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The concept of “the Law of God” runs throughout Scripture. God is the Lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22). Yet, few subjects generate more confusion and tension among Christians—not only in contemporary times, but even from the time of the apostles.
Two extreme errors dominate Christian thinking regarding the law. One is legalism. Some treat the Mosaic law as a continuous, governing code for Christians. These ones do not altogether deny grace; rather, they add law to grace. They treat the New Covenant as the Old Covenant upgraded, rather than its fulfillment and replacement.
The other is antinomianism, where some, taking the liberty of grace to an extreme, reject moral responsibility altogether. They interpret the New Testament teaching that believers are not under the law as a license for lascivious living. Paul confronts this error in Romans 6. He writes in verse 15:
“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!”
Both extremes fail to understand the law within its redemptive-historical context. The law is holy, just, and good (Romans 7:12), yet it was never intended to be the ultimate basis of humanity’s relationship with God.
To understand the law of God in redemptive history, we must trace its development from creation to its fulfillment in Christ. This understanding is essential for both doctrinal balance and sound Christian living.
Recommended: The Conversation That Never Ended: The Epistles As The Continuing Voice Of Christ
Clarifying the Term “Law”
The term “law” is used in a variety of ways in Scripture. Depending on the context, it may refer to:
- The Mosaic covenantal code.
- The Pentateuch (Genesis to Deuteronomy).
- A governing principle (e.g., “the law of sin”).
- The moral will of God.
- The entire Old Testament.
Not distinguishing these usages leads to doctrinal confusion. In this article, however, “law” is used specifically for the Mosaic covenantal code delivered at Sinai.
The Law of God in Redemptive History
The Mosaic law was not God’s original framework for relationship with humanity; faith was. Law was not present from the beginning; it entered history at a specific moment—at Sinai. From Adam to Moses—a span of over two thousand years, God related to humans on the basis of faith.
In Eden
In Eden, the basis for God’s dealings with Adam was faith. Though “faith” is not explicitly mentioned, yet the concept is clearly present. God gave Adam not an extensive legal code, but a single command:
“Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat” (Genesis 2:16–17).
At its core, this command functioned as a test of faith: would man trust God enough to remain within the boundaries He established?
Adam’s failure was ultimately a failure of trust. The serpent distorted his perception of God—from a good Creator to a self-serving one—and thus undermined his trust in God. Man ate the fruit to become what he was misled into believing that God was keeping away from him.
Therefore, from the beginning of creation, God has shown that His desired basis for relationship with humanity is faith: trust in His character, submission to His will, and dependence upon Him.
The Patriarchal Era
Hebrews 11 reveals faith as the basis of the patriarchs’ relationship with God—from Abel (v.4) to Enoch (v.5), from Noah (v.7) to Moses (v24.. All of these patriarchs lived prior to Sinai—before the codified law was given.
Yet in no patriarch is God’s intention more clearly demonstrated than in Abraham. Though he lived centuries before Sinai, still Scripture declared that he was reckoned to be righteous because he believed God.
Genesis 15:6 says
“And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”
God made Abraham the prototype of righteousness apart from the law. He was justified simply by faith. God further made the promise of righteousness by faith to all humanity through one of his seeds, who is Christ (Galatians 3:16).
Apostle Paul would later build his entire doctrine of justification on this very foundation of God’s demonstration through Abraham (Romans 4:2–3).
In this way, faith preceded the law of God in redemptive history. In fact, Paul explicitly stated in Galatians 3:17 that the law came 430 years after God had given a foretaste and promise of righteousness by faith through Abraham, and that what came later cannot annul the promise.
The theological implication is clear: the law was not foundational to humanity’s relationship with God, nor was it God’s original means of righteousness—faith was. Even during the height of the law, God continued, through the prophets, to emphasize faith.
Habakkuk 2:4:
“…the just shall live by his faith.”
This verse exposes an erroneous assumption that faith is a New Testament idea. Faith is an eternal principle of God. From the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, God’s righteous people live by faith. Significantly, this passage is referenced three times in the New Testament—Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, and Hebrews 10:38.
Therefore, we can summarized this trajectory of the law of God in redemptive history under four crucial truths:
- The promise came first.
- The law came later.
- The law did not replace the promise.
- The law was never ultimate.
Sinai: The Birthplace Of The Law Of God
The Law of God—the codified law—formally came into existence at Sinai (Exodus 19–20). After their deliverance from Egypt, God brought Abraham’s descendants to Sinai to establish a covenant relationship with them. A significant part of that event was the giving of the law through Moses.
A few key observations must be made. First, the law was given after the redemption from Egypt. Thus, the law did not initiate the relationship; it regulated an already redeemed people.
Second, the codified law was national, not universal. This distinction is crucial, lest non-Jews put upon themselves yokes never intended for them. At Sinai, God did not address other nations; He addressed Israel.
