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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] is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even 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 following 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 there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying that it was needful 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 cast away 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 made an end of writing the words of this law in a book (...).
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Exodus 31:18
And [the Lord] gave to Moses, when He had made an end of communing with him on Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables 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 in the side of 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 shall give you.
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1 Kings 8:9
There was nothing in the ark save the two tables 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 should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer 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] is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances.
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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
[Jesus said,]
«Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
For truly I say to you, till heaven and earth pass, one stroke or one pronunciation mark shall in no wise 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 Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?»
And [Jesus] said to him, «Why call you Me good? There is none good but One, that is, God. But if you will enter into life, keep the commandments.»
He said to Him, «Which?»
Jesus said, «“You shall do no 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
After the similitude of Melchisedec there rises another Priest, who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment (...).
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Romans 7:7,14
I had not known lust, except 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 carnal 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
Why then serves the law? 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 the transgression of the law.
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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 the transgression of the law,» and, at the same time, that «the law was added because of transgressions»?
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] blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross.
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James 2:11,12
For He that said, «Do not commit adultery,» said also, «Do not kill». Now if you commit no adultery, yet if you kill, you are become a transgressor of the law.
So speak you, and so do, as they that shall 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
But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying that it was needful to circumcise [the Gentiles], and to command them to keep the law of Moses. (...)
[Peter said,] «Why tempt you God, to put 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 grievous.
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The law of Moses was a heavy yoke.
The law of God, on the contrary, is not grievous.
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Hebrews 7:18,19
There is truly a cancellation of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.
For the law made nothing perfect.
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James 1:25
But whoever looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
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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 my confession, and said, (...)
«Yes, all Israel have transgressed Your law, even by departing, that they might not obey Your voice.
Therefore the curse is poured on us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God.»
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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 the commandments of God.
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2 Kings 21:8
[The Lord said,]
«Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe 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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1 Corinthians 7:19
Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
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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.
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