Doing Away With the Law.

First off there is a big misnomer that the law is done away.

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil." (Mat 5:17)

Now the Greek word used here for “destroy” has the meaning of “ loosen down” as of a house or tent (2Co_5:1).(Robertson Word Pictures) He did not come to destroy the law or the prophets or “the authority and principles of the Old Testament” no but what He came to be “the word made flesh” embodying the very nature of the righteous standard of the law.

Its not the Law that is done away but the “works of the Law” in trying to be justified, is done away, because no man can keep the righteous standard of the law.

"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."(Gal 2:16)

The Law show forth Gods standard of righteousness, as the law points out sin, and becomes a moral standard for those who are under the Law. For "Wherefore the law is holy" (Rom 7:12)

We all our life are under the law, but we are also justified not by our trying to keep the standard of the law, but because of the grace of God that fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law. For as Paul and John wrote;

"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." (1Jn 3:4)

"For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." (Rom 6:14-15)

This verse in Romans is not understood very well. Some say we are no longer "under the law" not realizing just what that terminology means. Some one once wrote a excellent example of what this means;

There were some, apparently, who thought that not being under law meant that they now had a license to sin. Keep in mind that John says, “sin is lawlessness.” Paul himself had stated earlier in Rom. 3:20, “through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” And yet many people take Rom. 6:14 and interpret it to contradict Jesus, Paul, and John, saying that this means the law was put away.
2. Paul did not mean this. He was using terminology that was familiar to people of his day, but which is largely unfamiliar today in the Western world. Let me explain.
If a man stole $10,000 and was apprehended, the judge under biblical law was to make him repay his victim double. The thief, then, became a debtor because of his sin. If the man could pay this debt to the victim, then he was immediately released. But if not, his property was to be sold or used in payment of the debt. If all of his property was insufficient to pay the debt, then he himself would be sold as a bondservant in order to pay the debt.

As long as it took to pay the debt, this man was said to be “under the law.” That is, the law had jurisdiction over him, because the man’s sin empowered the law to keep him enslaved until the debt was paid. Then as soon as the debt was paid, the man was set free—no longer under the law, but under grace.

We know from Rom. 3:23 that “all have sinned.” Therefore, every man is a debtor in the eyes of the law. It is the law that has put us all into slavery because of our sin. But we have a Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who came and paid the full penalty for our sins. Once the debt has been paid, we have been set free from the slavery imposed upon us by the law. We are now under grace.

Does this mean, then, that we are now free to sin at will? Are we now free to “sin that grace may abound?” (Rom. 6:1) Of course not. Grace is not a license to sin. Sin is lawlessness. The law was not put away; the law was upheld. Jesus could have set us free by putting away His law, for this would have legalized sin. But He did not. He upheld the law and paid its full price.

Paul says in Rom. 3:31,
"Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the law."
It is not right to pit Rom. 6:14 against Rom. 3:31. If they seem to be contradictory, it is because we do not understand Paul’s writing. It is our hope that this will give the reader a better understanding of Paul’s writings, so that we do not use him as an excuse to violate the law of Christ as given to Moses.

The law and its insight into the righteousness of God, is still being lived out today in our own hearts. Instead of the animal sacrifices we see Jesus as the very embodiment of what these sacrifices entailed. And if Christ is in you, then you in union with Him shall also see and experience all that these offerings entail, as the word is made flesh.

Take for instance the burnt offering. This particular offering is offered as a worshiper, to be pleasing unto Him, not by works but by a giving all to Him. As a living sacrifice. In this our Father is well pleased and it satisfies His heart. Now this type of offering is different than the sin offering in that it is not about sin, nor about being displeasing to Him, or reaping what we have sowed in the negative aspect, but it is about being found acceptable and well pleasing unto Him.

In this offering it is about God being satisfied with the perfectness of the offering unto Him, nothing held back. Of course only as Christ lives out this heart that always does what is pleasing to Him, in us, is this possible. Now this offering was placed upon the brazen alter to be burned or consumed by the fire. Also this sacrifice was to be a life offered on the alter, and the sprinkling of the blood upon the alter. This particular offering was “life” given wholly unto Him.

The last peculiarity of the burnt offering is that it was “wholly burnt upon the altar”. Now this differs with the other offerings such as the Meat offering and Peace offering. For those offering only a part was burnt upon the altar. And it was also different from the Sin-offering in that although the sin offering was also wholly burnt, yet not all was burnt upon the altar some was burnt without the camp.



For an example. The Lord placed upon my wife and mine heart, that we were to help support a meeting in our area. This meant we would have to sell something that was enjoyable to us and helped to bring us closer together in many ways. So we sold this Hog, and thought it would be nice that we would have extra money left over after all the expenses to put in the bank. Yet some how we forgot about taking a certain amount out the month before and when it came time help pay for the building, and hotel rooms for the speakers all the money was consumed. What we had was just enough to cover the expenses with NONE left over. At first I felt guilty that I had been displeasing to the Lord for not being more attentive to the money. It was then the Lord dropped the word in my spirit reminding me about the Burnt Offering and how the entire offering was to be consumed. Also to deal with the guilt I needed to be reminded this offering was NOT for sin but was well pleasing that nothing was held back.

So we also could delve into the feast days of Israel and how each person will experience for themselves Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles, but that is for another time.

Oh the law is not done away it is yet being fulfilled in you and me!

Kevin