ABOUT THE LAW

THE   OLD   COVENANT   LAW

God has dealt with humankind on different terms since the very beginning of time. He dealt with men one way before the Great Flood, and another way after it happened. During the days of Abraham He dealt with men according to circumcision. When Moses came along God dealt with man by giving the Law, and Grace after Christ Jesus finished His earthly mission. The Old Covenant of Law was based on man’s ability to be good and the success ratio of man’s goodness was measured using God’s standards, which were impossible for man to meet.1 The Law was:

Ø  Any rule

Ø  Regulation

Ø  Ordinance or

Ø  Command

That man was expected to observe to gain:

Ø  God’s acceptance

Ø  Favor, and

Ø  Blessings

  Jesus and the Apostles prior to Paul’s arrival preached only to the Children of Israel. Their message was called the Gospel of the Kingdom.2 After Christ’ death and ascension into Heaven, Peter preached that the people of Israel should do three things in order for the Kingdom to come in. The people had to:

Ø  Believe Christ was who He said He was, the Messiah

Ø  Repent, and

Ø  Be baptized in water (Acts 2: 38)

   Peter said if all these things were done by all the Jews - Jesus would return and bring in the Kingdom just as the Old Testament prophets foretold.3 Beginning with Abraham, during Jesus’ earthly ministry, and the early chapters of the Book of Acts, God deals specifically with the Nation of Israel, with a few Gentile exceptions. Israel is the focus of the early chapters of the Book of Acts regardless to this book being in the New Testament portion of the Bible. The Law describes the strict requirements that were set forth for persons living under the Law; and it describes the penalty of death for all violations. The teachers of the Law taught that after Salvation was received a believer remained holy and righteous by following the Law.

   The Law used pictures to tell us about Christ Jesus’ perfect life and about His death for our sins.4 The entire sacrificial system showed that if man wanted to live, he needed to find someone perfect to take his or her place with God. The order of the priesthood showed that that someone needed to stand between God and filthy man. That person was the high priest, and the high priest had to be someone that knew what it were like to be a man and someone righteous enough to stand before a pure and Holy God in our place. These were foreshadows of what Christ Jesus came to earth to fulfill.

 ABOUT   THE   LAW

“For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”1

Ø  The Law came by Moses (John 1: 17)

Ø  The law is applied to individuals that were native-born and to the aliens  (Exodus 12: 49)

Ø  The Law required perfect performance (James 2: 20)

Ø  The Law kills (II Corinthians 3: 6)

Ø  The Law applies to both the sin offering and the guilt offering

          (Leviticus 7: 7)

Ø  The Law shuts every mouth before God (Romans 3: 10-20)

Ø  The Law is capable of producing self-righteousness (Matthew 23; Luke 18: 9-14)

Ø  The Law is a ministry of condemnation (II Corinthians 3: 9)

Ø  The Law curses (Deuteronomy 27: 26, 28: 15)

Ø  The Law puts a great and guilty distance between God and man

(Genesis 3)

Ø  The Law does not justify (Galatians 2: 16)

Ø  The Law required an eye for an eye (Deuteronomy 19: 21)

Ø  The Law has an end (Romans 10: 4)

Ø  The Law is insufficient (Romans 8: 3-4)

Ø  The Law does not provide freedom (I Corinthians 15: 56)

Ø  The Law is not based on faith (Galatians 3: 12)

Ø  Under the Law, the sheep died for sin (Exodus 12: 21)

Ø  Under the Law violators were stoned to death (John 8: 3-11)

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1(Romans 1: 29-32)

2(Matthew 10: 5-6, 15: 24; John 12: 20-24, Acts 2: 5, 36; 3: 12, 11: 19)

3(Acts 3: 1 8- 21)

4(Hebrews 10: 1; Colossians 2: 17)

1(James 2: 10)