Is the Law Done Away?

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Part 1 – Did Christ Do Away With the Law

Jesus Christ did not come to do away with the law!

A law is simply a set of rules for regulating our life. It was given from our creator and loving Father in much the same way that we do as parents.

What does our heavenly Father do for us? He gives us a set of rules to live by that comes from Him as an all knowing, loving and caring Father. Just because we don’t understand them or don’t like them sometimes, especially early in our conversion, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t right, just and good. We will come to see this later.

Now let’s look at Christ’s words, approach and actions concerning the law of God.

Sermon on the Mount

Regarded as one of the most significant passages in the Bible. It is Jesus Christ longest recorded set of words.

Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

To say that fulfill means to do away with or destroy is at face value contradictory. In effect if anyone believes this then the verse is saying, “I did not come to destroy…but to destroy.” It cant mean this, so what does it mean then?

Christ Quoted the Old Testament

…there were no other scriptures to quote. By doing this He gives it validity.

Jesus did not come to do away with the Old Testament lock, stock and barrel. The first thing He did when He started His ministry was to cite Isaiah. In Luke 4 after the temptation He validated the Old Testament and continued to do this often through out the New Testament.

Christ often said, “Have you not read…” in reference to the Old Testament many times. So obviously He did not shy away from it.

Law or the Prophets… This is a common phrase referring to first 5 books that Moses wrote down (given to him by God) and what was prophesied in the Old Testament as well

Paul brought before Felix

High Priest and an Orator are accusing him:

Acts 24:5 For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

Acts 24:6 He even tried to profane the temple, and we seized him, and wanted to judge him according to our law.

Acts 24:14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.

fulfill: plēroō From G4134; to make replete, that is, (literally) to cram, level up (a hollow), furnish, imbue

In English the word would then literally mean: to make full, to fill, to fill up, to fill to the full

Notice how it is used in exactly these ways in the following verses:

Luke 3:5 EVERY VALLEY SHALL BE FILLED AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED PLACES SHALL BE MADE STRAIGHT AND THE ROUGH WAYS SMOOTH;

John 12:3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

Matthew 13:47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind,
Matthew 13:48 which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away.

It may also help to look at the prophetic verse concern this:

Isaiah 42:21 The LORD is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will exalt [KJV:magnify] the law and make it honorable.

honorable: aw-dar A primitive root; to expand, that is, be great or (figuratively) magnificent: – (become) glorious, honourable.

How did Christ make the law more full?

Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’

He who is angry and unreconciled with his brother is in danger of the judgment!

To say here that Christ was doing away with murder is ludicrous. In actuality Jesus Christ is saying that the letter of the law is still very much in force.

Matthew 5:27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.’

But now He admonishes us to not lust after another woman

Matthew 5:33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’

But now He admonishes us to not swear at all and let your Yes be Yes and your No be No

Matthew 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.’

But now He admonishes us to turn the other cheek

Matthew 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’

“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you”

Matthew 5:18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

one jot [iota] or one tittle [something horn like, that is, (specifically) the apex of a Hebrew letter]

Notice the connotation here in a similar verse

Luke 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.

fulfilled: ginomai to cause to be (“gen” -erate), that is, (reflexively) to become (come into being), be (come, -fall, -have self), be brought (to pass), (be) come (to pass)

The law is still intact, enjoined and meaningful for us as long as the physical heavens and earth are here. In other words the whole time that there is any one physical person on this planet – from Adam to the end, the law will still be relevant

Matthew 5:19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

If you want or expect to be in the Kingdom of God then you are to keep “these commandments.”

Which commandments?

Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
Matthew 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’
Matthew 22:40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

All the writings of law and prophets are based on these 2 general commandments. This is a summation of the 10 commandments.

Matthew 19:16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
Matthew 19:17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Matthew 19:18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, ” ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT STEAL,’ ‘YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,’
Matthew 19:19 ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER,’ and, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ “

But wait, that’s not all…

Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ “

Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven… called least by those in the kingdom of heaven, because they will not be there as we have talked about before and will more than likely talk about again in the near future.

