Study #2 - God's Moral Law
The TEN COMMMANDMENTS
Page 2 of 2

Questions Concerning the faulty assumptions regarding God's Moral Law.

Is The Law Faulty?

A. Doesn't the Bible say the law was or is faulty?

Answer. No. The Bible says the PEOPLE are faulty. Hebrews 8:8 "Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—". In Romans 8:3 "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,"
The law was "weak through the FLESH." It's always the same story, the law is PERFECT, the people are faulty or weak. God gave His Son to live within His people, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled within us" Rom 8:4 through the indwelling Christ.

Redeemed from the curse of the law?

B. Galatians 3:13 "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”)" says we are redeemed from the curse of the law. Explain this!

Answer. The curse of the law is death. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Because of Adam we will all die the first death. (Except the translated ones at the second coming). But the unforgiven sinner must die the "second death" (Rev 20:14,15 "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.") for his/her own sins thereby paying the death penalty required. But Christ paid the "second death" penalty for all of mankind, Hebrews 2:9 "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone."
He redeemed mankind from the curse (death) and in it's place provided the means for all to have eternal life. It is sad to see how few will accept this provision of God. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world (fallen man) that He gave His only begotten Son (Salvation is a gift), that whosoever (the invitation to accept is extended to all) believeth in Him (believers are obedient to God's law), shall not perish (lost sinners will die the second death), but have eternal life (Only the saved will inherit eternal life, all sinners will be eradicated from existence). The subject of the lost burning forever in hell is a doctrine of Satan and totally misrepresents the true and loving character of God. It is true that the lost will burn for a period of time, but they will die the second death. We will cover this Babylonish (confusion) doctrine at a later time. It's part of the wine of Babylon that has made the Christian world drunk.

God's Law Ended at the Cross?

C. Doesn't Colossians 2:14-17 and Ephesians 2:15 teach that God's law ended at the cross?
2:14 "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
2:15 [And] having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath [days]:
2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body [is] of Christ."
Eph. 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace;"

Answer. No! These passages both refer to the law containing ordinances. This definitely was the law of Moses, which was a law governing the sacrificial system and the priesthood. There were many laws governing ceremony, especially in regards to meat and drink offerings. There were a number of ceremonial Sabbaths. All these ceremonies pointed forward to the cross. They were no longer necessary after the cross. But Paul spoke of God's law as "holy, just and good" many years after the cross. Romans 7:7, 12
7. "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”"
12. "Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good."
It is important to be sure which law Paul is speaking about. The clue is usually in the chapter your reading. He is clear about Moses law ending and God's law being firmly established.

Two Commands Replace the Ten?

D. The Bible says, "Love is the fulfilling of the law." Romans 13:10. And in Matthew 22:37-39 It commands us to love God and our neighbor.
37. "Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38. This is the first and great commandment.
39. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’"
Don't these two commands replace the ten?

Answer. No. If you read verse 40, Jesus said "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." The ten commandments hang from these two just as our ten fingers hang from our two arms. They are inseparable. Love to God makes keeping the first four commandments a pleasure, and love to our neighbor makes keeping the last six a joy. Read John 14:15
15. "If you love Me, keep My commandments."
1 John 5:3 "or this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." and 1 John 2:4
4. "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." It is impossible to love the Lord and not keep His Ten Commandments.

Engraven Law Done Away With?

E. Doesn't 2 Corinthians 3:7 teach that the law written and engraven on stones was "to be done away"?
Read the three verses 7-9:
3:7. "But if the ministration of death, written [and] engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which [glory] was to be done away:
3:8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
3:9 For if the ministration of condemnation [be] glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory."

Answer. The passage says that the "glory of Moses" ministration of the law was to be done away, but not the law.
The subject is not the doing away with the law or its establishment, but rather the change of the location of the law from "tables of stone" to the "tables of the heart". Under Moses ministration the law was on stone. Under the Holy Spirit's ministration, through Christ, the same law is written on the heart. Hebrews 8:10. "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."

Christ, the End of the Law?

F. Romans 10:4 says that Christ is the "end of the law".
4. "For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

Answer. "End" in this verse comes from the Greek word "telos" which means the "point of" or "purpose of" or "object of". The meaning is clear. To lead men to Christ where they find that righteousness is the point, object, purpose or end of the law. Jesus Himself said that heaven and earth would pass before one jot or tittle would pass from the law. Matthew 5:18.
18. "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

Why is the law ignored by so many?

G. Why do so many people deny the binding claims of the law?

Answer. Read Romans 8:7-9.
8:7 "Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
The carnal mind hates God's law and feels that they are not subject to it.

Law or Grace?

H. Were the righteous people of the Old Testament saved by the law?

Answer. No one has ever been saved by the law. Everyone in every age has been saved by grace. Grace was given to us by Christ Jesus before the world began. 2 Tim 1:9
9. "Who hath saved us, and called [us] with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began."
The law has always had one function and that was to point out sin. Christ alone can save. Noah found grace. Genesis 6:8. Moses found grace. Exodus 33:17. The Israelites in the wilderness found grace. Jeremiah 31:2. Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and many other Old Testament worthies were saved by grace through "faith" according to Hebrews chapter 11. They were saved by looking forward to the cross. We are saved by looking back to it. The law is necessary to point out sin. Like a mirror it shows our spiritual dirt. Without it men are sinners and are not aware of it. But the law never had any saving power. It is like the sign that says "Thin ice, no skating today". It did it's job. It pointed out danger. The sign can not save the careless person who ignored the warning and ventured out on the ice, falling in under his weight. The Ten Commandments can't save, they can only tell us we sinned and need a savior. It is Jesus and He alone who can save a person from sin. Acts 4:12. 12. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

Conscience a safe guide?

I. Why worry about the law? Isn't conscience a safe guide?

Answer. A thousand times NO! The Bible speaks of an evil conscience, a defiled conscience and a seared conscience, none of which are safe. Proverbs 28:26
26. "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered."
The Bible, including God's law is our only safety. Isaiah 8:20
20. "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them,"
Neither should our faith be founded on feelings. Our only safe course of direction is to establish our faith on Biblical fact, then feelings will be grounded in truth.

Three men were walking on a wall, Feeling, Faith and Fact,
Then Feeling had an awful fall, And faith was taken back.
So close was Faith to Feeling, He stumbled and fell too.
But Fact remained and pulled Faith back, And Faith brought Feelings too.

Psalm 1:1, 2 "Blessed [is] the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."