The Law of Christ
I have spent a great deal of time thinking and praying about the topic discussed in the last part of our study. In the past, I have been unsure as to the best way to approach the discussion of the Law of Christ. I believe that the Holy Spirit, working through God’s Word, has blessed me with a personal “ah-ha” moment in regards to this topic. As I was thinking and praying over this, a particular Biblical passage came to mind as well as a mental picture of a diagram to help illustrate the point.
We all agree that there is a “law” written on the hearts of New Covenant Christians. However, there seems to be abundant confusion as to what “law” is actually written on our heart. In discussions we tend to frequently use the word “law” without defining exactly what “law” we are talking about. It would be most helpful to our discussions to observe the way the word “law” is used in scripture and how it is applied to different groups. The word “law” is actually used in many different ways in scripture.
As I have been considering the various ways the word “law” is used, a passage found in I Corinthians has come to mind repeatedly. Paul is describing how he in some cases restrains and in other cases exercises his Christian liberty. He does all this to win others to the Gospel.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NASB)
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;
21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.
23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more.
20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law;
21 to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law.
22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.
23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
To briefly summarize Paul’s points:
· When Paul was with Jews who were under the Mosaic Law, he acted as if he were under the Mosaic Law (v.20).
· Paul, as a New Covenant Christian, was not under the Mosaic Law (v.20).
· When Paul was with Gentiles, who were never under the Mosaic Law, he did not observe the Mosaic Law either (v.21).
· New Covenant Christians are not without “the Law of God” (v.21).
· New Covenant Christians are under “the Law of Christ” (v.21).
So we see Paul using the word “law” in three different ways:
I. The Mosaic Law
a. Ethnic Jews were under this law.
b. It was only in place from Sinai to the cross (Gal. 3:15 -25).
c. People who lived before Sinai were not under this law (Rom. 5:12 -14).
d. Gentiles were never under this law (1 Cor. 9:21 , Rom. 4:12 -15).
e. New Covenant Christians are not under this law (1 Cor. 9:20 , Rom. 6:14 , Gal. 5:18 ).
II. The Law of God
a. There is an eternal transcendent law that is defined by God’s very being. It is who and what He is. All that is consistent with God’s nature is lawful. All that is against God’s nature is sin.
b. All creatures at all times have been and always will be subject to this ultimate law because they are creatures and God is the Creator.
c. All those who fall short of this eternal law are condemned (see the first 5 chapters of Romans, especially chapters 1-3 for biblical support for points II.a.-c.).
III. The Law of Christ
a. This law is variously referred to in the New Testament as “The Law of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:21 , Gal. 6:2),
b. “The Law of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:2),
c. “The Law of Liberty 1:25 , 2:12 ),
d. “The Perfect Law” (James 1:25 ), and
e. “The Royal Law” (James 2:8).
f. This is the law that New Covenant Christians live under.
We can represent this information using a simple diagram:
At the very top is a line representing “The Law of God”. The arrows point to infinity in both directions to illustrate that “The Law of God” is eternal and transcendent. This law transcends time and creation because it is defined by the eternal being of God. All creatures at all times have always been under this eternal law and always will be.
The very bottom line represents the progression of world history, from creation to the end of time as we know it. We see that from the time of Adam to Moses (Sinai) the Mosaic Law was not yet in effect. None the less sinners were still condemned by God’s eternal transcendent law (Rom. 5:12-14).
From Sinai to the cross the Law of Moses was in effect, but post cross it is no longer in effect (Gal. 3:15-25, Heb. 8:13). The Mosaic Law was holy just and good in that it was a shadow of God’s eternal transcendent Law. The Mosaic Law pointed to God’s ultimate law, but it was not in and of itself the ultimate law, merely a representation of it.
New Covenant Christians who live post cross do not live under the Mosaic Law. Christian believers live under a better covenant with a better mediator, better promises, and a better law. Moses was a mediator between God and Israel, but Christ is the ultimate mediator between God and man. Moses was used to reveal aspects of God, but Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation of God to man. Moses was given a law that came with glory, but Jesus Christ is the ultimate law giver. The Law of Christ comes with glory that far surpasses the Mosaic Law. Just as Jesus is the greatest revelation of God, so the Law of Christ is the greatest revelation of God’s eternal transcendent law.
