It is Settled!

A series of lessons from the Bible

by Howell Lasseter

Change of Law (Part 3)

Was the law of Moses good? It was, because it was given by God. One of the best kings of Israel had this to say, as he gave charge to his son who was to follow him to the throne: "I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; and keep the charge of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself..." (1 Kings 2:2,3). God had made a promise to David in 2 Samuel 8 that, if his descendants would be faithful and keep God's laws, then his descendants would continue as king over Israel. But, this charge to Solomon was one that Solomon did not keep. Did that make the law of Moses bad? No.

Saul, who later was called "Paul" had been a zealous disciple of the law of Moses. He cast Christians into prison, and consented to the death of Stephen. After his conversion, he writes in Romans 7:7 "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: For I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." What, then, was the purpose of the law? Throughout our studies in these lessons we use the King James version of the Bible. Galatians 3:24,25 uses the word "schoolmaster" to describe the purpose of the law of Moses: "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." Some other translations use the word "tutor" in place of "schoolmaster." Jesus Himself said He did not come to "destroy the law"; neither did He say that He came so the law might continue. Let us notice what He said: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am come not to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17).

When was the law fulfilled? "After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst" (John 19:28). In verse 30, we read, "when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost" (All emphases mine - HL). What happened when He died (not before, not after, but at the moment He died)? Both Matthew and Mark record what happened. We'll look at Mark 15:38: "And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." Yes, the law of Moses was fulfilled. It had served its purpose. It had been the law of God for His people from Sinai in the wilderness, until the death of God's only Son on Calvary's cross. The apostle Paul, regarding the condition of the gentiles, said that Christ had made it possible for both Jews and gentiles to have peace with God. How? Ephesians 2:15,16: "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; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby..." Colossians 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" (All emphases mine - HL).