The Law of God, also called the Law of Moses, was given specifically as the governing structure of Israel’s covenant relationship with God. The psalmist affirms this in Psalm 147:19–20.
The Mosaic covenantal code was therefore national and specific (Deuteronomy 5:2–3). God chose Israel to:
1. Preserve His revelation.
2. Prepare the way for the Messiah.
The Mosaic law distinguished Israel from surrounding nations (Leviticus 18:3), functioning as guardrails to preserve her from corruption and maintain her covenant identity. Without such guardrails, Israel would have assimilated into idolatrous cultures and forfeited her role in redemptive history.
The Mosaic law also functioned as a covenant identity marker, distinguishing Israel through:
- Dietary laws.
- Circumcision.
- Sabbath observance.
- Temple worship.
- Ritual purity regulations.
These were not universal moral standards, but boundary markers separating Israel from the nations. In Ephesians 2:14–15, Paul describes this as a “middle wall of separation” between Jews and non-Jews—a barrier removed under the New Covenant.
Importantly, Israel’s calling was never isolation but mission (Genesis 12:3). The law preserved her uniqueness so that, through her, nations could learn of the true God could spread, the Messiah would come, and faith would extend to all nations.
Third, the Mosaic law was a later addition, not foundational. Paul stated this explicitly in Galatians 3. Three crucial truths emerge from verses 19:
1. The Mosaic law was not original, but supplemental.
2. The Mosaic law addressed sin, not righteousness. It defines sin (Romans 3:20), multiplies transgression (Romans 5:20), exposes human weakness (Romans 8:3), and points to Christ (Galatians 3:24).
3.The Mosaic law was temporary. It was never intended to be permanent. Its duration was tied to the coming of Christ.
The Classifications of the Old Covenant Law
The law of the Old Covenant is commonly divided into three categories:
1. The Moral Law: Commandments reflecting God’s holy character and moral standards. This category is summarized in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17).
2. The Ceremonial Law: Regulations governing worship, sacrifices, priesthood, and ritual purity. These were typological, foreshadowing Christ (Hebrews 10:1; Colossians 2:16–17).
3. The Civil (Judicial) Law: Commandments governing Israel’s national and social life as a theocratic state.
These distinctions only serves clarity purposes. Scripture presents the Law of God in the Old Testament as a unified system (Galatians 5:3; James 2:10). It could not be selectively applied.
The Mosaic Law: A Yoke Impossible to Bear
One of the most decisive statements about the Law came not from Paul, but from Apostle Peter,. As Gentiles got saved through Paul’s campaigns, a tension arose as to whether Gentile converts should submit to the requirements of the Law of Moses, or not.
From Antioch, a delegation was sent to Jerusalem under Paul, to discuss the matter with the elders of the church. At the Council (Acts 15), after much debate, Peter spoke decisively:
“Why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (Acts 15:10)
Peter, a Jew, who had lived under the law, described the law as a a yoke which neither their fathers nor they were able to bear. Because:
1. The terms of the law of Moses were impossible for sinful humans to meet.
2. The law of Moses commanded righteousness without imparting power for obedience.
3. The law of Moses demanded perfect obedience.
4. Sacrifices for sin under the law of Moses were nonstop, because they could not cleanse the sinner one-for-all.
The people under the Old Covenant had been wearied by the law of Moses. But there was no other alternative. It was against this background that Jesus’s invitation in Matthew 11:28 went forth:
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
The context of “labor” and “heavy load” is the requirements spelled out in the law of Moses.
Apostle Peter concluded that all humans, even Jews, are saved, not by what came at Sinai, but by what comes through Jesus Christ—faith (Acts 15:11).
The Insufficiency of the Law to Save
The Law of Moses, though holy, just, and good (Romans 7:12), yet cannot save. Its purpose was preparatory, not redemptive.
1. It is diagnostic, not curative (Romans 3:20). It diagnoses sin, renders humans accountable, and punishes sinners, but it cannot transform.
2. It is made ineffective by human weakness (Romans 8:3). Fallen humanity, because of its inherent sinfulness, cannot meet the law’s requirements.
3. The Mosaic Law, by divine design, was never intended to save. Its purpose was to lead humanity to dependence on God’s grace revealed through Christ Jesus.
The law was glorious (2 Corinthians 3:7), but it was not God’s original plan for relationship with humanity. The Old Covenant was preparatory, not ultimate.
The Actualization of Faith in the New Covenant
God began to speak of a New Covenant, which would grant access to Him to all humans by faith, from the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:31–33). This New Covenant was inaugurated through the blood of Christ (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:7–13).
One of the striking features of the New Covenant is the institution of faith. Galatians 3:23-25 states this explicitly:
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed… 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
This means that faith is now the basis for righteousness (Romans 10:4). Righteousness is now gifted through faith. What God intended before time, and had demonstrated first with Abraham, He is now fulfilling through Christ (Romans 3:21-22).
