GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION
Pop question: When Jesus said, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are gods’?” what law was he referring to? Was he referring to the Law of Moses or some other law?
If you answered the Law of Moses, you are mistaken. Go to the back of the class, and see me after school.
Jesus was not quoting Moses but Psalm 82:6. When Jesus said “your law” in John 10:34 he was referring to the Hebrew Scriptures a.k.a. the Old Testament.
What is the law in the Bible? Usually “the law” refers to the Law of Moses, but not always. There is also the law of Christ, the law of liberty, the law of sin, the law of faith, and more.
If we are going to talk about the law, we need to know which law we are talking about. Otherwise you might have a conversation like this:
You: “Romans says we are not under law but grace.”
Them: “That is referring to the ceremonial ordinances only. We still need to keep the Ten Commandments.”
You: “Huh?”
Did you know the Bible lists at least twelve types of law? Here they are:
The Law of Moses refers to the Ten Commandments plus the 600 or so ordinances, punishments, and ceremonial observances given to the nation of Israel through Moses (Jos. 8:31, John 1:17, 7:19). This law is sometimes referred to as the law of commandments (Eph. 2:15) or the law of the Jews (Acts 25:8).
The law of God has a double meaning, depending on which covenant you are under. In the old covenant, the Jews referred to the Law of Moses as the law of God (Jos. 24:26, Neh. 8:8) or the law of the Lord (Ex. 13:9). However, the law codified by Moses was but a shadow of a new covenant reality (Heb. 10:1).
In the new covenant, the law of God is synonymous with the word of God. The word of God is the way by which God makes himself and his will known. When Paul said he delighted in the law of God (Rom. 7:22), he meant he took pleasure in obeying God the Father. He was not referring to the Law of Moses.
The royal law is to love your neighbor as yourself (Jas. 2:8). This commandment, which comes straight out of the Law of Moses (see Lev. 19:18), is the king of laws because loving others fulfils all the other laws (Rom. 13:8-9, Gal. 5:14). In context it means treat people with dignity, even if they are poor (Jas. 2:1, 5). Don’t show favoritism.
The golden rule is Jesus’ version of the royal law: do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Luke 6:31).
Jesus was asked to name the first and greatest commandment in the law. Jesus replied, “To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:36–38).
Note that this is the greatest commandment in the Law of Moses. Under the law-keeping covenant, the flow was from you to the Lord (Deut. 6:5, 10:12). You loved God because it was a law that came with consequences. But in the new covenant of grace, we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). This brings us to…
The law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:21, Gal. 6:2) is the Lord’s command to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34).
The law of Christ is both a new commandment and a new kind of commandment (1 John 2:8, 2 John 1:5). We don’t love others because we fear God’s punishment; we love because we have received his love. As with everything in the new covenant, love starts with God, and as we receive from the abundance of the Father’s love we find ourselves loving others (1 John 4:19).
The law of the Spirit of life refers to the rule or government of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:2). It is being led by the Spirit instead of walking after the flesh (Rom. 6:14, 18). When we yield to the life-giving Spirit, we reap abundant life (Rom. 8:13).
The law of sin refers to the rule or influence of sin (Rom. 7:23, 25). In the same way that a sheriff is the law in a small town, the world is in thrall to the rule of sin (Rom. 6:14, 20). The fruit of sin is death which is why the law of sin is also called the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2).
Although Christians have been freed from sin (Rom. 6:7), they subject themselves to the law of sin whenever they walk after the old ways of the flesh (Rom. 6:16). One way they do this is by putting themselves under the yoke of law (Gal. 5:3–5). The law is not sin, but keeping the law requires no faith and anything that is not of faith is sin (Rom. 14:23, Gal. 3:12).
The law of righteousness refers to the so-called righteousness that comes from observing the Law of Moses (Rom. 10:5, Php. 3:6, 9). Such a righteousness is not true righteousness because it is not based on faith (Gal. 3:11–12).
