If I had a dollar for every time I have heard “the law was nailed to the cross and is no longer important” I would be, well not a rich man, but I would have enough to put a few gallons of gas into my car. In chapter 10 Luke tells us about an expert in the law discoursing with Jesus. Together they agreed on a summation of the law. The Ten Commandments were reduced to two principles. Actually just one principle focused on what most philosophers agree is the only principle in the universe – Love. Because Jesus died on the cross did love become unimportant? Quite to the contrary, His death was the greatest demonstration ever that love is all important.
God is love. The commandments are a description of His character. Love God with all your heart and love others as we love ourselves. Are the nay-sayers serious or perhaps they have not understood what the law is? They are making reference to Galatians 3 and Colossians 2 where Paul speaks of our debt to the law being cancelled by the cross. Our debt to the law was incurred because of our transgressions. Jesus “forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”
The law as a means of salvation is impotent. Perhaps I should say we were the impotent ones in the face of the law. Its purpose was not to save but to awaken us to the reality of our need to be rescued. And rescued we have been. God made us alive with Christ. Now we want to be like our rescuer. The law ceases to be an external code but has become an internal standard of our Savior’s character.
Written by Roger Bothwell on December 2, 2013
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org