The Obsolete Law

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Thursday March 26, 2009

Today I had someone ask me about Matthew 5:17,18 -- where Jesus said that the Law would not pass away until everything is accomplished:

Matthew 5:17,18 (NIV)
17. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Does that mean that the old testament law is still in effect???

Paul tells us that in these New Testament times, the law has been CANCELLED:

Colossians 2:13,14 (NIV)
13. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14. having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

Paul also tells us that what the law says is for those who are under the law (the Jews who rejected Christ stayed under the law by not accepting Him), and that NO ONE is righteous because of the law:

Romans 3:19,20 (NIV)
19. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20. Therefore NO ONE will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Hebrews tells us that the old covenant (based on the law) is OBSOLETE since the New Covenant was put into place:

Hebrews 8:13
13. By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Notice that the law is "obsolete and aging" but has not yet "disappeared". That's because there are still prophecies in the law that have not been fulfilled (about the end times). But just because parts of it haven't been fulfilled doesn't mean the law governs us! In fact, we just read how the law does NOT govern us. Paul tells us that in a number of other places as well:

Romans 6:14 (NIV)
14. For sin shall not be your master, because YOU ARE NOT UNDER LAW, but under grace.

Paul rebuked Peter for putting himself back under the law:

Galatians 2:11-16 (NIV)
11. When Peter came to Antioch, I (Paul) opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. 12. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. (The circumcision group still followed the law)
13. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. 14. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, "You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?
15. "We who are Jews by birth and not `Gentile sinners' 16. know that A MAN IS NOT JUSTIFIED BY OBSERVING THE LAW, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.

Paul makes a great point in verse 21:

Galatians 2:21 (NIV)
21. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!

In chapter 3 of Galatians, Paul tells us that those who rely on observing the law are under a curse:

Galatians 3:10-12 (NIV)
10. All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." 11. Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." 12. The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them."

With all this in mind, let's look again at what Jesus said in Matthew 5:17,18

Matthew 5:17,18 (NIV)
17. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

"The Law" to the Jews meant the entirety of what we call the "Old Testament". Jesus was telling them that He would fulfill the old testament prophecies about the Messiah, and was reiterating the certainty that ALL the prophecies would be fulfilled.

Also, remember that the actual LAW of the old testament is still IN EXISTENCE, but only to make people conscious of their own sin, so they realize their need for Christ:

Romans 3:20 (NIV)
20. Therefore NO ONE will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

The law is cancelled!! Under the New Covenant, we live by faith in Jesus Christ!

PRAYER
Thank You, Father, for cancelling the law, which stood opposed to me since I could never live up to it all. Thank You for Your wonderful salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Help me to always remember the great price You payed for me so I could have this wonderful salvation.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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