Law of Moses & Sermon on the Mount: What Law Do Christians Obey?

By Steve Ray

Dear Jerry:

You mentioned on several occasions, or your questions implied, that you believe the Law
(specifically the Ten Commandments) is no longer to Christians under grace. Now that
mercy and grace have come through our Lord Jesus Christ the moral precepts of the
Mosaic Law are done away with. You brought the topic up in our discussion of St. Pauls
Epistle to the Romans. You specifically pinpointed the Sabbath.

You implied that since the Saturday Sabbath was no longer binding (which you are
correct, it is not), it meant the Law was no longer binding. Thus the Catholics should not
expector think that Jesus expectsthem to obey the Law and take the commands of
God seriously. Protestants often think that Catholics are saved by works, or rather, as a
result of obeying the Ten Commandments and not a result of relying on grace alone.
Obey the commands and go to heaven, disobey the commands and go to hell. Those
Catholics think they can earn their way to heaven. This is a false caricaturization of the
Catholic position.

I was reading the Sermon on the Mount today in Matthew and came across this passage,

Matthew 5:17-20
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy,
but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no
wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach
men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and
teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of
the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (KJV)

Jesus seems to exhort the disciples to obey the law, not as a means of salvation, because
we all know salvation is by grace alone (Eph. 2:8), because the moral Law of the Old
Testament, embodied in the Ten Commandments, is not only still to be obeyed, but it has
been intensified. The patriarchs could simply obey the Law outwardly, the letter of the
Law. The new covenant in Christ Jesus does not abolish the Law, it internalizes it,
making the Law of God of a deeper and more profound consequence.

The Ten Commandments, as revealed in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, are not

Jesus tells us, in the verses quoted earlier from the Sermon on the Mount, that He did not
come to destroy the law but to fulfill it, even to reveal it further and fulfill it. Here we
have the Greek article ton which is referring not to law in general, but to the Law. The
Catechism says further, The New Law or the Law of the Gospel is the perfection here on
earth of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is the Work of Christ and is expressed
particularly in the Sermon on the Mount. It is also the work of the Holy Spirit and
through him it becomes the interior law of charity: >I will establish a New Covenant
with the house of Israel . . . I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their
hearts . . . (CCC 1965; Scripture quote from Heb 8:8, 10; cf. Jer 31:31-34). It is no
longer engraved on stone, it is now engraved in our hearts by the Spirit of God.

I would recommend reading the next few pages of the Catechism which explains clearly
how the Law is just an outward demand with no strength to obey, but how, through
Christ, its has been fulfilled and applied to us all. How else can one understand the
Sermon on the Mount? The Sermon on the Mount was always an enigma to me, but now
it make perfect sense.

Lets look at each of the laws contained in the Ten Commandments individually. Do we
find them each obsolete in the NT? Lets look at each one of the Ten Commandments and
see what the NT does with them. Does Jesus tell us they are no longer binding on us now
that were no longer under the Mosaic Law, but under grace? By no means. Otherwise
what does the Sermon on the Mount mean? He is requiring a very high standard of His
followers actually more than the Mosaic Law required.

Now lets look at the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments of Moses. Did Jesus nullify the
first commandment? Are we released from the obligation to love the Lord your God
with all you heart, soul and mind? Absolutely not, for Jesus and the rest of the NT
strongly emphasize this point (Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27; Gal 5:13,14).

Can we use Gods Name in vain now that Christ has died for us? Of course not, we are to
remember that holy is His Name. We are not allowed to swear an oath in His name or
on anything else.

Next comes the Sabbath and the command to keep it holy. We will discuss the Sabbath
in a moment.

How about the command to honor your father and mother? Are we out from under this
obligation? No, Paul says children are to obey their parents and ties it back to the Ten
Commandments by commenting on its being the only command with a promise (Eph.
6:1; Col. 3:20). Jesus also strongly condemns human tradition that negates a sons
obligation to care for his parents as they grow old (Mark 7:10-13).

