The Two Laws
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We invite you to pray with us, before beginning this lesson:
O Lord, our God,
We ask You once again to grant us Your help, as we deepen our study of Your law.
We thank You in advance for guiding us in Your Word, as You did since the beginning of
these lessons until now, for we know that without Your presence, it would be impossible to
discover the treasures hidden in Your Holy Book.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Ephesians 2:14,15
[Christ] Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and
has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in His flesh the
enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances.
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Basing themselves on these verses, many sincere people believe that the Bible
teaches the abolition of God's law by Jesus Christ's death on the cross.
The aim of this lesson is to demonstrate that the Bible speaks of two distinct laws:
- one that was indeed abolished at the cross;
- and the other which will never be abolished, but will endure forever.
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Acts 15:5
But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose
up, saying,
«It is necessary to circumcise [the Gentiles], and to command them to keep the law of
Moses.»
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First, there is a law which the Bible calls the «law of
Moses».
This law was a ceremonial law, explaining very precisely how to perform the sacrificial
system, and describing the services that had to take place in the earthly sanctuary.
For more details, we invite you to review the lesson «The
Two Sanctuaries».
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Isaiah 5:24
They have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts.
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The «law of the Lord» is the second law
mentioned in the Bible.
It is the moral law, the Ten Commandments, reflecting the character of God (for more
details, please review the previous lesson «The Law
Reflects Its Author»).
So, let us remember that there are two laws, distinct one from the other:
- the law of Moses, or ceremonial law;
- the law of God, or moral law.
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Deuteronomy 31:24
When Moses had completed writing the words of this law in
a book (...).
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Exodus 31:18
When [the Lord] had made an end of speaking with him on
Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with
the finger of God.
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Many points distinguish the ceremonial law from the moral law.
First, the ceremonial law was written by Moses in a book.
The moral law, for its part, was written by God Himself on tablets of stone.
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Deuteronomy 31:26
Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of
the covenant of the Lord your God.
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Exodus 25:16
And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will
give you.
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1 Kings 8:9
There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of
stone.
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While the law of Moses was put beside the ark of the covenant, the two tablets
of the Ten Commandments were placed inside the ark.
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Hebrews 8:4
For if [Jesus] were on earth, He would not be a priest,
since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law.
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As we said earlier, the law of Moses was explaining how to present offerings,
how to celebrate feasts, etc. This is why it is called «ceremonial law».
The moral law, for its part, does not speak about ceremonies and offerings. Its complete
text, the Ten Commandments, is found in EXODUS 20:2-17 and in
DEUTERONOMY 5:6-21.
We have studied the content of the Ten Commandments in the lesson «When God's Finger Writes».
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Ephesians 2:14,15
[Christ] Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and
has broken down the middle wall of division between us, having abolished in His flesh the
enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances.
----------------------------------------------------
We now better understand these verses: indeed, Christ, by His death on the
cross, became the Lamb of God sacrificed for the sins of the world.
Thus, the whole sacrificial system of the earthly sanctuary became useless.
This is why the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two at the death of Jesus, as we learned
in the lesson «The Two Sanctuaries».
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Matthew 5:17,18
Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the
Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will
by no means pass from the law.
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Therefore, let's be careful when we say that Jesus has abolished the law.
Jesus' death on the cross has indeed abolished the ceremonial law.
However Jesus clearly stated that He did not come to destroy the moral law, the Ten
Commandments, which reflects the character of God Himself.
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Matthew 19:16-19
«Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may
have eternal life?»
So [Jesus] said to him, «Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.»
He said to Him, «Which ones?»
Jesus said, «"You shall not murder", "You shall not commit adultery",
"You shall not steal", "You shall not bear false witness", "Honor
your father and your mother".»
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Jesus always showed the greatest respect toward the Ten Commandments.
Far from abolishing the Ten Commandments, He taught people to keep them.
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Hebrews 7:15,16
In the likeness of Melchizedek, there arises another
priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment (...).
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Romans 7:7,14
I would not have known covetousness unless the law had
said, «You shall not covet.» (...)
For we know that the law is spiritual.
