The Mosaic Law: Its Life and its Death

Does the Mosaic Law (ML) kill or does it give life? Is it “against us” (Col. 2:14) or is it for us? Dr. Daniel Botkin argues that the law is good and, therefore, there is no need for its repeal:

·       According to this misinterpretation, God’s Law was “against us,” and “contrary to us” because it was a heavy yoke of bondage. It was an impediment, a hindrance to man’s attempt to be reconciled to God. Therefore, God had to “take it out of the way” and get rid of it. He did this by nailing it to the Cross… This view is flawed for a few different reasons. First, it contradicts the biblical truth that God’s Law, properly understood, is neither “against us” nor “contrary to us.” According to the Bible, God’s unadulterated Law is a blessing, not a burden. (See, e.g., Deut. 4:5-9; Psalm 19, Psalm 119, Romans 7:22, 1 Tim. 1:8, and many other passages.) (Gates of Eden)

Botkin is correct to point out that the ML is good. Paul says as much:

·       So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. (Rom. 7:12)

However, right before this, Paul declares that the ML also produces sin, deception, and death:

·       What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, produced in me every kind of coveting. For apart from the law, sin was dead. Once I was alive apart from the law; but when the commandment came, sin sprang to life and I died. I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life actually brought death. For sin, seizing the opportunity afforded by the commandment, deceived me, and through the commandment put me to death. (Romans 7:7-11)

How then is it possible that the “law is holy… righteous and good,” and yet its effects are so damning? Paul explained that the ML made Israel aware of its sin (death) and, consequently, their need for the mercy and forgiveness of God (life):

·       Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (Romans 3:19-20)

The ML humbles and silences our arrogance. It shows us what we are really all about, and it’s not pretty. Instead of directly imparting life, the law shows us our damning sin (Rom. 6:23) and our need for God’s mercy, where we find life.

The Temple symbolized Israel’s need for mercy. Every day, sacrifices were made for the sins of Israel. This communicated that their level of obedience would never be good enough. Instead, any one sin would place them under a course:

·       “Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!” (Deut. 27:26)

However damning this truth is, it is also life-giving:

·       For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.” The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.” 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 pole.” (Galatians 3:10-13)

The curse of the law can bring us to Christ. Paul argued that the ultimate goodness of the ML was found in its ability to lead us to the mercy of God through the Messiah:

·       So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian [the law]. (Gal. 3:24-25)

However, Botkin seems to deny that the ML kills in order to lead us to grace:

·       God’s unadulterated Law does not put people in bondage; it liberates. “So shall I keep Thy Law continually forever and ever. And I will walk at liberty” (Psalm 119:44f). God wants us to keep His commandments.

In a limited sense, Botkin is correct. The law does “liberate,” but it only gave Israel a taste of the coming liberation to which the law pointed – Christ! While there was a type of “forgiveness” under the law, it never was able to open the door to the Presence of God. The Holy Place remained guarded, the blood offerings were a daily reminder that Israel was still in their sins, and their conscience remained uncleansed. Fullness could only come with the Cross:

·       How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. (Hebrews 9:14-15)

A true forgiveness and cleansing could only come from the Messiah. Nevertheless, Israel had experienced a foretaste of the promised grace through the Temple. However, they could not come boldly before God with a pure conscience. Consequently, Boykin overstates the “liberty” experienced under the law.

Botkin would agree with much of this. However, he would still maintain that even though we are saved through the mercy of God at the Cross, we are still under the ML. Boykin therefore denies that Jesus had fulfilled the ML on the Cross:

·       Jesus said we are not to even think that He came to abolish the Law. (See Matthew 5:17-19.)

However, Boykin leaves much out of his equation. Jesus had taught:

·       “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 tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands [before they are fulfilled] and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-19)

Admittedly, this teaching is cryptic. Jesus didn’t explicitly teach, “I am bringing in a New Covenant that will replace the Mosaic.” Why not? Israel wasn’t ready to hear this. In their minds, such teaching was a capital offense, which would have brought immediate stoning.

