INTRODUCTION
The relationship between Jesus Christ and the Law of Moses is of great significance in Christian doctrine.
Understanding this relationship is crucial for believers in order to grasp the implications of Christ's coming, His teachings, and the application of the Law in the life of a Christian.
Jesus Christ brought with Him the grace and truth, which was a departure from the Law given through Moses.
John 1:17 (LITV) says, "For the Law was given through Moses; the grace and the truth came through Jesus Christ."
In this detailed presentation, we will explore various aspects of Christ's relationship with the Law of Moses, by biblical references. Let the Bible speak!
THE PURPOSE OF THE LAW OF MOSES
CHRIST'S TEACHINGS VERSUS THE LAW
Ritual Purity and Internal Transformation
The Law of Moses had various regulations concerning ritual purity and cleanliness (Leviticus 11-15).
Jesus taught that true defilement came from within, from the heart, rather than external factors. He emphasized the importance of inner purity and righteousness (Mark 7:1-23).
Jesus focused on the internal transformation of the heart as opposed to external conformity. He taught that it is not only the actions themselves that matter but also the intentions and attitudes behind them.
For example, he condemned not only murder but also anger and hatred.
Matthew 5:20-22 (LITV) says, "For I say to you, If your righteousness shall not exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of God, never! You have heard that it was said to the ancients: "Do not commit murder!" And, Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the Judgment. But I say to you, Everyone who is angry with his brother without cause shall be liable to the Judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the sanhedrin; but whoever says, Fool! shall be liable to be thrown into the fire of Hell."
Divorce
In the Law of Moses, divorce was permitted under certain circumstances.
Deuteronomy 24:1-4 (NHEB) says, "When a man takes a wife, and marries her, then it shall be, if she find no favor in his eyes, because he has found some unseemly thing in her, that he shall write her a bill of divorce, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house. When she is departed out of his house, she may go and be another man's wife. If the latter husband hate her, and write her a bill of divorce, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house; or if the latter husband die, who took her to be his wife; her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is defiled; for that is abomination before the Lord: and you shall not cause the land to sin, which the Lord your God gives you for an inheritance."
But, Jesus taught that divorce was not God's original design, and that it was allowed by Moses because of the hardness of people's hearts. He emphasized the importance of marital fidelity and the permanence of the marital bond.
Matthew 19:3-9 (NHEB) says, "The Pharisees came, testing him, and saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?" He answered, and said, "Have not you read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall join to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh?' So that they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, do not let man tear apart." They asked him, "Why then did Moses command us to give her a certificate of divorce, and divorce her?" He said to them, "Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it has not been so. I tell you that whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery."
Revenge and Love for Enemies
Exodus 21:23-25 (LITV) says, "But if injury occurs, you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, branding for branding, wound for wound, stripe for stripe."
Matthew 5:38-48 (LITV) says, "You have heard that it was said: "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;" but I say to you, Do not resist the evil; but whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him also. And to him desiring to sue you, and to take your tunic, allow him also to have the coat. And whoever shall compel you to go one mile, go two with him. He asking you to give, and he wishing to borrow from you, do not turn away. You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbor" and hate your enemy; but I say to you, Love your enemies; bless those cursing you, do well to those hating you; and pray for those abusing and persecuting you, so that you may become sons of your Father in Heaven. Because He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and unjust. For if you love those loving you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? And if you only greet your brothers, what exceptional thing do you do? Do not the tax-collectors do so? Therefore, you be perfect even as your Father in Heaven is perfect."
Sabbath Observance
Exodus 20:8-11 (LITV) says, "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy; six days you shall labor and do all your work; and the seventh day is a sabbath to Jehovah your God; you shall not do any work, you, and your son, and your daughter, your male slave and your slave-girl, and your livestock, and your stranger who is in your gates. For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all which is in them, and He rested on the seventh day; on account of this Jehovah blessed the sabbath day and sanctified it."