And, this faith is enabled by the Holy Spirit in men’s hearts (1 Corinthians 12:3).
The Believer And The Law Of God
The New Testament affirms that believers are not under the Law of Moses as a governing principle. In Christ, the legal code of the Old Covenant reached both its its terminus and its intended goal—to lead to Christ (Romans 10:4).
This truth applies only to believers. The law is still active for the unrighteous—those who are yet unsaved (1 Timothy 1:8–10).
The New Testament affirms that believers are not under the Mosaic law (Romans 6:14; Galatians 3:25; Galatians 5:18). One of the contending that believers must do, therefore, is to stand firmly in this liberty (Galatians 5:1).
The entire system of the Old Covenant is a mere shadow of the reality yet to come. Christ Himself is the reality (Colossians 2:17). The purpose of the Mosaic law is fulfilled in Christ. Thus, it is no longer binding as a covenantal framework for believers.
The Law of God in the New Covenant
Some think that the concepts of grace and liberty imply that believers are lawless. That is incorrect. While we are not under the Mosaic law, Scripture reveals that there is a law that governs Christian life—the law of Christ.
Apostle Paul says in Galatians 6:2:
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
The law of Christ is not a codified law engraved on stone tablets like the Mosaic law; it’s an internalized law (Hebrews 8:10; 2 Corinthians 3:3).
The law of Christ is relational and ethical, grounded in love (John 13:34–35). In the New Covenant, love is the ethical principle underlying Christian living. In it, the entire Mosaic law is summed up and fulfilled (Romans 13:8–10).
Christ collapsed the entire law of the Old Covenant into just one law: the law of love—love for God and love for people (Matthew 22:35–40).
Additionally, the law of Christ is a law enabled by God’s Spirit who dwells within the believer. He cultivates love within our hearts and energizes us to live it out (Romans 5:5). In the New Covenant, obedience is not external compliance but Spirit-empowered living.
The New Covenant life is a life of both freedom and responsibility. Being freed from the Law of Moses does not eliminate responsibility. Believers have a responsibility to righteousness (Romans 8:12).
Finally, the law of Christ replaces legalism as the covenantal standard. The law of love guides moral living without legalistic bondage. It grounds morality in joyful delight.
Conclusion: From Sinai to the Spirit
From creation to Christ, faith has always been God’s design for relationship with humanity. The Mosaic Law was never the intended basis for that relationship. It was temporary and preparatory— added to expose sin, restrain evil, and ultimately lead to Christ.
At Sinai, the law was given to Israel—not for redemption, but as a regulatory framework for covenant life. It distinguished Israel among nations, preserved divine revelation, and maintained a people through whom the Messiah would come.
Yet, even at its height, the Mosaic law pointed beyond itself: its sacrifices foreshadowed Christ’s sacrifice, its priesthood anticipated Christ’s priesthood, and its righteousness revealed a standard unattainable for humanity by its own strength.
With the coming of Christ, the Mosaic law reached its goal and terminus. What the law could not accomplish, God accomplished through Christ. In Him, shadow give way to substance, and the temporary yields to the eternal.
In the New Covenant, the basis for relationship with God is no longer the Mosaic law, but faith in Christ. This is not a novel idea. It is the full realization of what God intended from the beginning and progressively revealed throughout redemptive history. The Abrahamic promise has now found its fulfillment. Righteousness is granted by faith.
This shift does not lead to lawlessness, but to a higher form of obedience. The believer is not lawless. We are under the Law of Christ—an internalized law, animated by love, and enabled by the Spirit.
What the Mosaic law demanded externally, God’s Spirit now produces internally. Obedience is no longer driven by fear of punishment, but by the transforming power of grace and the indwelling presence of God.
The Christian life must be lived in the light of this shift. We must reject legalism, which is a return to a system that has fulfilled its purpose. We must reject antinomianism, which misrepresents grace and undermines the Spirit’s transforming work. We stand in a new reality—freed from the Mosaic law, yet bound to the law of Christ.
To return to Sinai is to misunderstand the movement of redemptive history. To ignore the moral responsibility of grace is to distort the gospel. The proper posture is neither bondage nor license, but Spirit-empowered righteous living.
Ultimately, the story of the Mosaic law is not one of failure, but of fulfillment. It served its purpose faithfully, leading to Christ in whom all of God’s promises are fulfilled. In Christ, the believer finds the end of the law, and the beginning of true life with God—grounded in faith, sustained by grace, and expressed through love.
Further Resources:
- GotQuestions.org—What Was the Purpose of the Mosaic Law?
- Desiring God—Why Then the Law?
- Ligonier Ministries—The Threefold Use of the Law