While New Covenant Christians are not under the Decalogue, they are under the commandments of The Law of Christ. We are told in scripture that those who have faith in Christ will keep His commandments:
The very bottom line represents the progression of world history, from creation to the end of time as we know it. We see that from the time of Adam to Moses (Sinai) the Mosaic Law was not yet in effect. None the less sinners were still condemned by God’s eternal transcendent law (Rom. 5:12-14).
From Sinai to the cross the Law of Moses was in effect, but post cross it is no longer in effect (Gal. 3:15-25, Heb. 8:13). The Mosaic Law was holy just and good in that it was a shadow of God’s eternal transcendent Law. The Mosaic Law pointed to God’s ultimate law, but it was not in and of itself the ultimate law, merely a representation of it.
New Covenant Christians who live post cross do not live under the Mosaic Law. Christian believers live under a better covenant with a better mediator, better promises, and a better law. Moses was a mediator between God and Israel, but Christ is the ultimate mediator between God and man. Moses was used to reveal aspects of God, but Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation of God to man. Moses was given a law that came with glory, but Jesus Christ is the ultimate law giver. The Law of Christ comes with glory that far surpasses the Mosaic Law. Just as Jesus is the greatest revelation of God, so the Law of Christ is the greatest revelation of God’s eternal transcendent law.
While New Covenant Christians are not under the Decalogue, they are under the commandments of The Law of Christ. We are told in scripture that those who have faith in Christ will keep His commandments:
Revelation 14:12 (NASB)
12 Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments (entole) of God and their faith in Jesus.
Although John does not define these commandments (entole) in Revelation, he does so in his other books.
1 John 3:23 (NASB)
23 This is His commandment (entole), that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
But how are the Law of Christ and the lofty commandments that accompany it written upon the hearts of New Covenant believers? The only way this could happen is if God Himself were to indwell us, then and only then could the eternal transcendent Law of God be within us. It is an awe inspiring truth to realize that this is exactly what God has done through the person of the Holy Spirit. Not only are we sealed eternally for salvation by the Spirit, but we are given new birth, a regenerate spirit that can commune with God’s Spirit. By this sovereign gracious act of God we are given the very mind of Christ through the indwelling presence of the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NASB)
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
23 This is His commandment (entole), that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.
John 13:34 (NASB)
34 "A new commandment (entole) I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
34 "A new commandment (entole) I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
We also see several other places in scripture were the commandments contained in the Law of Christ are given. We also see that these commandments are the ultimate fulfillment of the law. Not only do they fulfill the Mosaic Law, but they transcend the Mosaic Law fulfilling the Law of Christ as well. These commandments are the greatest revelation of the eternal transcendent law of God.
Matthew 7:12 (NASB)
12 "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
12 "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 22:37-39 (NASB)
37 And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
37 And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
38 "This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 "The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
Romans 13:8-10 (NASB)
8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9 For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9 For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Galatians 5:14 (NASB)
14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Galatians 6:2 (NASB)
2 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
2 Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
But how are the Law of Christ and the lofty commandments that accompany it written upon the hearts of New Covenant believers? The only way this could happen is if God Himself were to indwell us, then and only then could the eternal transcendent Law of God be within us. It is an awe inspiring truth to realize that this is exactly what God has done through the person of the Holy Spirit. Not only are we sealed eternally for salvation by the Spirit, but we are given new birth, a regenerate spirit that can commune with God’s Spirit. By this sovereign gracious act of God we are given the very mind of Christ through the indwelling presence of the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NASB)
14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.
15 But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.
16 For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.
Through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit it can truly be said that the Law of Christ is written upon our hearts. No one needs to tell us to know the Lord because we know Him in the most intimate of ways. We begin to see sin as He sees it. We begin to be transformed into the very likeness of Christ. Though the presence of the Sprit in the hearts of New Covenant believers, the prophecy has been fulfilled:
Hebrews 8:7-13 (NASB)
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.
8 For finding fault with them, He says, "BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH;
9 NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD.
10 "FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OFISRAEL
11 "AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, 'KNOW THE LORD,' FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.
12 "FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE."
13 When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.
7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.
8 For finding fault with them, He says, "BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH;
9 NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS ON THE DAY WHEN I TOOK THEM BY THE HAND TO LEAD THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT; FOR THEY DID NOT CONTINUE IN MY COVENANT, AND I DID NOT CARE FOR THEM, SAYS THE LORD.
