Now about the law..

– Jean-Louis Laflamme ~~~”The Biblical Explanation of…”The New Covenant”~~~

…”Early Christians may have been surprised that any biblical command including the sacrifices and rituals “could become unnecessary”. If God had given these laws, who could say that they were done away? Only one authority could do away with God-given commands: God. So let’s look to the New Testament to see the authority for doing away with any of God’s laws…

“The New Testament does not itemize all the valid Old Testament laws, nor all the obsolete ones. Some laws unclean meats, sin sacrifices, washings are mentioned; others tassels on garments, grain offerings are not. The New Testament quotes some Old Testament commands with approval; others are quoted as being old and inadequate or in need of replacement…Matthew 5:31-37…Commands from Leviticus and Deuteronomy are quoted as valid, for example, while other commands from the same sections are treated as obsolete. Some are moral and eternal; others are not…

…”Although the New Testament cites many individual Old Testament laws as valid, it does not specify a general category as permanently valid…”However”, when it declares laws “obsolete” it uses large categories. In Acts 15, it is “the Law of Moses.” In 1 Corinthians 9:20, it is “the law.” In Galatians 3:17, it is “the law” that came 430 years after Abraham, that is, at the time of Moses. In Ephesians 2:15 it is “the law with its commandments and ordinances,” the law that separated Jews from Gentiles”

“In Hebrews 8:13 it is the Sinai covenant. Although various terms are used, there is a consistency in what is meant. A large category of law is being declared obsolete. That does not mean that every command within the category is obsolete, but the package itself is…Let’s not forget that before Jesus came the old law was kept…but after Jesus came…the New Covenant was introduce by Jesus Himself…the old covenant was not in force any longer…Matthew 11:13, Galatians 3:19 and 24, Romans 10:4…Jesus became the newer law of the covenant…

…”What is the New Testament explanation for this significant change in divinely given laws?…It is a change in covenants, or the agreements between God and humanity…from the “Old Covenant” to the “New Covenant”…He became the “New Testament”…

“Why should the death of Jesus-Christ cause God-given laws to become outdated?… The Bible gives a simple explanation: Christ brought a new covenant. The book of Hebrews makes this clear in chapters 7 to 10. Although the focus in Hebrews is on the ceremonial laws relevant to the priesthood, the conclusion is more broadly stated, it is the covenant itself that is obsolete 8:13 A new covenant has replaced the Sinai-Moses covenant. The new covenant has some similarities to the old, but it is a new covenant…

…”Hebrews uses strong terms: laws are set aside, changed, abrogated, abolished, because one covenant has ended and another has begun. Of course, since the old and the new covenants were given by the same God, we should expect some similarities. We should expect moral laws to be found in both covenants. It should be no surprise that laws against adultery, which existed before Abraham, should also be included in the Sinai covenant, a later and larger package of laws. But we accept those laws as valid today not because they were given to Moses the fact that a law was given to Moses does not automatically make it valid, but for other reasons”…

“Paul tells us that the Law of Moses was a temporary addition to the Abrahamic promises…Galatians 3:16-25…The Sinai covenant, which includes civil laws and ceremonial laws, was designed to come to an end when Christ came. The Scriptures are not annulled, of course, but the laws there are no longer binding…

…”This is brought out especially clearly in the book of Galatians, chapters 3 and 4. Let’s go through these chapters verse by verse, to “make sure” that we are getting each verse in its context…

~~Galatians 3: the law and the Spirit~~
Paul, who had seen many things in his ministry, was flabbergasted with the Galatian Christians. He was aghast that they were being persuaded by a foolish idea. He wrote a strongly worded letter to stop this nonsense. In Galatians 3:1 Paul wrote: “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus-Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.”

…”Here’s the starting point, Paul says: Jesus-Christ has been “crucified”. That is the foundation on which we build. His crucifixion changes everything, as Paul will explain…let’s keep on reading the bible…

“I would like to learn just one thing from you,” Paul writes…..”Did you receive the Holy-Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?” Galatians 3:2… Obviously, they received the Spirit through faith, by accepting what they heard. This is another foundational point. Paul was astounded that the Galatians did not see the consequences of their experience with the Holy-Spirit. But apparently someone was telling them that they were saved only if they observed “the law”…

…”Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Holy-Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” Galatians 3:3…The Galatian Christians were apparently being taught that they needed to add the law to their faith. Many “False teachers” were saying that they needed to progress further in the faith by observing the Torah. They were teaching circumcision and the entire Law of Moses…Galatians 5:2-3; Acts 15:5…