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While the law of Moses is described as a «law of a
fleshly commandment», the moral law is described as being «spiritual».
The context of the last passage clearly indicates that the spiritual law designates the
Ten Commandments.
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Galatians 3:19
What purpose then does the law serve? It was added
because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made.
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1 John 3:4
Sin is lawlessness.
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What a puzzle for those who do not understand the distinction between the
ceremonial law and the moral law!
How could they explain that sin is lawlessness and, at the same time, that the law has
been added because of sins?
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
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Romans 3:20
By the law is the knowledge of sin.
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The solution to this enigma is simple: sin is the transgression of the moral
law, that is, the Ten Commandments.
Because of this transgression, the ceremonial law was given, explaining the sacrificial
system that had to be performed until the coming of the Sacrifice par excellence, the Lamb
of God, who gave His life for the sin of the world.
Thus, by knowing the moral law, we can know when we have committed a sin, and then ask for
God's forgiveness.
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Colossians 2:14
[Christ has] wiped out the handwriting of requirements
that was against us, which was contrary to us.
And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
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James 2:11,12
For He who said, «Do not commit adultery,» also said,
«Do not murder». Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a
transgressor of the law.
So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.
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The ceremonial law was against men, until its destruction by the death of Jesus
on the cross.
But the moral law is for us a «law of liberty».
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Acts 15:5,10
Some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up,
saying, «It is necessary to circumcise [the Gentiles], and to command them to keep the
law of Moses.» (...)
Peter said, «Why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which
neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?»
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1 John 5:3
For this is the love of God, that we keep His
commandments.
And His commandments are not burdensome.
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The law of Moses was a heavy yoke.
The law of God, on the contrary, is not burdensome.
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Hebrews 7:18,19
There is an annulling of the former commandment because
of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect.
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James 1:25
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and
continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be
blessed in what he does.
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What a contrast between the imperfect ceremonial law and the perfect moral law
guiding our steps through the work of the Holy Spirit within our hearts!
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Daniel 9:4,11
I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and
said,
«(...) Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your
voice.
Therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant of God have been
poured out on us.»
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In this verse alone, we note the presence of the two laws:
- first, the law of God, that has been transgressed;
- then the law of Moses, describing the curses which would fall on Israel if they
disobeyed to the commandments of God.
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2 Kings 21:8
[The Lord said,]
«I will not make the feet of Israel wander anymore from the land which I gave their
fathers - only if they are careful to do according to all that I have commanded them, and
according to all the law that My servant Moses commanded them.»
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God Himself made a distinction between His moral law, the Ten Commandments, and
the law of Moses, that Israel had to keep until the coming of Jesus, the perfect Lamb of
God.
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Summary of the distinctions between the law of God and the law of Moses
:
THE LAW OF GOD |
THE LAW OF MOSES
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Written by God on tablets of stone | Written by Moses in a
book
Put inside the ark of the covenant | Put beside the ark of the covenant
Is a moral law
|
Is a ceremonial law
Exalted by Christ, is not abolished | Abolished by Christ at the cross
Is spiritual
|
Is fleshly
Was there before sin
| Has been added because of sin
Is a law of liberty, not burdensome | Is a condemning law, a heavy yoke
Is perfect
|
Is imperfect
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1 Corinthians 7:19
Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing,
but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.
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To conclude this lesson, here is a short verse which gives us an excellent
summary of what we have studied:
- we, as Christians, no longer have to keep the ceremonial law, which was abolished by the
death of Jesus on the cross;
- however, we must keep God's commandments, which describe the duty of every man toward
God and toward his neighbor.
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Let's pray together:
God Almighty,
Having transgressed Your law, the moral law, we were all deserving death.
But You have had mercy on us, and have given men a ceremonial law whose content
foreshadowed the coming of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, Your Son
Jesus Christ.
Having accepted Him as our Savior and Lord, we no longer need this ceremonial law which is
now abolished.
Please send us Your Holy Spirit so that we may, day after day, better keep Your
commandments which reflect Your character. In Jesus Christ our Savior we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 30 is waiting for you!