And from the God-breathed Holy Scriptures we read:
Ephesians 2:14-15 - ". . .he himself. . .has made the two one. . .by abolishing in his flesh the (ceremonial) law with its commandments and regulations."
Hebrews 8:13 - ". ..by calling this (NT) covenant "new," he has made the first (old, Mosaic) covenant obsolete."
And noting that the first Scripture above was penned by the one who received his revelation from Jesus Christ personally, in the third heaven (2Co 12:1-5).
Previously addressed in post #715.
The God breathed scriptures do not teach anywhere that Jesus came to destroy the law or the prophets as this is in contradiction to all the new testament scriptures in regards to the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles who taught us that Gods' laws are still a requirement for Christian living (
scripture support here)
Matthew 5:17-20, [17]
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill {πληρόω (plēróō) G4137 means to do or to execute). [18]
For truly I say to you, Till heaven and earth pass, one stroke or one pronunciation mark shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled {γίνομαι (gínomai | G1096) means to come to pass, to cause to be to generate to arise or assemble}. [19],
Whoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus never abolished Gods' law in fact he went on in fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah's scripture to magnify the law and make it honorable (Isaiah 42:21) when he went on to say...
[20], For I say to you, That
except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Keep in mind here that the living standard of righteousness to God's people at that time before Jesus were the Scribes and the Pharisees. Magnification of the law by Jesus removes nothing, but deepens and broadens it so that we may see even the smallest detail:
Psalms 119:96 I have seen an end of all perfection:
but thy commandment is exceeding broad.
As it is written [
Psalms 32:2, 34:13;
John 1:47;
1 Peter 2:22, 3:10;
Revelation 14:5 KJB] :
Zephaniah 3:13 The
remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies;
neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make
them afraid.
*The Law of God [the Ten Commandments] are God's very character, His very Heart (
Psalms 40:8), notice, it is stated of Jesus, that “thy Law is within my heart”, and where was the Law in the Sanctuary? - In the Ark. Therefore, the Ark of God, in the Sanctuary, is a model of God's Eternal Heart, in which is His character.
The new covenant is having God's law written on the heart to love *Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:24-27; Hebrews 8:10-12. and according to Paul love is the doing of God's law in Romans 13:8-10. This is why Jesus was magnifying the law to the very thoughts and feelings in our heart when he said
Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication's, thefts, false witness, blasphemies and it is these things that defile a man in Matthew 15:18-19 and that whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matthew 5:28).
Jesus is magnifying God's law in Matthew 5 in fulfillment of the scriptures from Isaiah 42:21 from the inside out to teach us that we are all sinners in need of a Savior (see also Matthew 9:12-13) and that unless we are born again into God's new covenant to love and our righteousness exceeds the outward appearance like the Scribes and the Pharisees we will not enter into God's Kingdom *Matthew 5:20.
This is why according to Jesus we need to be born again (John 3:3-7) because those who are born again to not knowingly practice sin which is defined in the scriptures as breaking anyone of God's 10 commandments and not believing and following God's Word (1 John 3:6-9; Romans 7:7; 1 John 3:4; James 2:10-11; Romans 14:23).
In fact the Apostle John teaches keeping God's commandments is how we know God and says that Jesus teaches this is how we love God and if we say we know and love God and do not keep His commandments the truth is not in us...
1 John 2:3-4 [3] And
hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
[4],
He that said, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Jesus also teaching us that it is only through love to God and man that we keep Gods' commandments and on these two great commandments of love hang all the law and the prophets...
John 14:15
If you love me keep my commandments
John 15:10 [10],
If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Matthew 22:26-40 [36], Master, which is the great commandment in the law? [37], Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.[38], This is the first and great commandment. [39], And the second is like to it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.[40],
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Paul also agreeing with John and Peter when he says...
Romans 13:8-10 [8], Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for
he that loves another has fulfilled the law. [9],
For this, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly summed up in this saying, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [10], Love works no ill to his neighbor:
therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Paul and Jesus are quoting from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18)
James also agreeing with Paul, Jesus and John here as well when he says..
James 2:8-12 [8] If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF [Sums up our duty of love in the 10 Commandments
Romans 13:9] , you do well: [9], But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin, and are convicted of the law as transgressors. [10], FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL KEEP THE WHOLE LAW, AND YET OFFEND IN ONE POINT, HE IS GUILTY OF ALL. [11], FOR HE THAT SAID, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, SAID ALSO, DO NOT KILL. NOW IF YOU COMMIT NO ADULTERY, YET YOU KILL, YOU ARE BECOME A TRANSGRESSOR OF THE LAW. [12], So speak, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
.................
All you have quoted in Ephesians 2:15 are the Mosaic ceremonial laws in ordinances. These are not God's 10 commandments but those laws in regards to the remission of sins from the earthly Sanctuary, the Levitical Priesthood and animal sacrifices for sin offerings and other offerings which are "shadow laws" pointing to the body of Christ as Gods' true sacrifice for the sins of the world once and for all *John 1:29; 36. We are in the new covenant now based on better promises *Hebrews 8:1-6. Jesus is now ministering on our behalf in the heavenly Sanctuary that the Lord pitched and not man ministering on our behalf. Hebrews 8:1-13 in context is referring to the "shadow laws" for remission of sin that point to Jesus, not God's 10 commandments. As the old covenant also includes the book of the laws for remission of sins; earthly Sanctuary, Levitical Priesthood etc. The Mosiac book of the covenant ans all it's laws for remission of sins was also a part of the old covenant Exodus 24:7 and it is these that have been fulfilled in the new covenant.
On the other hand, God's 10 commandments have the same role they always have and that is to give us the knowledge or what sin is when broken (Romans 7:7; Romans 3:20; 1 John 3:4; James 2:10-11) and to lead us to Christ that we might be forgiven through faith *Galatians 3:22-25. If there is no law there is no grace. If there is no grace there is no salvation and we are all lost. What do you think Matthew 9:12-13 means?
Hope this is helpful.