In fact, Jesus never explicitly taught against the ML. However, He hadn’t been explicit about many other things – His Deity, His Messiah-ship, the New Covenant, or His Atonement. It was only at the end that He taught more explicitly about His mission. About His being the Messiah, Quoting two Messianic passages, He only revealed Himself to the leadership at the end in order to help them put Him to death:

·       “Tell us if you are the Christ…” Jesus said to him, "It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Matthew 26:63-64)

Although He had been cryptic, Jesus was nevertheless preparing His followers for the coming New Covenant, which would replace the Old. He radically proclaimed that He was greater than the Temple and the Sabbath (Mat. 12:6-8). Loving God was no longer a matter of keeping the ML but His commandments (John 14:15; 21-24). The way to the Father was no longer though Moses but through Him (John 14:6). Israel’s faith would now have to be placed in Jesus (John 8:24) as the only way to the Father. They were no longer to be cleansed by the offering of animals but through His Word (John 15:3).

He set the stage for the passing of the ML in other ways. Under, the ML, Israel was defiled by coming in contact with external pollutants. However, Jesus cryptically contradicted this:

·       "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean’...Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean") (Mark 7:14-19; NIV).    

It was Mark who brought out the fact that Jesus, in effect, had “declared all foods ‘clean.’" Only in the end did Jesus make mention of the New Covenant, which His blood would bring (Mat. 26:28; Mark 14:24).

Although He didn’t explicitly mention that this New Covenant would replace the Mosaic, this was clearly His meaning. When He sent out His disciples (the Great Commission), He didn’t mention a word about their spreading the teachings of Moses. Instead:

·       “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Mat. 28:19-20).

Jesus left it to His Apostles to teach about the complete fulfillment and replacement of the Mosaic Covenant by the New, which they did with all clarity:

·       Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another--to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. For when we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law were at work in our members to bear fruit to death. But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter [of the law]. (Romans 7:4-6)

There is no suggestion in any of these replacement verses that Christ had only fulfilled part of the Old Covenant. Instead, when we died to the Law, we died to it entirely. According to Paul, only complete freedom from the Old would enable us to be exclusively under Christ.

While I am quite certain that Boykin would not have us reconstruct the Temple in order to return to the animal sacrificial system, he nevertheless claims that we are under the law of Moses. Would he claim that we are only under part of this covenant because Christ only fulfilled part and not all? If so, such a distinction is not scripturally supportable. If Christ fulfilled the covenant of the law, He fulfilled it entirely or not at all. This is the message of Scripture.

Jeremiah tells us that the New Covenant would be distinct from the failed Old Covenant:

·       "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah-- not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

The Old Covenant is no longer in sight (Jer. 3:14-16), consistent with Apostolic revelation:

·       By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear. (Hebrews 8:13)

·       First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. (Hebrews 10:8-9)

Scripture gives no hint that Christ only fulfilled part of the ML and covenant. However, does this mean that the ML is no longer instructive or valid for Christian living? Not at all! Instead, Paul declared that we have to uphold the requirements of the law (Romans 3:31)!

Murder is still murder; adultery is still a sin. The moral essence of the law is affirmed by the New Testament and therefore mandatory. However, much of the law is not a matter of substance but of the shadows cast by the Messiah. Therefore, now we embrace the Messiah and not the shadows He had cast:

·       Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)

Although we are no longer under the law, the law still conveys the vital truths of God. However, how do we distinguish substance from shadow? By understanding the Bible Christo-centrically!

Botkin is unclear whether he thinks that the Old Covenant applies only to Jewish believers in Christ. The Jerusalem Council had decided conclusively that the Gentile believer did not have to become circumcised to become a Jew and to follow the ML (Acts 15). Sadly, some Jewish believers erroneously believe that the Jews are still under the law.

