What is the Law of Christ?
Jesus came to fulfill the Law, not to abolish it.
This article is the third of a series. Catch the first two articles here:
and here:
In the last article about the Law of Moses, I mentioned the “Law of Christ” and promised to explain it more fully in a future article. So, that’s the topic for today, the Law of Christ. What is it? What do we have to do to follow the Law of Christ?
Let’s roll!
The New Covenant
In my last article, I described that throughout history God has made a number of covenants with different people. Notably, he made covenants with Noah, Abram/Abraham, the people of Israel (Jacob’s descendants) and David.
After the nation of Israel had been split into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah, the prophet Jeremiah began to prophesy against Judah, warning of the conquest and exile of Judah at the hands of Babylon. But in addition to telling the nation of the coming conquest, Jeremiah also told the nation that the exile will only last for 70 years and that God will eventually reconstitute the nation of Israel, drawing the people back from their various far-flung locations (remember that by this time, Assyria had also conquered the kingdom of Israel and exiled many of its people to Assyrian lands).
But beyond the conquest, exile, and reconstitution of the nation, Jeremiah also says some things about the coming messiah and about a new covenant that God will make with his people. Here it is, in Jeremiah 31:
Jeremiah 31:31–34 (ESV)
The New Covenant
31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
In this passage, we see Jeremiah speaking to the houses of Israel and Judah, so this is a covenant that will be for all Israel, which implies a reunification of the people. As a Christian reading this, however, a logical question might be, “Isn’t this just like the Mosaic covenant that God made with Israel at Mt. Sinai, the covenant that gentiles are not party to? Is this some sort of Jewish-only thing?”
In Romans 1, Paul says:
Romans 1:16 (ESV)
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
So, Jesus’s coming, and the New Covenant is not merely a cause for celebration for Jews, but also gentiles (“Greeks” in Paul’s day).
Now, Paul didn’t mention anything about covenants, and Jeremiah didn’t mention anything about Jesus. How do we know they are talking about the same thing? Jesus, himself, puts the two things together for us.
In Luke 22, at the last supper, Jesus makes it clear that he is the foundation of the new covenant through his death on the cross. He says that the new covenant is sealed in his blood.
Luke 22:14–20 (ESV)
Institution of the Lord’s Supper
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
The book of Hebrews reinforces this connection between the saving work of Jesus and the New Covenant spoken of in Jeremiah. In chapter 8, the writer to the Hebrews says that Jesus is the head of a better covenant than the one that was established with Moses.
Hebrews 8:1–13 (ESV)
Jesus, High Priest of a Better Covenant
8 Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. 4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. 5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, “See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
8 For he finds fault with them when he says:
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah,
9 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers
on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws into their minds,
and write them on their hearts,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor
and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
for they shall all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities,
and I will remember their sins no more.”
13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
In verses 8-12, the writer makes it clear that this new covenant is the same one that Jeremiah was talking about. The writer specifically quotes Jeremiah 31 to make his point.
Some other things to note in this passage:
The writer specifically says that the new covenant “is better [than the Mosaic covenant], since it is enacted on better promises” (v6).
The writer implies that the Mosaic covenant had faults. The writer says, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second” (v7).
Finally, the writer says that the old covenant is “obsolete” and “is ready to vanish away” (v13).
Now, I know that some of you might start becoming agitated at this point. “God’s Law is forever!” you might declare. “It cannot be replaced!” Indeed, that is absolutely true. Keep reading.
A New Covenant with a New Law
In a previous article, I described how covenants typically come with commands from God that must be obeyed in order to receive the blessings that are promised. The Mosaic Covenant came with the “Law of Moses” or the “Old Testament Law.”
So, if Jesus brought us a New Covenant, what law governs it?
Paul gave us a clue in Galatians 6:
Galatians 6:2 (ESV)
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
The new law for the New Covenant is something Paul calls the “law of Christ.” Jesus describes the law of Christ and how it relates to Mosaic Law in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5.
First, he makes it clear that there is nothing wrong with Mosaic Law and that he did not come to abolish the law.
Matthew 5:17–5:20 (ESV)
Christ Came to Fulfill the Law
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
The Mosaic Law is the Word of God, perfect and unchanging. It’s as true today as it was when it was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Jesus makes it clear every bit of the Mosaic Law is still active and in force (v18). The NIV says it well (v18): “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.”
Therefore, nothing that Jesus is about to say in the Sermon on the Mount should be taken as replacing anything in the Law of Moses. Rather, everything he’s about to say is strengthening and building upon it, providing a deeper and more full revelation of God’s character and plans.
In short, Jesus doesn’t contradict the Law of Moses in any way; instead, he doubles down on it.
The core of the expanded law is communicated in Matthew 5 and 6.
Matthew 5:21–6:4 (ESV)
Anger
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. 26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
Lust
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
Divorce
31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
Oaths
33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
Retaliation
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
Love Your Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Giving to the Needy
6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
So, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls us to a more expansive law.
Not only is murder wrong, but anger is equivalent to murder.
Not only is adultery wrong, but lust toward a member of the opposite sex is equivalent to adultery.
When talking about anger and lust, Jesus is extending the Law not just to people’s actions but also to their thoughts. It’s not enough to keep the Law on the outside; you must also keep the law on the inside.
Where Mosaic Law demanded that husbands treat their wives with respect during a divorce, Jesus says that, except for infidelity, divorce is wrong and whoever does it forces their partner to commit adultery. Marriage is meant to be for life.
You should speak the truth all the time such that nobody needs you to take an oath to convince them that this time you’ll really speak the truth.
In the face of injustice toward you, you must turn the other cheek.
You must love your enemies and pray for them.
He ends Matthew 5 saying (v48), “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Yowza!
At the beginning of Matthew 6, Jesus then basically says (paraphrasing), “And you must do all this in secret so that you aren’t doing it for the praise of other men.”
For the Jews hearing the Sermon on the Mount, this would have been a shocking scene. Everybody knew about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, how they pretended to keep the Law and did so with great public fanfare such that they would try to earn the respect of other Jews.
Any Pharisees who were listening to his sermon must have been insulted, angry, and dejected. To paraphrase Jesus again, he basically says, “You think you’re keeping the Law? I’m raising the bar. Perhaps you were keeping the Law on the outside, but how are you doing on the inside? And even when you were keeping it on the outside, you were only doing it so that other people would think more highly of you. That’s all the reward you’re ever going to get. God wants your inside to be clean, too, and when you do that, in private, he’ll reward you.”
So, how are you feeling right now? Overwhelmed? Crushed by the weight of everything? Jesus says you have to be as perfect as God himself. Are you feeling that you can achieve that? I know I certainly can’t.
Don’t worry, there is a happy ending here for Christians, but we’re going to have to cover that next time.
For now, meditate on the Law of Christ.
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Very nice work.