10 "FOR THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THE HOUSE OF
11 "AND THEY SHALL NOT TEACH EVERYONE HIS FELLOW CITIZEN, AND EVERYONE HIS BROTHER, SAYING, 'KNOW THE LORD,' FOR ALL WILL KNOW ME, FROM THE LEAST TO THE GREATEST OF THEM.
12 "FOR I WILL BE MERCIFUL TO THEIR INIQUITIES, AND I WILL REMEMBER THEIR SINS NO MORE."
13 When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.
Truly we have been given a New Covenant that is better in every way. It has a better Mediator, better promises, better signs, and a better law. The Old Covenant with its old law is obsolete. We are so blessed to live on this side of the cross. Let us never turn back to the shadows now that we have the substance, Jesus Christ.
This concludes our study of the covenants. I hope that it has been helpful and that you will spend time prayerfully studying through the passages and books we have touched upon. May the Lord Jesus grant you wisdom and understanding. May the Holy Spirit protect you from falsehood, and illuminate Truth. May the Father bless you and keep you in the joy of the Lord as you study and apply these things. Thank you for reading.
In loving friendship,
Chris
consider that all new covenant law is summed up in the 2nd commandment, love your neighbor.......under the new covenant, all new cofvenant law is now to make believers"conscious"(romans) of NOT godloving(love one another as i have loved you) ones neighbor as oneself. concerning the law, apart from this, everything "is permissible but not everything is constructive"
ReplyDeleteTHE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LAW AND THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST
put a bright light in a room that is without light. the light is christ the shadows the law. "the law is a shadow of things to come not the realities themselves"
if one turns from the light, the shadows show the presence of light and its direction. if the light moves, the shape of the shadows change, because the shadows depend on what the light is doing. if the light is holy, its shadows are holy. however the shadows are not the light, but instead are the absence of light. to be clearly LED by the light one has turn his back to the shadows, if one wants to be clearly LED by the shadows one has to turn his back to the light. "THE SONS OF GOD ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD"ROMANS
the light, the spirit of christ, lives in each believer.
COL1: 15CHRIST is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
that christendom would declare homosexuality a sin, shows , that even after 2000 years, we believers are still struggling to embrace the new covenant of christ.
ReplyDeletefellow believers, how can we think that physicalities of gender pairing and choices of erogenous zones to express sexual intimacy, can come against the godlove(love one another as i have loved you) of the 2nd commandment about loving our neighbor as ourselves.
Scripture says this commandment is the summation of ALL new covenant law.(romans and galations) if that is, so then the essence of the 2nd commandment is in every law of the new covenant.
And surely we cannot trump the love of christ with our interpretations of scripture. scripture says christ's love transcends all knowledge.
i attend both gay and conservative straight churches. my many testimonies of the life giving spirit of christ are that he fills the lives and marriages of gay believers in the same way as in those of heterosexual believers.
i have not heard of one testimony("that which we have heard, which we have looked, which we have seen with our eyes and our hands have touched.....1john1) about any gay believer being filled with a spirit of deceit, delusion, or denial because he was being gay. if anyone has one please share it with me. i would be interested in hearing it.
if our concern is about health issues concerning their sexual intimacy, there is nothing involving anal sex that cannot be dealt with thru safe sex practices. surely those who love each other would not engage in something that would harm either themselves or their spouse. That in itself would bring shame. There is no shame in gay bonding, it is done out of mutual love, affection, devotion, trust, respect for a shared committed life together, the same as with heterosexuals. heterosexuals practice anal sex as well, with no difficulty.
if our concern is about scripture, under the new covenant, we no longer have a relationship to god thru regulation as in deut 28,(torn curtain) but instead directly to the spirit of the one who lives in each of us.
christ's love is our regulation. under the new covenant anything that is a sin is that which comes against the 2nd commandment,( about christ’s love) and the fruit of christ’s spirit of galatians......love(christ's love), joy, peace, kindness, goodness, self-control, faithfulness, gentleness, and patience.
being homosexual doesnt come against these.