“Paul says this is a ridiculous idea, if a person is given the Holy-Spirit on the basis of faith, without deserving this gift, then Christianity is based on faith, and there is no place for works as far as salvation is concerned. Paul will later comment on how Christians should behave in response to Christ’s work, but here he makes it clear that salvation is on the foundation of faith in what Jesus-Christ has done. Our goal “cannot be attained by human effort”, and that is “why Jesus died on the cross”… Whatever work had to be done, “He did on the cross”. That is our foundation!”…

…”Paul asks, “Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?”…Galatians 3:5…The people had seen miracles in their midst. And it came on the basis of faith, not of works of the Law…

“Paul then supports his argument from the Torah itself. “Consider Abraham,” he said, quoting from Genesis 15:6: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Paul concludes, “Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham”…Galatians 3:6-7…

…”Paul’s point is that even in the Old Testament, a right relationship with God came through faith. Abraham was accounted righteous on the basis of faith, not because of his obedience. If we have faith, then we are accepted just as Abraham was!

“Can non-Jewish people really have a relationship with God on that kind of basis? Yes, says Paul, and he again quotes the Torah: “The Scripture foresaw that God would left the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you’” Galatians 3:8…The Torah says that non-Jews will be blessed through Abraham, and that blessing is by faith, not by the law. Abraham did not need to be given the Law of Moses, and his spiritual followers do not need it, either…..

…”Paul concludes, “Those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith” Galatians 3:9…”God’s blessing is by faith”…

~~~”The Law vs. faith”~~~
“The law brings penalties,not blessing. “All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law’” Galatians 3:10…The law is not a way to earn favor with God. It functions in the reverse way, since we all fall short of its demands. If we think we have to observe the Torah, if we want to be under the law, we will be under its condemnation…

…”No one is justified before God by the law, because, ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, ‘The man who does these things will live by them’”…Galatians 3:11-12…Paul is contrasting “faith and law”… Righteous people should live by faith…Habakkuk 2:4…but the law is based on performance…Leviticus 18:5…The law emphasizes human effort, but salvation is given by grace through faith in what Jesus-Christ has done…

“Law-keeping cannot earn us God’s favor. If we look to it, it can bring only a “curse” since we all fall short. But even in the curse, there is good news in the crucifixion of Christ: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree’”…Galatians 3:13… quoting Deuteronomy 21:23…The law demanded a penalty for law-breaking, and Jesus-Christ experienced the worst penalty of the law…….

…”Paul is using several lines of reasoning to show that Christians are not under the authority of the Law of Moses; we are not obligated to obey it. Not only is the law ineffective, bringing a curse rather than a blessing, “Jesus has also paid” its worst penalty…”His crucifixion”…gives Paul the basis for saying that Christians are not under the law…why can people understand that?…

“He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ-Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Holy-Spirit”…Galatians 3:14…The blessing is by faith as opposed to the law…

“God’s promise not changed by the Law”
Paul then argues from another angle, using the example of a contract. “Let me take an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or add to a human covenant that has been duly established, so it is in this case”…Galatians 3:15…

…”Paul is talking about God’s promise to Abraham, which includes being accounted righteous by faith. He writes, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,’ meaning one person, who is Christ”…Galatians 3:16…

“Here Paul notes that the word seed is singular. Although the singular word can be used for many seeds, Paul is saying that this scripture finds its fulfillment most perfectly in one Seed, Jesus-Christ. It is through him that Gentiles can become part of Abraham’s descendants…Galatians 3:29…

…”The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise” Galatians 3:17…What law is Paul talking about? The law given 430 years after Abraham, the Law of Moses. The laws that came through Moses cannot change the fact that God accepts people as righteous on the basis of faith, not by human efforts”…

“Paul then reasons, “For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise” …Galatians 3:18…Either it is one way or the other, either by laws and works, or by faith and gift. Paul does not try to combine the two. Rather, he is saying they cannot be combined…

~~~”Purpose of the Law”~~~
“Why did God give the law? Paul answers: “It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come”…Galatians 3:19…Were laws added because the people were already breaking them? Or were they added so that people could see more clearly that they were sinners? Either way, the Law of Moses was added for only a certain length of time until Christ came. After that, the Law of Moses became obsolete. The law added 430 years after Abraham became obsolete!”

…”Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law” Galatians 3:21…The law did not nullify the promise of salvation by faith, for it was not designed as another means of salvation. If there was any way possible for laws to bring us right standing with God, then God would have given us those laws. But the Law of Moses is not designed to give us eternal life…

“People who think they can improve their standing with God through the law are misunderstanding its purpose and are not accepting the biblical evidence that salvation is simply by faith, without any role for human efforts. We receive the Spirit by faith and are counted righteous by faith, without any need to add the Law of Moses…

…”The law cannot give life!”…because we all fall short of what it requires. “The Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe”…Galatians 3:22…Instead of giving life, the law prescribes penalties, and the result is that the promise of salvation can come only through God’s grace. The law makes it clear that we all fall short and need the salvation that Jesus offers by faith.