Mark 2:23-28 (LITV) says, "And it happened, He went along through the grain fields in the sabbaths. And His disciples began to make way, plucking the heads of grain. And the Pharisees said to Him, Behold, why do they do that which is not lawful on the sabbaths? And He said to them, Did you never read what David did when he had need and hungered, he and those with him, how he entered the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the Loaves of the Presentation, which it is not lawful to eat, except for the priests, and he even gave to those being with him? And He said to them, The sabbath came into being for man's sake, not man for the sabbath's sake. So then the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath also."
DID JESUS COME TO DESTROY THE LAW?
Mat 5:17-18 says, “Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets; I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished.”
It is often said that if Jesus did not destroy the Law, then it must still be binding. Based on this reasoning, some argue that ordinances like the Sabbath day must still be practiced, along with many other items of the Mosaic Law.
Christ did not suggest that the binding nature of the Law of Moses would remain forever, for such a view contradicts with direct scriptures in the New Testament.
John 10:35 (NHEB) says, "...and the Scripture cannot be broken."
The Greek word ‘kataluo’ rendered ‘destroy’ in Mat 5:17 literally means to ‘loosen down.’ The word is used 17 times in the New Testament, for example, of the destruction of the Jewish temple by the Romans (Mat 26:61; 27:40 & Act 6:14), and of the dissolving of the human body at death (2Co 5:1).
The term can mean ‘to overthrow, render vain, or deprive of success.’ In classical Greek, it was used in connection with institutions and laws to convey the ideas of depriving of force or invalidating. This leads us to the next question...
DID JESUS COME TO FULFILL THE LAW? DID JESUS FULFILL THE LAW? AND WHY?
The word ‘destroy’ is used in Mat 5:17 is set in opposition to ‘fulfill.’ Christ came ‘not to destroy, but to fulfill.’Luk 24:44 says, “Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Jesus' fulfillment of the Law can be understood in several ways. First, He perfectly obeyed the Law throughout His life, fulfilling every requirement of the Law.
Jesus lived a sinless life and perfectly demonstrated the heart and intent of the Law. Christ fulfilled the demands of the Mosaic Law, which called for perfect obedience or else enforced a ‘curse.’
Gal 3:10-13 says, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.”
Jesus fulfilled the Law in its entirety through His sinless life, sacrificial death on the cross, and resurrection. He accomplished what the Law could not—provide salvation and reconciliation with God.
Romans 8:3-4 (LITV) says, "For the Law being powerless, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous demand of the Law might be fulfilled in us, those not walking according to flesh, but according to Spirit."
Hebrews 10:1-14 (NET) says, "For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin? But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. For the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. So when he came into the world, he said, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me. “Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in. “Then I said, ‘Here I am: I have come – it is written of me in the scroll of the book – to do your will, O God.’” When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” (which are offered according to the law), then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first to establish the second. By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands day after day serving and offering the same sacrifices again and again – sacrifices that can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are made holy."
Second, Jesus fulfilled the prophetic and symbolic aspects of the Law. The Old Testament Law contained various rituals, sacrifices, and ceremonies that pointed to the coming Messiah.
Jesus fulfilled these prophetic symbols by His birth, life, death, and resurrection. He was the ultimate sacrifice for sin, replacing the need for the sacrificial system of the Law.
Throughout the New Testament, it is evident that Jesus fulfilled numerous prophecies from the Law, such as His birth (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1-6), His suffering and death (Isaiah 53:3-6; Luke 24:25-27), and His resurrection (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:22-32).
In this sense, the Law will ever have a long-lasting effect to always accomplish the purpose for which it was given.
If, but, the Law of Moses is still binding today on men as it was before Christ came, then it was not fulfilled and Jesus failed to finish what He came to do.
If the Lord finished what He came to do, then the Law was fulfilled, and it is not a binding on us today.
Thirdly, Jesus' teachings expanded on the moral principles of the Law, emphasizing the importance of love, mercy, and forgiveness.
In this way, He fulfilled the Law by revealing its true intent and providing a way for people to live in accordance with God's will.
