The Law of Christ

[bearbear]

According to verses like Col 2:14, the law of Moses was nailed to the cross:
"Having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."

In the New Covenant we are no longer under the law of Moses but grace. But why then does Paul refer to the law of Christ in Galatians and encourages us to fulfill it?

Galatians 6:2 "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ"

Paul gives clues to what the law of Christ could be one chapter earlier:

Galatians 5:6 "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love."

So we know the law of Christ could be related to faith expressed as love. Jesus also sums up the law in Matthew 22:34-40 as loving God and loving neighbor so this could be the law of Christ.

Another clue is that Paul states multiple times in his epistles that we should still follow the moral portion of the ten commandments in verses like Galatians 5:19-21

"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."

If you think about it, the attributes described above are all opposed to love-- so the moral commandments could be seen as under the umbrella of "love". And in Jesus sermon on the mount He even brings the moral law higher to our hearts by teaching we should not hate our brother (OT version: murder) nor look at a woman with lust (OT version: adultery). Hebrews 4:1-11 even says that the Sabbath day points to entering God's rest through having faith. Paul also says we should honor our father and mother (Eph 6:2-3).

So in a sense we do follow all Ten commandments in the New Covenant but at a spiritual and heart level-- and not of ourselves but through the Holy Spirit by being born again (1 John 4:7). The law of Moses was nailed to the cross, but the commandments related to love carried over.

I think there was a misunderstanding by the LCs regarding the moral commandments not being carried over to the New Covenant and this has caused a lot of problems in the church.

1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.