DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE OLD LAW AND THE NEW LAW
As a young boy I remember spending many hours putting together
picture puzzles. In fact, I still enjoying doing this, when time can be
found, which is seldom. One of the first lessons we learn in putting
together a picture puzzle is to put the border together first. Then,
one can follow with the other pieces that make up the completed
picture. Also, in puzzles, each piece fits together with all the other
pieces and each piece has its own place. You cannot force one piece to
fit into the place of another. And when each piece is finally put into
its rightful place, the picture comes out complete.
These thoughts suggest some spiritual lessons for your
consideration this morning. Many people today have bits and pieces of
the Bible in their knowledge, but lack the ability to attain a complete
picture or scheme from it. For this reason, many do not have a proper
understanding of the differences between the Old Law that was given
through the prophet Moses and the New Law that came through Jesus
Christ. Unless we put the pieces in their proper place, a jumbled mess
is going to come up and we will be thoroughly confused as to the
overall scheme that our God has given unto mankind. Often in our day
and time I hear people mixing the Old Law with the New Law and drawing
some conclusions that are not in keeping with the desires of our
Father. In our lesson today I wish to note the difference between that
Old System of the Law of Moses and the New System of the Law of Christ
Jesus.
I now read a rather lengthy reading taken from Galatians, chapter
3, beginning with verse 16. Please follow along with me, as I read
from the American Standard Version of 1901: "Now to Abraham were the
promises spoken, and to his see, He saith not, And to seeds as of many;
but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. Now this I say: A
covenant confirmed before hand by God, the law, which came four hundred
and thirty years after, doth not disowns, so as to make the promise of
none effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of
promise; but God hath granted it to Abraham by promise. What then is
the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should
come to whom the promise hath been made; and it was ordained through
angels by the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of
one; but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God
forbid: for if there had been a law given which could make alive,
verily righteousness would have been of the law. But the scripture shut
up all things under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ
might be given to them that believe.
But before faith came, we were kept in ward under the law, shut up
unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. So that the law is
become our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by
faith. But now that faith is come, we are no longer under a tutor. For
ye are all sons of God, through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of
you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ. There can be
neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be
no male and female; for ye all are one man in Christ. Jesus. And if ye
are Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, heirs according to promise"
reading through verse 29 of Galatians 3.
Jehovah made promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. God has never
made promises he could not keep. Notice that Abraham is promised a
land, a nation, and spiritual blessings through his seed. Thus the
promises unto Abraham were three fold. The first promise involved a
land promise. In Genesis 13:14-15, we find more description of this
land promise. In Genesis 13:17, we read, "Arise, walk through the land
in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for unto thee will I give
it." In Joshua 24:13, we read, "And I gave you a land whereon thou
hadst not labored, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell therein;
of vineyards and olive yards which ye planted not do ye eat."
The second part of the promise to Abraham was that of becoming a
great Nation. God was faithful in his vows to Abraham and blessed him
with a son in his elder years. Isaac thus begat two sons, Jacob and
Esau. Through Jacob, the promise to Abraham was fulfilled. Jacob begat
twelve sons, who became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel. These
twelve tribes became a great nation, as Jehovah had promised Abraham.
This great Nation of the Old Testament enjoyed the land of Canaan, as
God had promised Abraham. There are no unfilled promises made by God
concerning Israel.
The term "law" as used in Galatians 3:16-29, the beginning passage
that we read, refers to the "Law of Moses," or, the Law given through
Moses. That law was based upon what we refer to as the Ten Commandments
as listed in Exodus, chapter 20. The first four of these ten laws deal
with man's relationship to God. The last six of these ten laws deal
with man's relationship to his fellow man.
The Law of Moses was exclusive to the house of Israel. No other
nation was obligated to keep that law. In Exodus 31:16, 17, we read,
"Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe
the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It
is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever." In Exodus
19:3, we find, "And Moses went up unto God, and Jehovah called unto
him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of
Jacob and tell the children of Israel." Also, in Deuteronomy 5:3,
"Jehovah made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, who are
all of us alive this day." The Law of Moses was never given to the
Gentile nations; nor have the Gentiles ever been commanded to keep the
law of Moses. After Joshua had led the Children of Israel into Canaan,
taking the land as Jehovah had promised, he states, "There failed not
aught of any good thing which Jehovah had spoken unto the house of
Israel; all came to pass" (Joshua 21:45). The law served its purpose
as Jehovah had promised. As Paul said in the verses we began with, the
Law was a "tutor' or "schoolmaster" to bring mankind unto the Messiah.