Matthew 5:20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

There is no doubt that they were to obey God’s law to a seemingly very high standard. The scribes and Pharisees were supposed to be the teachers and examples of the law. They went “above and beyond” the law with more rules and rituals (ie Pharisaical). If this was the case, how then could the average person get into the Kingdom of God.

Hypocrites – they only appeared to be doing right – they weren’t right

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
Matthew 23:24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
Matthew 23:25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.
Matthew 23:26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
Matthew 23:28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Matthew 15:1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,
Matthew 15:2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
Matthew 15:3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?
Matthew 15:4 For God commanded, saying, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER’; and, ‘HE WHO CURSES FATHER OR MOTHER, LET HIM BE PUT TO DEATH.’
Matthew 15:5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God“—
Matthew 15:6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.
Matthew 15:7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:
Matthew 15:8 ‘THESE PEOPLE DRAW NEAR TO ME WITH THEIR MOUTH, AND HONOR ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR FROM ME.
Matthew 15:9 AND IN VAIN THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE COMMANDMENTS OF MEN.’ “

They did things to be seen, it was image over substance.

Jesus Disagreed with People not the Law

Th religious leaders did not keep God’s law – this is what Jesus Christ was addressing much of the time. Jesus disagreed with the religious leaders, He didn’t disagree with Old Testament Scriptures. It was the wrong things that they were doing that He took exception with.

Sabbath

Jesus Christ kept the Sabbath – He did it regularly. He set an example for in all things for us and all subsequent generations. He taught the right way to keep it (this was the problem with the Jewish leaders of His time; the extra rules). He never broke the Sabbath, because He never sinned.

[See: The Sabbath in the New Testament]

One example:

Matthew 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. And His disciples were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.

We can see that they were not harvesting, but only “making lunch” for themselves. This involved relatively little effort as Luke brings out in his parallel account:

Luke 6:1 Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.

Naturally the Pharisees took great exception to this.

Matthew 12:2 And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath!”
Matthew 12:3 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:
Matthew 12:4 how he entered the house of God and ate the showbread which was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?
Matthew 12:5 Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?
Matthew 12:6 Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.
Matthew 12:7 But if you had known what this means, ‘I DESIRE MERCY AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. (Parallel accounts: Mark 2:23-28andLuke 6:1-5).

The Pharisees had their own rules that they had made up and were applying this incorrectly to what Jesus was doing in the field. Their man-made laws were in the fashion of “do not” do this or that

What we see here is that Jesus was not harvesting, but was abiding by the law that the Pharisees should have known.

The confrontations were over how, not whether, to keep the Sabbath.

Christ was never doing away with the law as a whole. It was His law that He gave when He was the God of the Old Testament (1 Corinthians 10:4). One of the things that He created was the Sabbath and He didn’t change on this (Hebrews 13:8; Malachi 3:6)

Then Christ goes on to give the scriptures (Matthew 5:21-48 that we already covered) that show how we are to be proceeding in exceeding the righteousness of the Pharisees which in reality wasn’t that difficult.

[Did Christ End the Law?]

Christ Lived a Sinless Life

1 John 3:4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.
1 John 3:5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.

Not only did He say to follow the rules, He lived them – perfectly.

Jesus Christ our example followed the law:

1 John 2:3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.
1 John 2:4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
1 John 2:5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.
1 John 2:6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

When we understand the purpose and nature of the law, it makes perfect sense for GOD being all that He is, to give us a set of rules to live and guide our lives by. SO why would we want to do away with these guidelines for a better and blessed life. Why wouldn’t we want to keep them and do what God says is best for us.

Part 2 – Did the Apostles Do Away With the Law

We know that Jesus Christ taught the law was still to be kept. Of course it doesn’t make any sense that He would teach that only to change it afterwards in mid-stream. Some believe that the law was done away with after the death of Jesus Christ.

What did the Apostles continue to teach after the death of Jesus Christ?

As we will see, John, James, Paul and Peter all enjoin the law for us today … and as we go through, we may even see why we should.

