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The Impact of Christ Death on the Law of Moses

by Jeremiah opusunju  
9/05/2010 / Christian Living

THE LAW OF MOSES WAS ABOLISHED

Following the death of Jesus upon the cross and the condemnation which the Law of Moses brought on him, his Spirit became clothed with filthiness. There was therefore need for him to be cleaned up.

The Father then commanded: "Blotting 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" (Colossians 2:14). The hand writing against us (Christ and his body) had to be blotted out.

In keeping with the Father's command, the Holy Spirit went to work, he abolished (annulled) the Law of Moses and nailed it to the cross of Christ. Once that Law was nailed to the cross of Christ, the Holy Spirit went to the temple and: "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" (Matthew 27:51).

The tearing of this veil was the physical evidence that God had made away with the Law of Moses: "Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuarythe priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. But into the second went the high priest alone once every year..The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing" (Hebrews 9:1-8).

The torn veil indicated that the holiest of all has been made manifest to everyone; therefore the Levitical high priest has no more sacred role to play, in the order of God's worship.

Indeed: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1-2); Christ death on the cross delivered the believers from the Law of sin and death.

To enforce the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (the New Testament), the old had to be disannulled (abolished): "For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof" (Hebrews 7:12-18).

As if to answer the critics who would assume that what was abolished was simply the form of worship, Paul did also say: "But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away

For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished" (2 Corinthians 3:7-13).

What then was abolished? Is it the veil which Moses wore, the glory of the Old Testament or the entire commandments and ordinances mediated by Moses?

Answering the above question, Paul said: "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances" (Ephesians 2:14-15).

The law of commandments contained in ordinances, including the 'ministration of death written and engraved in stones', were abolished. It was not the veil or the glory of the Law of Moses but the entire law, was abolished in order to give way for a better and perfect testament.

Therefore Christ: "is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second" (Hebrews 8:6-8); the first covenant was abolished in order to make room for the second.

REASONS FOR ABOLISHING THE LAW OF MOSES

Due to the deceptions which the forces of darkness have planted into the church concerning the Law of Moses, it will be pertinent to summarize the entire reasons which informed God's decision to abolish that law.

FIRSTLY: The covenant of Mount Sinai contained holy laws demanding strict and wholesome compliance of its contents from an imperfect people. It therefore became a yoke of bondage upon the Jews. That was why it was named the ministration of death or the law of sin and death.

Abolishing that law was really a source of great liberty to the Jews. They were redeemed from the sentence of death that was hanging on each of them: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christfor by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified" (Galatians 2:16).

SECONDLY: Paul also said: "For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby" (Ephesians 2:14-16).

The Law of Moses made the Jews God's people on earth while all other nations of the earth (called the Gentiles) were willed to the kingdom of darkness. Therefore the Law of Moses served as an instrument of enmity (separation) between the Jews and the Gentiles.

Although God was the God of the entire universe, the Law of Moses restricted him to the nation of Israel alone. This was why Jesus restricted his earthly ministry to only the lost sheep of Israel: "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24).

Because this Law was a wall of demarcation between the Jews and the Gentiles, it had to be pulled down to make peace between them in order to reconcile the entire humanity to God.

The demise of the law gave birth to the church of Christ. One glorious body called the church (the body of Christ) came out of both the Jews and the Gentiles as a result of this act.

THIRDLY: Paul made a glorious revelation when he said: "For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law" (Romans 5:13); and that: "sin, getting a point of attack by the commandment, wrought in me every lust; for without law sin [was] dead" (Romans 7:8 Darby English Bible). Therefore: "the sting of death [is] sin, and the power of sin the law" (1 Corinthians 15:56 Darby English Bible).

Because the Law of Moses empowered sin to execute punishment against its offenders, the entire human race came under siege (captive) by the forces of darkness. The abolishing of the law destroyed this instrument of captivity and showered grace on humanity: "Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men" (Ephesians 4:8).

As a result of the demise of the Law, death has lost its sting: "O death, where is thy sting..But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:15-17). We now have victory over death, thanks to the demise of the Law of Moses.

FOURTHLY: Even Jesus was held a prisoner in hell; thanks to the Law of Moses. His death while hanging on a tree made him guilty of a clause of the ordinances of that law: ".for he that is hanged is accursed of God." (Deuteronomy 21:23). Therefore Jesus became: "a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13).

Remembering also that James said: "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all" (James 2:10), this means that Christ also became guilty of the entire Law of Moses.

Since that law could not have been amended, haven been confirmed, it means that any one upholding it, is demanding that Jesus should be brought back to hell. If that law had not been abolished, Jesus would not have risen from the death; death would still have had authority over him.

No wonder Paul said: "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above)" (Romans 10:4-6). Why then should any believer desire to send Christ back to hell?

FINALLY: It is important to note that the Law of Moses (the gospel of Moses, the law of sin and death, the covenant of Mount Sinai or the Old Testament), is in all respect distinct from the Law of Christ (the gospel of Christ, the perfect law of liberty; the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus or the New Testament).

While righteousness (right standing with God) was to be earned by the strict compliance to all the commandments, ordinances and statutes of the Law of Moses (about six hundred in all); under the Law of Christ righteousness (God's divine nature) is of grace through faith (a gift to all that believe in Christ Jesus).

In the Law of Christ, righteousness is being freely imputed to all those that believe with their hearts the saving grace which is in the name of the Son of God, Christ Jesus. The implication of these differences is that operating the two laws together would have created confusion in the kingdom of light.

God is not the author of confusion. Since a confirmed law cannot be amended, one of them had to give way for the other. The Law of Moses haven fulfilled its mission (being the school master that led the Jews to faith); it had to give way for the Law of Christ (the law of grace or promise through faith) to take its place.

We were not given the authority to use the grace of God, in Christ Jesus, for the purpose of fulfilling in part or in whole; the Law of Moses. God's abundant grace given to us is for the fulfillment of the Law of Christ (faith unto free gift of righteousness and loving each other as Christ loved us unto eternal reward in the kingdom of light).

So, our new garment of grace should not be used to patch the old garment of the Law of Moses; which haven waxed old, has been abolished (has vanished away).

It is therefore perfectly true to conclude that the death of Jesus was indeed the end of the Law of Moses and the beginning of the Law of faith (the gospel of Christ).

Therefore we must learn to stand fast: "in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace" (Galatians 5:1-4).

A Nigerian aged 44; Holds a BSc and an MBA degrees in social sciences. A devout christian and a scholar of the scriptures; an anointed teacher of the gospel of Christ. Married with two children

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