Anytime we mention the law and Christ, note that we are talking about a reflection and its image, like a mirror. The old covenant was an outline of what the Messiah would bring in the new covenant in reality. The Old Testament gives us detailed descriptions of the burnt offerings and the tabernacle so we can understand what the will of God was for Christ on earth. We can study the shadow of Christ within the law to come to a more complete understanding of the big picture of grace.
Read a breakdown of the law in detail here
The Law is a Shadow…
Hebrews 10:1 NIV
The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves…
Burnt Offerings
The sacrifices made in the Old Testament symbolized what Christ would do in the New Testament. The offerings made for the people’s sins each year moved the guilt up to the next generation. An Israelite offering a burnt sacrifice for his sins would lay his hand on the head of the animal. (Lev. 1:4). The laying of hands was a way of identifying himself with the animal, taking his place for atonement. By the time Christ came, there was a heavy burden of guilt and sins on the children of Israel from their fathers before them. Many times in the Bible, the punishment for sins was carried out over a man’s children and grandchildren. The sacrifices made under the law were not the perfect sacrifice God desired, so it could never remove sin, only push it forward.
The Holy of Holies
The Old Testament sanctuary was divinely designed, with God giving explicit details for every room. The most sacred room of the tabernacle was called the Holy of Holies (or The Holiest), where the ark of the covenant remained. Only the high priest could enter this room because it contained the very presence of God. There was a thick curtain made of blue, purple, and scarlet, reported by historians to be so thick that it couldn’t be pulled apart by two horses going in opposite directions! The Bible also calls it a shielding curtain, because it protected the guilty from the presence of God. Once a year, the high priest would make a sacrifice for himself and all the people for sin. This is another symbol of what Christ would do as our high priest under the New Covenant.
…Christ is the Image.
Hebrews 10:14 NIV
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
The Acceptable Sacrifice
Jesus Christ is the reality of everything the law represented in the Old Testament. He is our perfect high priest, making atonement for the sins of the whole world. The blood of the Perfect Man was the only acceptable sacrifice. The sacrifices of animals served their purpose until the perfect sacrifice came (Heb. 9:28). The law served its purpose, too, as a schoolmaster for the lawless and disobedient. However, just as animal sacrifices could not make the people perfect, neither can the law. The Lord of heaven and earth made an appointed time to set up a new priesthood and a second covenant.
Hebrews 8:7-8 NIV
For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.
But God found fault with the people and said: “The days are coming… when I will make a new covenant…
The Fault of the Law
Hebrews 7:18 NIV
The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless
“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul” is what David wrote in Ps. 7:19. Indeed, the law of God is holy, righteous, good, and spiritual (Rom. 7:12, 14). The law is a reflection of the character of God (Rom. 13:8-10, 1 John 4:8). The fault of the law lies with us — we are imperfect, fallen beings trying to uphold holy, righteous commands without failing once. As Scripture says, if you fail in one point of the law, you are guilty of all (Jam. 2:10) and under a curse (Gal. 3:10). No person has ever kept the law perfectly. Romans 3:19 says that every mouth is silenced and the whole world is guilty before God. The fault of the law is the imperfect people attempting to fulfill it.
Read more about the penalty of the law here
Romans 3:20 NIV
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
Grace is a Better Covenant
John 1:17 NIV
For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
The grace of God brought in all the good things the law foretold in shadows. The Bible tells us that the old tabernacle and the law of Moses were necessary copies of what was to come in the New Testament (Heb. 9:23). Paul reminds us in Rom. 6:14 that we are no longer under the law; now we are under the covenant of grace. One main theme in Hebrews is “better”; everything of the new covenant is better than the old, able to save and perfect the saints. (Heb. 9:15). Under the law, sins were brought up continually (Heb. 10:3), but under grace our sins are remembered no more (Heb. 10:17). The day Christ died on the cross the veil that separated the presence of God was torn apart, from top to bottom (Matt. 27:50-51).
Romans 5:17b NLT
…even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
In the history of man, we have two covenants with God. The first covenant came through Moses and lasted until Jesus came with a better, everlasting covenant. We are born again under the new covenant of grace, but we can place ourselves back under the old covenant of the law. If we are relying on self-righteousness or anything other than faith in Jesus Christ for salvation, we are going back to the old ways of the first covenant. Remember, the presence of God was closed off under the old covenant. Christ fulfilled the whole law for us, so we can learn to live through Him. We must learn to walk in the Spirit and live by faith to receive the good things of the new covenant of grace.
Romans 3:28,31 NLT
So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law… if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
Leave a Reply