“What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made…” (Gal. 3:19)
22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. (Gal. 3:22-25)
The law of Moses and its commandments may be righteous and holy (see Rom. 7:12), but they do not represent God’s original plan or the best for humanity. The law was not given so that we could attain eternal life or be justified before God, but to expose humanity’s sinfulness so that everyone would understand our need for a Savior—Jesus Christ (see Rom. 3:19-20).
Another reason God gave the law—beyond revealing humanity’s sinfulness and need for Christ—was to limit the spread of sin and unrighteousness in society. In a lawless society without laws, regulations, or authorities to enforce them, people would—sooner or later—plunder shops, constantly break speed limits, evade taxes, and act without any moral restraint. Without laws, regulations, and norms, a society would quickly descend into chaos.
Even in democratically governed societies where legislation is not grounded in anything higher than humanity itself, i.e., God, it is theoretically possible to legalize almost anything. Examples of this include the deeply immoral abortion laws in many countries that not only legalize the killing of innocent life but even encourage it, while truth-tellers that protest what’s happening are slandered and portrayed as evil.
If there is no God, or at least a higher moral reality, as the foundation for legislation, there is essentially nothing to prevent 51 percent of the population from voting to imprison or execute the remaining 49 percent. If there is no objective truth (grounded in God and His Word) and everything is relative, then anything can become possible and permissible. Within modern legal theories, approaches like “legal positivism” and “legal realism” essentially hold that notions of right and wrong, morality, and eternal truths are merely expressions of someone’s subjective feelings or thoughts and therefore need not be respected in legislation or practice. The catastrophic consequences of such a reprehensible worldview are evident in examples like Nazi Germany and communist-ruled countries.
For a society to be harmonious and endure over time, its legislation must protect the rights of minorities and individuals, which in turn requires that individuals are granted constitutional rights grounded in “natural law.” This realization led to the formulation of what we today call “human rights” after the Second World War.
The law of Moses not only regulated the Jewish people’s worship of God but also served as their civil and criminal law—much like our laws today. When we as believing Christians say that we are not “under the law,” we absolutely do not mean that we are exempt from following the laws and regulations of our respective countries and societies! Laws and ordinances, to the extent that they are godly and based on what is good and righteous, are indirectly instituted by God, who Himself establishes the authorities that govern us (see Rom. 13). What we mean is that, as born-again believers, we are not under the law of Moses but now live in a new reality because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross.
It is crucial to understand that the law of Moses was given to the Jewish people during a time when they could not be born again, as we who live after the cross can be today. The new birth has only been possible since Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus was the “firstborn from the dead” (see Col. 1:18 & Rev. 1:5), and the new birth in Christ Jesus began with His resurrection 2,000 years ago. Those of us who come to faith in Jesus Christ today are, at the moment of rebirth, united with Jesus in His death and resurrection. When Jesus died, we died with Him. When He rose, we also rose with Him to a new life—we were born again and received a new heart! This, of course, happens spiritually and cannot be understood with human reason but can only be accepted through faith.
The apostle Paul explains in Galatians 3 that the law of Moses was given “because of transgressions”—that is, to limit humanity’s sin—and was only intended to be temporary until the “Seed,” Christ, came.
When Jesus came, through His death and resurrection, He ushered in a new era in which salvation and fellowship with God can only be achieved by grace through faith! Paul describes the time before the cross as “before faith came” and before “faith was revealed.” During that time, the Jewish people were guarded by the law, which served to limit sin in society. The time after Jesus’ death and resurrection is described by Paul as an era in which “faith has come.” In this age of faith, we are no longer under a tutor! Now that we have been born again through the Spirit and had our hearts transformed in a way that was not previously possible, we no longer need a tutor to oversee us. God has set us free from a life regulated by laws and rules!
Laws and regulations must exist in our societies for them to function, but God never intended for our relationship with Him to be governed by legalistic thinking. God’s original intent has always been for our relationship with Him to be based on His unconditional love. The Christian life is about a love relationship with our Creator and Savior—not about rigid rule-following!
Something many often overlook is that it took about 2,500 years from the creation of Adam until God introduced the law through Moses on Mount Sinai. During this entire period, there was no given law from God for humanity to follow! From the time the law was given until Jesus died on the cross, approximately 1,480 years passed. And since then, humanity has lived for about 2,000 years without the law of Moses being binding for born-again Christians.
4000 BC – 1446 BC (from Adam to the giving of the law): No law was given by God. God related to humanity, with some exceptions (e.g., the flood & Sodom and Gomorrah), based on His grace and love.
1446 BC – AD 30: The law of Moses, the old covenant, was in effect. God related to the Jewish people according to the law’s provisions of “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” Only through animal sacrifices could the curse of sin be averted. These animal sacrifices foreshadowed Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself on the cross.
AD 30 – today: The law of Moses has been fulfilled through Christ, so we as believers no longer need to live under it. God relates to us through His grace and love, in accordance with the new covenant. We now live only under the “law of Christ,” which is to love one another as Christ has loved us (see Jn. 13:34 & Gal. 6:2).
Most of the humanity’s existence on earth has thus been without the law of Moses being in effect! (I do not dispute that the law of Moses remains relevant as part of the holy Scriptures, pointing to Christ, being historically accurate, and containing truths about morality and justice that can inspire how laws and regulations should be shaped today.)
The point of this message is: The law of Moses was intended by God to be in effect only for a limited time, until the Seed, Christ, came and ushered in the age of faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor in the form of the law of Moses!
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Rom. 10:4)
5 Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God.’ ” 8 Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second. (Hebrews 10:5-9, NKJV)
Through Jesus’ death on the cross, the sins of the world have been wiped away (Heb. 9:26). Therefore, no burnt offerings or sin offerings need to be offered anymore in accordance with the regulations of the law of Moses. Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus abolished the “first,” the old covenant based on the law of Moses, and established the “second,” the new covenant, grounded in God’s grace and unconditional love.