“But before faith in Christ came, “we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed”…Galatians 3:23…The Jews were under the restrictions of the law, under its temporary jurisdiction or custody…

…”So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” Galatians 3:24…The law had authority from Moses until Christ. It showed that humans are prisoners of sin, unable to save themselves through human effort. It showed that salvation can be received only through faith, not by law…

“Now that the Law of Moses has fulfilled its purpose, however, it has become obsolete: “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law”…Galatians 3:25…The Torah does not have authority over us. It is not a way to get right with God. It is not a way to enter his kingdom nor a way to stay in his kingdom nor a way to improve our standing with God…

…”Because of Jesus’ crucifixion, our relationship with God depends entirely on faith. “You are all children of God through faith in Christ-Jesus”…Galatians 3:26…

“Since Christ is the descendant of Abraham, and we belong to Christ, then we are also descendants of Abraham and inheritors of the promise of salvation…Galatians 3:29…Through faith in Christ, we inherit the promise given to Abraham by faith!

…”When it comes to inheriting Abraham’s promise, there is neither Jew nor Greek all ethnic groups may inherit. In Christ, even slaves can receive an inheritance from Abraham. In salvation, there is likewise no difference between male and female all have equal rights to inherit the promise…Galatians 3:28…

~~~”Gentiles no longer slaves”~~~
“Gentiles, who were not under the Law of Moses, also become inheritors through Christ, so at this point Paul begins to use the word you again: “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir”…Galatians 4:6-7…

…”Since God had given the Holy-Spirit to these Gentile Christians, that was proof that they were his children, with the right to inherit the promise. They were no longer slaves under a restrictive authority. But what kind of slavery had Jesus redeemed them from?…

“Paul explains: “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods”…Galatians 4:9…They had been enslaved by pagan religions…

…”But now that you know God or rather are known by God how is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?” The Gentile Christians, having been rescued from slavery, were thinking of returning to bondage. They wouldn’t have put it in those words, of course, but Paul is pointing out that this is what it amounts to…

“Paul uses the uncommon Greek word stoicheia here for principles of the Galatian heresy, the same word he used in Galatians 4:3…for the slavery “we” had under the old covenant “basic principles.” The context of the letter makes it clear that the slavery the Galatians were falling back into was an obligation to old covenant customs…

…”Paul then mentions one way they were falling back into servitude: “You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!”…Galatians 4:10…In a heresy that involved circumcision and the Law of Moses, it is not difficult to guess what sort of days, months, seasons and years were being advocated. The old covenant said a lot about special times…

“Hagar is here associated with the old covenant, the covenant made at Mount Sinai and in Paul’s day centered in Jerusalem. This covenant produces slave children, and all who are under the old covenant are in slavery. Paul was flabbergasted as to why the Galatians were being tempted to fall into this slavery, an old covenant slavery that included the observance of special days and months and seasons and years…Galatians 4:9-10…

…”But Christians are not under the old covenant. “The Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother…. Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise”…Galatians 4:26, 28…Christians are children of Abraham’s promise, and are free, which means, in this context, free of old covenant restrictions…

~~~”Eliminate slavery”~~~
Paul then points out another useful application of the analogy: “The son born in the ordinary way..Ishmael..persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit..Isaac.. It is the same now”…Galatians 4:29…That is, the Jewish children of the old covenant were persecuting the children of the new covenant. The Judaizers were pressuring the Gentile Christians to conform to the old covenant…

…”Paul then makes his point, again from the Scriptures that the people respected: “But what does the Scripture say? ‘Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son’” Genesis 21:10…The application is clear: Get rid of all those who teach the old covenant. Do not listen to them, for they will not inherit the promises of Abraham …Galatians 5:2…

“Paul is struggling for the spiritual survival of the Galatian Christians. He does not mince his words or beat around the bush. Rather, he makes it clear: The old covenant is slavery and you must get rid of it. Christian life is not found in the old covenant…

…”Therefore, brothers, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman”…Galatians 4:31…We are children of the new covenant, not the old. We cannot have both we must choose the new…

~Scripture says that a large category of law is obsolete~
~Paul says that salvation is by faith, not law~
~Law can only declare us guilty, not rescue us~
~The law cannot affect the promise of salvation by faith~
~The law of Moses was designed to be temporary~
~Being obligated to the law of Moses is like slavery~

http://www.facebook.com/kingrob2010#!/Jean.Louis.Laflamme

https://witnessed.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/the-futility-of-becoming-a-jew-messianic-jew-included/

https://witnessed.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/the-fall-of-jerusalem/