No one was ever justified or made righteous through their observance of the law (Rom. 9:31). If righteousness could be obtained through the law, Christ died for nothing (Gal. 2:21).
The law of DIY righteousness can be distinguished from the law of faith which says we are justified by faith without regard for our works (Rom. 3:27–28).
The law of liberty is another name for the word that can save you (Jas 1:21, 25), which is Jesus, the Living Word of God who sets us free. The law of liberty describes what Jesus has done (perfectly fulfilled or completed the law) and the fruit he will bear in our lives (liberty) if we trust him.
The perfect law that gives freedom, can be contrasted with the Law of Moses that binds (Rom 7:6, Jas. 1:25). Look into the mirror of Moses’ Law and you will be miserable, for it exposes all your faults. But look into the perfect law which is Jesus and you will be blessed, for it reveals his righteousness.
The law written on the hearts is two different things. When Paul speaks of the godless Gentiles having a law written in their hearts, he is referring to our consciences (Rom. 2:14–15). Your conscience is a kind of law-based religion that tells you right from wrong and condemns you when you violate those standards (Rom. 2:15).
But the Bible mentions another law that God writes on the hearts and minds of his children (Heb. 8:10, 10:16). This law is not the knowledge of right and wrong, nor is it the Law of Moses. When Jeremiah the prophet said that those who had the new law written on their hearts would know the Lord, he was referring to the indwelling Spirit (a.k.a. the law of the Spirit of life) and the believer’s union with Christ (Jer. 31:33–34).
The law written by God into your heart is Jesus. It is the seed of God birthed in you by the Holy Spirit.
What is the law in the Bible? There are many laws and many kinds of laws. Some of the laws found in the Bible are old covenant laws, meaning they come with penalties for non-compliance, while other laws are new covenant laws, meaning they describe the life that is ours in Christ.
When Paul said “you are not under law but grace,” he was referring to any old covenant-type law that says you must do things to earn God’s favor. If you have been told you must confess, tithe, serve, or pray to be blessed, that’s the kind of law that has no place in the new covenant. Every blessing comes to us by grace alone.
Some say the church needs a healthy respect for the law. If we are talking about the Ten Commandments or the royal law or any law that hinges on your ability to keep it, then I disagree. Rely on your own law-keeping ability, and you’ll end up fallen from grace. You will cut yourself off from Christ.
But if we are talking about the law of Christ or the law of faith or the law of liberty, then I heartily agree, for these sorts of laws lead us to rely on the grace of God.
In this article I listed the different laws in the Bible. In the Bonus Content (available now on Patreon), I talk about different commandments along with the rules of religion. I also respond to questions such as who is the law for? And how do we fulfill the law?
There are many laws in the Bible. There is the Law of Moses and the Law of God. There is the law of sin and the law of faith. There is the law of righteousness and the law of liberty. But what is the law of Christ?
If you don’t know the law of Christ – and many people don’t – you’ll be susceptible to those who preach law.
“The law of Christ is the Biblical law. It’s loving the Lord your God with all your heart.”
No, no, no.
The Law of Moses and the Ten Commandments are not the Law of Christ. This is:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34)
Jesus did not come to give us an old law but a new one, and a life-giving one at that. The law of Christ is love one another, as I have loved you.
I’m sure you have read this commandment before, but do you realize what it means?
“It means I’m supposed to be a good Christian and love other people as I love myself.”
No, that’s not what it means. To love your neighbor as yourself is the royal law of the old covenant. It’s an old commandment but Jesus is preaching a new commandment.
What is the law of Christ? The law of Christ is both a new law and a new kind of law. It’s a new law for a new creation. What is new about it? These five words:
…as I have loved you.
Under the old, you loved others as yourself and if you didn’t have it in you to love others, perhaps because they hurt you, then you were a lawbreaker. But in the new, we receive the love of God and out of the overflow of that love we are empowered to love others.
See the difference?