The purpose for which Jesus came under the Law and fulfilled it was to prove His qualification to die for the human race as the sinless sacrifice acceptable to pay the price for the atonement of man's sin.
He fulfilled the Law to make our salvation by grace possible.
Galatians 4:4-5 (LITV) says, "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, having come into being out of a woman, having come under Law, that He might redeem the ones under Law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."
Jesus fulfilled the Law by perfectly obeying it, fulfilling its prophetic and symbolic aspects, and revealing its true intent.
Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus established a new covenant based on grace and truth, replacing the old covenant of the Law.
WHAT THEN DID JESUS MEAN BY ‘NOT ONE JOT OR TITTLE SHALL PASS AWAY?’
The statement, "not one jot or tittle shall pass away," is found in Matthew 5:18. Jesus said, "For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished."Luk 16:17 says, “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.”
So, if someone argues on the basis of Mat 5:17-18 that Moses’ Law is still legally binding, he must take all of it including all of its bloody sacrifices, annual trips to Jerusalem, circumcision and purification rituals.
If a man takes one part of the Law as binding, he is a debtor to do all of it.
Gal 5:3 says, “I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.”
The same applies to the person who misguidedly keeps the Sabbath.
Jas 2:10 says, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
WAS THE LAW ABOLISHED? IF SO, WHEN AND HOW?
Paul clearly states that the ‘Law of commandments contained in ordinances’ was ‘abolished’ by the death of Jesus upon the cross.
Christ abolished the Law's commandments and ordinances that separated Jews and Gentiles, creating "one new man" in Himself.
This signifies that the ceremonial and civil aspects of the Law no longer bind Christians.
Eph 2:14-15 says, “For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace.”
The Greek word ‘katargeo’ (to make idle, i.e. to leave the hand unemployed) used for ‘abolished’ here literally suggests the idea of reducing something to a state of inactivity.
Paul uses this term twice in Romans saying that just as a wife is ‘discharged’ from the law of her husband when he dies, men were ‘released’ from the obligations of the Mosaic Law through the death of the body of Christ.
Rom 7:2-6 says, “For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.”
That the Law here is the Law of Moses, including the Ten commandments, is proven by the reference to the tenth commandment in Romans 7:7 (Exo 20:17).
The harmony between Mat 5:17-18, and Eph 2:15 is that the purpose of the Law of Moses was never to come to nothing. Its original design would be continuous. It would soon be abolished or cancelled by Christ’s sacrificial death.
Col 2:14 (AMP) says, “Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of legal demands [which were in force] against us and which were hostile to us. And this certificate He has set aside and completely removed by nailing it to the cross.”
The blood sacrifices ended because Christ fulfilled all that they were pointing towards. He was the final sacrifice for sins.
Heb 9:12, “He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”
The Law was abolished because it was weak and useless in dealing with sin. Which the sacrifice of Christ dealt with once and for all.
Heb 7:18-19 (BSB) says, “So the former commandment is set aside because it was weak and useless. (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God. ”
So, Mat 5:17 does not support the keeping of the Sabbath day or any other part of the Law in this age.
Rom 10:4 (GNB) says, “But Christ makes the Law no longer necessary for those who become acceptable to God by faith.”
In Hebrews, the author contrasts the Old Covenant, which was established through the Mosaic law, with the New Covenant, which was established through Jesus Christ.
The Old Covenant, with its rituals and sacrifices, served as a temporary arrangement until the coming of Jesus Christ. The establishment of the New Covenant through Jesus Christ rendered the Old Covenant obsolete.
Hebrews 8:13 (LITV) says, "In that He says, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."
The "first" refers to the Old Covenant, and the "new" refers to the New Covenant. The Old Covenant, with its regulations and external ceremonies, was incomplete and unable to bring about true forgiveness and transformation of the heart.
The New Covenant, offers complete forgiveness of sins and a direct relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. The Old Covenant was growing old and was ready to vanish away.
This means that the temporary nature of the Old Covenant was coming to an end with the establishment of the New Covenant. The author of Hebrews is highlighting the superiority and permanence of the New Covenant over the Old Covenant.
