The following statement may upset a room full of Christians: "I don't live my life by the Ten Commandments any more." (1 John 3:23)
Now, that shouldn’t be very shocking if you remember we read last week that Jesus came to fulfill, or bring to an end and a close, the Law.
"But Dave," you say, "that is referring to the civil and the ceremonial law, not the moral law."
Do we see that distinction being made in scripture though? Look through the book of Romans. Paul tells us that without the Law, he would not have known what sin was - if it didn't say, "Do not covet," he wouldn't have known what coveting was. (Romans 7:7)
Paul holds up one of the Big Ten as a prime example of the Law which taught him sin, he doesn’t divide it into various categories.
Now look at what he says in Romans 10:1-4: "Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
Notice that - the Israelites and the people who endeavored to follow the law were commended - they had zeal, but they lacked knowledge and were ignorant of God's righteousness. In other words, the law was used for the purpose of righteousness, but it was not true righteousness, in that even though they followed it, they were ignorant of God's righteousness.
He then ends this statement by saying that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to all who believes. That word "end" is the Greek word "telos", which means the conclusion of an act or state, termination.
In other words, for the believer, Christ is the termination of the Law for righteousness. there is no more righteousness to be attained by the Law!
The writer of Hebrews appears to be following a similar track as Paul - informing the Jewish believers who were trying to place themselves back under the law that the sacrifices under the Law could never perfect or make righteous those who came forward under the Law. Look at verses 9 and 10 in Chapter 10.
"He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Jesus' death wasn't to allow us to walk in the law perfectly, it was to fulfill the Law and bring it to a close. When He died as the perfect sacrifice, He took away the First Covenant - or the Law, with all its ordinances and rules for behavior - and established the Second Covenant - where we are sanctified once and for all time.
That's good news - we have been sanctified. As we've written about and spoken about, He's left us with two commandments found in 1 John 3:23 - To believe on the Name of Jesus and to love one another as He gave commandment. That's it. That's all that's left for you and I.
And you know why that works? Because, if I'm walking in love, the Ten Commandments aren't even in question. I deal with my relationships appropriately when love is the focus. I'm not going to steal from someone when I love them. I'm not going to murder someone when I love them. You see, I don't have to go around saying to myself, "Alright, it's Tuesday. I better make sure I don't kill anybody at Walmart today." That's not even a question for me, not because there is a commandment against murdering someone, but because I'm walking in what James refers to as, "The Royal Law of Love."
I'm not perfect, but I can tell you this - I've been living my life this way for nearly a decade now, and it truly is a free way to live. When Jesus said to come to Him if we were weary and heavy laden, He would give us rest, for His yoke is easy, and His burden is light - this is exactly what He was referring to, and it's what I want to challenge you to walk in daily.
By Grace,
Dave