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The Mosaic Law, or the Old Covenant was
given specifically to the nation of Israel
(Exod. 19; Lev. 26:46; Rom. 9:4). It was made
up of three parts: the Ten Commandments, the
ordinances, and the elaborate system of
worship that included the priesthood, the
tabernacle, the offerings, and the annual
festivals (Exod. 20-40; Lev. 1-7; 23).
Christians live under the New Covenant now
and are not under any of the laws of the Old
Covenant (2 Cor. 3; Heb. 8]. The Old and the
New Covenants are separate and distinct
covenants given to different people groups
in God’s redemptive history.
The Old
and New Covenants have similar commandments,
but just because nine of the Ten
Commandments are reapplied in the New
Covenant doesn’t mean that the Law of Moses
is still in effect. If a Christian steals
something, they break the law of Christ, not
the Law of Moses. If we choose to keep parts
of the Old Covenant law, such as the Sabbath
or the dietary restrictions, we are free to
do so, but keeping the Law of Moses out of
the belief that we are obligated to keep
them denies the perfect and finished work of
Jesus Christ on Calvary’s cross.
The New Covenant has done away with all of
the Old Covenant ceremonies, Feasts and Holy
days.
The Mosaic Covenant
had served as a dividing wall that was meant
to separate Israel from the unbelieving
Gentiles (Eph. 2:11-15; John 7:35; Acts 14:1, 5; 18:4;
Rom. 3:9; 3:29; 9:24; 1 Cor. 1:22-24).
Ephesians 2:11-18 says,
“Therefore, remember that formerly you who
are Gentiles by birth and called
“uncircumcised” by those who call themselves
“the circumcision” (that done in the body by
the hands of men)— 12 remember that at that
time you were separate from Christ, excluded
from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to
the covenants of the promise, without hope
and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were
far away have been brought near through the
blood of Christ. 14
For he himself is our
peace, who has made the two one and has
destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of
hostility, 15
by abolishing in his flesh the
law with its commandments and regulations.
His purpose was to create in himself one new
man out of the two, thus making peace, 16
and in this one body to reconcile both of
them to God through the cross, by which he
put to death their hostility. 17 He came and
preached peace to you who were far away and
peace to those who were near. 18 For through
him we both have access to the Father by one
Spirit.” (NIV)
The Gentiles
are fellow heirs in the New Covenant.
Ephesians 2:19-22 says, “Consequently, you are no longer
foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens
with God’s people and members of God’s
household, 20 built on the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus
himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him
the whole building is joined together and
rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
22 And in him you too are being built
together to become a dwelling in which God
lives by his Spirit.” (NIV)
Christ did away with the wall of partition
to make the two groups into one new body of
believers.
God gave Israel
the Mosaic Covenant to keep them separate
from the rest of the world (Eph. 2:12;
John 4:22; Rom. 9:4-5). The Gentiles were
separated from the commonwealth of Israel
and they were strangers to the covenants of
promise. To be separated from Israel was to
be separated from Christ, because “salvation
is from the Jews” (John 4:22; Rom. 9:4-5).
Paul used the strong transitional phrase
in Ephesians 2:13 that said, “But now in
Christ Jesus” to point the Gentiles to their
new relationship in Christ. The Gentiles
were no longer in their alienated state.
They could know Christ personally, take part
in God’s covenant blessings and have
complete fellowship with God (1 Jn. 1:3;
John 17:21-23; 2 Pet. 1:3-4).
Christ
abolished the dividing wall by fulfilling
it, and removing the law’s condemnation for
all those who believe (Matt. 5:17-19;
Acts 15:1-29; Rom. 8:1-4; Heb. 9:11-14; 10:1-10). When we are in
Christ, we become a new person, part of a
new human race made in the image of Christ,
the second Adam (1 Cor. 15:45, 49; Eph. 4:24).
In 2 Corinthians, Paul
specifically refers to the Decalogue by
saying the commandments written in stone
were a ministry of death that has come to an
end.
2 Corinthians 3:3-11
says, “And you show that you are a
letter from Christ delivered by us, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the
living God, not on tablets of stone but on
tablets of human hearts. 4 Such is the
confidence that we have through Christ
toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in
ourselves to claim anything as coming from
us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6
who
has made us sufficient to be ministers of a
new covenant, not of the letter but of the
Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit
gives life. 7
Now if the ministry of death,
carved in letters on stone, came with such
glory that the Israelites could not gaze at
Moses’ face because of its glory,
which was
being brought to an end, 8 will not the
ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?
9 For if there was glory in the ministry of
condemnation, the ministry of righteousness
must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in
this case, what once had glory has come to
have no glory at all, because of the glory
that surpasses it. 11
For if what was being
brought to an end came with glory, much more
will what is permanent have glory.”