What about Thou shalt not kill? Is it still binding? Not only in it binding, but
according to the Lord Jesus, it is not just to be kept outwardly, but inwardly! We are not
only to love our friends, but our neighbors and even our enemies. He says:

Matthew 5:21-,22: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill;
and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That
whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment:
and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but
whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. (KJV)

Does this sound like Jesus no longer considers the Law of any importance? If you are
reading this passage in an unbiased manner, doesnt it seem to imply he is not only
holding us to the Law, but making it much more important and internal than the OT
requirements. Not only can you not kill, but you cant even be angry. The spirit of the
Law , not just the letter. Why isnt Jesus just telling us that if we just have faith in Him,
none of those old laws matter anymore? Followers, you no longer have to be concerned
with these OT matters, they are ancient history, all you have to do is have faith in Me and
you will get to heaven no matter what. Jesus never said anything like this, yet many put
these words into His mouth.

What about committing adultery? Luther said that after one has become a Christian, by
faith alone, he could commit adultery one thousand times a day and still be righteous in
Gods eyes. Do you believe that? Does Jesus agree with Luther? Jesus does not dismiss
the Law, he makes it more emphatic in Matthew 5:27,28, when He says,

27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable
for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be
cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for
thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast
into hell. (KJV)

Wow, Jesus was speaking to his followers and disciples, so why is He telling them they
will be cast into hell if they dont obey, not only the letter of the Law, but the spirit of the
Law? Didnt you once say that you could never belong to a Church where people had to
be afraid of going to hell for committing one sin? Jesus was pretty emphatic here. Paul
shows the obverse side of the coin when he commands us to love our wives (Eph 5:25).
This had never been commanded of husbands in the OT economy.

Now, what about stealing? Can one steal or be an habitual thief and still go to heaven?
The Law says Thou shalt not steal. Does Jesus take it away as a demand upon our
lives? Paul says that those who steal will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Is he
speaking to heathens? No, in fact he is speaking to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 6:8-10
8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not
deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers
of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit
the kingdom of God. (KJV)

Does the preceding verse imply that those who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb
are exempt from these warnings? No, by no means.

Can we bear false witness now against our brothers, or anyone else? Are we free of the
Law? Read what James says, and remember that Paul condemns lying repeatedly,

James 4:11-12
11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and
judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the
law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest
another? (KJV)

Can we now covet with impunity? Does the blood of Christ shed on Calvary free us from
the obligation to cease coveting? Remember 1 Corinthians 6:10 quoted a few paragraphs
back? Can we covet one thousand times a day and still go to heaven? If we asked Jesus,
Can we covet 1,000 times a day and still go to heaven? What would He say? Are we
freed from moral obligations before God? Are our works and actions irrelevant? The New
Testament says they are very relevant. We are told in Romans 6 that the wages of sin is
death and this is speaking to Christians, not to the unbelievers or Jews discussed in
chapters 1 - 5 of Romans.

We have noticed in previous letters the warnings of judgements not only on the unsaved
but the saved, and not only on the basis of faith, but on the basis of works (Mt 25 (the
whole chapter); 16:27; 18:22-35; Jn 5:28,29; Rom 2:5-10; 1 Cor 9:27; 2 Cor 5:8-10; Heb
10:26,27; 2 Pet 2:20,21).

Now this brings us back to the Sabbath. If the Sabbath is done away with, does that
prove we are released from the whole Law of God? What does the Sabbath represent? In
Genesis we are given a clue:

Genesis 2:13
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the
seventh day from all his work which he had made.
3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested
from all his work which God created and made. (KJV)
There are two creations of God: the first being the heavens and the earth, all that is seen
and unseen. The second creation is His Church, the Body of Christ, both seen (those in
heaven) and unseen (those still on earth). These can be understood as works of art, each
as a poem, in fact our English word poem came from the Greek word poema. An artist is
known partially by the corpus of his work, so God can be understood by His poems, His
works of art.

