If a law had been given that was able to give life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.
Not that the law is against the promises of God, but the law cannot give life. -- Galatians 3:21.
-- Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law (good works produced by obedience to the law), for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. -- Romans 3:19-20
‛ôlâm: the beginning or the end of the period is not known
Imagine you're a small child. The last thing you remember was falling asleep at home. When you wake up, you're in the back seat of your parents' car, and you realize your parents carried you to the car while you were fast asleep, and now you're all taking a long trip. Your father is driving.
Imagine that whether you look through the back window or through the windscreen, the view you see is similar to the one above. You don't know when your trip started, nor when it will end.
The Hebrew word ‛ôlâm is employed whenever the beginning or the end of a very long period of time is not known.
Looking back in time when the beginning of the period is not known:
"And David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites. For they were the inhabitants of the land from of old (‛ôlâm), as you come into Shur, even into the land of Egypt." (1 Samuel 27:8);
"And Joshua said to all the people, So says the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers lived of old (‛ôlâm) beyond the River, Terah the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods." (Joshua 24:2);
"Remember the days of old (‛ôlâm); consider the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will show you; your elders, and they will tell you." (Deuteronomy 32:7).
Looking into the future when the end of the period is not known:
"If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you.
And if he says to you, I will not go away from you, because he loves you and your house, because it has been good for him with you;
then you shall take an awl and put it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever (ôlâm). And also to your slave-girl you shall do so." (Deuteronomy 14:12, 16 & 17);
"And the LORD said to him, I have heard your prayer and your cry which you have made before Me. I have made this house which you have built holy, to put My name there forever (ôlâm). And My eyes and My heart shall be there all the days." (1 Kings 9:3);
"And you shall command the sons of Israel that they bring you pure olive oil beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continuously in the tabernacle of the congregation, outside the veil which is before the testimony. Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever (ôlâm) to their generations on behalf of the sons of Israel." (Exodus 27:20-21).
‛ôlâm is closely related to the Greek word aeon (an Age of time), and because it denotes either a seemingly endless period of time (or an Age, the end of which was not known when the words were written), or a literally endless period of time, there are places in the Old Testament where ‛ôlâm does NOT mean "forever and ever", for example, taking us backwards in time from a certain point in time in the verses quoted above.
‛ôlâm can also mean "forever and ever" (in perpetuity), for example in verses such as Proverbs 8:22-23; Genesis 21:33; Deuteronomy 32:40.
THE SABBATH LAW
"Therefore the sons of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for an everlasting (‛ôlâm) covenant.
It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever (‛ôlâm). For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.
And He gave to Moses, when He had made an end of speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God." (Exodus 31:16-18).
"The tablets of stone" are what is known as the Law. As reflected in the word ‛ôlâm, the end of the period spoken of in Exodus 3:16 was not known when the commandment was given.
A CHANGE IN THE PRIESTHOOD -
CHRIST IS NOW OUR HIGH PRIEST
"For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made in the law also." (Hebrews 7:12).
"Why then the Law? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed should come to those to whom it had been promised, being ordained through angels in the Mediator's hand." (Galatians 3:19).
The covenant based on obedience to the law and commandments was broken by the people repeatedly, and because of sin, no human would ever have been capable of keeping the covenant.
We will never do even one good work produced by the Spirit - the fruit of the Spirit which fulfills the law - through obedience to the letter of the law contained in ordinances and the ten commandments, which is the shadow of the fruit of the Spirit of Christ.
THE COVENANTS
“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: 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:” (Jeremiah 31:31-32).
Note: The covenant God made with the house of Israel and the house of Judah in the day that He took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt is the covenant of Law, of which Moses was the mediator.
Regarding the relationship between the Law on one hand and the covenant God cut with Abraham and his descendants on the other, Paul said,
“And I say this, A covenant having been ratified by God in Christ, the Law (coming into being four hundred and thirty years after) does not annul the promise, so as to abolish it. For if the inheritance is of Law, it is no more of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by way of promise.” (Gal 3:17-18).
The above scriptures are talking about two distinct covenants:-
- “The promise” refers to the covenant God made with Abraham, which was cut by God’s unilateral decision without being solicited by Abraham and his descendants, and which God validated by His oath to Abraham (Genesis 15:2-18).
- The covenant God made with Israel “in the day that (God) took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt” refers to the covenant of law or Mosaic Covenant, which required blood continuously shed for sins (the blood of an animal) in order to have remained valid (Exodus 24:7-8).
Obedience to God's Law, including the 10 Commandments, formed the basis of the covenant God made with Israel "in the day He took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt", i.e the law given through Moses, i.e the 603 Commandments and Prohibitions which are based on the 10 Commandments, which in turn are based on the Commandment to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself:
Exodus 24
7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the ears of the people. And they said, All that the LORD has said we will do, and be obedient.
8 And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words.
THE LAW CHANGED
"For the priesthood being changed, there is of necessity a change made in the law also." (Hebrews 7:12).
"Why then the Law? It was added because of transgressions, until the Seed should come to those to whom it had been promised, being ordained through angels in the Mediator's hand." (Galatians 3:19).
Not too long ago (in the 21st century), a famous Orthodox Jewish man living in the U.S.A asked a Catholic Priest,
"I feel like I lead a pretty good life, a very religiously-based life in which I try to keep not only the 10 Commandments, but a solid 603 other Commandments as well, and I spend an awful lot of my time promulgating what I would consider to be Judeo-Christian virtues, particularly in Western societies. So what's the Catholic view of me?"
LAW vs THE GOOD NEWS OF GOD'S GRACE
The good news of Jesus Christ is based upon our predicament: it's all about the fact that we are all sinners, the law and 10 Commandments proves us guilty before God, and obedience does not absolve us of our guilt.
Unless we are perfectly obedient from birth to death (i.e completely without sin), we are indeed all guilty, but in His mercy God sent Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins, so that through Him and through faith in Him we might be forgiven, and receive the gift of everlasting life.
Israel did not obey the law given through Moses - because due to 🔒the sin that is inherent in all the children of Adam, they could not obey 🔒:
Romans 7
🔒14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin.
15 For that which I do, I know not. For what I desire, that I do not do; but what I hate, that I do.
16 If then I do that which I do not desire, I consent to the law that it is good.
17 But now it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.
18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing. For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good I do not find.
19 For I do not do the good that I desire; but the evil which I do not will, that I do.
20 But if I do what I do not desire, it is no more I working it out, but sin dwelling in me.
21 I find then a law: when I will to do the right, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man;
23 but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin being in my members 🔒.
The result cannot be denied:
"And the land is defiled under its people; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, and have broken the everlasting (‛ôlâm) covenant.
THE GOOD NEWS (the "gospel")
A NEW EVERLASTING COVENANT
Despite the above facts, there was a promise of good news that God gave through the prophets:
Jeremiah 31:31-34
"Behold, the days come, says the LORD, that I will cut a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah,
not according to the covenant that I cut with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which covenant of Mine they broke, although I was a husband to them, says the LORD;
but this shall be the covenant that I will cut with the house of Israel: After those days, says the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
And they shall no more teach each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, Know the LORD; for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more."
And it was accomplished by, and through Jesus:
Matthew 26
28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Compare this blood of the New Covenant with the blood of the old Covenant:
Exodus 24:8
And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD has made with you concerning all these words.
Jesus the Messiah, who was born of a virgin, was not conceived by the seed of one of the descendants of Adam. He is the Son of God in an only and unique way. He is also called the Son of man, because He represents mankind before God as our High Priest who rose again from the dead and lives forever.
Romans 7:24-25 (the apostle Paul when speaking in terms of man's inability to obey the law of God):
"O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver 🔓 me from the body of this death? I thank God through 🔓 Jesus Christ our Lord! 🗝"
So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."
Paul wanted us to understand that though we may seek to serve the law of God with our minds, yet with (because of) the flesh, without God's intervention, we will always continue to serve the law of sin.
This is the gospel, as Jesus told us all,
John 14:6-7
"I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. And from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
Shamefully, it was another gospel that the Catholic Bishop gave to the Jewish man (mentioned earlier in this post) in answer to his question.
Knowing, understanding, acknowledging and believing the above should draw the believer to Jesus, resulting in salvation, and helps us to fully understand the difference between that covenant of law and the New Covenant in Christ's blood:-
The New Covenant cites the second covenant for replacement: The New Covenant is “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.” (Jeremiah 31:31-32). The New Covenant required blood shed once-for-all for sins (the blood of Christ, Matthew 26:28).
- The Abrahamic Covenant, was made eternally valid by God's oath.
- Both the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant were established in blood shed for sins. *
* The "first covenant" spoken of in Hebrews chapter 8 (Hebrews 8:7, 13) is the covenant of law.
In addition to the above covenants, the throne and Kingdom of Christ was made eternally valid by God's oath to king David and to Christ (Psalm 89:34-37; Psalm 110:1-4).
Hebrews Chapter 8 is not talking about the covenant God made with Abraham (which was made eternally valid by God's oath), nor is it talking about God's oath to king David regarding the throne and Kingdom of Christ,
nor is it talking about God's oath to Christ regarding His eternal Priesthood. Hebrews chapter 8 is talking only about the covenant of law given through Moses, who was the mediator of the Old Covenant (Christ is the mediator of the New Covenant, which is eternal).
ONE NEW EVERLASTING COMMANDMENT
FOR THE ONE NEW EVERLASTING COVENANT
Where God says in Jeremiah 31:33 that He will put His Law in the mind and write it in the heart in accordance with the New Covenant, He is not talking about the shadow or pattern of the Law (i.e the law given to Moses, including the 10 Commandments, which was to be replaced by the New Covenant):
In the New Covenant, obedience to the laws, commandments and statutes (the shadow or pattern of God's Law) is replaced by the fruit of the Spirit being produced by Christ in those who walk in the Spirit, abiding in the vine, who is Christ. This fruit fulfills the Law and the Ten Commandments.
"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. As I have loved you, you should also love one another." John 13:34
"And this is His commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment." 1 John 3:23
"Then they said to Him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, This is the work of God, that you believe on Him whom He has sent." John 6:28-29
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Salvation is of God, worked through Jesus the Messiah, and brought to completion / fruition by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not work in a loud and sensational way (as through miracles, signs, and wonders), but quietly and inconspicuously, the way fruit is produced.
Fruit (the fruit of the Spirit) is the sign of salvation and of baptism in the Holy Spirit (not tongues, miracles and "the gifts of the Spirit"). Without the fruit of the Spirit preceding and accompanying the tongues and miracles and always being evident in the lives of "faith-healers and prophets", we are dealing with false prophets and false teachers.
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The Law God gave to Moses (including the 10 Commandments) is the shadow or pattern of Christ and the fruit of the Vine / the fruit of the Spirit:
"For these are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ." (Colossians 2:17).
The veil in the sanctuary of God in Jerusalem, which was torn in two when Jesus died on the cross, represents His flesh (Hebrews 10:19-23). Ephesians 2:15 and the tearing of the veil tells us that the law and commandments of Moses were abolished in the flesh of Christ.
"So that if any one is in Christ, that one is a new creature; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Therefore with regards to obedience to commandments and law, Jesus said,
"Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke on you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest to your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30).
"For the law came through Moses,
but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
(John 1:17)
Jesus is our Messiah, and He is our sabbath rest. He is the Creator who rested on the 7th day after His work was finished. The pattern or shadow of Christ (the sabbath commandment) has passed away, together with all obedience to the law and commandments of Moses as the way to approach God.
All of the law and commandments of Moses are the pattern or shadow of Christ and of the fruit of the Spirit, which is not lawless, but fulfills the law & the commandments.
The law and commandments have been abolished in the flesh of Christ, and the veil remains torn in two. We now enter through faith in Christ and in His blood shed for sins, confessing our sins to God and knowing that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin, not so that we can continue in sin, but so that through abiding in the Vine (Jesus our Messiah/Christ) God can write His Law on our hearts, which is fulfilled by the fruit of the Vine/Spirit.
1. What's the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians.5:22-25)?
2. How does Jesus say the fruit of the Spirit becomes evident in those who have faith in Him (John 15:4-5)?
Does Jesus say that the fruit of the Spirit will become evident:
(a) Through obeying the law, which brings a curse upon anyone who fails to obey it? or
(b) Through remaining in the Vine, who is Christ, through the obedience of faith in Him (John 15:4-5)?
3. Does the fruit of the Spirit fulfill the law (Hebrew: torah) (Galatians.5:22-25)?
4. Why is the law the shadow of the fruit of the Spirit (Colossians 2:17), but not the fruit itself?
5. Is obedience to the New Covenant based on faith in Christ, or on obedience to the law, which brings a curse upon all who fail to obey it? (John 15:4-5)
6. Upon which covenant is obedience to the law based? Is obedience to the law based on:
(i) The covenant of law, which brings a curse upon all people for their disobedience to the law? or
(ii) The New Covenant in Christ's blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins, which is the transgression of the law?
7. Which of the two covenants have become old, and ready to vanish away (Hebrews 8:13)?
8. Is the old covenant that was ready to vanish away based on obedience to the law (Exodus 24:7-8), or on obedience through faith in Christ?
9. So should we seek to please God through obedience to Christ (faith in Christ and walking after the Spirit of Christ producing the fruit of the Spirit), or through obedience to the law, which brings a curse?
The answers to all the above questions are contained on this page, but let's bear in mind as we read that regarding this (one and only) gospel, the apostle Paul stated,
"Even if we (the apostles of Jesus) or an angel from Heaven preach a gospel to you beside what we preached to you, let him be accursed.
As we said before, and now I say again, If anyone preaches a gospel to you beside what you have received, let him be accursed." (Galatians 1:6-8).
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