The Law

Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient. . . -1Ti 1:8-9a

I often hear the response, "That's the Old Testament," when confronting a brother with scripture relating to sin in his life. There's this mistaken notion out there that because Christ came, the Old Testament is completely obsolete and has nothing to say about how we should live our lives.

This belief is an over-extension of Christ's work on the cross. Yes, the ceremonial laws were fulfilled by Christ--we no longer need to sacrifice turtledoves, offer wave offerings, or make atonement for our sins because Christ is our atoning sacrifice. And the legal demands for the people of Israel (e.g., If you're watching your neighbor's bull and it dies from no wrong-doing, sell the bull and split the proceeds) don't apply directly to us with the American legal system. But the moral laws tell us what is acceptable and unacceptable to God, and we must continue to live by these laws. For God is the same today, 2000 years after Christ, as He was 2000 years before He came. The moral law was not erased by Christ's death on the cross.

The other cause of this mistaken belief about the moral laws presented by Moses is an errant view of Old Testament salvation. Many believe the law was given as a means for obtaining eternal life. This was the error of the pharisees that Jesus rebuked repeatedly. The law was not given to be a means unto salvation, rather a guardian to lead us to Christ. It is a mirror to show us the depth of our sin, how far we fall from God's glorious standard. All the saints from Abraham to Paul have been justified the same way, by faith apart from the law. Yet all obeyed the law to make their faith complete.