We are not Under the Law Part 2

We are not under the Law just because on one simple reason. The “law that was heard of long ago” (the Ten Commandments heard by the Israelites from Moses) could literally be obey by any person just to be seen by men. And that kind of obedience to the law is what the bible called as hypocrisy. That’s why man cannot attain salvation by the works of the law.

As far as obedience to the law is concerned, the Pharisees and the Sadducees are the most highly regarded “good person” in the time of Jesus. They strictly follow the law of Moses and the Prophets religiously perfect. In fact Saul that become Paul being a Jew then, as of keeping the law he is Pharisee and more zealous to God beyond in all good and religious people in his nation. He was greater than the Pharisees and expert of the law because he was a well-trained and top graduated student of Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). But when he met Jesus on the way to the Damascus road he became a new man. He realized all “good works” are all hypocrisy that he then counts everything as nothing and rubbish (Phil 3:8). Christ now is everything for him. He came to the full understanding of the law in a way different from he already known before.

This can we know, that how much sincere a man of doing all “good works” and even how so strict and religious in obeying the law, unless he was regenerated and unless he come to know the real intent of the law, all of his works will be count short as hypocritical- all ends up as nothing and rubbish. All seems good works to man is not good enough for him to enter heaven. In the sight of God, all good works of man are as filthy rags (Isa 64:6). Man needs Christ. He is more than enough which man can be save through only him. Not by works or obeying the law but by the grace of God and through faith man can receive such salvation, which offered as a gift to anyone.

Now concerning the law, which Jesus told, “I tell you now…” is now a law, which directly points toward the inner man. It deals the whole being of a man of how, when, where and what he act, speak and most importantly is the way he think. It reveals what he really is, not only his outward appearances but also more on the inside.

Jesus sharply rebukes the Pharisees and the Doctor of the Law (the Ph.D., the Doctor of Divinity, the Doctor of Theology, and others, etc.) because of their hypocrisy. They outwardly obey the Law of Moses (including the Ten Commandments) but inwardly they are like as sepulcher full of dead bones.

In light of the Law Jesus had told “Now”, we have a law that serves as a guiding light, a measuring rod and a perfect set of standards for us of how can we as what Jesus said, we must surpass the righteousness of the Scribes and the Pharisees. (Mat 5:20)

We can have a righteousness that will surpass their righteousness (Pharisees righteousness based on their traditions and rituals) by surpassing the Law they have heard of long ago.

We must undertake the Law, the Law that Jesus told “Now”.

This mean to say, that we are not under the Law, which is in the literal form (written in the two tablets of stone). We are under the Law which Paul said, “The Law is spiritual”, that are (must be) written in the hearts (and in the mind).

Love is Law

It’s the same, Law is love, both end up in Law and Love and vise versa. The actual sum of the Ten Commandments is Love and Law.

Law and Love is intertwined and directly related to each other as can be seen in 1 Cor 13: 4-6,

Love is always patient, Love is always kind- directly related to the 6th commandment
Love is never envious – directly related to the 10th commandment
Or vaunted up with pride. Nor is she conceited – directly related to the 9th commandment,
And never is she rude – directly related to the 5th commandment,
Never does she think of self – directly related to the 7th and 8th commandment
Or ever get annoyed. She never is resentful – directly related to the 6th commandment,
Is never glad with sin – directly related to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th commandment,
But always glad to side with truth – directly related to the 1st to 10th commandments.

1 Cor 13:4-6 clearly reveals our duty to God and that is to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength and our duty to others, and that is to love our neighbor as ourself.

We can perform our duty to God (the 1st to the 4th commandment) through love by not rejoicing with sin. Sin is hatred toward God.

We can perform our duty to our neighbors (the 5th to the 10th commandment) through love by being always patient and kind to them, by not envious on them, by not being boastful-a form of lying, by not becoming rude to them, by not becoming selfish, and by not being happy with evil.

By performing our duty to God and our duty to our neighbors through love, we are actually obeying the Law, which is the Ten Commandments.

Therefore, Love is the fulfillment of the Law.(Rom 13:10)

Therefore the Law is still binding, has a great relevance until today and it is the standard of our Christian living because the Law is all about Love and Love is all about the Law.

The person who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I, too, will love him and reveal myself to him." (Joh 14:21)

He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (1Jn 2:4)

"If you love me, keep my commandments. (Joh 14:15)

We are not under the Law!

We are actually under the Law! And yet we are absolutely not under the Law!

It’s a paradox.

What it really means we are actually under the law and yet we are not under the law?

As far as the law which is the Ten Commandments Moses held in the two tablets of stones is concerned, we are not under to all of them. But as far as the law which Jesus had said, “You have heard of what it says of long ago… But now I tell you…” is concerned we are actually and we must be under to those commandments, which likely is all about the Ten Commandments.

The Law which Jesus had done to the law (He fulfill the law and he brought out its complete meaning) has a big difference than with the law of Moses he brought to the Israelites. In Moses time, it was literal but as what Jesus had brought, it was spiritual

Example: The 6th commandment says, “You shall not murder”. By any means and by any use of force or use of any deadly weapon, a person must not kill or murder someone. That is literal. But in Matt 5:21:22, Jesus equates anger the same as murder. You don’t have to use force or deadly weapon to murder just be angry to someone and you will be subject to the same judgment just like as in the case of murder. The Apostle Paul came to the full knowledge of the real intent of the ten commandments, he said, “The law is spiritual”.(Rom 7:14) That’s was Jesus exactly what he wants to us to understand about the law which he did not abolish. In fact, he established it by giving us the explanation and the real and exact intent of the law.

Therefore, the real meaning of the command that says, “You shall not murder” is “You shall not angry”. We are not under the law that states, “You shall not murder”. We are now under the law that says, “You shall not angry”. However, that is not exactly the law that we should be under. The exact law for us to obey, to keep and to fulfill about on that particular law (the 6th commandment) is “Love your enemies”, “Bless them, pray for them and don’t curse”, and “If they hungry give them food”.

We are not under the Law that “We heard of long ago”(ceremonial law, sabbath law and all kinds of law including the law which is the Ten Commandments written in the two tablet of stone). We are now under the Law that, Jesus said, “I tell you now…” which is written and must permanently be written in our heart.

The Law which Jesus said, “I tell you now..” is now what we called the Law of Christ which is also called the Law of Love. It was called the Law of Love because according to Christ, Love is the fulfillment of the Law.

Love brings no harm. But if a person lie, look with lust, steal, harbor bitterness and anger, and covet he breaks the Law of Christ and it brings harm to others as well as to himself. Much worst he might be in danger of the fire of hell.

Thus, we are still under the Law but this time not under the “Law of long ago”, we are under the Law of Christ “Now” which is the Law of Love.

All in all the Law of “long ago” (the Ten Commandments) and the Law “Now”, end up just the same.

We are still under the Law.