in light of Christ, to whom each of the previous covenants pointed and who fulfills every aspect of them completely. This observation is crucial in discerning how the previous covenants “carry over” to Christians in regard to our lives.” -Stephen Wellum

Paul says in Romans 13:8-10 that we fulfill the law through love. . . which stems back to the greatest two commandments of loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

Essentially, Paul is saying that when we love God and love others, we will fulfill the law and not commit adultery, murder, steal from others, covet, or break any other command.

So, while the law in the OT does not apply to us directly in every case. . . the legal material does present the will of God albeit in specific situations. Therefore, We would be wise to understand and apply the principle behind these laws.

Some laws retain literal validity for Christians. The principle enumerated has a one-to- one correspondence under the New Covenant.

For example:

Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.

This command is continued verbatim by Jesus in the gospels and the text we read earlier.

In some cases, the NT applies the principle of the law in a more strict manner.

For example, multiple times during the sermon on the mount, Jesus says, “you have heard it that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder. . . but I say to you anyone who has anger towards his brother is liable to judgment.”

Some laws are practices that are completely obsolete. I.e., sacrifice, food laws.

For example Mark 7:19

Mark 7:19 ESV

since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)

But regardless as to whether these laws are continued in the New Testament, these laws are still importing valid timeless truths.

The nature of God does not change.

But His dealings with people did change from Old Covenant to New Covenant.

So, we must discover the timeless truth. . . or principle behind the laws that God gave in the OT to apply them to our lives today.

In Summary:

All of the OT applies to Christians, but none of it applies apart from its fulfillment in Christ.

We must remember that the OT laws were written for us, not to us.

The NT often interprets the principle for us.

Where the NT does not interpret the principle behind the law we must discover the principle by good exegesis.

For Example:

Exodus 23:19 . . ."You are not to boil a young goat in the milk of its mother. See also Ex 34:26 and DT 14:21.

Modern Jews take this as a commandment not to eat meat and milk at the same time.

It is more likely to either have been a command meant to dissociate the Israelites from certain pagan, religious practices, much like some other warnings like self-mutilation and tattoos

Or it may be better understood as a inhumane thing to do.

The Law is fulfilled in Jesus and We Are Justified Through Faith In Him.

All of us are condemned under the law and are cursed because we cannot fulfill it.

Romans 3:19–20 ESV

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

James 2:10 ESV

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

Galatians 3:10 ESV

For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”

But Jesus, our substitute and perfect law keeper, fulfilled the law for us.

Matthew 5:17–18 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Romans 8:1–4 ESV

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

So it is not through trying to obey the law, but it is through faith in Jesus we will be made right with God.

Galatians 2:16 ESV

yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

What about you. . . have you been made right with God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ?