Recently, I heard a radio preacher say, “The Old Testament was about obedience, but the New Testament is about grace.” I don’t want to read too much into this or interpret his statement incorrectly, but I hear this same idea said in different ways. In almost all cases the implication is there are two methods of salvation:
1.) Obedience for those before the cross and
2.) Grace and faith after the cross.
Obedience (Old Covenant) 
Grace/Faith (New Covenant)
Only a few days later, I heard another speaker talk about Galatians in such a way that it lead me to believe that talking about obedience was “another gospel.” The preacher stated: “nothing can be added to the work of Jesus. To add anything else is “another gospel.” Without a doubt, no one can add to what Jesus has done for sinful man. and we cannot do enough good works to merit salvation. including obedience. Here is the proof:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:9, 10
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.“
Galatians 5:18
“But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”
Romans 3:21-23
All three of the verses above were from Paul. Paul was a highly educated and dedicated Hebrew. Before his conversion, he considered himself “blameless” concerning the righteousness that comes by the law. but then he discovered Jesus and his eyes were opened.
Paul, seemed to be concerned where people would take verses like those above. He abruptly asks a question at the end of Romans 3 and again at the beginning of Romans 6 to clarify:
Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
Romans 3:31
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Romans 6:1
The established law has a place in the Jesus Journey of the believer, but what is it?
Despite Romans 3:31 and other “obedience” verses we shall see, people continue to quote verses that would seem to say, we can pretty much ignore the 10 commandment law. Here are a few:
We are not “….under the law, but under grace.”
Romans 6:14
“The law was done away with.”
Colossians 2:14?
“The law has been nailed to the cross.”
Colossians 2:14?
Obedience is “another gospel.”
“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel”
Galatians 1:6
Incorrect application of these passage may make it sound like God does not want us to obey and if I want to obey God, I have reverted back to the Old Testament way of salvation and have become legalistic, perhaps even lost. By choosing to seek to live in obedience, I have left the gospel of grace and faith. So is obedience only for the legalistic?
I have tried to boil this down to 5 important thought questions:
1.) Has obedience ever been a method of salvation? Was Moses, the prophets, the people of Israel saved by the works of the law? Has anyone ever been able to save themselves through obedience?
2.) What is the relationship between obedience and grace? Are they mutually exclusive of each other?
3.) What does Salvation mean and what is the purpose of the law?
4.) Does God expect me to live a life in disobedience to his commandments? What happens if I start to try to obey?
5.) Does Obedience have anything to do with the new covenant?
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Now I am certain, I don’t need to get up get dressed and head to the local temple and sacrifice a lamb for the sins I have committed. This was definitely part of the instructions God gave Moses to give to God’s people. I also know that being circumcised is not a prerequisite to being a part of God’s people. But, how do I relate to God’s law? What is the danger if I ignore it or if I obey it?
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What is God’s law?
Is it just the 10 commandments?
Is it the old sacrificial system given by God to Moses?
Is it some spiritual thing that I keep in my spirit but am careful to not obey the letter?
Here is what I know from God’s word;
The word “law” appears 529 times in the entire Bible. If you throw in “statute” and “ordinance” we can add another 219 times. So that brings us to 748 verses.
Do they all mean the same thing? This is where many people get confused.
The three main categories for these 748 verses are used primarily in 1 of 3 main ways:
A.) God’s Ten Commandments written with His own finger.
“And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”
Exodus 31:18
B.) The laws given by God to Moses concerning the sanctuary services, sacrifices, feast days. The ceremonial laws contained in ordnances. Written by Moses and placed in a pouch in the side of the Ark of the Covenant.
“Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.”
Deuteronomy 31:26
These ordinances and laws were ceremonial and gave identity and teaching to the chosen people before the cross. After the cross, God made the Jew and Gentile one.
“And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.”
Exodus 18:20
“….having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace.”
Ephesians 2:15
C.) The word of God contained in the “books of the law” a.k.a Torah (First Five books of the Bible)
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Joshua 1:8
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Psalm 1: 2, 3
So it is always important to understand which law God is referring to before making any decisions as to what God would have you do.
One last question before we start, Does the freedom given me by the grace of God give me license to disobey?
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In this post, we will start with questions #1 and #2
1.) Has obedience ever been a method of salvation? Was Moses, the prophets, the people of Israel saved by the works of the law? Has anyone ever been able to save themselves through obedience?
The answer is NO! The Jews of old were saved just like those of the New Testament: By the grace of God through faith and not of any works. Listen to Paul:
“I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”
Galatians 2:21
There would have been no need for Jesus to die on the cross for our sins or the sins of those in the Old Testament time if “righteousness” could come through the law.