The Apostle John

It is Only Through the Law that we can Know Jesus Christ

1 John 2:3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

John uses the if/then conditional statements here. He simply lays it out: the only way that we can know that we know Him is if what? – If we keep His commandments

Then he says the converse:

1 John 2:4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

If you say that you don’t have to keep the commandments like many say today, then you are a liar and you don’t have the truth and obviously, you don’t KNOW Him – you can’t know Him.

Knowledge of who and what God is escapes those that don’t keep the commandments of God.

When we realize that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16) and the basis of the commandments is love toward God and love toward man (Matthew 22:36-40), we begin to see that the commandments are an extension of Their nature.

John 14:9 … He who has seen Me has seen the Father

So this applies to both of them – the Father and the Son.

If we keep His commandments, we can know that we know Him because we begin to see the character of God and the way He thinks by what He says is righteous—by the way He tells us to act through these commandments.

1 John 2:5 But whoever keeps His word [we are still talking about the same thing here – the commandments], truly the love of God is perfected [accomplished] in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

Hopefully we are beginning to see that when we keep God’s law of love and internalize it, we see then that the love of God – His law – is perfected in us.

It is by the Law that we Show Love

2 John 1:6 This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

What we also see here is that love is an action. We demonstrate love by the way that we act; specifically when we act in accordance with the law of God – His commandments.

We see this further in:

1 John 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.

The reason is that the latter six of the commandments deal with our love toward the children of God / toward our fellow man. You cannot say that you love the children of God and not keep the commandments.

1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.

When we keep His commandments, like do not kill or steal, we are showing love towards our neighbor by not doing these things to them. Hopefully we see that it is not a burden to not kill your neighbor. We do to them the same that we would like done towards us – we would like them to not kill, steal, lie to us. In this we show love.

1 John 2:6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

We are to be imitators of the Father and Jesus Christ And walk in love toward our fellow man and God (Ephesians 5:1-2)

The Apostle James

The Law is Perfect and Liberating

James 1:25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Perfect: has the connotation of complete

Liberty: free from the penalties that come with sin

2 Peter 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
2 Peter 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
2 Peter 2:21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

The Law is Reflective

James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

The law requires implementation – it is not there for window dressing. Why is that God went through the trouble of writing it down and preserving it for millennia?

James 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
James 1:24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
James 1:25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

The law of God is to be reflected in what we do. We cannot hear it in church services and then that’s it.

The Law is Royal

James 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you do well;

Royal because it is from God, it is His law and it mirrors Him.

Are we seeing the thread from what Jesus Christ said to what John said to what James has been saying? It is the keeping of the command to love.

James 2:9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

To break any part of the whole law makes us a sinner period. We are a sinner against the intent of the whole law.

James 2:11 For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

So, in other words, if we do not want to be a sinner (which we should want) then we cannot break any part of the law (which is still intact).

James 2:12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.

judged by the law of liberty meaning: continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work (from what we read before)

The Apostle Paul

1 Corinthians 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.

Follow me as I follow Jesus Christ!

Believed the Law was not Done Away

Acts 24:14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.

Acted According to the Law

Acts 25:8 while he answered for himself, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I offended in anything at all.”

Part of the law (4th commandment) includes the Sabbath which Paul continued to keep after the death of Christ .

Acts 13:13 Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.
Acts 13:14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down.

  • Acts 13:44 – Gentiles ask Paul to teach to them the following Sabbath
  • Acts 17:2 – Paul teaching to the Gentiles on the Sabbath
  • Acts 18:4 – Paul teaching to both Jews & Gentiles on the Sabbath
  • Acts 18:21 – Paul keeping the feast after the death of Christ
  • Acts 20:6 – Paul keeps days of Unleavened Bread
  • Acts 20:16 – Paul keeps Pentecost
  • Acts 27:9 – Paul keeps Day of Atonement
  • 1 Cor 16:8 – Paul keeps Pentecost

Part of the law also includes the holy days which Paul continued to keep after the death of Christ

1 Corinthians 5:7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
1 Corinthians 5:8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Taught that the Law was to be Kept

1 Corinthians 7:19 Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.

Romans is replete with scriptures that reinforce that the law is not done away with and in fact is a necessary component for other aspects of our Christianity.

Romans 2:21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?
Romans 2:22 You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
Romans 2:23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?

