A comprehensive biblical guide for understanding, testing, and responding to teachings about the Law, grace, and Christ’s fulfillment of righteousness.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” — Matthew 5:17 (ESV)
Sections:
- The Biblical Definition and Purpose of the Law
- The Giving of the Ten Commandments
- The Law’s Threefold Purpose
- The Limits of the Law
- Christ’s Fulfillment of the Law
- How False Teachings Twist the Truth
- Why Some Teach Law-Based Righteousness
- The Questions of Discernment
- The Harm of Legalism and License
- The Biblical Evidence of Grace and Truth
- The Healthy Way to Respond
- A Final Note: Law Written on Hearts
1. The Biblical Definition and Purpose of the Law
The Law refers to God’s moral, civil, and ceremonial commands given through Moses to Israel. The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17) serve as the moral foundation for all of them.
Romans 7:12 — “So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”
The Law was a revelation of God’s holiness and human sinfulness — a mirror to show our need for a Savior.
Romans 3:20 — “Through the law comes knowledge of sin.”
The Law’s purpose was not to save, but to convict. It revealed man’s inability and God’s standard of righteousness.
2. The Giving of the Ten Commandments
Exodus 20 records God’s direct words to Israel after delivering them from Egypt.
The Ten Commandments were:
- No other gods before Me
- No idols or graven images
- Do not take the Lord’s name in vain
- Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
- Honor your father and mother
- Do not murder
- Do not commit adultery
- Do not steal
- Do not bear false witness
- Do not covet
These laws defined God’s covenant relationship with His people — not as a means to be saved, but as a way to live because they had been saved.
Exodus 20:2 — “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”
The Law came after redemption, not before it.
3. The Law’s Threefold Purpose
- To Reveal Sin — The Law exposes our inability to be righteous (Romans 3:19–20).
- To Restrict Evil — It restrained outward sin through moral and civil order (1 Timothy 1:9–10).
- To Reflect God’s Character — It shows what holiness looks like (Leviticus 19:2).
The Law was like a tutor leading us to Christ:
Galatians 3:24 — “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.”
4. The Limits of the Law
The Law could command righteousness, but it could not create it.
Romans 8:3 — “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.”
It could point to holiness but not produce it.
It could diagnose sin but not cure it.
It could reveal guilt but not remove it.
Hebrews 10:1 — “The law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.”
The Law was never meant to save — it was meant to prepare us for the One who could.
5. Christ’s Fulfillment of the Law
Jesus didn’t come to destroy the Law — He came to complete its purpose.
Matthew 5:17–18 — “Not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”
How He fulfilled it:
- Moral Law: He kept it perfectly (Hebrews 4:15).
- Ceremonial Law: He became the final sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10).
- Civil Law: He established a new kingdom, not of this world (John 18:36).
Romans 10:4 — “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”
The Law demanded perfection — Jesus supplied it.
6. How False Teachings Twist the Truth
| False Claim | Twisted Logic | What Scripture Actually Says |
|---|---|---|
| “We must keep the Ten Commandments to stay saved.” | Salvation depends on obedience. | We are saved by grace, not by works (Ephesians 2:8–9). |
| “Grace means the Law no longer matters.” | Dismisses God’s moral standards. | Grace fulfills, not nullifies, the Law (Romans 6:1–2, 15). |
| “The Sabbath and dietary laws still apply.” | Confuses moral with ceremonial law. | Christ fulfilled the ceremonial system (Colossians 2:16–17). |
| “If you love God, you’ll follow every Old Testament rule.” | Elevates law above love. | Love fulfills the law (Romans 13:10). |
| “Keeping the Law makes you more spiritual.” | Replaces faith with performance. | The Spirit, not the Law, produces holiness (Galatians 5:18). |
Legalism misuses the Law; libertinism ignores it. Christ-centered faith fulfills it.
7. Why Some Teach Law-Based Righteousness
A. Fear of Abuse of Grace — They fear freedom will lead to sin.
B. Desire for Control — Law gives leaders measurable authority over people.
C. Confusion Between Covenants — Mixing Mosaic law with New Covenant grace.
D. Religious Pride — Rules feel safer than reliance on mercy.
E. Misinterpretation of Jesus’ Teachings — Missing that “fulfill” means complete, not continue.
Galatians 5:4 — “You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace.”
8. The Questions of Discernment
- Was the Law given to Israel or the Church?
- Does the New Testament ever command believers to keep the Mosaic Law?
- Did Jesus or the apostles base salvation on law-keeping?
- Are believers led by the Law or by the Spirit? (Romans 8:14)
- Does this teaching magnify Christ or magnify human effort?
Discernment begins by asking: Who gets the glory — the Law or the Lord?
9. The Harm of Legalism and License
Legalism tries to earn God’s favor by works.
License abuses God’s grace by ignoring holiness.
Both distort the gospel.
Legalism harms:
- It replaces grace with guilt.
- It produces pride or despair.
- It creates division and fear.
License harms:
- It excuses sin as “freedom.”
- It silences conviction.
- It cheapens grace.
Romans 6:14 — “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
Grace doesn’t erase holiness — it empowers it.
10. The Biblical Evidence of Grace and Truth
| Truth | Scripture Reference |
|---|---|
| The Law reveals sin. | Romans 3:20 |
| The Law cannot justify. | Galatians 2:16 |
| Christ fulfilled the Law. | Matthew 5:17 |
| Love fulfills the Law. | Romans 13:8–10 |
| We are led by the Spirit, not Law. | Galatians 5:18 |
| The Law is written on believers’ hearts. | Hebrews 8:10 |
| Faith establishes the Law’s purpose. | Romans 3:31 |
The Law shows what righteousness looks like; grace makes righteousness possible.
11. The Healthy Way to Respond
- Honor God’s moral standards — not to be saved, but because you are saved.
- Understand context — ceremonial and civil laws were for Israel; moral truths are timeless.
- Walk in the Spirit — let love and holiness be the fruit of grace, not fear.
- Reject both extremes — don’t fall into legalism or lawlessness.
- Celebrate fulfillment — every commandment finds its completion in Christ’s love.
Romans 8:4 — “The righteous requirement of the law [is] fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
12. A Final Note: Law Written on Hearts
Jeremiah 31:33 — “I will put My law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.”
The New Covenant doesn’t discard the Law — it internalizes it.
The Spirit accomplishes what the Law could only command.
Final Reflection
- The Law was a mirror — Christ is the cleansing.
- The Law revealed guilt — Christ removed it.
- The Law demanded righteousness — Christ supplied it.
- The Law brought fear — Christ brought freedom.
The Law said, “Do.”
The cross said, “Done.”
In Christ, the commandments are not burdens to bear —
they become the character of the One who now lives within us.