05/02/2024
The Law of Moses Vs The Law of Christ:
The Letter Vs The Spirit of The Law
(By Dr Paul E. Momoh)
Key Terms/Scriptures In Use: The Law of Christ (Gal 6:2) also called the Law of the Spirit (Rom 8:2) or the Law of faith (Rom 3:27).
In this post, I limit my scope to the basic principles underlying the Old and New Testaments. If understood, these principles can then be easily applied to any question or discussion on this subject. Not least of which are such questions bothering on sin, grace or 'greasy grace', the 10 commandments, tithing, etc. Let's start here:
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (Jn 1:17).
"Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid" (Rom 6:1-2).
(1) True, We Are No Longer Under The Law That Came By Moses. For, In Christ Jesus, We Are Under Grace And Truth (Jn 1:17).
Mind you, not just grace but grace and truth. That means, grace regulated by truth. In other words, regulated living under the Law of Christ. Which in essence means, we are indeed under the Law of Christ (Gal 6:2). New Testament Believers then are not lawless or without law, which law of Christ itself fulfils the Law of Moses 100%.
(2) Jesus Did Not Come To Destroy The Old Testament.
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil... Matthew 5:17-20.
Please take special notice of 'to fulfil' as above and 'fulfilled in us' as below and do so all through your read of this post:
“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4).
The word 'fulfil' in this context also means 'to apply', or 'as applicable'. So, Jesus came to apply the old in a new and living way, and we are to apply the old in that new and living way. We examine this with examples hereafter.
The Old Testament, therefore, still applies to us Believers today conditionally, in that, it is fulfilled or applicable in a new and different way. Jesus is the Way and His teaching is that way. So, for every scripture in the Old Testament (don't throw any away in your mind or from your life), you need to know or ask, how is it applicable to me, the New Testament Believer?
Examples:
(i) Under the Old Testament, Jerusalem is the place of worship. Under the New Testament, the same law to worship applies to us today but in a new and different way. Ask, where is the place of worship in my life?... and fulfil it:
“Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship... But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him (John 4:20-24).
(ii) Under the Old, it was the shedding of the blood of goats and calves to remit sin.
Under the New, it was the shedding of blood too but in a different way; the blood of Christ himself rather than the blood of goats and calves.
“And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Heb 9:22).
Hence, it is true that:
The Old Testament is the foundation of the New Testament.
The New Testament is the fulfillment of the Old Testament.
(3) In The New Testament, We Fulfil the Spirit of the Law And Not the Letter of the Law.
Fulfilling it is through the Spirit (of Christ) who empowers us to be obedient, and not through our own flesh or power.
Romans 8:1-3:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit".
So, Believers fulfil the commandments by walking after the Spirit through obedience, by the love of Christ, through a heart of 'flesh' as opposed to a heart of 'stone' which itself does not have Christ's love shed upon it.
(4) We Are Not Under The Letter Of The Law But We Sure Are Under The Spirit Of The Law which is = Love.
The Spirit of the Law is Love which is shed abroad on our hearts. The Spirit is Love:
“Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Cor 3:6)
Jesus said: “ If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15-31).
“And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself” (Lk 10:27).
The letter of the law is limited to 10 but the spirit of the law is unlimited. The letter of the law is the 10 commandments. The spirit of the law is the 10 wrapped up in unlimited commandments in the Spirit we have received through Christ, whom we must obey because we love Him.
In that obedience, day by day, we find that we are fulfilling not just 10 commandments. We fulfilling the 10 commandments revealed in unlimited Truth; whereby, the Spirit of Truth guides us into all truth (Jn 16:13). "All truth" is much more than 10 commandments. 'All truth' consists of far more than the 10 commandments. 'All truth' is revealed by the Spirit of Truth in the ways of doctrine, instructions, reproofs, and corrections of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3: 16-17).
Hence:
The New Testament Is The Old Testament Revealed In Multiple Ways, Multiple Truths, All Truth. Where All Truth Is Parallel. This means that no One Truth of Scripture Contradicts The Spirit of The Other, But Each Truth Of Scripture Is Understood In The Spirit Or Light Of The Others.
Due to the enormity of this Truth, we have been given enormous grace, where the Spirit lives within us, revealing these enormous truths, how they specifically apply to our situations and circumstances, helping us and working within us, empowering us both to will and to do of His pleasure:
"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil 2:13). Whereby, we are not to grieve the Spirit (Eph 4:30) nor quench the Spirit (1 Thes 5:19) but overcome evil and never let sin have dominion over us (Rom 6:14).
Example:
Under the Law of Moses, Jerusalem is the place of worship. There is no temple to desecrate by mistake or error until a person gets to Jerusalem, in a year or two.
Under the Law of Christ, you are the place of worship, the temple of the Holy Spirit, God's building. You don't need a year or two to desecrate your temple. Anytime, anywhere, you can choose to mind the flesh and sin or mind the Spirit and overcome it. What you MIND or spend time musing or pondering upon to do, good or bad, is what you will end up doing; not because sin has dominion over you. This is the law of the Spirit.
Yes, we are not under the law of Moses, but we are not lawless in the New Testament. We are under a stronger law of the Spirit, working by that Spirit within us, and we are full of grace to keep the law of the Spirit which is the law of faith or the law of Christ. So, "let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire (Heb 12:28-29).
Wherever you go, therefore, anytime anywhere, remember this: you are the house of prayer. So, watch and pray; be up praying in season and out of season without ceasing. You are the dwelling place of God, the habitation of God through the Spirit. So, be up looking, keeping yourself holy, for "I am holy" and "I come quickly", saith the Lord. Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus!
[Scripture References: King James Version (KJV)