THE LAW'S MORAL PRINCIPLES, THE LAW OF CHRIST, AND FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
The Law of Christ
The Law's Moral Principles
Matthew 22:37-40 says, "Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
By stating that these two commandments summarize the entire law and the teachings of the prophets, Jesus emphasizes the centrality of love in fulfilling God's moral requirements. The Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20:2-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.
The first commandment, to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, reflects the vertical dimension of our relationship with God. It speaks to our devotion, worship, and wholehearted commitment to God as the supreme object of our love and allegiance.
Jesus' first commandment summarized the first four of the Ten Commandments. Here is a breakdown of how the the first four of the Ten Commandments:
1. "You shall have no other gods before me," Exodus 20:3.
This commandment is fulfilled by loving God with all your heart, as it acknowledges God's exclusive position as the one true God and directs our complete devotion to Him.
2. "You shall not make for yourself an idol" Exodus 20:4.
By loving God with all our heart, we prioritize our devotion to Him and avoid putting anything above Him, including idols or false gods.
3. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain," Exodus 20:7.
Loving God with all our heart involves honoring and reverencing His name, refraining from using it in a disrespectful or empty manner.
4. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy," Exodus 20:8.
Loving God with all our heart includes setting aside time amd days to worship and honor Him, acknowledging His significance in our lives.
The second commandment, to love our neighbor as ourselves, represents the horizontal dimension of our relationships with others. This is the royal law.
James 2:8 (LITV) says, "If you truly fulfill the royal Law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well."
It calls us to treat others with the same care, kindness, and respect that we desire for ourselves. It summarized the last six of the Ten Commandments as follows:
5. "Honor your father and your mother," Exodus 20:12.
Loving your neighbor as yourself encompasses honoring and respecting your parents, as they are the closest examples of authority and care in our lives.
6. "You shall not murder," Exodus 20:13.
Loving your neighbor as yourself means valuing and preserving human life, refraining from taking it unjustly.
7. "You shall not commit adultery," Exodus 20:14.
Loving your neighbor as yourself involves respecting the sanctity of marriage and relationships, refraining from committing adultery or acts of infidelity.
8. "You shall not steal," Exodus 20:15.
Loving your neighbor as yourself includes respecting others' property and refraining from stealing from them.
9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor," Exodus 20:16.
Loving your neighbor as yourself entails speaking truthfully and refraining from spreading false accusations or lies about others.
10. "You shall not covet," Exodus 20:17.
Loving your neighbor as yourself means being content with what you have and avoiding envy or covetousness towards the possessions or circumstances of others.
So , Jesus summarized the first six commandments of the moral law under the commandment to love God with all your heart, and the last four commandments under the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself.
By emphasizing these two overarching principles, Jesus highlights the importance of love as the foundation for fulfilling the entire moral law.
Jesus brings attention to the inner attitudes of the heart that should underpin our actions. Loving God and loving others are not merely external obligations but are rooted in genuine care and concern for their well-being.
Jesus' summary of the law emphasizes the importance of love as the guiding principle for righteous living. It demonstrates that a life characterized by love for God and love for others fulfills the intent of the entire moral law, including the Ten Commandments.
The Two New Commandments
Jesus also gave two new commandments that are part of the "Law of Christ." These commandments are focused on love and are found in the teachings of Jesus.
Love your enemies
Matthew 5:44 says, "But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
This commandment challenges believers to extend love and kindness not only to those who love them but also to those who may oppose or mistreat them. It calls for a radical and selfless love that goes beyond natural inclinations and societal expectations.
Love one another
John 13:34-35 says, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another."
Here, Jesus emphasizes the importance of love within the community of believers. He sets the standard for this love by pointing to His own sacrificial love, instructing His followers to love one another in the same way.
These two commandments, loving your enemies and loving one another, highlight the radical nature of Christian love. They go beyond societal norms and expectations, calling believers to extend love and kindness to all, even those who may be difficult or hostile.
