The passion event: the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus was among the most impactful events of the first century. Many could argue it is the most important event even today. Thousands of years of Jewish history and prophecy pointed to this one event as the climax of God’s redemptive story. God had sent his promised Messiah to redeem his people.
Now, God’s favor was no longer exclusive to the Jewish nation. Prophetic words from Isaiah and Joel describing Gentiles coming to faith were manifesting. Jesus’ own promise to combine the sheep pens have been realized. While this event was a glorious one, it does leave us with important questions.
If we are under the New Covenant now, what is the nature of the Law and what does it mean to us now?
Are there aspects that must be kept and followed or is the Law now completely nullified?
Many of the apostles addressed this issue, but none was more qualified or able to explain this more thoroughly than Paul. Paul was a zealous Jew who possessed a vast knowledge of Old Testament Scriptures and was radically changed by a supernatural encounter with the risen Jesus. Who better to answer this question than him? But, before we can answer the question, we need to dig a bit deeper into what the Law actually is.
WHAT IS THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW?
The term ‘Law’ can be whimsically tossed around in the Church today without a full understanding of what it truly means. It is a simple term, but it describes a robust and multifaceted institution of the Old Testament. Therefore, it’s important to define the nature and purpose of the Old Testament Law before any meaningful application to Christianity can be made… and Paul will be the man to guide the conversation.
In western culture today, this word is generally undefined and is used as a catch-all phrase for legalism. Biblically, however, what this word refers to is the Mosaic Law. This is an all-encompassing term. When broken down, there are several different elements to the full Mosaic Law:
- The Ten Commandments, (the righteous requirements of living)
- Moral Laws (which have resulting blessings and curses)
- Dietary Laws (what Jews can and cannot eat)
- Ceremonial Laws (cultural laws of sacrifice and circumcision)
The Ten Commandments were given at Mount Sinai, Deuteronomy details the blessings and curses that follow obedience or disobedience to God’s righteous commands, Leviticus describes the ceremonial laws of animal sacrifice and various offerings, and circumcision was first instituted by Abraham in the book of Genesis. If a person were to identify themselves as a Jew, they would adhere to the “Law of Moses,” by doing, observing, and keep all its requirements. Throughout Paul’s letters, he uses the term Law to address these different aspects.
A MARRIAGE METAPHOR
Another way to understand the Law is to view it as a contract, a legally-binding contract which obligates both parties to act in certain ways. In Romans chapter seven, Paul describes this contract by relating the Law to a marriage. Once the marriage has been made official (in this case, the Jew obligates him or herself to the fullness of the Law) then the husband and wife are bound to their duties and to live in complete fidelity to one another as long as they are alive. Should one of them die, the remaining spouse is released from their obligation to the previous partner and is free to pursue another spouse. This is the core theme to Paul’s understanding of how the believer is released from the marriage to the OT Law into the new relationship and covenant with Jesus in the New Covenant (with the added and unique perspective of how Jesus fulfilled the obligation of his bride to the former spouse).
PURPOSE OF THE LAW
With the definition of Law now established, the purpose of the Law can now be understood. Like the definition, there are many purposes of the Law which Paul explains in his letters to the Romans and Galatians. As Paul teaches and exhorts the believers in these two cities, he explains how the Law was given to:
1. reveal sin
2. reveal God’s will
3. ultimately to reveal Christ
In the process, he will also describe how these revelations impact the human condition and how God will eventually provide a new and better covenant.
Reveal Sin
The chapters of the first half of the book of Romans build on one another like foundation stones to provide context for what the purpose of the Law is. Romans 1-2 give thorough rebuke of Jewish boasting and the Gentile inclination to excuse sin. Romans 4 gives an explanation of Abraham’s righteousness through faith and not circumcision, Romans 5 holds the declaration of Jesus’ supremacy to Adam. Only after all this context does Paul finally describe the main purpose of the Law. This purpose is to reveal sin, because you have to know what sin is before you are held accountable to it. Here Paul explains that he would not have known what sin was unless God had revealed his righteous standards, concluding that people cannot be held accountable for a standard they are unaware of. Thus, the Law was given.
Because the Law itself defines what sin is, Paul rightfully describes it as good and holy. Paul’s simple point is that the Law brings awareness to sin, but unfortunately, the sinful nature of man weakens him, and what was meant to bring understanding to mankind became a controlling power source for sin. The Law explains what sin is, but like a toddler who is told not to do something, that naturally becomes all he or she can think of doing.
GOD’S WILL REVEALED
In close relation to the Law’s purpose of revealing sin, it also serves as a way to know God’s will and character. It’s best to think of these two concepts as two sides of a coin. In order for God to reveal his righteousness and will for his people, he will also be showing them what is unrighteous and things which are in rebellion to his will and nature. One will always describe the other. The issue Paul has with the Law is not necessarily that it gave sin power, but its inability to remove that power, even though it is declaring the will of God. This is how the Jews and even us today can understand the majesty of the Law and yet be held in the firm of sin in the same moment.
Paired with God’s righteous ability to judge sin in light of his holy standard, is also his desire to stimulate love and devotion from his people. Deuteronomy describes God’s desire to bless his people when they adhere to his standards just as much as he warns of punishment for breaking his holy Law. This love is obvious in multiple levels: in the way he leads his people day by day, and also in the high-level view of the on-going story of his redemptive plan through the way Israel interacts the Law.
This is evident in Galatians 3:19, which shows us that, in fact, the Law was a vehicle that led to Paul’s ability to die to the Law and thus be able to live his life to God through his son, Jesus. Paul’s exhortation to the Romans (10:4) is that now, Christ is the fulfilment of the Law, showing his unfailing love in the completion of his redemptive plan.
REVEAL CHRIST
Devout Jews do not claim Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah, but Christians do. According to Paul, the Law pointed to this fact. In Galatians 3, Paul declares that the law was only meant to be a temporary guardian until Jesus came and justified his people. In doing so, he is declaring that the purpose of the Law was to be a temporary solution which would point to Jesus as the permanent and perfected means of how he save and justify his people.
In essence, it was a shadow of the real object. A shadow is only a representation of the real substance, and the Law (according to Paul) was a type of shadow or model that would point to the Messiah as the means of permanent justification. God’s purpose in giving the Law, then, was to reveal sin in order to shed light on man’s transgressions, so that his redemptive will can be made known to his people, until his permanent plan – Jesus – is realized.
This is the foundation for understanding how we, as 21st Century Christians relate to the Law. Next up, we will begin to peel back the layers of the Law to see what we should and should not adhere to.
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