The Ten Commandments and the Mosaic Law 
Are God's Law and Moses' Law the same?
The answer is No: They are not the same. The following notes and Scripture verses will explain the differences.
Moses' law was the temporary, ceremonial law of the Old Testament. It regulated the priesthood, sacrifices, rituals, meat and drink offerings, etc. all of which foreshadowed the cross. This law was added "till the seed should come," and that seed was Christ. Galatians 3:16,19 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds as of many; but as of one, AND TO THY SEED, which is Christ. 19: Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Since the law can neither save, verses 10-14, nor can it annul the Abrahamic covenant, verses 15-18, what purpose did it serve? It was added (alongside the covenant) because of transgressions, that is, to reveal the hideous character of man's sin. Transgression was subsequent, not prior to, the law. The law laid down the divine standard, and when man overstepped it, he became guilty of transgression. The inferiority of the law to the Abrahamic covenant is seen in three ways. 1) The law "was added" after the covenant and thus was subordinate to it. 2) The law was temporary, being in effect only till the seed (Jesus) should come. 3) Unlike the covenant God gave directly to Abraham, the law was ordained (handed down) indirectly by God through angels to its mediator, Moses. ( Acts
Galatians
The many differences between law and covenant (promises) might seem to imply that the two are opposed to one another. This is not the case. Assuming for the moment that righteousness (salvation) could come by meritorious works, then law and promise would be in competition. But as it is, they are complementary.
The ritual and ceremony of Moses' law pointed forward to Christ's sacrifice. When He died, the law came to an end, but the Ten Commandments (God's law) "stand fast for ever and ever." Psalm 111:8 They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.
That there are two laws is made crystal clear in Daniel
Special Note: God's law has existed at least as long as sin has existed. The Bible says, Romans
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MOSES' LAW |
GOD'S LAW |
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Called "the law of Moses" (Luke 2:22) |
Called "the law of the Lord" (Isaiah 5:24) |
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Called "law... contained in ordinances" (Ephesians 2:15) |
Called "the royal law" (James 2:8) |
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Written by Moses in a book, (or on paper) (2 Chronicles 35:12) |
Written by God on stone (Exodus 31:18; 31:16) |
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Placed in the side of the ark ( Deuteronomy 31:26) |
Placed inside the ark (Exodus 40:20) |
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Ended at the cross (Ephesians 2:15) |
Will stand forever (Luke 16:17) |
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Added because of sin (Galatians 3:19) |
Points out sin (Romans 7:7; 3:20) |
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Contrary to us, against us (Colossians 2:14) |
Not grievous (1 John 5:3) |
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Judges no one (Colossians 2:14-16) |
Judges all people (James 2:10-12) |
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Carnal (Hebrews 7:16) |
Spiritual (Romans 7:14) |
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Made nothing perfect (Hebrews 7:19) |
Perfect (Psalms 19:7) |
Don't Colossians 2:14-17 and Ephesians 2:15 teach that God's law ended at the Cross?
The answer is No: These passages both refer to the law containing "ordinances," or Moses' law, which was a ceremonial law governing the sacrificial system and the priesthood. All of this ceremony and ritual foreshadowed the cross and ended at Christ's death, as God had intended. Moses' law was added till the "seed should come," and that seed... is Christ." Galatians 3:16,19. God's law could not be involved here, for Paul spoke of it as holy, just, and good many years after the cross. Romans 7:7,12.What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law for I had not known lust, except the law had said, THOU SHALT NOT COVET.
Is the law sin? It might be concluded that the law is sinful. Because of what the law does, it appears to be the culprit. Paul shows that the law is not sinful, and examines its precise relation to sin in order to dismiss this suggestion. Paul answers his question by giving a direct denial, God forbid ( Greek, may it never happen, don't even think that way) and by giving positive instruction. The law reveals the fact of sin, for I had not known sin, but by the law. Sin is unknowable without some law. The law also reveals the power of sin.
Remember the ceremonial or Mosaic law was written on paper which is temporary, God's law or the Ten Commandments was written in stone, permanent, for ever. What was nailed to the cross was the sacrificial system, with Christ being the ultimate sacrifice, the former was no longer needed. Sin was
nailed to the cross, Christ took our sin upon Himself and that is what was nailed to the cross. Christ came and fulfilled the law and gave us a New Covenant.
If the Mosaic law was to be followed today, then way was it not placed IN the ark but it was placed on the SIDE of the ark. Only the Stone Tablets of God's Ten Commandments were placed IN the ark.
Christian Character and Spiritual Living
Christ on the Law
Matthew 5:17-20
17: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
( Having laid the foundation of the message in the summary statements of the Beatitudes, Jesus now proceeds to show the superiority of His message to that of the law of Moses. He makes it clear that He had not... come to destroy the law. That is, the New Testament gospel is not contradictory to the Old Testament Law; rather it is the ultimate fulfillment of the spiritual intention of the law. Where the law had degenerated into legalism among the Pharisees, Jesus now takes the law beyond mere outward observance to the inner spiritual intention of God.)