Under the old, you provided the love, but in the new God supplies all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
The Apostle John was familiar with the Law of Christ:
This is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. (1 John 3:11)
John heard the message from Jesus. He called it “his commandment” (1 John 3:23) or a “new commandment” (1 John 2:8). We don’t love one another to become the children of God; we love because we are the children of the God-who-is-love (1 John 4:8). As we receive our Father’s unqualified love, are we able to love others with the same abandon.
How do we love one another? Not through empty chatter and Facebook likes, but by caring and carrying each other in our troubles:
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)
Because Jesus carries you, you can carry others. Because Christ is with you in your trial, you can be with others in theirs. Because Christ has forgiven you, you can forgive others.
If you have been in church for any length of time, you have probably be told to love your neighbor as yourself. This command may even be hanging on your wall. If so, take it down immediately.
The command to love others as you love yourself is a death-dealing dictate. It will either feed your pride (look how loving I am!) or minister condemnation (I can’t love that sinner).
If you’ve been badly hurt, you will know how unreasonable it is to be told to love and forgive the one who hurt you. You’ll try to forgive them, but some things are just too hard.
There is a better way. Bring the broken pieces of your heart to Jesus and let him heal you. Tell him how bad it hurts. Receive his unconditional love and find rest in his arms.
Then as you begin your journey back to wholeness, pray for the one who hurt you. If you have no words to say, allow the Spirit of grace to guide you.
As you receive from the abundance of your Father’s love you will be healed, made whole, and empowered to love those who have wronged you.
What is the law of Christ? The law of Christ is the power of God that brings healing and restoration to all who receive his love. It is the grace to be loved and to love others in return.
In my next article I will list all the types of laws in the Bible. If you have wondered about the different laws, you won’t want to miss that one.
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More articles about the law.
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What is the royal law? Do you need to keep it and what happens if you don’t?
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. (James 2:8)
What is the royal law? It is the commandment to love others as you love yourself.
It sounds terrific. It isn’t. But first…
Why is the command to love your neighbor a royal law? It is not a royal law because Jesus invented it. He didn’t. This law comes straight out of the Law of Moses:
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Lev. 19:18)
Nor is it a royal law because Jesus put his kingly seal of approval on it. Jesus mentioned this law on occasion (Matt. 19:19), but he spoke about other laws as well. He never said this one was particularly special, and he even added to it (see Matt. 5:43–44).
Nor is it a royal law in the sense that this law should rule you like a king. We are not under law.
So what makes the love-your-neighbor law a royal law? It is the king of laws because loving others fulfills all the other laws.
For the whole law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal. 5:14)
Keep this one law and you will keep all the laws.
So far so good.
Go back to James and notice the if at the start of that verse.
James is making a conditional statement. If you keep this law, you are doing well. Conditional statements are a hallmark of old covenant law and that’s what James is preaching here. In context, he is preaching the second commandment to law-loving Jewish people.
James: “Hey, it’s great if you love your neighbor, but if you are discriminating against poor people, you’re a law-breaker” (see Jas. 2:9–10).
Does this royal law have any relevance for us? It has none at all, for we are not under law but grace. We are to be led by the indwelling Spirit rather than ruled by external laws.
In the new covenant, we don’t love our neighbors because it’s a law but because God loves us and out of the overflow of his love for us we are able to love others.
But what about this verse:
He who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. (Rom. 13:8)
There are two ways to read this. An old covenant mindset says, I had better love my neighbor so I can fulfill the law. But a new covenant mindset reads it as written. When we love others, we fulfill the law.
Which brings us to the most important question of all.
How do I love my neighbor who voted for the wrong party?
How do I love my Muslim neighbor, my gay neighbor, or my vaxxed/unvaxxed neighbour?
And that’s just for starters. Jesus raised the bar when he said I must also love my enemies. How do I do that?
How do I love the jerk who bankrupted my business?
How do I love the adulterer who wrecked my marriage?
How do I love the drunk who killed my child?