"that which is not against us is for us"mark
bottom line: scripture has never said that being homosexual was a sin. Because something is made a prohibition in the old does not automatically make it of itself a sin or a sin under the new. there were many prohibitions in the old covenant that of themselves were not sins.
romans is about SHAMEFUL THINGS such as LUST. there is no shame in being homosexual. and homosexuals do not bond out of lust, or anything else that is defiling to the spirit thru which we were created.
as i said before, we dont have a relationship to god thru regulation. standing on legalities about 1tim and 1cor to attempt to make a regulation, comes against our very faith in christ.
and there is no word "only" in gen and matt19.
About being holy, under the new covenant our holiness comes solely from the spirit of christ living within us. we ourselves can do nothing to make ourselves holy.
your brother in christ
Hi feet,
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid we're going to have to disagree here. I do agree that just because a thing is prohibited under the Old Covenant, it doesn't necessarily mean it is prohibited under the new covenant. However, a number of things are prohibited under both covenants, sexual immorality being just one example. The New Testament deals with various sexual sins in several places. It becomes apparent in reading these passages that all sexual sin, including the practice of homosexuality, is offensive to God and therefore should not be a part of the Christian life. You mention that Romans chapter 1 lists various things that are shameful. That's true. The thrust of Romans 1 is that humans prefer idolatry to worshiping the one true God. In building his case, Paul uses homosexual behavior as a prime example of idolatry. Rather than reflect the imagery God intends for the marriage act, Christ and His bride, our passion and longing for Him, and His commitment to us, this holy imagery is exchanged for a kind of self worship when men have sex with men and women have sex with women. That's the gist of what Paul is getting at. So basically what I want to say here is this: We are under a new and different covenant, but that by no means we are free to live in any way we please. Rather we are free to live in a way that glorifies God.
"It becomes apparent in reading these passages that all sexual sin, including the practice of homosexuality, is offensive to God and therefore should not be a part of the Christian life."
ReplyDeletemy understanding of romans 1 is they exchanged the truth of god's love (god is love) for a lie and worshipped and served the created(powers and principalities the things that christ said we were to battle against) and were therefore given over to the things that served them(powers and principalities). because they were given over to shameful lust they abandoned those things(naturaL) whose fruit was of the fruit of the holy spirit that gave them peace for that which was against these and was without peace. here again god is spirit(john4) therefore the things of god are not about physicalities but about spirit. god is not limited by physicalities( "he can make the sons of abraham out of these stones")
romans 1 is about the basis of all sin........not praising and giving thanks to god, trading our eternal relationship with god for our obsessions about our mortal lives, not thinking it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of god, allowing ourselves to filled with all manner of evil, and yet knowing to do all these things brings death, we continue to do these things and encourage others to do the same.
that is why romans 2 says by passing judgement on others we condemn ourselves because we do the very same things.(james.....just because you dont murdeer but yet are a thief you are still a law breaker)
if you would, please annotate you understandings.
paul wrote all this to show why all need a savior.
feet,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I understand the position you are taking. At first blush it appears you are advocating a Gnostic view where only spirit really matters and that which happens physically in the body is unimportant. I think the weight of the NT evidence is that our entire lives are to be surrendered to Christ and His will which would include body, mind, and spirit. What we do in the body (physically) does matter. In addition, I would say that when we engage in union with another person in the act of sex there is both a spiritual and a physical component which is perhaps why the NT has so much to say about this.
jesus says that a man could sin by the way he looked at a womwn in his heart. a man kills another man. is it an act of revenge, an accident, an act of war, an act of an insane man, etc. it is not the physicaL ACT BUT THE SPIRIT IN WHICH THE ACT IS DONE.
ReplyDeleteI think you are mixing concepts here feet. I agree that sin may be committed in the mind before the physical manifestation of that sin ever occurs. However, in discussing "killing" you're mixing the taking a human life in a lawful way and "murder". Taking a human life is not always sin (sometimes it's God ordained function of government as in police/military action to restrain evil). But "murder" is ALWAYS sin. So to use this as an analogy for the discussion above, sexual relations are not always a sin (and are in fact ordained by God in the covenant of marriage), but sexual immorality outside that which is ordained by God is ALWAYS as sin. It's not about some dichotomy in sins committed in the spirit versus sins committed physically. All sin is sin. Sin is anything that is inconsistent with God's character. All sin is offensive to God, including sexual immorality. Therefore the Christian should never be involved in anything in spirit or body which God has said is offensive to Him.
ReplyDelete