Christ: The Key to the Law
Have you ever wondered how many commandments are listed in the Old Testament? The widely accepted answer can be found in the Jewish list of "mitzvot," the most comprehensive compilation of Mosaic Law: there are 613 commandments and prohibitions. The ordinances range from the Ten Commandments to specific regulations about which insects are permitted to be eaten. Was this extensive set of rules really necessary? Whether someone wears linen and cotton clothing certainly doesn't determine their salvation. Nevertheless, God had a clear purpose in mind with these instructions. Paul explains this clearly: "But it is written that we are all prisoners of sin, so that we can receive God's promise only by believing in Jesus Christ. Before faith in Christ was revealed to us as the way of righteousness before God, we were held captive by the law until God revealed the way of faith" (Galatians 5:16). 3,22-23 New Life Bible).
The commandments described in detail how Israel should act, trusting in God's promises. As a Pharisee, Paul dedicated his entire life to the Torah. He memorized the commandments, discussed them with others, and strove to observe every detail precisely. For him, the law established the conditions under which people could earn God's faithfulness, forgiveness, and love. From his own painful experience, he knew how deeply one could become imprisoned when trying to gain God's approval through the conscientious observance of regulations.
The commandments given to Israel were never intended as a contract by which one could earn God's blessing. God is inherently a God of blessing. People tend to twist the law out of unbelief. Yet He is able to use even this misconduct to draw people to Himself. He leads them to trust in His faithful fulfillment of His promises. Through these promises, He brings about their salvation in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the only one who obeyed God perfectly, freely, and joyfully. He did this as a human being because he completely trusted the covenant of love and faithfulness of his heavenly Father through the work of the Holy Spirit. As one of us, as a true human being, he relied entirely on God's promises. Jesus acted in this way for our benefit and in our place. His goal was to share with us, through the Spirit, everything he accomplished for us. As our great High Priest, he remained obedient in trust even unto death. In this way, we can share in his transformed human nature and his renewed spirit. In the Letter to the Hebrews we read: "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 11:12). 4,15).
By living as a sinless man, Christ fulfilled the law in its entirety, all 613 commandments. In doing so, he also fulfilled God's covenant promises, which reach into our hearts and minds and into our fallen nature. What Christ did for us opens the possibility for us to live by grace in the Holy Spirit. We may live in trust in his redemptive work on the cross. Our obedience to God's Word can now grow from the confidence that he reliably fulfills his covenant promises. In the infinite wisdom of our triune God, the work of Jesus Christ is the key that unlocks all humanity. Thus, we can live for eternity in the freedom of obedience in faith.
from Greg Williams