This creates the kind of division within the Body of Christ that Paul had taught against. He openly criticized Peter for drawing back from fellowship with Gentile believers when the Jewish believers arrived. Why? Because Peter had betrayed “the truth of the Gospel” (Galatians 2:14)! Instead, the Gospel requires unity of all believers:

·       Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;  one Lord, one faith, one baptism;  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:3-5)

Without unity, we will not be able to impact this world as Jesus had prayed:

·       “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—  I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23)

           

Let us therefore pray for unity as Jesus had!             

Are Christians Still Under the Law of Moses?

There is a lot of confusion about this subject. Should we still tithe? Eat kosher foods? Penalize blasphemers? Some would say “Yes!” arguing that the Word of God endures forever (Isaiah 40:8). They rightly argue:

·        The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. (Psalm 19:7-9)

These are even sentiments reaffirmed by the Apostle Paul:

·        So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good. (Romans 7:12)

If these truths still apply, it might seem that we are still under the Law. However, Paul explained that although the law still has relevance, it is relevant in a different way:

·        So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God. For when we were controlled by the sinful nature, the sinful passions aroused by the law were at work in our bodies, so that we bore fruit for death. But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. (Romans 7:4-6)

We still serve and obey God, but now “in the new way of the Spirit.” We have “died to the law.” Christ died in our place on the Cross, taking our sins upon Himself. This fulfilled the requirement of the law (Romans 8:3-4). We had deserved to die for our sins (Romans 6:23). However, the curse we deserved (Deut. 27:26; Josh. 8:33-35) fell upon Him, and because He fulfilled it, the curse or indictment of the law has been fulfilled. Therefore, the law can no longer bring a charge against us, because we have already – through Christ – paid the penalty. Therefore, we are freed from the law.

When we were under the law, sin abounded:

·        The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)

Although we are no longer under the law, we still serve God according to His truths or laws, but in a very different way, as specified by the New Covenant. Jeremiah specifies several features regarding life under this New Covenant:

·        "The time is coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them," declares the Lord. "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the Lord. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Here are some of its specifications:

1.      This New Covenant (NC) “will not be like” the Mosaic Covenant.

2.      Even though God had written His laws on all human hearts (Romans 2:14-15), this NC will entail a far deeper and intimate writing. As a result of this, Jesus’ ways will become our ways. Following His laws will feel satisfying. His yoke will feel light - even a delight. However, it seems that this writing of the laws on our heart is a gradual process (2 Cor. 3; John 8:31-32) that occurs as we meditate on His Word (Psalm 1).

3.      It seems that some aspects of this NC have not yet been fulfilled. The “house of Israel and…Judah” have not yet received the NC. And perhaps it won’t be until His heavenly kingdom fully comes, when we will “all know” the Lord.

4.      He “remember[s] their sins no more." There will never be any more condemnation for those who are His (Romans 8:1).

Consequently, we now follow the law of God, but in a very different way. We realize that we don’t follow the law to be saved but instead, because we are saved. Doing good deeds isn’t the cause of salvation but the consequence of salvation. In fact, following the law never saved anyone:

·        Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. (Romans 3:19-20)

Instead of providing a means to attain righteousness and salvation, the law brought condemnation and showed us the truth about ourselves – that we are sinners who need the mercy of God.

   

Consequently, our only hope is that we are no longer under the law, but under grace:

·        For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)

This is because the New Covenant has replaced the Old:

   

·        By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. (Hebrews 8:13)

The Old disappeared entirely in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the Temple. As a result of the Cross and this destruction, not even the Jews are under the Mosaic Covenant anymore. Instead, all are under the covenant that God has written on the hearts of men (Romans 2:14-15). Consequently, all are “without excuse” before God (Romans 1:20).

