Guest Post by Dr. Mark L. Strauss
Dr. Mark L. Strauss is a highly respected New Testament scholar, a professor at Bethel Seminary of Bethel University, and Vice-Chair for the NIV Committee of Bible Translation. Dr. Strauss is the author of more than twenty books, including Jesus Behaving Badly: The Puzzling Paradoxes of the Man from Galilee (2015). His most recent work is as Associate Editor of the NIV Study Bible, Fully Revised Edition, 2020.
You can listen to or watch his weekly Goodbook podcasts hosted by The Church at Rancho Bernardo in San Diego here. You can catch up on all his podcasts here.
Thank you to Dr. Mark for his knowledge, insight, and ability to take us deep into God’s Word in a way that is clear, relevant, profound and memorable. (He’s a pretty good joke teller, too.) This topic is part of his current series on the Sermon on the Mount
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Are We Under the Law or Free From the Law?
There is much to be learned from the Old Testament. It shows us God’s faithfulness, patience, and provision. The New Testament is full of quotations and allusions to the Old Testament, without which it would be difficult to understand the enormity of what God did for us in sending his Son to give us eternal life. The Old Testament is essential context for understanding the New.
But there is one question I am frequently asked about the Old Testament. “Are we under the Old Testament [Mosaic] Law?” What did Jesus mean when he said this in Matthew 5:17-19? “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.”
We no longer adhere to some of the Law, such as Old Testament dietary laws or laws about what kind of clothing to wear. So are we under the Law or not? It comes down to this: the Almighty Creator sent his Son Jesus into the world to restore our relationship with himself and to bring us eternal life by fulfilling the Law. Here are four ways that Jesus fulfilled the Law:
1. Jesus fulfilled prophecies made in the Law.
The Law and the Prophets Jesus spoke of in Matthew 5 refer to the Old Testament writings. The Old Testament predicted the coming of Jesus the Messiah in many of its prophecies. That the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, would come from the line of Abraham and David, and would be a sacrifice for sins are a few of them. (Google prophecies Jesus fulfilled for lists of these predictions.)
Proof of ancestry mattered in Israel. That the Messiah’s lineage could be traced from the beginning was absolutely necessary. In the Old Testament, Genesis 22:18, we see this prophecy:
I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.
Jesus is Abraham’s descendant, as told in the first words of the New Testament, Matthew 1:1: “This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham….”
“When we believe, we are found “in Christ,” so that his righteousness becomes our righteousness and we become a new creation.” ~Dr. Mark Strauss
2. Jesus revealed the true meaning of the Law.
Behind external laws are internal behaviors. For example, listen to Jesus in Matthew 5:21-22:
You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.
Doing what is right in God’s eyes is the true essence of the Law. Righteousness only demonstrated externally is not true righteousness; it must start with the heart. For example, you can outwardly forgive someone but inwardly carry a grudge. This is an internal heart attitude. We see this in Matthew 6:1: “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.”
Here’s another example from Leviticus 11:9-11, where the Old Testament commanded his people to abstain from certain foods:
Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales. But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to regard as unclean. And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean.
Jesus, knowing the sacrifice he was about to make, one that allowed him to complete the fulfillment of the Law, announced this in Mark 7:18-19:
“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
Contradiction, no. Clarification, yes. Concerning things that are not directly moral (e.g., dietary laws, clothing requirements, or whether we keep a specific day for the Sabbath), these laws are no longer required because Jesus fulfilled the Law.
Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. ~Hebrews 7:27
3. Jesus perfectly kept the Law and then paid the penalty for our sins.
God’s holy nature cannot tolerate sin. The Law issued a code of conduct that, if broken, would result in judgment. No matter how hard we try not to sin, we do, which means the Old Testament Law is powerless to save us. But God provided a means for us to be forgiven of all our sin: his Son. “For our sake he made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus could fulfill that requirement by offering his own perfect life through his death on the cross, for all of us.
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” ~Romans 5:6-8
4. Jesus completed the Law’s purpose: to reveal our sin and lead us to Christ.
God gave the Law through Moses when he established his covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai. This “Mosaic covenant” was not meant to be a burden, but to reveal sin and to enable God’s people to maintain a covenant relationship with him. The Law identified sin and the requirement of a blood sacrifice for its payment. The old covenant, however, could not transform people’s hearts, restoring them to a right relationship with God. But God promised that one day he would establish a new covenant with his people, which would provide full and complete forgiveness of sins (Jeremiah 31). Jesus establish this new covenant through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension.
Under the new covenant, being found “in Christ” means the Law is no longer written on tablets of stone, but on our hearts. The Holy Spirit now dwells within every believer, providing a transformed life and access to God. Christ is the culmination of the Law because he perfectly kept all its requirements—which no other person was/is able to do. Christ showed us what perfect righteousness looked like (the intent of the Mosaic Law), and then sacrificed himself as a sinless sacrifice (lamb) that met the Law’s requirement for justice and righteousness. When we believe, we are found “in Christ,” so that his righteousness becomes our righteousness and we become a new creation.
Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. ~Romans 10:4
To summarize this with practical applications for today:
We are free in Christ, but still under God’s righteous standards, and it is his character that establishes our standards. Everything that goes against God’s character—lying, stealing, gossiping, cheating, vindictiveness, murder, etc. — we are not to do. Above all, we should be guided by the two greatest laws: love God and love others. So ask yourself: “Do my actions reflect a love for God and for others that is greater than my love of self?” The Holy Spirit, who dwells within us once we accept Christ as our Savior, helps us discern right from wrong, not just as individuals but as a community of believers as well.
“You are all the Jesus some people will ever see. How will you demonstrate and share the love of Christ with them?” ~Dr. Mark Strauss
Think about this: you are God’s very presence in the world. Everyone you interact with in the world is seeing Christ when they see you. You are all the Jesus some people will ever see. How will you demonstrate and share the love of Christ with them?