Answer
The key to understanding the relationship between the Christian and the law is knowing that the Old Testament law was given to the ancient nation of Israel, not to Christians. The law was meant to govern God’s covenant people living in the Promised Land. Some of the laws were to teach the Israelites how to obey and please God (the Ten Commandments, for example). Some of the laws were to show the Israelites how to worship God and atone for sin (through the sacrificial system). Some of the laws were intended to make the Israelites distinct from other nations (e.g., the food and clothing rules). Some were civil laws that helped them organize their community and give right judgment in judicial matters. None of the Old Testament law is binding on Christians today. When Jesus died on the cross, He put an end to the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23–25; Ephesians 2:15).
In place of the Old Testament law, Christians are under the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). This law is expressed in John 13:34, where Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (ESV). The law of Christ is not a set of legalistic rules but a principle of love that governs the life of a believer.
Now, this does not mean the Old Testament law is irrelevant or unprofitable. All of Scripture is useful and relevant for us (2 Timothy 3:16–17). The Old Testament law reveals much about God’s character and His ways, and it shows us how far we fall short of God’s standard. “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were” (Romans 5:20a, NLT). Many of the specific commands in the law fall into the categories of “loving God” and “loving your neighbor.” The principles of the law are certainly instructive, but keeping the specifics of the law has absolutely nothing to do with a believer’s justification (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16).
While we can learn from the Old Testament law, to say that it applies to Christians today is incorrect. The Old Testament law is a unit (James 2:10). Either all of it applies, or none of it applies. If a person is obligated to keep the Sabbath as specified in the law, then he or she is also forbidden from eating catfish and wearing cotton-wool blends. “All who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law’” (Galatians 3:10). In contrast “those who rely on faith are blessed” (Galatians 3:9). If Christ fulfilled some of the law, such as the sacrificial system, He fulfilled all of it. “Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4, ESV).
“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). The Ten Commandments were essentially a summary of the entire Old Testament law. Nine of the Ten Commandments are clearly repeated in the New Testament as commands for believers (all except the command to observe the Sabbath, which is explicitly mentioned as not binding in Colossians 2:16–23). Obviously, if we are loving God, we will not be worshiping false gods or bowing down before idols. If we are loving our neighbors, we will not be murdering them, lying to them, committing adultery against them, or coveting what belongs to them (Galatians 5:13–26). One purpose of the Old Testament law was to convict people of their sin and point them to their need for a Savior (Romans 7:7–9; Galatians 3:24).
God never intended the Old Testament law to govern all people for all time (Jeremiah 31:31–37; Ezekiel 36:22–28; Hebrews 8:1—10:18). The law pointed to Christ (Galatians 3:23–25). Christ fulfilled the law and offers His righteousness to those who place their faith in Him. “Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law” (Galatians 5:1, NLT).