Bible Questions and Answers

Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:

Hebrews 8:13 In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

The Law given through Moses contained moral, judicial and ceremonial rules as part of the Covenant made with Israel at Sinai.

It was given for the governance of a Nation.

The moral rules in the Law of Moses define sin.

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.

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

The Law could save from death only if it was kept in its entirety.

Leviticus 18:5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.

Romans 10:5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.

Just one transgression was sufficient to condemn to death.

Romans 7:10 And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death.

Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

No one other than Jesus Christ could keep it.

In practice the Law of Moses served only to condemn to death.

Romans 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

The Law made it plain that in order to be saved we needed a saviour.

Israel failed to keep the Covenant and God promised a New Covenant.

Jeremiah 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Hebrews 8: 8 For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: 9 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

This New Covenant was established by Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ was the one who the Law of Moses pointed forward to - the one who would fulfil it and take it out of the way.

By his sacrifice, we can have forgiveness of sins which was not available under the Law.

Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Under the New Covenant, those who believe the gospel and are baptised into Jesus Christ are required to observe Christ’s commandments.

Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you…

These are styled the Law of Christ, and are for the self-governance of individuals of any nation.

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

1 Corinthians 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

God’s moral rules do not change.

This is the law that Paul and all right minded people delight in.

We can delight in a law even though we cannot keep it.

So we find that Jesus’ commandments restate the moral commandments.

In Christ we are delivered from the Law of Moses, but we are not to continue in sin.

Baptised into Christ, we are no longer ‘married’ to the Law of Moses.

Paul uses this figure to show that we are freed from the Law.

Romans 7: 4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

In Christ we live by the ‘spirit’ of the moral law which is more stringent than the letter.

For example:

1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

The whole of the moral law arises from the two great commandments.

Matthew 22:37… Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Paul concurs:

Romans 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

For salvation we trust in faith in Christ, not our own righteousness.

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

When we are baptised into Christ all our past sins are forgiven.

Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

After baptism, if we are making a genuine effort to live by Christ’s commandments, the sins which we commit are forgiven by confession in prayer.

1 John 1:7… if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I hope you find this helpful.

God bless,

Glenn