Another LAW
The Bible does, very plainly, speak of a LAW which came with Moses. The law which the legalistic Pharisees tried to bind on the brethren was the "law of Moses" (Acts 15:5). This is the ritualistic law which was added 430 years AFTER the covenant was confirmed to — Abraham!
Notice it!
The apostle Paul wrote, "And this I say, that the covenant, [of promise], that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law [the law of Moses], which was four hundred and thirty years AFTER, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect" (Gal. 3:17).
Paul was here speaking, clearly, of the LAW OF MOSES. What was this law? Let's go back into the days of Moses, for a moment, AND SEE!
Moses, you will remember, was the one whom God used to lead the Israelites out of bondage to Egypt! He was a type of Christ, who is our deliverer from SIN. After crossing the Red Sea, in great and awesome glory, the Israelites came to the Sinai Peninsula and the hot desert.
They began to murmur, grumble, and gripe. Nothing seemed to please them. It was not long before rebellious men began complaining openly against Moses, and against God (Ex. 16:2-8). They flagrantly DISOBEYED God. What does God say?
"And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?" (Verse 28)
Notice! This was WEEKS before they came to Mount Sinai! This was almost immediately after they crossed the Red Sea! Yet, already, plainly, GOD'S LAWS were in force — and the Israelites were found disobedient and rebellious.
Consequently, God ADDED another law for the Israelites. It was the "law of Moses." It consisted of ceremonial washings, various laws of offerings and sacrifices, and carnal, physical ordinances, enjoined upon the people and the Levitical priesthood. It was not a spiritual law. It could save no one.
Then why was it given to ancient Israel?
Let the apostle Paul give us the answer! "Wherefore then serveth the law? [What purpose did the law of Moses serve?] It was ADDED because of transgressions, till the seed [Christ] should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator" (Gal. 3:19).
Did you catch that? The law of Moses was ADDED — why? "BECAUSE OF TRANSGRESSIONS"! There was another Law — a spiritual Law — in effect, which was being transgressed, broken, by the Israelites! What Law?
Remember, God had said, "How long refuse ye to keep MY commandments, and MY laws?" (Ex. 16:28) They had been breaking God's eternal SPIRITUAL LAW, the Ten Commandments.
Because Israel had been breaking God's Law, He added another special law — the "law of Moses" — to TEACH THEM THE HABIT OF OBEDIENCE! To teach them to acknowledge their sins. He gave them certain ceremonial washings, offerings, and commanded sacrifices, and carnal ordinances, to foreshadow things to come. What things? The coming of the TRUE SACRIFICE for our sins, Christ Jesus Himself ! And the Holy Spirit which cleans us up spiritually within. These duties, sacrifices, washings, TAUGHT them their NEED for a coming Savior and God's Holy Spirit.
"Wherefore the LAW" — the "law of Moses" — was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (Gal. 3:24-25).
The law of Moses, with its constant round of sacrifices and washings, was the "yoke" which had been put upon the ancient Israelites, because they REFUSED to keep God's spiritual laws and commandments!
Are Christians, today, required to keep the "law of Moses"?
No — clearly not. As Paul said, "we are NO LONGER under a schoolmaster." As Peter said, "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a joke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?"
Paul also wrote, "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" (Heb. 10:4). "But in those sacrifices there is a REMEMBRANCE [a recalling, not a forgiving] again made of sins every year" (verse 3).
Speaking of the law of Moses, a law of physical works, Paul wrote: "It, [the law of Moses] was a figure for the time THEN present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could NOT make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats and drinks [that is, meal and drink offerings], and divers washings, and carnal ordinances [Greek, "rites and ceremonies"], imposed on them UNTIL THE TIME OF REFORMATION" (Heb. 9:9-10).
These animal sacrifices, washings and such were hard physical work. They were the "works of the law" that couldn't save anyone (Gal. 2:16).
Those things, of course, are NOT obligatory on true Christians, today. They clearly were TYPES — typifying the coming of the supreme sacrifice, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. They were but a TYPE of the spiritual, and were given to a carnal, fleshly people, to HELP them understand. They are NOT NECESSARY for salvation!
Anyone who says we teach that one can earn salvation by adhering to the rites and ceremonies of the law of Moses is simply not telling the truth. He is either misinformed, or misrepresenting.
The sacrifices of the Old Testament times could NEVER take away sins (Heb. 10:11). "But this man" — Jesus Christ — "after he had offered ONE SACRIFICE for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God" (verse 12).
Now can you begin to see how cleverly some have TWISTED God's Word, how they have misrepresented the Law of God?
The CURSE of the LAW
"Now hold on a minute," someone might exclaim. "Didn't Jesus plainly redeem us from the CURSE of the law. Explain that, if you can!"
All right. Read it, in Galatians 3:13 — "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree."
Some, taking that scripture alone, claim it means God's Law — which Paul called HOLY, and JUST, and GOOD — is a diabolical, dreadful, abominable CURSE! They point to this verse as supposed proof.
Let's understand this point!
It is the "curse OF the Law" — the CURSE which results from the penalty of Law — that is, from BREAKING the Law! It is not the Law that is the curse. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law. Exactly what did Christ redeem us from? From the penalty of sin: the DEATH PENALTY! Sin brings a curse. When you sin you bring upon yourself the penalty of sin — the curse of the Law — the death penalty!
