The Law of YHVH , given by Him from creation and mediated by
angels to all the prophets, is the Hebrew word Torah, which means
holy teaching or instruction.
The New Testament/Covenant does not negate the Law, rather. .
.
1. The Law is increased in the
heart by the New Covenant in Messiah.
"Behold, the days come, declares YHVH, that I will make a new
covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day
that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt
. . . But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel . . . I will put My Law in their inward parts, and
write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be
my people" (Jeremiah 31:31-33).
"And when they heard it, they glorified the L-RD, and said unto
him, 'You see brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who
believe, and they are all zealous of the Law" (Acts 21:20).
2. The Law is perpetual
throughout the New Covenant until the end of
time.
"For I say to you absolutely, until heaven and earth pass away and
everything is accomplished, in no way will one small letter or one
minute punctuation be taken from the Law" (Matthew 5:18 ).
3. The Messiah expects the Law
to be taught, not abolished.
"Do not suppose that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets.
I am not come to destroy, but to complete . . . Whosoever therefore
shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men
so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But,
whoever shall do them and teach them, the same shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5: 17,19).
4. The Apostle Paul wanted to
establish the Law, not abolish it.
"Do we then make the Law void through faith? May it never be!
Rather, we establish the Law" (Romans 3:3 1).
5. Messiah will reject anyone
who works against the Law.
"Not every one who says to Me, L-RD, L-RD, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven, but only he that does the will of My Father
which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, L-RD, L-RD,
have we not prophesied in Your name? and in Your name cast out
devils? and in Your name done many wonderful works? And then I will
declare to them, I never knew you! Depart from me, you who work
against the Law* " (Matthew 7:21-23).
[Note: The King James Version says "iniquity" but the Greek word is
anomia, meaning lawless, anti-law or "against the Law. "]
6. Without the teaching of the
Law we cannot know what YHVH considers to be
sin.
"Whoever commits sin transgresses also the Law, for sin is the
transgression of the Law" (1 John 3:4).
"For by the Law is the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3 :20).
"I had not known about sin, but by the Law, for I had not known
what lust is, unless the Law had said, 'Thou shalt not covet"'
(Romans 7:7).
7. The Law remains holy, right
and good.
"Therefore the Law is holy, and the commandment holy, and right,
and good"
8. The Law is spiritual and only
the spiritually discerning can understand it.
"For we know that the Law is spiritual" (Romans 7:14).
"The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God,
for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).
9. The Law is valid instruction
under the New Covenant
"But He (Messiah) answered and said, 'It is written, man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the
mouth of God"' (Matthew 4:4).
"Every scripture * is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3: 16).
[Note: The early New Covenant believers had only the Law and the
prophets as their scripture. ]
10. Being "under grace" does not
mean we reject the Law.
"Shall we sin (transgress the Law), because we are not under the
Law, but under grace? May it never be!" (Romans 6:15)
[Note: Paul's statement, "For sin shall not have dominion over you,
for you are not under the Law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14), is
one of the most misunderstood of the New Testament. Being "not
under the Law" does not mean we can reject or disobey the Law. The
idea is one of perspective. The Law is to be in us instead of over
us. It means the Law is taught in us by the Spirit instead of at
us. We are under grace, which is the power not to sin, or
"transgress the Law. " Instead of the Law commanding us from
without, it operates in us by the Spirit of Grace. For this reason
Paul says, "How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer
therein?" (Romans 6:2). And, John says, "Whoever is born of God
does not keep committing sin . . . he cannot continue in sin
because he is born of God. In this the children of God are
manifest, and the children of the devil. Whoever does not do
righteousness is not of God, neither he that does not love his
brother" (1 John 3:9,10).]
11. Doing the Law is not
sufficient to justify a person.
"And by Him (Messiah) all that believe are justified from all
things, from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses"
(Acts 13 :39).
"Therefore by the deeds of the Law no flesh will be justified in
his sight" (Romans 3 :20).
"But if, while we seek to be justified by Messiah, we ourselves
also are found sinners, is therefore Messiah the minister of sin?
May it never be!" (Galatians 2:17).
[Note: The inability of the Law to justify a person does not negate
the truth of the Law. It is the Law which demands we have a
sacrifice for sin. Faith in the justification which comes through
Messiah's sacrifice is itself an obedience to the Law. "You must be
born again" is in essence a commandment.]
12. Apostle Paul lived and
taught the Law.
"Paul . . . sailed into Syria . . . having cut his hair in
Cenchrea, for he had (completed) a vow" (Acts 18: 18 ) . See
Numbers 6:5.
"Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with
promise" (Ephesians 6:2).
"For it is written in the Law of Moses, You shall not muzzle the
mouth of the ox that treads out the corn" (1 Corinthians
9:9).
"But this I confess unto you . . . I worship the God of my fathers,
committed to all things which are written in the Law and in the
prophets" (Acts 24:14).
"Messiah, our passover, is sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us
keep the feast (of Passover), not with old leaven, neither with the
leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:7,8 ).
"But we know that the Law is good, if a man use it lawfully.
Knowing this, that the Law is not made for a righteous man, but for
those against the Law and disobedient, for the ungodly and for
sinners, for unholy and profane" (1 Timothy 1:8-10).
13. The Faithful Keep the
Law.
"Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
He that says, 'I know him', and does not keep His commandments, is
a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:2-5). See 1 John
5:2,3.
"The dragon was angry . . . and went to make war with the remnant .
. . which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of
Yeshua the Messiah" (Revelation 12: 17).
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the
commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua" (Rev. 14:12).
Copyright 1996. Rabbi David M. Hargis. All rights
reserved.