The answer is yes! Said another way: We honor God by keeping the law.

If you are going to boast about the fact that you are keeping the law, you had better keep it! They were to practice what they were preaching in other words.

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

What does this mean? That ALL are still subject to the law. The law is still in effect if there is sinning. We are hitting this subject from many different angles.

Faith Doesn’t do Away with the Law

Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.

Is the law done away with? No just the opposite, we establish it on a firm and permanent basis – we make it stand.

Faith and belief and law have to go hand in hand. If we believe that we should not kill, we do not kill and therefore keep the law. How can we then separate our faith, our body of beliefs, from the law? Paul is saying that we can’t or don’t…we actually establish the fact that the law needs to be kept by our faith.

Grace Doesn’t do Away with the Law

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Are we to sin so that we allow God to be great; to show His greatness in forgiving our sins? Do we need to act bad so that God can act good?

How does Paul answer this question? Very Emphatically in the next verse:

Romans 6:2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

We are to come OUT of it and not live IN it any longer. That means that it is still necessary to keep the law.

This is a pretty big one. As we encounter those that say we do not have to keep the law or some of the more difficult scriptures, we need to keep these straightforward verses at the top of our mind. There are way too many to ignore – and way too precise to allow room for grace without the law.

Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

Instead of Shall we sin we can just as easily say, “Shall we break the law?” Paul is now saying that it is now more than ever incumbent upon us to keep the law now that we are “under grace.”

So no matter what you think that “under law” means we still have to OBEY the law

Quick explanation: we are not under the penalty of the law which is:

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift [charisma] of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Now that we are under grace, this means we have access to forgiveness through repentance and so we have the opportunity to get back on the right track

Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?

We become slaves to sin, when we forsake the law, we yield to sin and the problems that come with it (sickness, pain and death). This is a contrast to perfect law of liberty…or freedom from these things.

We live a life of obedience, one way or the other. Do you obey God or Do you succumb to sin? We are to be slaves to righteousness (which are defined by the 10 commandments).

Why?

How does Paul View the Law

Romans 7:12 Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

Paul is coming to a conclusion again on the previous matter. The law and commandments are of God and they are righteous and good. It convicts us that we are sinners and that we come up short of the nature of God.

There is no doubt what Paul thinks of the law. We need to realize this and use it as an anchor in our understanding of all the other scriptures that he has written. If we ever wonder what Paul means in any other of his epistles, we need to use this as a basis.

Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.

Here is Paul’s view on the law. Paul wants to keep the law. It is just, holy and good.

Paul Explains Why we Naturally Resist Keeping the Law

Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.

The carnal mind, that is the one without God in it is at odds with God, in other words an enemy to God. So if we find that we resist the law of God and do not want to live by it – any aspect of it – it is because we do not have God’s mind or we are not using it. We will see exactly what this means in a few more verses.

Romans 8:8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

So if we do not keep/obey/be subject to the law then we cannot please God and this is a fundamental aspect of our lives as a Christian. Not only does the law need to be kept, but without it we can please God.

Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit [so you can keep the law], if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.

If we have God’s spirit, we are human, but not acting according to the flesh, the way that we previously did. Instead, now we are subject to the law of God and have the help that we need to keep it.

Catch All

2 Timothy 3:14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
2 Timothy 3:15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, [Old Testament] which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.’ “

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Psalms 119:172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness.

Paul never deviated from his belief that the law was to be kept and continued to teach it throughout his entire life.

The Apostle Peter

We saw one point from Peter before (2 Peter 2:19-21). Here he confirms his own view on the law and also validates what Paul says

2 Peter 3:14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

Without sin – so Peter is saying the same thing here. Don’t sin, keep the law.

2 Peter 3:15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,
2 Peter 3:16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.
2 Peter 3:17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;
2 Peter 3:18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Conclusion

Clearly God’s law is not abolished in the New Testament, in fact we are admonished and directed by John, James, Paul and Peter and in reality by the whole bible to live by the law and commandments of God. Because it is only by this perfect, liberating reflective royal law of love which is holy, just and good that we can come to truly know the Father and the Son.