The doctrine of the Mosaic
law
1. The Mosaic law is
divided into three parts: the moral code Codex #1 which has the
commandments related to the laws of establishment like in Exodus chapter 20
and Deuteronomy chapter five. This part of the Mosaic law is pertinent today
under the laws of divine establishment; Codex #2 is the spiritual code, known
in the scripture [KJV] as the ordinances. It is a complete Christology designed
to present the Lord Jesus Christ as the only saviour and the God of Israel. It
includes everything from the structure of the tabernacle, the holy days, the
Levitical offerings, and the modus operandi of the Levitical priesthood; Codex
#3 is known in the KJV as the judgements. It
presents divine laws of establishment designed to provide freedom and privacy
for Israel. It was designed to protect their property, their rights, their
privileges. It included the functions of the divine institutions, many
practical and wonderful things such as diet, sanitation, quarantine, soil
conservation, taxation, universal military training, and many other things.
2. It is very
important to understand the recipients of the Mosaic law. They can be divided
into three very simple points. a) It was given to Israel Exodus 19:3;
Leviticus 26:46; Romans 3:19; 9:4; b) It was not given to the Gentiles
Deuteronomy 4:8; Romans 2:12-14; c) Christians Church Age believers are not
under the law. It was not given to the Church. It is not an authorising agent
for any part of the royal priesthood Acts 15:5, 24; Romans 6:14; Galatians
2:19.
3. The Lord Jesus
Christ fulfilled the law Matthew 5:17. He fulfilled specifically, Codex #2,
by His ministry on the cross. In effect, He actually fulfilled Codex #1 by His impeccability.
It can even be said that He fulfilled certain stages of Codex #3 in the field
of patriotism and the laws of establishment Matthew 22:21. But the principle
concept is that the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the law by His sacrifice on the
cross.
4. Therefore, Christ
is the end of the law for the royal family, for Church Age believers, for the
royal priesthood Romans 10:4. And in effect there is a conflict between the
royal priesthood of the believer and the former Levitical priesthood. The conflict
is resolved by the annulment, the abrogation of the law. The law is not in
function today.
5. Believers of the
Church Age, members of the royal family, are under a higher law. The indwelling
of the Holy Spirit is the badge of royalty. The filling of the Holy Spirit is
the fulfilment of the higher law, the superseding law, the law which nullifies
the Mosaic law Romans 8:2-4; Galatians 5:18, 22, 23; 1 Corinthians chapter
13.
6. The limitations of
the Mosaic law. a) It cannot justify. The law was never designed to be an agent
of justification Galatians 2:16; Romans 3:20, 28; Acts 13:39; Philippians
3:9. b) It cannot provide life, it cannot perpetuate anything. Everything
related to the law died and disappeared like the Levitical priesthood. The
Mosaic law could not perpetuate the Levitical priesthood forever. So it cannot
give life Galatians 3:21. c) It cannot provide God the Holy Spirit
Galatians 3:2. God the Holy Spirit is provided indwelling only members of
the royal family as the sign of royalty. d) It cannot solve the problem of the
old sin nature Romans 8:3.
7. The present purpose
of the Mosaic law. Under Codex #1 we have a definition of freedom through the
laws of divine establishment. Codex #1 is also designed to convince by divine
standard that the unbeliever is a sinner and needs a saviour Romans 3:20, 28;
1 Timothy 1:8-10. Codex #2 is designed to communicate the Gospel by
illustration, by analogy. Codex #3 provides for the national function of
freedom under the laws of divine establishment: freedom through military victory,
prosperity through free enterprise. This is in contrast to our passage where
the past purpose of the Mosaic law was for an authorising agent for the
Levitical priesthood. We saw that in Hebrews 7:11,12. 8. The Mosaic law is
known by other nomenclature. For example, it is called the book of the covenant
Exodus 24:7,8; 34:27,28; Deuteronomy 4:13-16, 23; 8:18; 9:9,11,15. There is
an addendum to the Mosaic law in Deuteronomy 29. The prophecy of the breaking
of the covenant is found in Deuteronomy 31, and also Jeremiah 22:9. The book of
the covenant is the subject of Jeremiah chapter 11 but is not to be confused
with the new covenant of Jeremiah 31.
9. Keeping the law was
never a way of salvation, it was the way of human freedom and human prosperity
under establishment. It was designed to provide the best possible conditions
for the writing of the Old Testament canon, and it did that perfectly. There is
constant reference throughout the Old Testament to the Mosaic law.
The doctrine of the Mosaic covenant
1. The Mosaic covenant is divided
into three categories.
The first part called the ten
commandments is the freedom code. They do not describe morality, the describe
freedom. The fact that morality is mentioned is simply to prove the fact that
freedom is based upon establishment. Establishment functions on morality. You
dont have many sins mentioned, only those where freedom is violated. These
commandments form the heritage of freedom for the Jewish nation. Human freedom
is described in terms of establishment, it is described in terms of morality,
the basis for human freedom and privacy.