The New Covenant fulfills all of the
divine promises from the previous covenants
when we are in Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:20
says, “For all the promises of God find
their Yes in him. That is why it is through
him that we utter our Amen to God for his
glory.”
Hebrews 8:6 says, “But as it
is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is
as much more excellent than the old as the
covenant he mediates is better, since it is
enacted on better promises.”
And Hebrews 9:15
says, “Therefore he is the mediator of
a new covenant, so that those who are called
may receive the promised eternal
inheritance, since a death has occurred that
redeems them from the transgressions
committed under the first covenant.”
The word “new” refers to something
completely new and unlike what has come
before. It refers to being different in both
kind and quality. Spiritually speaking, a
person in Christ is no longer a Jew or
Gentile, they are simply a Christian.
Romans 10:12-13 says, “For there is no distinction
between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is
Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who
call on him. For “everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord will be saved.”
Galatians 3:28 says, “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.”
The
purpose of the Law was to show our inability
to fulfill God’s righteous standard.
Romans 3:20 says, “For by works of the
law no human being will be justified in his
sight, since through the law comes knowledge
of sin.”
Romans 5:20 says, “Now the
law came in to increase the trespass, but
where sin increased, grace abounded all the
more,”
Romans 7:6-8 says, “But now we
are released from the law, having died to
that which held us captive, so that we serve
in the new way of the Spirit and not in the
old way of the written code. 7 What then
shall we say? That the law is sin? By no
means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I
would not have known sin. For I would not
have known what it is to covet if the law
had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But
sin, seizing an opportunity through the
commandment, produced in me all kinds of
covetousness. For apart from the law, sin
lies dead.”
Galatians 3:19 says, “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.”
Galatians 3:24 says,
“So then, the law was our guardian until
Christ came, in order that we might be
justified by faith.”
And 1 Timothy 1:9
says, “understanding this, that the law
is not laid down for the just but for the
lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and
sinners, for the unholy and profane, for
those who strike their fathers and mothers,
for murderers.”
If you try to
live by the Law, you must keep it all
perfectly to be saved.
Galatians 3:10-13 says, “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.” Now it is evident
that no one is justified before God by the
law, for “The righteous shall live by
faith.” But the law is not of faith, rather
“The one who does them shall 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 hanged
on a tree.”
And James 2:10 says, “For
whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one
point has become accountable for all of it.”
(cf. Deut. 27:26; 28:15; Jer. 11:3-5;
Rom. 2:23-25; 3:19; 5:12, 20).
If
you try to live by the Law, you will fail
every time!
Romans 3:9 says,
“What then? Are we Jews any better off? No,
not at all. For we have already charged that
all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,”
Romans 3:19 says, “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.”
Romans 3:23
says, “for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God,”
And Romans 11:32 says,
“For God has consigned all to disobedience,
that he may have mercy on all.” (cf. Gal. 3:22;
1 Jn. 1:8-10).
The New
Testament explicitly teaches that
Sabbath-keeping along with all of the other
ceremonial requirements of the Old Covenant
Law are not required for Christians under
the New Covenant (Matt. 11:28-30; 12:1-8;
Acts 15:1-28; Col. 2:14-17; Gal. 4:10-11;
Rom. 14:5-12; Eph. 2:11-18; 2 Cor. 3:3-11;
Heb. 3:7-4:13; 8:6-9:4; 10:23-25).
Christians are to rest in the finished
work of Jesus Christ and the security He
offers to everyone who accepts Him as their
Lord and Savior (Matt. 11:28-30; Heb. 4:1-11).
Christians are told to live by the Spirit,
not the law!
Galatians 5:1-6
says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set
us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let
yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of
slavery. 2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you
that if you let yourselves be circumcised,
Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3
Again I declare to every man who lets
himself be circumcised that he is obligated
to obey the whole law. 4
You who are trying
to be justified by law have been alienated
from Christ; you have fallen away from
grace. 5 But by faith we eagerly await
through the Spirit the righteousness for
which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision has any
value. The only thing that counts is faith
expressing itself through love.” (NIV)
Christ has taken away our
bondage to the Law and given us freedom in
place of our slavery (John 8:32, 36;
Acts 15:10; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 2:4; 3:25; 5:1).
Those who have become Christians live under
an entirely different covenant law than
Israel did, they live under the law of
Christ, also called the royal law of
liberty, and the law of the Spirit of life (John 13:34;
Gal. 6:2; 1 Cor. 9:19-23; James 2:8-12; Rom. 8:1-11).
Have you put your trust in Jesus Christ
alone for your salvation? He will never let
you down.
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