One with the Promises and Prophets – The Law of God: Questions and Answers

One with the Promises and Prophets
The Law of God: Questions and Answers

“On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:34

The Apostle Paul taught that the Law of God, given through Moses, did not nullify the promises of God made to Abraham, which came 430 years before the Law (Gal. 3:15-17). The Law and the promises are all of a piece, the Law being a further unfolding of the divine covenant and redemptive plan of God, holy and righteous and good in its own right (Rom. 7:12).

Jesus taught the same. In Luke 19:1-10, Zaccheus, convicted of his sin in the presence of the grace of Jesus, resolves to fulfill the Law of God by acting in accord with the demands of restorative justice it encodes (cf. Ex. 22:1-4).

Now if Jesus’ attitude toward the Law were the same as some contemporary believers, He would have said to Zaccheus, “Oh, don’t worry about that. You’re under grace, not Law. Just follow Me.” Instead, Jesus commended the repentant sinner and acknowledged Him to be a true child of Abraham, one who sought in Jesus the promises of God.

So here we are in the New Covenant, and Jesus is confirming obedience to the Law as a manifestation of true faith, like that of Abraham (Rom. 4:13-16). Jesus agrees with Paul: there is no discontinuity between the promises of God, the Law of God, and faith in Jesus Christ.

Further, Jesus taught that the Law and the Prophets were “on the same page” as well, directing the people of God in the ways of love for God and neighbor. And since all the Old Testament teaches about Jesus (John 5:39), and Jesus taught His followers to love one another as He has loved them (John 13:1-15), then all the teaching of the Apostles in the New Testament, being all about Jesus, is also about love and, hence, also in line with the Law of God.

Precisely as Jesus taught.

Got a question about the Law of God? Write to T. M. at tmmoore@ailbe.org, and your answer might appear in this series of In the Gates columns.

Visit our website, www.ailbe.org, and sign up to receive our thrice-weekly devotional, Crosfigell, featuring writers from the period of the Celtic Revival and T. M.’s reflections on Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition. Does the Law of God still apply today? Order a copy of T. M.’s book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, and study the question for yourself.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T. M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.