This Greek word is used only twice in the New Testament, once referring to the physical
creation; the second referring to the Church. In fact the whole book of Ephesians is about
Christ the body, whereas the book of Colossians is about Christ the head. The first
occurrence is:

Romans 1:20
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being
understood by the [things that are made], even his eternal power and Godhead; so that
they are without excuse: (KJV)

The four English words in brackets are actually one Greek work poema. This is Gods
first work of art, admired by some, ignored by others and misinterpreted by most.

The second time the word poema is used is in:

Ephesians 2:10
10 For we are his [workmanship], created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God
hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (KJV)

Here again the word workmanship, in brackets, is the same Greek word poema. This is
Gods second, and equally admirable, creation. Like the first it is both seen and unseen. It
is both a visible unity on earth and an invisible host already in heaven.

Before we look at the Sabbath as a particular command of the Law, lets first ask a
question. The moral evils that are forbidden by the Law, are they sinful because the Bible
forbids them, or, does the Bible forbid them because the are sinful? What came first, the
chicken or the egg? They are obviously sinful in and of themselves and not just because
they were proscribed in the Bible. What makes them sinful? They are contrary to the
nature and character of God. He is a holy God, therefore anything that is contrary to His
character and nature is by definition opposed to God and therefore sinful or morally evil.
So, the Law was not, in and of itself, the final statement, the final moral essence. That
final standard of holiness goes back beyond the Law to the very nature of God; the Law is
only a written and materialized communication of that character of God, which was
further and perfectly revealed in Christ.

In fact if you think about it the Law of Moses only forbid things in a negative way, do not
do this, do not do that. Under the law of grace the laws still exist, only they are now
expressed in positive terms: Not only are you not to murder, but you are now not even to
be angry. Not only are you not to commit adultery, you are now required to love your
wife. Old Testament proscriptions, negative. New Testament the flip side of the coin,
prescriptions, positive. Jesus repeated the formula several times, . . . you have heard that
it was said to the men of old . . . but I say to you . . .

So, how are these two creations different and how are they the same. We could dissect
this for hours but I want to key in on how the word rest applies to each. In the first
creation God worked six days and then rested. Therefore, the Jewish law reflected the
Old Testament economy. One works and then rests. The old covenant demands much
outward activity and obedience with no grace or strength given to accomplish the task.
Remember the CCC Like a tutor (Gal. 2:24) it shows what must be done, but does not of
itself give the strength, the grace of the Spirit, to fulfill it. Because of sin, which it cannot
remove, it remains a law of bondage. Therefore, you work for six days and then rest,
like God with His first creation.

However, in the new economy of Christ, revealed in the law of grace, it is the other way
around. Things change. It is the same coin, for God is the same Creator, but the coin is
flipped to the other side. The second creation is the Church. Christ has come not to
abolish the Law (with the Greek article) but to fulfill it. The Book of Hebrews (an early
Christian homily to a Jewish audience) uses the word rest ten times. The key usage is in:

Hebrews 4:8-11
8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another
day.
9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God
did from his.
11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example
of unbelief. (KJV)

We have here a rest that is in Christ. How so? We are completely unable to work for our
salvation. It can only come by the free grace of God, though faith (Rom 3:28; Gal 2:16).
We can never approach God with anything of ourselves and gain His righteousness, it is
only by free grace, mercy and the love of God that this can be done. So, we do not work
for our salvation (Ephesians 2:8). We receive it as a free gift from God. We start the week
with our rest in the work and mercy of God in Christ, and then we work. First day rest,
six days work. God uses material things to reflect spiritual realities (called sacramentums
by the Church; consider Jesus using clay and spittle, Paul using handkerchiefs, the
writing James prescribing the use of oil, God sending a dove to announce His Son,
tongues of fire announcing Pentecost, Jesus use of bread and wine, water for baptism,
etc.). The resurrection and ascension of Christ both occurred on the first day of the week,
and announced the completion of the second creation of God, through Christ . Therefore
we rest on the first day, the Lords Day, the new Sabbath, the new day of rest,
signifying our rest in the work of Christ. St. Ignatius of Antioch (AD 35 - 107, and
probable disciple of Peter and Paul; friend of Polycarp, who was the disciple of John)
says in about AD 105, Those who lived according to the old order of things have come
to a new hope, no longer keeping the Sabbath, but the Lords Day, in which our life is
blessed by him and by his death (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Epistle to the Magnesians,
9,1).

