The Hays Essay

Both law and grace are emphasized in the Bible. The Apostle Paul writes in his book of Romans, “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” In this passage the the Apostle Paul saying that no one can be saved from following God’s law. His thoughtful reasoning is that God only made the law because of our constant sinning. In the book of Matthew, Jesus states, “for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus tells that his blood is the fulfillment of the covenant God made with man. What Jesus is saying because of the sacrifice anyone who believes in him will be forgiven. In the Bible it states that no one can follow the law given by God because it originated from sin but those who believes in Christ are saved because of the grace given by God.

A simplistic explanation of the Old Covenant is that it was a perfect, law keeping performance based contract with God. If the laws and commandments were obeyed, He provided financial blessings, many children, health, and long life. When man sinned or broke God’s laws, which He

The implications for New Testament and present day life and worship is although when we read the New Testament and discovered Jesus died on the cross. To fulfill the law because if you broke one you broke them all. I

God needed to apply this dispensation because His people continued to sin. They used the law to live by and not their faith in God. The era of the law begins with the presentation of the Ten Commandments to Moses at Mt. Sinai. This dispensation runs for about one thousand five hundred years, and ends with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Reading the Bible, the timeline would run from Exodus 19, through Acts 1. One important highlight is that the people of this time could not be redeemed through the law. Even later in the Bible the Galatians argued that the law was redemptive. Paul reminded them in Galatians 3:10(ESV), For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of Law, and do them.” This scripture describes those who seek salvation through the law as opposed to doing it through faith. Remembering that Abraham was counted as righteous by faith. Through Abrahams’ faith sprouted the promise. This is where a covenant was made with Abraham. This covenant is like the Land

C.F.W Walther in his first evening lecture concerning the proper distinction of the law and the gospel said, “As Abraham sent Hagar into the desert with a loaf of bread and a jug of water, so the Law hands us a piece of bread and then thrusts us into the desert.” As Paul outlined in verse 30, the blind following of the law does not cause us to inherit the freedom and grace of God, but rather it cause us to be thrown out from the promise of eternal inheritance. In modern America, we do not encounter Judaizers zealously attempting to convince us that the gospel of Christ requires us to continue in the practices of the Old Covenant, but their idealistic spirit remains. Do we ever sit back down in our pews after communion and think to ourselves,

The law is divine (Rm. 7:4) and was intended for our good (Rm. 7:2). It reveals a perfect way to heaven (Rom 7:12), and requires that we abide by everything in the law (Gal.3:10). However, we are unable to keep the law (Rm 7:9) and do not receive justification from God under the law (Gal. 3:11). In addition, the law shows us our sins (Rm 3:20), and the punishment for sin is death (Rm 6:23a). In contrast, the Gospel gives salvation to those who believe (Rm 1:16). The Gospel reveals what Christ, the Son of God. (Mt 16:13-16) has done for us through His death and resurrection (Rm 1:4) by overcoming sin, death, and hell (Jn 16:33, Rm 13:11). Christ made a full atonement for our sins (Hebrew 9:12). It is by grace that we are saved (Eph 2:5), through

Once the Israelites escaped Egypt, they travelled through the desert to Mount Sinai and the Lord provided. There the Law was to be given to them. The Law was given to be a constricting set of rules, but instead a blessing to the people and was suppose to draw the people closer to God.

Sandra offers her input to this question, knowing that there does not seem to be a satisfactory answer as of yet. She begins by addressing that the Law of Moses is good. She believes the law to be a representation of the character of God, and should not be thrown away with the signing of the new covenant.

The Mosaic law was fulfilled through Jesus’ earthly ministry as he inaugurated the New covenant (194-5).

The fulfillment of the law stated in this passage reveals that all people without exception must obey the commandments found in the Law of Moses in order to belong to the kingdom of heaven. By the time Jesus and the apostles were present, the New Testament did not exist and they had to abide to this law, which is every word of God. Moreover, Jesus said “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill…”A very important keyword is found in this part of the passage and it is “fulfill”, so the question is what is it that He

Second, the New Testament suggests continuity within the law (Gal. 5:3; James 2:10; Matt. 5:18), seemingly excluding the possibility of division. Addressing this issue, theologian Douglas J. Moo concludes, “...in general, it is notoriously difficult to know from the Old Testament itself which commandments should be placed in the category of ‘moral’ and therefore eternally binding in the form in which they were first given. Jews in Jesus’ and Paul’s day certainly did not divide up the law into categories; on the contrary, there was a strong insistence that the law was a unity and could not be obeyed in parts.” These considerations suggest it is unreasonable to divide the Mosaic Law into categories, allowing for the abrogation of some sections, while maintaining the validity and obligatory nature of others. Proponents suggesting Christians must conform to “moral laws,” and some “ceremonial laws” (i.e. the Sabbath, but not sacrificial offerings), must address these points and present a Scriptural basis for the division and categorization of the Mosaic Law, before making the rest of their case.

The story of the Bible is the story of God’s revelation to save a lost and evil humanity. The role of the Mosaic Law (ML) has to be understood within this context. What purpose did the ML accomplish in the redemptive story of man? What does it reveal about God and humanity? Was it meant to be a permanent institution? Why did the first Christians abandon observance of the Sabbath and instead commemorated the “Lord’s Day”? Answering these questions correctly is the key to understanding the role of the ML in Christian practice.

The law: According to Biblehub.com, the term used for “the law” in v. 15 is nomos. This term, as defined by the website, means: “usage, custom, law; in NT: of law in general, plur: of divine laws; of a force or influence impelling to action; of the Mosaic law; meton: of the books which contain the law, the Pentateuch, the Old Testament scriptures in general” (3551. Nomos). The law, as is used in this passage and the rest of the New Testament, is a collection of rules and regulations that God gave Israel, His chosen people, to follow. Observance of the law projected the sins of the people forward to the cross. Without an understanding of what this term means, one would be lost when Paul mentions this central component of this

Therefore, the call of Abraham and the giving of the Law were until the Seed should come. “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made…” (Galatians 3: 19)

The second topical grouping is “Rules for a Considerate Society” from Deuteronomy 23:15-25 and 24:19-22. “For the LORD thy God walketh with in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore, shall thy camp be holy: that he sees no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.” (Hindson 2013) (Deuteronomy 23:14) These are rules that God gave us to guide us into the