Even though we aren’t under the Old, but under Christ, the law still represents the holiness and righteousness of God. Consequently, we still have to “uphold” it:

·        Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law. (Romans 3:31)

I know that this sounds like a contradiction – not under the law but upholding the law! How can  both be true? Clearly, the covenant of the law has been fulfilled in its entirety as Jesus had indicated:

·        "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. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. (Matthew 5:17-18)

Jesus didn’t “abolish” the law; He fulfilled it on the Cross. He had “accomplished” everything that had been required of the law. However, the law remains “holy…righteous and good,” as Paul declared. This means that the law can still instruct us regarding God’s love, mercy, wisdom and our sin.

We have to ask the question, “How does the law guide us today?” Jesus often quoted from the law and expounded upon its deeper spiritual meaning. Murder wasn’t simply a matter of hitting someone over the head with a rock. We could also murder with our words and looks:

·        "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:21-22)

Similarly, adultery wasn’t simply an external action. It also involved the heart and intentions. Love requires that our motives match our actions. We cannot love only in our actions, while we hate in our heart. If the two aren’t aligned, we are hypocrites. And when they aren’t aligned, we have to confess our sins. The law is about love in both our thinking and acting:

·        So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

·        Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:10)

The law instructs us how to love. Consequently, we are commanded to uphold the law in this sense, although we are no longer under the law. We are also commanded to uphold the laws of the land - and this too is love (and wisdom) - even though we are not spiritually under these laws.

To put it another way, we are no longer under the specific commands (or the threats – Christ fulfilled the threats!) of the Mosaic Law, which only pertained to theocratic Israel:

·        Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. (Col. 2:16-17)

How do we apply this truth? Although we are still supposed to keep the Sabbath – we want to honor the Lord in a special way at special times – we are even free to choose the day or even a set of times (Romans 14:5-6). This is one way that we love our Lord. The specifics of the law have changed but not the underlying principle, which we continue to uphold (or fulfill) in love.

This brings us back to the often-asked question about tithing. Does it still apply? The details might not, but the underlying principle, as illuminated by the New Testament, still applies:

·        Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor. 9:6-7)

Although Paul mentions nothing about tithing, he does encourage liberal and joyous giving. All good things come from God. He therefore has a right to everything that we have, and He blesses us in our giving. Therefore, our prayer should be something like this:

·        Lord, everything I have is yours. Therefore, You direct my heart and mind to use my resources in a way that pleases You. Also Lord, let me find more joy in giving than in holding on to my resources. Also let me not be anxious about trying prove my love, which might result in hasty and un-wise giving.

   

Antinomians go to the opposite extreme. They dismiss the law entirely. However, Christ’s teachings are also “law.” Therefore, to dismiss the law is to dismiss the commands of Christ. However, if we love Christ, we will keep His commands:

·        This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3)

We can’t love God if we refuse to obey His commands. On the contrary, if we obey Him, we are blessed by Him:

·        If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you...If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love…My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you…You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:7-14)

If we refuse to be obedient, we cannot be His friends. Nor can we use our so-called spiritual freedom for sin:

·        You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (Galatians 5:13-16)

How do we “live by the Spirit?” By following His teachings! However, beware of a great danger – that we might wrongly suppose that we are earning something from God through our obedience. Please banish this thought immediately. Instead, we need to realize that we cannot earn even a smile from God:

·        "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" (Romans 11:35)

Our Lord will never be in the position where He owes us anything! It’s all by grace (Gal. 3:1-5). Therefore, we must regard ourselves as unworthy servants (Luke 17:10)! Paul affirmed this about himself:

·        But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1 Cor. 15:10)

We must also confess, “by the grace of God I am what I am,” but this truth should never interfere with our loving obedience to our God. Even though Paul credited God with everything, this never prevented him from “working harder.” However, he even credited God for his hard work. We do reap what we sow (Gal. 6:8-9), but we are only enabled to sow by the grace of God (Phil. 2:12-13).

   

I’m sure that this essay will provoke many questions. I certainly welcome them to help others in their pursuit of our Lord’s love, joy and peace.