Old covenant: work six days then rest one day. New covenant: rest one day, then work six
days. This fits perfectly with what we said about the other aspects of the Law, especially
the Ten Commandments. What was external law, is now internal action; what was
commanded with no grace or strength provided, is now commanded with grace and the
Spirit to provided; what was once a negative prohibition, is now a positive command of
action. The law has not been changed, the coin has only been flipped from the letter-
side to the spirit-side of the Law. The Law remains, the rest of God, now in Christ,
remains. This is the good work required of us. We are to rest the first day and work six
days. This is the good works mentioned in James. But even this is not our work, it is
the work of Christ in us. It is not our abilities, it is the grace of God and His Spirit
working within us to enable us to have a faith working itself out in love. (Gal. 5:6). We
are to work out our salvation, yet it is He that is working in us to will and to do. (Phil.
2:12,13)

In Galatians 5:18 when Paul says, But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the
law. What does he mean? Among other things it simply means that the Spirit will give
us the power to avoid the actions that violate the negative commands of the Law. Then,
since we are living the fruits of the Spirit and loving our brother and our enemy (the
whole Law encapsulated) we are already entering into the fullness of the positive side of
the Law. By loving our neighbor (internal, positive, power from the Spirit to obey) we are
not bound by the negative, external commands of the Law for we have already exceeded
them. The spirit of the Law, the law of grace, exceeds the letter of the Law.

For example: Do not murder! It is negative, external, no strength provided to obey. Now
the flip side of the coin: Love your neighbor! It is positive, internal, with Gods grace
and Spirit to enable obedience. Love your neighbor is the flip side of do not murder.
It is the same thing said in a positive way. Jesus came to fulfill the Law, to give it to us in
its fullness, not to take it away. The character of God is the character of God, it does not
change, and His desire for us to conform to it also does not change. He wants His people
to be like Him, not just to have a declared righteousness. This of course is the foundation
of the Christian life, but the actual becoming righteous is the subsequent process. We
exceed the requirements of the Law, when, by the Spirit, we live out the spirit of the Law,
the good works spoken of so often in the Scriptures. Therefore Paul says in Galatians
5:23 after reciting the fruits of the Spirit, .. . . against such there is no law. If the fruits
of the Spirit are being manifested in our lives, we are not only obeying the Law, we are
exceeding it and against such persons and behavior there is no law.

So, regarding the change in the Sabbath rest from seventh day to the first day, is it a
sign that the Law is nullified or made on none effect? No, in fact, just the opposite is true
as is said by Jesus in Mt. 5:17-20 (and other multiple New Testament passages). Not only
is the law not done away with, it is now to be obeyed in its fullest reality. In the Old
Testament we were to live without violating Gods character, which is reflected in His
Law; in the New Testament we are to live fully obeying the spirit of Gods Law as
revealed in Christ, reflecting Gods character. So, just like the command against murder
was not rescinded, but is restated in terms of the new covenant, so the Sabbath is
readjusted to the first day of the week in commemoration of Christs resurrection, in
terms of the new covenant.

This is a more wholesome view of things than I was ever taught as a Protestant. If you
read the NT with these concepts in mind, the whole Bible comes to life. As I said often in
Crossing the Tiber, Protestants have accepted an either/or mentality and have negated
much of Gods truth. I just love being Catholic for it is so much richer and more
complete. The Bible makes so much more sense. I do not miss the truncated gospel of
the Fundamentalists.

I hope this all makes sense, it is a hard topic to put on paper, it would be much easier to
discuss in person. There is much more that could be said but my wife wants me to get
busy around the house, Saturday morning is for helping out around here, not for writing
letters she says. So here I end. Lets go out to lunch in the next week or two.

Your Friend in the Blood of the Lamb,

Steve Ray

PS I was thinking about the Protestant doctrine of The Rapture earlier today. Do you
know where that doctrine came from and what year it was invented?