It was stated in part one of this series that, “ the New Testament clearly teaches that trying to be justified by that old law will bring condemnation not commendation.” Stating something as a fact doesn’t make it one, so let’s look at what the New Testament says about the Old Testament and about itself. Many try to justify continued use of the old law by quoting what Jesus said in Matthew 5:18 “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Jots and tittles are the smallest marks in the Hebrew language. We would refer to the dot of an ‘i’ or crossing a ‘t’. Jesus makes it clear that the whole world would pass away before God would allow even the smallest part of His law to pass away or be destroyed. Aha! This verse seems to teach that the Law of Moses will last till the end of the world, but let’s not be too hasty. Notice the last phrase of the verse, ‘till all be fulfilled’. If the old law is fulfilled then God would allow it to pass away. This is significant because of what Jesus had just said in verse 17, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” Jesus came to fulfil the law, and if he was successful then it could pass away. Luke 24:44 tells us, "And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me." All of the Old Testament pointed to the coming of Christ. Jesus told them before he died that, “all things must be fulfilled.” In John 19:28- 30 Jesus finished his work with his death on the cross. John records, "After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.  Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth. {30} When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

There are at least two passages in the letters to the churches that show that Jesus removed the old law by his death. They are Ephesians 2:11-18, especially verse 15 which tells us that "the law of commandments contained in ordinances” was abolished by Jesus, and Colossians 2:8-17, particularly in verse 14 where Paul writes that Christ has taken “the handwriting of ordinances” and blotted it out by “nailing it to his cross”. The law of commandments and handwriting of ordinances are clearly phrases that refer to the law of Moses. Paul says in Romans 7:6 that we are delivered from the law, and, according to 8:2, that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” He also maintains that to those who are without the law he is as without the law (the law of Moses), but makes it clear that he is still under the law of Christ in First Corinthians 9:21. Paul also tells the Romans in chapter 10 verse 4 that, “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." And in Galatians 3:24-25 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. {25} But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."

It would seem that these scriptures should be enough, but some will not be satisfied. Many say that we don’t have to keep all of the sacrifices, but that we must keep the 10 commandments. Others want to hold on to tithing, or some other part of the law of Moses and demand that we follow it today. That is nothing new. In the first century there were Jews who wanted to force circumcision or some other parts of the law on the Gentile Christians. Paul deals with this in Galatians 5:1-4 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. {2} Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. {3} For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. {4} Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." You have to make a choice between circumcision and grace, between Moses and Christ. You can’t have both. The apostles met in Jerusalem with the elders of the church to discuss this very thing. Are we under the law of Moses or Christ or both? Does one have to obey Moses’ law and be circumcised to be pleasing to God? In Acts 15 part of this meeting containing the conclusion of the matter is recorded for us. Verse 5 says, "But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses." Peter responded by asking,  "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?", in verse 10. 

This matter was settled nearly 2000 years ago, or should have been, and yet today we still have many teaching us that we must keep the Sabbath, tithe, keep the ten commandments, or any number of other things that were done away with by Christ and declared to be a tempting of God by one of his closest apostles. If you want to continue to keep these things you lose any benefit Christ has to offer, and you are bound to keep every bit of that law that none but Christ ever could.

Last time we learned that the ten commandments and the other laws and curses that Moses gave the Jews are all part of the Old Testament or old covenant and that this law was given by God through Moses to the Jews only and not to anyone else. Then we ended by noticing that now all of us are under one law. There remain, then, two possibilities for us to study. One is that everyone is now under the law of Moses, with the new teachings that Christ gave being added to it. The other is that the teachings Christ left are a new law that is for everyone and that it replaced the system of two separate laws for the Jews and Gentiles. Since both of these possibilities can’t be true, and since whether we please God or not is at stake, we must discover which one is the right one. 

Let’s examine the first possibility in the light of scripture. If the teachings of Christ Jesus are to be added to the Law of Moses, then surely the Bible would teach this idea somewhere. In fact, within the Old Testament itself there would need to be an indication that Moses only gave part of the law and there would be someone who would come later to fill in the rest. Actually, Moses himself does mention a time when there would come another prophet like him, but he doesn’t indicate that this new prophet was going to add anything to Moses’ law. Acts 3:19-26 teaches clearly that the prophet Moses prophesied about in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 was, in fact, Jesus. In Deuteronomy chapter 18 Moses writes that God says He would raise this prophet up and that this prophet (we know this is Jesus) will “speak unto them all that I shall command him” and that anyone who didn’t listen to that prophet, Jesus, would have to answer for it. 

God announced from heaven, during the transfiguration, that we are to listen to Jesus rather than Moses, who gave the old law, or Elijah, a prophet who represents all the prophets up to the time of Jesus. This amazing event, when Jesus and Moses and Elijah were seen on the mount by Peter, James, and John, is recorded in Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-10, and Luke 9:28-36. Peter, on this occasion, tried to make Jesus, Moses, and Elijah equal by suggesting that a tabernacle (a place of worship) should be built for each of them. God interrupted him to say, “This is my beloved Son: hear him. And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone.” according to  Luke 9:35-36. So, God said there would be a new prophet and Jesus was that prophet that God says we should hear. Notice that God didn’t tell us to keep listening to Moses and Elijah.

Next, we see that the Old Testament prophesied of a time when there would be a new law. Jeremiah 31:31-33 says, "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: {32} Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: {33} But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." God says there would be a new law, but here it seems that the new law would only be for the Jews. Let’s look to Romans for some explanation. (Because if the new law is only for the Jews all of us who are not Jews are left out.) (Rom 2:28-29 KJV)  "For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: {29} But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." God explained all of this in Jeremiah when he said He would “write it in their hearts.” Verse 32 above tells us the new law is not like the covenant he made when he brought them out of Egypt. It is not a physical law with physical circumcision and sacrifices to be made constantly and special clothes for the priests and a special design for the place of worship. The new law is a spiritual law. That doesn’t mean there are no outward actions, but rather that God is looking at the inner thoughts and attitudes. Paul tells us in Galatians 3:7 that we can all be Abraham’s children by faith. We don’t have to keep Moses’ law and become Jews to please God. There is a new, different law and we will study about it next time.