The law of Christ
‘T hen said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
(Hebrews 10:9–10) We live in a world that is governed by laws. There are laws of nature that determine seasons, as we expect that during the spring months of the year, the flowers will begin to grow, and in the fall, we expect flowers to cease from growing. Every morning we expect the sun to rise in the east and every evening we expect the sun to set in the west. We expect every day to have twenty- four hours and every hour to have sixty minutes. We expect the laws of gravity to keep us grounded and would not expect to be able to float or fly away because of gravity. There are also laws put in place to govern ourselves. Each nation has their own rules and regulations by which they govern themselves, and these laws may vary from country to country, and at times there are varying laws from state to state. Although there may be various laws, and one nation’s laws may be different from another, there is one law that is amenable to all, and that is the Law of Christ. As Jesus was sent to the earth to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), He established His Law and it is by this Law that all are to live, obeying this Law, and thereby being saved.
The Law of Christ is the Gospel, which is God’s power unto salvation (Rom.
1:16). The Gospel is the system of faith that is delivered to man from God (Rom. 10:17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Gospel system of faith, which comes from the Word(s) of God has been given to mankind by the shedding of the blood of Christ (Matt. 26:28), and by this blood we are able to be redeemed from sin (Heb.
9:22). It is by this Law that mankind is to live and by this Law mankind will be judged as we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor. 5:10), and Christ will judge us according to His Word (John 12:48).
The Law of Christ has not always been the governing law. There have been three dispensations of time, and three different laws of God. In the beginning (the Patriarchal Age) God spoke to men directly. Noah is an example of how God spoke to man directly, as He gave Noah the warning of the coming flood and the instructions to build the ark (Gen. 6ff.). God spoke to Moses and delivered His Law for Israel to Moses in Mt. Sinai (Exodus 19-34), this is often called the Mosaic dispensation which was the period from the giving of the Law to Moses until the death of Christ and the establishment of the church.
Jesus lived during the Mosaic dispensation, and living during that time, He kept the Law, just as He said He did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17).
Having shed His blood for the sin of the world and being seated at the right hand of God (Eph. 1:20ff), Jesus sent His apostles into all the world to begin preaching the New Law that was established by Him (Matt.
28:18-20; Mark 16:15).
God spoke in many ways in times past but now He speaks to mankind through Christ, and it is by the Law of Christ that man is to live.
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1–2).
With the establishment of the Law of Christ came the removal of the previous Law. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He fulfilled the Law, and having fulfilled it He took it out of the way (Col. 2:14). The Old Law, having been fulfilled by Christ, was no longer the governing Law of God, it was “decayed and waxed old” and “is ready to vanish away” (Heb. 8:13). Being that the Old Law was taken out of the way, a New Law was established (Heb.
8:8-13). It is by the new law that was established by Christ that man is justified and sanctified to God (Heb.
10:9-10) and is the Law given to man to save (Rom.
1:16, 1 Cor. 1:18ff.).
Under the Old Law there were promises given to Israel, and under the Law of Christ there is promises given to those that keep it.
God gave promises to the patriarchs that kept His commands. Noah and His family were saved because they obeyed the instruction of God. Abraham was blessed by God because he kept the commands of God. Israel received the Promise Land as God had promised, and every promise that was given to Israel was fulfilled by God (Joshua 21:42ff.).
As we read the Old Testament, we begin to understand that God is faithful and keeps His promises.
There are promises given in the Law of Christ, and just as God was faithful to His promises in the Old Law, He will be faithful to His promise in the New Law.
God promises those that obey His commands can be forgiven of their sins (Heb.
8:12; John 3:16-17; Rom.
5:8-9). God promises those that obey His commands will be able to dwell with Him in heaven for eternity (John 14:1-3; 1 Thess.
4:13-18; 2 Thess. 1:7; Rev.
14:13). God also warns of the dangers that lie ahead for those that refuse to obey His commands (2 Thess.
1:8; Rev. 21:8).
God has given His Law once and for all (Jude 3; Heb. 10:10). Those that keep His Law can be forgiven of their sins and rest in the promises of God. Those that are guilty of breaking the Law will be punished, but the warning is given in order that we may know what God expects and do all we can to be pleasing to Him.
Jeremy Thornton is Minister of Highway 77 Church of Christ in Marion, Arkansas.
Jeremy Thornton