By loving their enemies, Christians display the transformative power of love and demonstrate the love of Christ to the world. By loving one another within the community of believers, they show unity, care, and witness to their relationship with Christ.
The Fruit of the Spirit under Grace
1 Corinthians 9:21 (LITV) says, "To those without Law as without Law (not being without Law of God, but under the law of Christ), that I might gain those without Law."
The Law of Christ in the Two Commandments summarizing the Ten Commandments and the Two New Commandments of Christ both emphasize the importance of love as a defining characteristic of followers of Christ. They reflect Jesus' teachings and his example of selfless, sacrificial love.
By practicing these commandments, Christians live out the righteousness of Christ and bring glory to God through their love for others. Believers are called to fulfill these principles through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 16:22 (LITV) says, "If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. The Lord comes!"
Galatians 6:2 (LITV) says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ."
The Law of Christ is called the perfect Law of liberty for which the believer is blessed. When one submits to the law of Christ, he is led by the Spirit and is no longer under the Law of Moses.
James 1:25 (LITV) says, "But the one looking into the perfect Law of liberty, and continuing in it, this one not having become a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in his doing."
Galatians 5:18 (LITV) says, "But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under Law."
So being under grace is not a reality to all Christians, it is a reality only for those who have submitted themselves to God's grace by walking after the Spirit instead of following the flesh.
Romans 8:1 (LITV) says, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to flesh, but according to Spirit."
It is only the Christians who walk according to the Spirit who are above the judgment of the Law, and are able to judge all things by the Holy Spirit.
The believers who do not judge themselves according to the leading of the Holy Spirit dwelling to them are actually under the law and are judged by it.
1 Corinthians 2:15 says, "But he that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man."
1 Corinthians 11:31 says, "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."
Grace is the divine empowerment of the Holy Spirit to practice righteousness in the Law, and is not a license to continue living under the bondage of sin.
Romans 6:14-15 (LITV) says, "For your sin shall not lord it over you, for you are not under Law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under Law, but under grace? Let it not be!"
When the Holy Spirit comes into the believer in the regeneration, He comes to lead the believer into fulfilling the Law of Christ
Ezekiel 36:27 (LITV) says, "And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments and do them."
The works by which the believer fulfills the Law of Christ are the outflows, products or fruits of the Spirit.
The fruits of the Spirit are the qualities or characteristics that are produced in the lives of believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
These fruits are evidence of the Holy Spirit's work within them and are a result of a transformed and empowered life in Christ.
The fruits of the Spirit are not something that believers produce on their own, but rather they are the result of the Holy Spirit's work within them. They are evidence of a transformed heart and a life submitted to God.
As Christians, we are called to cultivate and manifest these fruits in our lives, reflecting the character of Christ and bringing glory to God. There are the twelve fruits that a believer is expected to produce in Christ as a tree planted by the river of living waters.
Revelation 22:2 (LITV) says, "In the midst of its street and of the river, from here and from there, was a tree of life producing twelve fruits: according to one month each yielding its fruit. And the leaves of the tree were for healing of the nations."
Galatians 5:22-23 (LITV) says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. Against such things there is no law."
2 Peter 1:5-7 (LITV) says, "But also in this very thing, having brought in all diligence, supplying fully in your faith virtue, and in virtue knowledge, and in knowledge self-control, and in self-control patience, and in patience godliness, and in godliness brotherly love, and in brotherly love, love."
These verses emphasize the qualities and virtues that believers should seek to develop in their lives as fruits or supplies of the indwelling Spirit of God, even as they grow in their relationship with God. The twelve fruits are;
1. Love (agape): This is the foundation and pinnacle of the virtues, representing selfless and unconditional love that seeks the highest good for others. The selfless, sacrificial love that seeks the well-being of others (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:7).
2. Joy (chara): A deep and abiding sense of gladness and delight that transcends circumstances (Galatians 5:22-23).
3. Peace (eirene): Inner tranquility and harmony, both with God and with others (Galatians 5:22-23)
4. Long-suffering/Patience/Perseverance: (makrothymia/hupomonē): This relates to enduring difficulties and challenges with steadfastness and patience. The ability to endure hardships and persevere with a calm and composed spirit (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:6).