Because of our SINS, we were all sentenced to DEATH (Rom. 6:23). But Christ paid the penalty FOR us, in our stead. He REDEEMED US from DEATH! Christ DIED for us. He took the curse, which we had incurred through disobedience, upon Himself. "For he [God) hath made him [Christ] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (II Cor. 5:21).
God promised ancient Israel BLESSINGS for obeying His Law (Deut. 28:114). Innumerable blessings! He also promised CURSES would come on them, if they DISOBEYED His Commandments (Deut. 28:15-19, etc.). The punishment which results from breaking God's spiritual Law is DEATH, eternal death. Christ Himself redeemed us from the death penalty by dying FOR us!
Why is it that so many misunderstand? Why can't we see that Christ came to redeem us from the wages of SIN — the DEATH PENALTY? Why can't we see that SIN is what separates us from God — and sin is the transgression of His Law? Why don't we see that Christ came to deliver us from SIN — from the way of disobedience — from its penalty, DEATH?
The curse isn't the LAW — the CURSE is the penalty for disobeying the Law! Christ bore that curse for us when He was crucified as our sin-bearer.
The "END of the Law"
Nevertheless, animosity to God's Law dies hard. When someone's mind is made up, it is made up. It is HARD for a person to be willing to admit truth, and CHANGE when he is wrong!
Those who attempt to do away with God's Law now often turn to Romans 10:4. In the previous verse Paul explains how the Pharisees were going about trying to establish their OWN righteousness’s, apart from God's righteousness. They ignored the sacrifice of Christ, and thought that mere commandment-keeping would be enough for anyone.
But, as Paul pointed out in verse 4, "CHRIST is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." What does "the end of the law" mean? One definition is the aim, or the purpose, the fullness or outcome of the Law. Christ IN us gives us the power to KEEP God's Holy, perfect Law, since we lack the spiritual strength, ourselves (Rom. 8:4).
Apart from Christ, NO ONE can manage to KEEP God's Law in the spirit. By his very nature, man falls far short. But through Christ, WE CAN (Phil. 4:13). The aim or end of the Law is to make us like Christ!
Any grade-school pupil should be able to see it.
Christ is the PURPOSE or aim of the Law, for righteousness, to EVERY ONE that believes. But what is "righteousness"? David said, ". . . for ALL THY COMMANDMENTS are righteousness" (Ps. 119:172). There is the definition! Clearly, then, God's Law is NOT done away. It is to teach us to be righteous like Christ was — and is.
This word "end," used in Romans 10:4, is also found in James 5:11. Same word. James writes, "Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the END of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
Now, did James mean that Christ's END had come? Of course NOT! Christ AROSE from the dead — and lives, today, at God's right hand in heaven! (Heb. 7:26; 9:24) Rather, James explains it himself. They had seen the purpose or AIM of the Lord — "that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
"DEAD to the Law"
What did Paul mean in Romans 7:4, when he said, "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become DEAD to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."
Notice carefully what he said. First, he did NOT say "the LAW is dead," he clearly said, "YE . . . are become dead." The LAW of God did not die, or perish. It was not destroyed or done away. But the PEOPLE became dead to the law by the body of Christ.
Verse 5 helps explain it. "For when we were in the flesh" — that is, before we were converted, and were living according to the pulls of the flesh — "the motions of sins, which were [manifest, revealed for what they were) by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto DEATH." Do you see? When we were yet sinners, we were worthy of DEATH in God's sight. We had transgressed His holy Law, and the DEATH PENALTY hung over our heads.
"But now," Paul explains in verse 6, "we are delivered from the law" — that is, from the inexorable DEATH PENALTY of the Law. Christ paid it for us — in our stead! The Law of God NO LONGER CLAIMS OUR LIVES, "that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter."
While sinners, we were in a state of Doom. We were worthy of execution. We were, figuratively, sitting on MURDERER'S ROW, awaiting our punishment.
But, NOW, Paul says, we are DEAD to the Law — that is, the penalty of death HAS BEEN PAID BY ANOTHER Jesus Christ, who gave His life for us — so no longer does the death penalty hang over us. It has been paid! So far as the Law is concerned, the penalty is paid — we are dead, in Christ — and there is no further date with death for us, if we continue to live in Christ!
This verse in no way says the Law is done away. It merely shows that Christ paid the penalty of the Law for us, died for us, and our date with DEATH has been kept by Him. We are "dead with Him" (Rom. 6:3-4). No longer does condemnation await us (Rom. 8:1), because we are also made spiritually ALIVE WITH HIM through His resurrection from the grave (Rom. 6:4-5, 11).
No longer, then, are we in a sense married to SIN, the way of the flesh — but we are to be "married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead" in NEWNESS of life, "that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Rom. 7:4, last part).
No problems with this verse! It is easy to understand, when you can see the background, when you read the context, and grasp what the apostle Paul is talking about!
But far too often careless people will read right over a verse like this, and ASSUME it says something it doesn't! Too often people will just see the expression "dead to the law" and assume it means the LAW is dead.
Let's not be careless with the precious, priceless WORD OF GOD!
Do you love the truth? God says, . . . but to THIS man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and TREMBLETH at my word" (Isa. 66:2). We should stand in AWE at the Word of God — and NOT deal with it lightly, carelessly, with impunity!