The Law of Moses was temporary. It was not intended to be an eternal
law for man, but was to last "til" the seed (Christ Jesus) was to come.
Hear Paul again, "The law was added til the seed should come to whom
the promise hath been made" (Galatians 3:19). He continues with, "So
the law is become our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that we might be
justified by faith. But now that faith is come, we are no longer under
a tutor" (Galatians 3:24,25).
Listen to the Hebrew writer, "then hath he said, Lo, I am come to
do thy will. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the
second. By which will we have been sanctified through the offering of
the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Hebrews 10:9-10). The coming,
and eventual death of Christ upon the cross, ended all of the
obligations of the Old Law of Moses. No longer is there a distinction
made between Jew and Gentile as to God`s promises and blessings. There
is nothing awaiting the Jews concerning the promises made to Abraham.
All have been fulfilled. Listen to Paul in Ephesian 2:13-16, "But now
in Christ Jesus ye that once were far off are made nigh in the blood of
Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the
middle wall of partition, having abolished in his flesh the enmity,
even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might
create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace; and might
reconcile them both in one body unto God through the cross, having
slain the enmity thereby." Now, both Jew and Gentile find access unto
Heaven through the same source, the death, burial and resurrection of
Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
This has brought to the third part of the blessing made unto
Abraham -- that through his seed all nations would be blessed. In the
verses we began with, Galatians 3:16, "Now to Abraham were the promises
spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as
of one. And to thy seed, which is Christ." Christ was a descendent from
Abraham, through Isaac, through Jacob. Christ came as the fulfillment
of that promise made to Abraham, a promise that was to bless all
mankind. It is now through the blood of Christ Jesus that we have
access unto the Father. It is through our obedience to His commands
that we can be made free from sins and walk in the light in order to
have fellowship with the Heavenly Father. Christ has come and He has
given us a New Law. Here the Hebrew writer, "For if that first covenant
had been faultless, then would no place have been sought for a second.
For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the
Lord, 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 lead them
forth out of the land of Egypt." Hebrews 8:7-9. Then in verse 13 of the
same context, he says, "In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made
the first old." In Colossians 2:14, we read, "having blotted out the
bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to
us: and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross." In
Hebrews 10:9, 10, "then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will. He
taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By which will
we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all."
My listening audience, we are no longer under the Law of Moses. We
are no longer under the Ten Commandments, which was the foundation of
the Law of Moses. We now live under the Law of Jesus Christ. It is now
faith in Christ that brings about friendship of God. We are reconciled
or made right with Jehovah by our faith and our obedience to the
commands of Christ, the Son of God. Paul said that he "was not ashamed
of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation" (Romans
1:16). That gospel is the "good news" of and about Christ.
That gospel demands of you and me that we believe in Christ as the
Son of God. "Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing unto
God" (Hebrews 11:6). That faith then responds to the command, "Repent
ye and be baptized unto (for) the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38).
Cleansing then comes from the throne of God, as He has promised.
As we look at an overall prospective of what we have said this
morning, it becomes evident that the cross of Christ divides the Old
Law of Moses from the New Law of Christ. We now live under that New
Law. We no longer are to keep the Old Law. Obedience to that Old Law of
Moses will profit nothing. Was that Old Law of any value? Yes. Did that
Old Law accomplish what God intended for it to accomplish? Yes. Is that
Old Law still binding upon man today? No. Can we learn from the Old
Testament today? Indeed we can. Romans 15:4, reads, "For whatsoever
things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that
through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have
hope." There are many lessons and many examples that we can study from
the Old Testament and learn from them. But, we are not to go back to
that Old Law the Law of Moses to determine what man should do today in
our worship or our obedience unto the Heavenly Father. Paul told
Timothy to "rightly divide the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). We,
too, must do the same.
When we put the pieces of that puzzle together, each piece fits.
So likewise, when we put all of God's Word in its proper place, it will
all fit together as one complete picture, showing a beauty that cannot
be found elsewhere. My friends in this audience, I plead with you to
study your Bibles. Find out what God would have you do today. Then have
the courage to do it.
Again, we remind you that these broadcast are available to you,
either in manuscript form or in cassette. As I mentioned there is a
Video- cassette entitles, "Good News for Today" also available. All you
need to do is drop a card in the mail to: White Park church of Christ,
Route 1, Box 502, Anahuac, TX 77514, and we will be happy to honor your
request. The cassette discusses the origin of sin, its consequences and
the remedy provided for sin.
(Taken from Tract by Tony Ripley)
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