5. Kindness/Brotherly kindness (philadelphia): This pertains to showing love and kindness towards fellow believers, treating them as family and fostering strong bonds of affection within the community of faith. Showing goodness, generosity, and gentleness towards others (Galatians 5:22-23).
6. Gentleness (chrestotes): a kind and considerate demeanor that reflects the love and grace of Christ (Galatians 5:22).
7. Faith/Faithfulness (pistis): Demonstrating loyalty, reliability, and trustworthiness (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:5).
8. Meekness/Humility (praotes): Displaying humility, meekness, and considerate behavior (Galatians 5:23).
9. Self-control (egkrateia): Exercising discipline over one's desires and impulses (Galatians 5:23).
10. Virtue/Goodness (agathosune/aretē): Acting with moral integrity and virtue, doing what is right and just. This refers to moral excellence and goodness in one's character and conduct (Galatians 5:22-23; 2 Peter 1:5).
11. Knowledge (gnōsis): This involves a deepening understanding of God's truth, His Word, and His ways (2 Peter 1:5-6).
12. Godliness (eusebeia): This virtue involves living a life of devotion and reverence toward God, characterized by piety and holiness (2 Peter 1:6).
By diligently cultivating these virtues, believers can grow in their faith and become more Christ-like, reflecting the character of God to the world around them.
Love is the foundational fruit of the Spirit in the Law of Christ; and is the very nature of God poured into the heart of the believer in the spiritual birth.
Romans 5:5 (LITV) says, "And the hope does not put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us."
1 John 4:8 (LITV) says, "The one who does not love has not known God, because God is love."
Love does not and cannot do the evil works of the flesh against the fruits of the Spirit. Rather it has all fruits of the Spirit and fulfills them.
Romans 13:8-10 (LITV) says, "Do not continue to owe no one, nothing, except to love one another. For the one loving the other has fulfilled the Law. For, "Do not commit adultery," "do not murder," "do not steal," do not bear false witness, "do not lust," and if there is any other commandment, in this word it is summed up, in the words, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Love does not work evil to the neighbor. Then love is the fulfillment of Law."
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (LITV) says, "Love has patience, is kind; love is not envious; love is not vain, is not puffed up; does not behave indecently, does not pursue its own things, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth. Love quietly covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
Let us then not misuse our liberty in Christ to follow the flesh and its lustfulness, but let us produce the fruits of the Spirit through the love of God deposited in us.
Galatians 5:13-16 (LITV) says, "For, brothers, you were called to freedom. Only do not use the freedom for an opening to the flesh. But through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you are not consumed by one another. But I say, Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh."
CONCLUSION
Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law, accomplishing its purpose and ushering in a new covenant between God and humanity.
The Law of Moses, found in the Old Testament of the Bible, served several purposes. One of its primary functions was to reveal God's moral standards and to point out humanity's inability to perfectly keep those standards. It acted as a tutor, highlighting the need for a Savior who could reconcile humanity with God.
When Jesus came, He lived a perfect and sinless life, fulfilling the requirements of the Law. Through His sacrificial death and resurrection, He provided a way for people to be reconciled with God and receive forgiveness for their sins.
As a result, the ceremonial and civil aspects of the Law, such as the animal sacrifices and the regulations for the nation of Israel, are no longer necessary or binding. They have been abolished.
But, the moral principles contained within the Law, such as the Ten Commandments, are still relevant and applicable.
Jesus affirmed the importance of these moral principles and expanded upon them in His teachings. He summarized the Law as loving God with all one's heart, soul, and mind, and loving one's neighbor as oneself.
Believers are called to follow the teachings of Christ and live according to the Law of Christ, which is love.
Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, they are empowered to live out these moral principles in their daily lives.
The Holy Spirit helps believers understand and apply the teachings of Jesus, enabling them to love God and others genuinely.
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