A STRICTER LAW?

So what is law? According to one definition, “A rule of conduct or procedure established by custom, agreement, or authority.” (http://dictionary.search.yahoo.com) another, “any system of regulations to govern the conduct of the people of a community, society or nation, in response to the need for regularity, consistency and justice based upon collective human experience.”(http://dictionary.law.com) Both of these definitions ignore the basis of law…God. Without the Law-giver, there is no objective, moral law. This article is not about proving the law came from God, meaning morals-or what is right and wrong. Instead, this is about the Law we live under today, as believers. And by Law, I believe it’s the things we OUGHT to do, not as much what we OUGHT NOT.

God gave the nation of Israel, hundreds of ‘laws’ that are contained in the Mosaic Law. We call it the ‘Mosaic Law’, because in Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers, God gave Moses rules, regulations, instructions, statutes, and codes to govern the fledgling nation to live under. Most Bible scholars and New Testament believers, believe we are not under the ‘Mosaic’ type laws. "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight," (Rom. 3:20 KJV) is Paul’s way of saying, “we can’t abide by these rules, we can’t expect them to save us.” Romans 3:27-28 (NLT) “Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.”

So do we live under a law, or Law, today? I would answer that with a resounding, YES! Romans 3:31 (NLT) “Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.” Further proof is here, Romans 8:2 (KJV) “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” Some would say, “Brother, that verse says we are free from the law.” Yes, from the one that brings death, i.e. the Mosaic Law, but not free from a law, which is the ‘new’ law, the ‘Spirit of life in Christ Jesus’ Law, if you will. Paul deals with aspects of this ‘Law’ here, Galatians 6:2 (KJV) “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” And here, 2 John 1:5 (KJV) “And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.” These surely are commands we OUGHT TO DO.

In Exodus Chapter 20, God gave Moses a Top Ten List, before David Letterman. These would be the foundational laws for the nation of Israel, and dare I say, much of western civilization in the past 2500 years. The argument can be made that these laws are universal, much as Paul does here, Romans 2:14 (HCSB) “So, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, instinctively do what the law demands, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law.” But, as we have already stated, the Mosaic Law is no longer valid for the New Testament believers. What I would argue is the same, but with a slight twist on the notion, that is, we are under a stricter Law, the Law of Christ. In this Law, spelled out in the New Testament, we find that Grace has obligated us to an even higher standard than the Old Testament ever did. This is not moralism, or salvation by works, no, this is for the one who has already been redeemed. Paul even makes this point here, Ephesians 2:10 (KJV) “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

So how are the laws in Christ’s Law stricter than Moses’? Let me illustrate using the Ten Commandments, the bedrock of Moses’ Law. Each of the Ten Commandments are found in the New Testament in its Law of Christ Form, it takes some digging, but they are there. Let’s start with the easy ones, Exodus 20:14 (KJV) “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Is a familiar and universally held command, that Jesus took it further, Matthew 5:27-28 (HCSB) “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” It is not just the outward action but the condition of the heart. Again, Exodus 20:15 (KJV) “Thou shalt not steal.” Don’t just quit stealing, but, Ephesians 4:28 (NLT) “If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.” WOW! It is a complete change of attitude, direction, and purpose. Another said, Exodus 20:16 (KJV) “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.” To which Paul commended, Ephesians 4:25 (NLT) “So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.” This is proactive, go tell your neighbor truth, which I would assume is the Gospel, at the least.

Exodus 20:13 (KJV) “Thou shalt not kill.” Becomes, 1 John 3:15 (HCSB) “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.” Not just the act, but the feeling in your heart that leads to such diabolical actions. Exodus 20:17 (KJV) “Thou shalt not covet… any thing that is thy neighbour's.” Then is spelled out as, along with others already covered, Romans 13:9 (NLT) “For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” One that is harder to discern in Christ’s Law is, Exodus 20:8 (KJV) “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” In what way do we now fulfill the Law of Christ in this? Maybe here, 2 Thessalonians 1:7 (NLT) “And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels,” this true Sabbath is to come, Hebrews 4:9 (HCSB) “Therefore, a Sabbath rest remains for God’s people.” Another law is, Exodus 20:7 (KJV) “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” If, as the pattern has been, the Law of Christ is ‘stricter’, then surely this is the NT alternative, Matthew 22:37 (NLT) “ Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’” Exodus 20:12 (KJV) “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” Is now, Colossians 3:20 (NLT) “Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord.”

For our final two, Exodus 20:3-4 (KJV) “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:” We can start here, John 4:24 (NLT) “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” Then here, Romans 12:1 (GW) “Brothers and sisters, in view of all we have just shared about God's compassion, I encourage you to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, dedicated to God and pleasing to him. This kind of worship is appropriate for you.” And finally, here, Philippians 3:3 (NLT) “For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,” Needless to say, this law, Christ’s Law, is stricter, more stringent, and much more demanding than Moses’. I would submit to you, that this Law, as written on our hearts, puts us into a more responsible burden to live by, but, Paul sums it up beautifully here, Galatians 2:20-21 (NLT) “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.”

#law #moses #grace