18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
( Verily I say is a unique form used by Jesus throughout His preaching to draw attention to the authority of His message. Verily (Greek amen) means "truly" or "certainly." It is used as a designation of authoritative teaching. One jot or one tittle refers to the most minute letter and marks of the Hebrew alphabet. he explained that even the smallest statement in the law must be fulfilled. A "jot" (yodh) is the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It functions as a Y in English and looks similar to an apostrophe. A "tittle" is a small projection on the edge of certain Hebrew letters to distinguish them from one another.)
19: Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
( Because of the seriousness of the law, Jesus emphasizes the importance of keeping even its smallest details. However, in the ultimate plan of God, the law was not to become an extra burden on the souls of men. Rather than pointing the way to salvation, the law convinced men of the need of the Savior. Therefore, whoever shall teach men so but shall not live what he teaches, he shall be made least in the kingdom of heaven. But whosoever shall do and teach the principles and precepts of the law shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. This simply means that God will reward the faithfulness and effectiveness of our lives, and there will be varying degrees of blessing and reward in the kingdom.)
20: For I say unto you. That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
( Because of the necessity of righteousness as a requirement to enter heaven, Jesus then declares that except their righteousness should exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees they could not enter heaven. The significance of this is seen in the fact that the Jews of Jesus' day considered these people to be the most religious in all Israel. However, their religion was largely an outward show of self-righteousness. In communicating the depth of His message, Jesus used a series of contrasts between the outward behavior demanded by the law and the inner attitude of the heart desired by God. Here we discover the practical application of genuine Christian character to true spiritual living. Here we see the gospel in action:
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Law |
Spirit |
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No murder |
No anger |
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No adultery |
No lust |
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No divorce |
Commitment |
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No oath-taking |
Speak the truth |
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No retaliation |
Forgiveness |
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Hatred for your enemy |
Love for your enemy |
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(tradition allowed it) |
(commanded) |
Jesus and anger
Matthew 5:21-26
21: Ye have heard that is was said by them of old time, THOU SHALT NOT KILL; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.
22:But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother Rica, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
(Christ begins this series of contrasts by quoting the statement of the law, Thou shalt not kill (Exodus 20:13). The reference to killing is clearly understood in its context in both the Old and New Testaments as referring to an act of murder. Jesus goes beyond this outward demand of the law by stating that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause is in just as great danger of judgment as a murderer, for anger is the emotion and inner intention that leads to murder. The term raca (meaning "vain fellow" or "empty head") was a Hebrew or Aramaic expression of contempt (2 Samuel 6:20). The council is a reference to the Jewish religious council called the Sanhedrin. Thou fool (Greek moros) means "stupid". The English word moron comes from this term. Those using such a malicious expression would be in danger of hell fire. The idea seems to be that if one makes light of his fellowman, he will be in danger of slander. But if one makes bitter, damning statements with reference to hell toward his fellowman, he shall actually be in danger of hell himself. The term hell is Gehenna. It refers to the valley of Hinnom at Jerusalem, where fires provided a powerful and graphic picture of the ultimate destruction of hell and the lake of fire.( 2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 7:31) To reiterate, Gehenna was the ancient valley of Hinnom outside of Jerusalem, the site of human sacrifices during the dark ages of Israel's history, and a refuse dump at the time when Jesus spoke. The fires of Gehenna continually burn because of the refuse, and thus this stirs images of hell in the minds of the Jews.)
23: Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remember that thy brother hath aught against thee;
24: Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
(Having made a comparison between the command not to murder and the inner motive and heart intention of hatred, Jesus then illustrates the seriousness of this matter by referring to one who would attempt to buy off his conscience by giving something to God without clearing his conscience in regard to his offended brother. He reminded His listeners that, if thou bring thy gift to the altar without reconciling with the offended party, God will not receive the intended gift. Bringing a gift to the altar refers to bringing it to the temple in order that it may be consecrated. To be reconciled means to be brought back into fellowship or favor with an offended party.)
25: Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26: Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
( The Savior then went on to say that even if thine adversary (an opponent at law) disagrees with you, it is to your advantage to be reconciled to him. Jesus exhortation here is to urge us to go out of our way to avoid legal conflicts before human judges (see Matthew
Jesus' teaching on adultery
Matthew 5:27-32
27: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.
28: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
( Thou shalt not commit adultery was the demand of the Old Testament Law (Exodus 20:14). Jesus goes beyond this outward command to reveal that its act is the result of an inner attitude of lust. Whosoever looketh characterizes the man whose glance is not checked by holy restraint and results in an impure lusting after women. The act would follow if the opportunity were to occur. By taking His listener beyond the outward statement of the law to its real intention, Jesus was trying to get the listener's attention off the physical and onto the spiritual.) Pornography is a great tempter in our day today, with the creating of the internet, it is more rampant than ever. I should know, I had to put a block on my computer because a family member was becoming addicted to porn on the web. So parents and wives and husbands beware of this addiction which goes against God's commandments and check into a program called WiseChoice.com it’s an excellent program started by a man who was addicted to porn and almost lost his family and all he had over it.)
