In following his principle of “first the natural, then the spiritual” God gave us the Law of Moses before he gave us the Holy Spirit. The Law accomplished two primary things in the natural: 1) it defined righteousness, God’s criteria for man’s relationship to him and 2) it defined justice, man’s relationship with man.
The first five of the Ten Commandments concern man’s relationship to God. They say,
1) You shall have no other gods before me.
2) You shall not make unto yourself any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: You shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3) You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.
4) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor, and do all your work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day: therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5) Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God gives you. (Exodus 20:3-12 KJ2000)
The second set of five commandments concern man’s relationship with man. They say,
6) You shall not kill.
7) You shall not commit adultery.
8) You shall not steal.
9) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10) You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any thing that is your neighbor’s. (Exodus 20:13-17 KJ2000)
Besides these ten commandments God issued strict commands concerning exactly how he wanted to be worshiped by Israel. Leviticus 1-5, for example, explains five specific types of offerings, 1) the burnt offering, 2) the grain offering, 3) the peace offering, 4) the sin offering, and 5) the guilt offering. Numbers 19 explains the burnt offering in great detail. In addition to these commands the Law also included other specific laws which God required Israel to obey.
My book When We Awake discusses Leviticus 1-5 and Numbers 19 in detail, so I will not go over that material in detail again here. The main point I made there is that all of the natural sacrifices that God commanded Israel to perform pointed to or typified a spiritual reality. For example the whole burnt offering pointed, first, toward the ultimate sacrifice of all, Jesus Christ’s offering of himself for the sins of the world upon a wooden cross. Many Old Testament laws and historical events (types) also point to a second fulfillment as well. The burnt offering, secondly, pictures a believer’s offering of himself as a “living sacrifice” to God. See Romans 12:1. This means that God calls us to submit our wills to his will so that ultimately we may found doing only what we see our Father in heaven doing, just as Jesus did.
But, as Paul says, now we “see through a glass darkly,” which means that we do not accurately see God in the spirit realm. We still live in carnal bodies of flesh which desire to sin and do the things of the world. Paul said that he “beat” his body and made it his slave. This means that he exercised his soul (his mind, will, and emotions) to refuse his body’s demands for carnal pleasure. All of history shows that we cannot do this perfectly and if we do sin (and we all will sin some time), then we must repent of sin and once again accept Christ’s intercession for us and God’s forgiveness of us. And this leads me to the point of this article.
Judaisers have recently come to my attention who teach Christians that they must now learn to submit themselves to the many laws of the Old Testament. So far they stop before they demand us to begin blood sacrifices again, but they do teach things such as strictly keeping a Saturday Sabbath according to the Old Testament laws. They also universally teach that we should keep the Old Covenant food laws. Some go so far as to say that we should tie tassels to our garments, refuse to wear clothes of blending materials, etc.
I raise this concern now because I have recently witnessed a long time Christian friend who always seemed solid in his interpretation of the Word begin to follow these Judaisers. He now seems well on his way to Old Jerusalem, having left the narrow road to New Jerusalem.
My friend has forgotten that Jesus himself is “the mediator of a new covenant.” (Hebrews 12:24) If there exists a new covenant, a new testament, then the old has been replaced. A covenant is like a man’s will. When one executes a new will, then the old, by operation of law, becomes null and void. The new will replaces it. The writer of Hebrews basically says this when he says, “In speaking of a new covenant, he [Christ] makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13) Prior to this Hebrews says,
18 For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the law made nothing perfect); but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. (Hebrews 7:8-9)
6 But as it is, Christ[a] has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. (Hebrews 8:6-7)
The entire history of the Old Covenant, including its many laws, serves as a divinely inspired parable which teaches men God’s spiritual truth. Again, Hebrews says,
5 They [the priests] serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” (Hebrews 8:5)
And Paul teaches the Colossians:
16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)
Judaisers attempted to corrupt the faith of the new Christians in Galatia by demanding that they become circumcised according to Jewish law. Paul strongly rebuked them. He said,
15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified[a] by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I mightlive to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness[b] were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.
By Faith, or by Works of the Law?
3 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by[c] the flesh? 4 Did you suffer[d] so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you andworks miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just asAbraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?
7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify[e] the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
The Righteous Shall Live by Faith
10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”[f] 12 But the law is not of faith, rather “The one who does them shall live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit[g] through faith. (Galatians 2:15-3:14, ESV)
These new Judaisers, however, have become very clever. They know these Scriptures referenced above and they have invented “interpretations” which, they claim, prove that Paul and the writer of Hebrews meant exactly the opposite of the clear language above. Their goal, which they deny, is to put Christians back under the Law of Moses. They deny it because say things like, “Christians because of their love for God will want to obey the Old Testament laws.” No, Christians who fall for their deceitful doctrine will believe they need to obey these manifold laws in order to show God that they do love him. I even saw one of these Judaizers say just yesterday that when Paul says he is “not under the law” with respect to the Mosaic law that he really means that he is. Here’s one passage where Paul says this,
19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. (Roman 9:19-23)
This new Judaizer justified his teaching by saying that “the law of Christ” is really the Mosaic law since Jesus Christ is the God of the Old Testament and that he is the one who established the Old Covenant Law. Such an interpretation renders the above passage meaningless. The law of Christ is this, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” When you do this, Paul teaches, you automatically fulfill the intent of the Old Testament laws. This explains why Paul always did reaffirm the moral laws of the Old Covenant. Jesus is the “end,” the “goal” of the Law. His law, that which Paul calls the “law of Christ” prophetically announced the spiritual meaning of the Old Covenant.
HEBREWS TELLS US THAT JESUS (GOD) DID NOT WANT THE SACRIFICES OF BULLS AND GOATS! NEITHER DOES HE CARE IF WE EAT CATFISH OR SHRIMP, WEAR TASSELS ON OUR CLOTHES, OR COME TO COMPLETE REST EVERY SATURDAY. HIS ULTIMATE GOAL WAS NOT THAT MEN EVERYWHERE STRICTLY OBEY THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW! HIS GOAL WAS THAT WE WOULD LEARN TO APPLY ITS MEANING SPIRITUALLY, THAT WE WOULD LEARN TO LOVE GOD AND LOVE MAN. THIS IS RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE, THE FOUNDATION OF GOD’S THRONE. THE LAW IS A PARABLE WHICH TEACHES THIS SPIRITUAL REALITY.
Now I understand why Paul seemed so outraged against the Galatian Judaizers when he said,
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again toa yoke of slavery.
2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified[a] by the law; you have fallen away from grace. 5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.
7 You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? 8 This persuasion is not from him who calls you. 9 A little leaven leavens the whole lump. 10 I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view, and the one who is troubling you will bear the penalty, whoever he is. 11 But if I, brothers,[b] still preach[c] circumcision,why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been removed. 12 I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! (Galatians 5:1-12 ESV)
Why would Paul utter such an imprecation against others? Is this not a curse instead of a blessing? Paul knows that those who follow the doctrine of the Judaizers will shipwreck their faith and disqualify themselves from the high calling of God in Jesus Christ. The entire history of natural Israel and the Jews is a disaster because they could not perfectly obey God’s Law. Paul does not want us to make that same mistake. If you have begun to follow the doctrines of the 21st century Judaizers I urge you to forsake their path and return once again to the pure waters of Christ’s doctrine of faith and his royal law to love God and love men.
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