Gospel of Christ: Is It Law Or Did It End Law?

[mikesw]

We are under the New Covenant, which is made with the same God with the same character traits and therefore the same instructions for how to be a doer of His character traits. In Galatians 3:16-19, there is a principle that new covenants do not nullify the promises of covenants that have already been ratified, so God's covenants are cumulatively valid

The interpretation just given is totally backwards from what Paul wrote. The point was that Christians enjoy the promises given to Abraham and Christ and involve the blessings through Christ. The point of vv17-18 are that the Mosaic law could not change what we get by enjoyment of the Abrahamic promises. Verses 19-20 show that the mediation process was needed due to Israel's demonstrated disobedience leading up to the law-giving. It was not given as a universal law to reconcile humanity with God.

In other words, Moses was given the law for a mediation role. But verse 17 shows that the law could not modify the conditions of the promise.
Galatians 3:18 (ESV)
18For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

Thus, if you want the inheritance promised through Abraham, the Mosaic law is not part of that process. It would only be an obstacle if anything. If you propose that someone who has now become a Christian is somehow placed under the Mosaic law given to Israel, show me where that is. If you think that someone who becomes a Christian will suddenly decided to become a thief, adulterer, and murderer because of grace, explain why that would be natural.

I will remind people of the understanding of Gal 3:19-20 that solves the uncertainty of meaning found in past readings is shared here: #Gal 3:19-20 Solved by the Shema in light of Christ's Divinity

Of course verse 21 shows further that the law was not salvific, so it should not be treated as if it were salvific for people coming to Christ and his grace.

 

[mikesw]

Again, repenting from our disobedience to God's law is a central part of the NT Gospel (Matthew 4:15-23), which was a Gospel that was made known in advance to Abraham in accordance with the promise (Galatians 3:8). Again, the reason why Jesus established the New Covenant was not in order to nullify anything that he spent his ministry teaching or to cause us to be free to have the same lawlessness that caused the New Covenant to be needed in the first place, but rather the New Covenant still involves following God's law (Jeremiah 31:33).

I wondered what point you were quoting from Matthew 4. It has a message given to these guys to be Christ's disciples. That is basically the historical snippet that Matthew provides in vv 18-23, no more, no less.

You should also note that when Jesus speaks of the law, he is speaking to Jews who were under the covenant to which the law applied. Paul conveys the same point in Romans 3:19 (ESV)
19 Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

Just like you (likely) are not in China subject to their laws, the gentile Christians in Rome were not subject to Jewish law. Maybe to your interest, this is not welcoming people to do sinful living. Nor is it likely that people that come to Christ will say "Great. I should go out and steal and commit adultery." I'm not sure why anyone would think in that fashion.

 

[Eternally-Grateful]

If you think that the definition in the Greek Lexicon is wrong, then you should explain why, especially when Jesus immediately proceeded to teach how to correctly obey God's law after he said that he came to fulfill it, though correctly doing what God's law instructs is meeting its standard.

If you think this will convince me you are wrong

I posted 3 people all who (moses. paul and james) all who claimed that to keep the law is to keep it perfectly. to not break one command.. Even jesus shows this in his sermon, the law says this, But I tell you... And told them if they want to get to God with their righteous deeds. Be ye perfect as your father in heaven is perfect.

Jesus showed us how to obey, by the law of love. Not by keeping laws.

and he came because we could not keep the law. if we could keep the law. we would not need saved, we would have earned a spot in heaven

For example, the law instructs us to honor our parents, so if someone does something that honors them, then they are correctly meeting its standard. If someone does something that is dishonoring their parents, then they need to repent and return to obedience, which is what James was encouraging them to do. According to Galatians 5:14, anyone who has ever loved their neighbor has fulfilled the entire law, so while Jesus was the only one who fulfilled it sinlessly, he was far from the only one to fulfill it.

You just proved a person could brake the law. which means they did not keep the law.
You can not fulfill the law. stop watering down the law thinking you kept it.

For the one who sinned, a sacrifice had to be given. That blood sacrifice is what ceremonially cleansed Israel from sin..

Jesus became the lamb of God. BECAUSE you could not keep the law.. Turn to him my friend. the law can not help you

You claims that the law was given to expose our sin and point us to Christ, not show us how to be righteous people, so I showed that the purpose of the law is to teach us how to know God and Jesus by being a doer of His character traits, such as by being a righteous people. Your response does not interact with what I said.

Paul and the author of Hebrews (many believe is paul) shows you in error

10 ;For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” 12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Your cursed by the law. Because you have failed to keep or fulfill the law.
19 What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.

21 Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

Heb 10: For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.

If you move on to something different, then you are disregarding it. God's law could not be accurately describes as being holy, righteous, and good if it were not instructions for how to be holy, righteous, and good. It is impossible for the law to expose unrighteousness without also teaching how to be a doer of righteousness by contrast.


Everything in the Law of Moses is either in regard to how to love God or our neighbor, which is why Jesus said in Matthew 22:36-40 that those are the greatest two commandments and that all of the other commandments hang on them, so it is the Law of Love and the position that we should obey the greatest two commandments is also the position that we should obey the commandments that hang on them. For example, if we love God and our neighbor, then we won't commit adultery, idolatry, theft, murder, rape, kidnapping, favoritism, and so forth for the rest of the Law of Moses. Someone who was correctly living in obedience to the greatest two commandments of the Law of Moses would be indistinguishable from someone who was correctly living in obedience to the rest of the Law of Moses because they would both be following the same example that Jesus set for us to follow, so love is not moving on to something better.

I would suggest you study some. Do not be like the pharisees who claimed to be teachers of the law. but did not understand it.

1 tim 1: 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.