Law of Christ

 

(Written by Steven R. Cook)

The Law of Moses was the covenant God gave to Israel through Moses at Sinai. It included commandments, statutes, and ordinances that governed Israel’s worship, civil life, and moral conduct. Scripture identifies it as a distinct covenant given to a particular nation. Moses wrote, “The LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you might perform them in the land where you are going over to possess it” (Deut. 4:14). The Law revealed God’s righteousness and exposed human sin, for “through the Law comes the knowledge of sin” (Rom. 3:20). However, it was never designed as a permanent rule of life for the Church. With the coming of Christ, the Mosaic covenant reached its fulfillment. Paul states, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom. 10:4), and believers are described as those who have “died to the Law through the body of Christ” (Rom. 7:4).

In contrast, the Christian now lives under the Law of Christ. Paul writes, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). This refers to the body of instruction given by the Lord and His apostles that governs the life of the believer in the present age. The Law of Christ centers on love, grace, and Spirit-directed obedience. Jesus declared, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you” (John 13:34). The believer is therefore guided not by the Sinai code but by the teachings of Christ and the apostolic instruction that explains His work and its implications for the Church.

Fruchtenbaum states, “The Law of Moses has been disannulled, and believers are now under a new law. This new law is called the law of Messiah in Galatians 6:2 and the law of the Spirit of life in Romans 8:2. This is a brand-new law, totally separate from the Law of Moses. The Law of the Messiah contains all the individual commandments from the Messiah and the apostles that are applicable to a New Testament believer. The details on this period will be discussed under the New Covenant.” (A. G. Fruchtenbaum, The Word of God: Its Nature and Content, p. 104).

The primary body of instruction for believers begins in the upper room discourse recorded in the Gospel of John. Starting in John 13, the Lord prepares His disciples for the coming Church age. He teaches about the new commandment of love (John 13:34–35), union with Him as the vine and branches (John 15:1–5), the coming ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16–17; 16:13), and the believer’s relationship to the world. These chapters function as transitional teaching in which Christ anticipates the spiritual realities that would define the Church.

The doctrinal explanation of the Christian life is then developed in the apostolic epistles, beginning with Romans and extending through Revelation 3. In these writings the apostles explain salvation by faith (Rom. 3:28; 5:1), the believer’s union with Christ (Rom. 6:3–5), life by the Spirit (Rom. 8:1–11), spiritual growth (1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18), and the calling of the Church. The book of Acts provides the historical record of how the gospel spread and how churches were established, but its narratives are descriptive rather than the primary source of doctrine for Christian living.

Therefore, the believer today lives under the Law of Christ, drawing instruction from the Lord’s teaching beginning in the later Gospel material and especially from the apostolic instruction. This body of revelation provides the doctrinal framework for the Church and the practical guidance for the Christian life.