The second part of the Mosaic law
called the ordinances is the spiritual or the theological code. This is the
spiritual heritage of Israel recognising that this nation as well as this race
was born from regeneration. When the race was born Abraham was born again,
Isaac was born again, Jacob was born again. The nation was born from Moses,
Moses was born again, and the Passover commemorates the fact that those
liberated, 20 and over, were also born again or they died. So we have a great
spiritual heritage in codex #2. This heritage includes primarily doctrines of soteriology
and Christology. It emphasises the fact that believers are designed to function
under both the laws of divine establishment as well as doctrine resident in the
soul. It includes such subjects as the tabernacle, the holy days, Levitical
offerings, modus operandi of the Levitical priesthood, and many other factors
connected to the spiritual life.
The third category under the Mosaic
law, called the judgements in the KJV, is really the establishment code. It is
perhaps the most understood of all and the one that is often distorted into
some brand of legalism. It was definitely misunderstood in the days when Paul
wrote to Timothy. It includes political as well as the functional heritage of
the nation Israel. It covers many subjects: freedom, privacy, marriage,
divorce, military service, taxation (tithing), diet, health, sanitation,
quarantine, criminal law. And it delineates free enterprise as the only basis
for national prosperity.
2. The recipients of the law was the
nation Israel Exodus 19:3; Leviticus 26:46; Romans 3:19; 9:4. It was
definitely not given to the Gentiles Deuteronomy 4:8; Roman 2:12-14. It was,
furthermore, not given to the Church Acts 15:5,24; Romans 6:14; Galatians
2:19.
3. Jesus Christ and the law. Jesus
Christ kept the law perfectly during the period of His incarnation. This is a
part of the doctrine of impeccability, it is also a part of His patriotism.
Christ condemned the legalistic distortions of the law and the Pharisees who
sponsored them. Christ fulfilled the law Matthew 5:17, and Christ is the end
of the law for believers Romans 10:4.
4. Keeping the law is not a way of
salvation, never was and never will be Galatians 2:16. While the Mosaic law
reveals the way of salvation it is not the means of being saved. The Mosaic law
teaches the gospel but is not the way of appropriating the gospel. It is the
way of human freedom, the way of human blessing and prosperity under
establishment, but it is not the way of salvation.
5. Keeping the law is also not
spirituality. Believers in the Church Age and/or the royal family of God are
under the higher law of spirituality related to God the Holy Spirit, related to
the function of GAP Romans 8:2-4; Galatians 5:18,22,23; 1 Corinthians 13.
6. Therefore the Mosaic law is
limited as far as this dispensation is concerned. We are in the intercalated
dispensation and therefore its limitation:
a) It cannot justify
Galatians 2:16; Romans 3:20,28; Acts 13:39; Philippians 3:9.
b) It cannot give life
Galatians 3:21.
c) It cannot provide the
Holy Spirit Galatians 3:2.
d) It cannot solve the
problem of the old sin nature Romans 8:4.
7. Other nomenclature for the Mosaic
law. It is called the book of the covenant in Exodus 24:7,8; 34:27,28; Deuteronomy
4:13-16, 23, 31; 8:18; 9:9, 11, 15. In other words, throughout the Old
testament in the Pentateuch you are going to stumble over the phrase this book
of the covenant. This is a specific reference to the Mosaic covenant. The
addendum to the Mosaic law found in Deuteronomy 29-32 is definitely a part of
the Mosaic law. Prophecies of breaking the covenant are found in Deuteronomy
31:16, 20; Jeremiah 22:9. The book of the covenant is the subject of Jeremiah
11 but is not to be confused with the new covenant to Israel in Jeremiah 31:31ff.
8. The past purpose of the Mosaic
law in the Age of Israel.
The Mosaic law was the authorising agent for
a specialised priesthood the Levitical priesthood Hebrews 7:11,12. It authorised
the tabernacle as a sacred building and training aid for teaching doctrine
Hebrews 9:1-6. The law authorised Levitical sacrifices Hebrews 9:12,13. It authorised
the blood of animals as a dedication of shadows Hebrews 9:18-22 cf. 10:1, and
it established the pattern for blessing and prosperity in the nation for
believer and unbeliever under the laws of divine establishment.
9. The present purpose of the Mosaic
law in the Church Age. It is written for our instruction Romans 15:4. Our
confidence in certain areas, like free enterprise. It was written for our
example 1 Corinthians 10:11,12. It also has another purpose, to convince by
divine standards that the unbeliever is a sinner and needs a saviour. In other
words, it is a prelude to gospel presentation Romans 3:20,28; Galatians 2:16.
So the Mosaic law and its principles
form the pattern of policy for all good national government.