Through the ceremonial feast of Passover (Exodus 12), the Jews under those laws were taught that the unblemished innocent male sheep had to die for their sins. They had to believe this in faith. Merely following the directions of God through Moses was not the point of their forgiveness but led them to understand about the coming Messiah who was the “true lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” John 1:29
So by faith, the Jews looked forward to the Cross for their salvation not in obeying the law. But the law was good in that it came from God himself through Moses and it taught (through an object lesson) the cost of sin, the price that had to be paid, and the transference of their sin onto the unblemished Son of God.
When Jesus came, type met anti-type. There was no longer a need to have ceremonies and laws that pointed forward to Jesus. Now they had the life and teachings of Jesus and that teacher (using types) ended.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Galatians 3:24, 25
All those ceremonial laws pointed forward to Jesus and His death on the cross that they might have faith in Him. Today, we look back at Jesus and the cross that we might have faith. Both of us are saved by faith, not by the works of the law of ceremonies.
Those laws had fulfilled their purpose of pointing the OT people to Jesus. When He died on the cross they ended and we were no longer “under” those sets of laws.
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Galatians 3: 23
This faith spoken of by Paul is another word for Jesus. The faith that is revealed is Jesus. It is clear from Hebrews 11 (Faith Chapter) that those of the OT lived their lives by faith as we do:
The term “By faith” or “through faith” appears at least 19 times in Hebrews 11! They are all references to the OT people of faith!
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off…And these all, having obtained a good report through faith.”
Hebrews 11: 13, 39
Please keep in mind, faith is not a thing….a religious thing….It is “trust” in God. It is made evident by a response. A person can say they have faith in God, but their works will show it. Faith is not based on nothing. It has substance and evidence. This substance and evidence comes through trusting in God’s word.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:1
But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
James 2:18
Paul shows the method of salvation i.e., grace through faith not of works. James tells us that the works (obedience) produced from a believer is the evidence of their faith. The two go together.
James goes on to say,
If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
James 2: 8-12
James uses the term “law of liberty” twice. Here is the hint that obeying the law gives liberty. Just ask the murder in prison or the person who is trapped in a web of lies. There is a blessing in obedience to God’s 10 commandments. Wouldn’t you agree? We are not talking about the method of salvation, but rather the results of salvation.
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it,and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:25
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2.) What is the relationship between obedience and grace? Are they mutually exclusive of each other?
How can anyone claim to be a follower of the only true God and not obey?
“He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
1 John 2:4
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
Luke 6:46
“Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock.”
Luke 6: 47-48
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
Romans 6:1
Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5: 17-19
Heaven and earth remains and so do the 10 commandments. Anyone who teaches to break the least of the commandments is not doing the will of God. I don’t want to be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. Do you? The best way here is to teach to obey the law of God.
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Conclusion:
The 10 commandments remain as does heaven and earth. The ceremonial laws taught about Jesus and salvation, but they ended at the cross where type met anti-type.
Obedience does not save you, but a saved person will be obedient. The thief will stop stealing. The liar will stop lying. All of this happens because of the new birth….the new heart God gives the person saved.
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people”
Hebrews 8:10
If you are thinking the new covenant spoken of here is for Jews only. Remember there is neither Jew nor Greek and that if we belong to Christ we are “Abraham’s seed” (Father of Jews) and “heirs according to the promise.”
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.“
Galatians 3:28
“And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Galatians 3:29
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“A woman is driving way over the speed limit. Suddenly, she sees in her rear view mirror the flashing red and blue lights of a police car and hears the familiar wail of the siren. She pulls over, grabs her purse, and takes out her driver’s license. The policeman approaches, takes her license, and returns to his car.
She wonders how much the ticket is going to be (she was way over the limit); she also worries about how she will be able to pay it. A few minutes later the policeman comes back and says, OK, Miss, what we are going to do, so that you don’t have to face the penalty of the law again, is abolish the law. You no longer have to worry about the speed limit.
As ludicrous as that story is, it’s no more so than the theology that teaches that after Jesus died, the law, the Ten Commandments, was abolished.” Dr. Keith A. Burton,
“Wages of sin is death.”
Romans 6:23
“Sin is the transgression of the law.”
1 John 3:
The definition of sin has never changed.
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“There are two errors against which the children of God–particularly those who have just come to trust in His grace–especially need to guard. The first, already dwelt upon, is that of looking to their own works, trusting to anything they can do, to bring themselves into harmony with God. He who is trying to become holy by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. All that man can do without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin. It is the grace of Christ alone, through faith, that can make us holy.
The opposite and no less dangerous error is that belief in Christ releases men from keeping the law of God; that since by faith alone we become partakers of the grace of Christ, our works have nothing to do with our redemption.
But notice here that obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of love.”
Steps To Christ, page 59, 60