How do you love the unlovable? The royal law can’t help you. It simply says you must love them as yourself.
Good luck with that.
Under the old covenant, you provided the love and whatever else was needed to fulfil the law, and if you couldn’t do it, you were condemned as a law-breaker.
Do you see how unfair this is?
Someone destroys your family or your business, and the law says you cannot pursue vengeance or bear a grudge, but you must love them as yourself.
It’s like trying to walk on water.
Like any old covenant law, the royal law is brutal and merciless. It demands that you do the impossible and condemns you when you fail.
Thank God for Jesus who gives us a new law for a new creation. Thank God for the law of Christ which says this:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you. (John 13:34)
Jesus does not say “Love others as you love yourself.” He says, “Receive my love and out of the overflow of that love, you will be empowered to love others.”
It is a brand new kind of law and a brand new way to live.
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We continue our discussion this week on the differences between faith and works. When it comes to salvation and justification, it has to be one or the other, and the Apostle Paul made it clear within the revelation of the New Covenant, we are not bound to a law of works, but the law of faith.
This eliminates any boasting on our part, as we receive the gift of His righteousness, which occurs apart from a law based upon works. Faith will lead to God working in and through us, allowing Him to bear His fruit instead of our own.
When the Jewish people were pursuing righteousness through a law of works, it was not a righteousness of faith, but it was based on their inconsistent works, which did not bring peace with God. For those who were described as having lived by faith or done great things because of faith, it had nothing to do with the law or their own works. Do we need those old rules and commandments to lead, teach and guide us as believers in Christ? No, we have Someone who lives in us who will fill that role much better.
When God spoke about His laws being put in our minds and written upon our hearts in this better covenant, the assumption by many church folks is that this is a reference to the Ten Commandments. But why would God want to write something on the hearts of His people which brought condemnation, resulted in sin increasing, and wasn’t based upon faith? In the previous chapter, the writer had just declared that old ministry as one that became nullified or cancelled because it was weak and unprofitable, unable to bring a required spiritual perfection. Our hearts now contain and reflect something new and better than a law of sin and death—it’s “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” It’s based upon the ministry of God’s Spirit in us, the gift of righteousness, faith, love and liberty.
Nobody has ever achieved being able to follow those commandments which had the entire law wrapped up in them. This is quite different from what John stated, where the truth revealed that it wasn’t that we loved God, but He loved us. As we begin to receive and understand the fullness of this perfect love, it allows us to freely love God apart from the commandment—because we want to do so—and that love which abides in us also enables us to love others in the same way God loves us. Perfect love casts out fear and provides us with confidence in the day of judgement. It’s better than depending on your own inconsistent strength and abilities which always leave people falling short.
John writes about keeping commandments, but he isn’t very specific in listing them out. Covenant clashers would try to have us believe he is referring to the Ten Commandments and may selectively throw in a few extras for good measure. If John was encouraging believers in Christ to embrace a stone tablet ministry of commandments, then he not only contradicted the Apostle Paul, but also would have contradicted himself in this very same letter. Peter and Paul stated the commandments which came through Moses were burdensome and unbearable. Jesus said the same thing. But John said the commandments he was referring to are not burdensome. Either John disagreed with them … or (and let’s go with this) he is referring to something different as it relates to the New Covenant.
Things rarely heard in church buildings: The law given to Moses resulted in sin increasing, not diminishing. It was described by the Apostle Paul as a ministry of death, condemnation, and no longer has any glory because a more glorious ministry of the Spirit has surpassed it.
More from Paul … the law bore fruit for death, it was the strength of sin, it was a ministry of bondage, it could not provide life or righteousness. He stated how the law is not of faith but was a guardian … until faith would come (Christ), resulting in no longer being under the old guard of the law. The law demanded it be kept perfectly but could make nothing perfect, therefore was considered weak and useless. Jesus came to redeem Jews from it, not bring Gentiles into it. A new and better covenant replaced that old, ineffective ministry, which nobody could ever live by.