God has freed us from the works and the penalty of his law

 

Here, I have grouped the terms used to show how they go together and where they fit in with each other:

God's Law = the old covenant = 613 commands, given through Moses exclusively to Israel. Fulfilled/paid in full/completed/ended at the cross by Jesus for those in Jesus.

God's Grace = the new covenant = given through Jesus to all who believe in Him. Beginning at the cross.

Did the new covenant begin at the cross? What about the overlap? Surely Jesus showed mercy to people in His ministry?

There is a caveat in the law, God said he will have mercy on whom He will have mercy. Jesus Himself said the weightier matter of 'the Law' was mercy.

There were also plenty of times when Jesus spoke in terms of the coming new covenant. But He was born under the law:

'When the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law,' Gal 4:4

Three things we can say about Jesus: He was the only person to keep the Law, He is the name above all names therefore He is the greatest in the Kingdom, and He taught people how to keep God's Law:

'Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.' Mat 5:19

Forgive the indulgence, but I would love to share something about how Jesus didn't just fulfil the law on the cross. The central fulfilment, as it were, came on the cross, but Jesus fulfilled the law in the following ways:

His birth - without a human father, He was born without the connection to Adam's sin.

His life - He was the only person to never sin, keeping the Law.

His ministry - Jesus showed/taught the Jews the true requirements of God's Law.

His death - only someone who was not due to die for breaking the Law could pay the price for everyone else. Only a blood sacrifice could end the old covenant and begin the new.

His ascension - Jesus had to enter into the heavenly temple and make the offering in His high priestly role.

Jesus did not destroy the Law, as in tear up the old contract. He fulfilled it, as in paid it in full. He completely satisfied all of the terms of the contract/covenant/Law. There is now no outstanding debt to the contract for anyone in Him. 

 

'For the law was given through Moses. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.' John 1:17

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'Knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.' John 19:28-30

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'Now God has shown us a way to be made righteous without keeping the requirements of God’s law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made righteous by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are, for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus;' Rom 3:21-24

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'For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.' Rom 6:14 

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'For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.' Rom 6:23 

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'Do you not know, brothers and sisters—for I am speaking to those who know the Law—that the Law has authority over someone only as long as that person lives?' Rom 7:1

'So, my brothers and sisters, you also died to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.' Rom 7:4 

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'For what the Law couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh;' Rom 8:3 

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'For Christ has already ended the purpose for which God’s Law was given. As a result, all who believe in Him are made righteous.' Rom 10:4 

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'Such confidence we have through Christ toward God, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face, which was passing away, won’t the ministry of the Spirit be with much more glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. ' 2 Cor 3:4-9

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'Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the Law no one will be justified.' Gal 2:16 

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'I just want to learn this from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?' Gal 3:2-3 

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'For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the Law, to do them.”' Gal 3:10 

'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”' Gal 3:13 

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'If a Law had been given that was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on Law.' Gal 3:21b 

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'You would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to be right with God by the Law of Moses, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace.' Gal 5:4

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But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility through it. Eph 2:13-16

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'You were dead, because you were sinful and were not God’s people. But God let Christ make you alive, when He forgave all our sins. He did this by erasing the charges that were brought against us by the written Laws God had established. He took the charges away by nailing them to the cross.' Col 2:13-14 

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'These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires.' Col 2:23 

'We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers' 1 Tim 1:9a (This verse needs to be understood in the context of - we are made righteous by believing in Jesus and the unbelievers are the ones being called lawbreakers.)

'For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ,' Titus 2:11-13 

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'When the kindness of God our Saviour and His love toward mankind appeared, not by works of righteousness which we did ourselves, but according to His mercy, He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by His grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.' Titus 3:4-7

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'But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.' Heb 8:6-7

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'By calling this covenant “new,” He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.' Heb 8:13

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'For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant, that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.' Heb 9:15

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'First Jesus said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the Law. Then He said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first covenant to establish the second. And by that covenant, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.' Heb 10:8-10

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'For whoever keeps the whole Law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not commit murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the Law.' James 2:10

Speaking of the truth of trying to live by God's Law. What Paul calls a curse in Galatians 3:10-13:

'For as many as are of the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who doesn’t continue in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them.” Now that no man is justified by the law before God is evident, for, “The righteous will live by faith.” The law is not of faith, but, “The man who does them will live by them.” Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree,”' Gal 3:10-13

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'This is His (New) commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as He commanded.' 1 John 3:23 (My word in brackets)

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