29:And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30: And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
( The statement of cutting off one's hand or plucking out one's eye definitely is not to be taken literally. What Jesus implies is that if thy right eye offend thee, then the logical thing to do would be to pluck it out. His point is not that one literally pluck out his eye, but that one should recognize that the source of lust comes from within the mind and heart of man, not from the physical organ itself. The right eye is not the source of sin; the heart of man is that source. The seriousness of the sin of lusting is thus illustrated by this graphic comparison. Ultimately, it would be better for a person to be physically maimed than to go to hell forever. However, doing physical damage to oneself do not in any way guarantee entrance into heaven. Jesus is simply teaching that man must bring the passions of his heart under the control of the Spirit of God.)
Jesus on divorce
Matthew 5: 31,32
31: It hath been said, WHOSOEVER SHALL PUT AWAY HIS WIFE, LET HIM GIVE HER A WRITING OF DIVORCEMENT.
32: But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committed adultery.
( It hath been said is again a reference to the Old Testament commandment of the Mosaic regulation (Deuteronomy 24:1). The normal custom of the ancient
Jesus on oaths
Matthew 5:33-37
33: Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths.
34: But I say unto you , Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne;
35: Nor by the earth; for it his footstool: neither by
36: Neither shalt thou swear by they head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37: But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
( The basis of Old Testament swearing, or oath-taking, is found in Exodus 20:7; Leviticus 19:12; and Deuteronomy 23:21. To forswear means to swear falsely or perjure oneself. Oaths taken in the name of the Lord were looked upon as binding, and perjury of such oaths was strongly condemned by the law. By the time of Christ, the Jews had developed an elaborate system of truth and thus also of falsehood within the system of taking oaths. All such oath-taking, Jesus announced, was unnecessary if one were in the habit of telling the truth. Thus, His command was Swear not at all. This does not have reference to cursing, as such, but to oath-taking. The disciple is to speak the truth in such a way that his "yes" means yes and his "no" means no. Let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: When you say "yes", make sure that is what you mean. When you say ?no", make sure that also is what you mean. Mean what you say; say what you mean. Anything that is more than a simple affirmation of the truth cometh of evil.
Jesus Love for enemies
Matthew 5: 38-48
38: Ye have heard that it hath been said, AN EYE FOR AN EYE, AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH.
39: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to them the other also.
( The principle of retaliation is common in both Hebrew and other ancient Near Eastern law codes (the code of Hammurapi). The judicial penalty for an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth is stated in Exodus 21:24 as a means of ending feuds. However, Jesus is clearly saying this method is not a license for vengeance, The Savior's point is that we should resist not evil. Evil is seen here, not as a state, but rather as the action of the evil ones or the malicious ones. It represents the evil and sinful element in man which provokes him to an evil act. Jesus shows how the believer should respond to personal injury. He is not discussing the government's obligation to maintain law and order. These passages do not mean that a man should not defend his family or his country, but rather that he should not attempt personal vengeance ever through the means of the law, to compensate for a personal injury. Jesus gives five examples verses 39-42 of how the believer should react to unfair or unreasonable treatment. In retaliation to physical violence, he is to turn to him the other (cheek) also. Man's natural impulse is to strike back, but the disciple is not to be a natural man. He is to "overcome evil with good" (Romans
40: And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
( Whether robbed by personal assault or compulsory litigation, the believer is to respond with confidence in what is eternal, rather than that which is temporal. If the believer is sued in order that the accuser may take away thy coat, he is to also let him have his cloak. The coat is the undergarment or tunic. the cloak is the more expensive outer garment worn over the tunic. Jesus taught us to have confidence in an almighty God, who is completely aware of the injustices done to man and totally capable of evoking ultimate and eternal justice.)
41: And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
( In ancient times government agents were in a position to compel forced service upon a subjugated people. A Roman soldier, for example, could compel a Jewish native to carry his armor or materials for one mile, Jesus now states that if someone compels you to walk a mile, go with him twain. The believer is to be willing to "go the extra mile". Doing double our duty not only proves our loyalty to human authority, but likewise proves the spiritual intention of our heart.)
42: Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
( Jesus clearly taught that a loan should be looked upon as a potential gift. There are many statements in Proverbs against borrowing, lending, and surety (Proverbs 6:1; 11:15; 22:7; 27:13) While we are warned of the dangers of borrowing and lending, Jesus clearly emphasizes that the believer ought to be willing to lend to those in need.
Even the beggar is to be ministered to through the provision of giving to him that asketh thee. This statement certainly forms the basis of all Christian charity, and provides the proper social application of the message of the gospel to the physical as well as the spiritual needs of man.)
43: Ye have heard that it hath been said, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOR, and hate thine enemy.
44: But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
( The law of love, sometimes called "law of Christ" summarizes the ethical principle of the Sermon on the Mount. "Love thy neighbor" summarizes the entire second table of the law (Leviticus
45: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust.
46: For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47: and if you salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
( In summarizing the importance of love, Jesus reminded that love was a necessary proof of salvation: that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven may be better rendered, " that ye may prove to be sons of your Father. Initial reading of this text out of its context might seem to imply that loving one's neighbor automatically makes one a child of God. However, the New Testament is clear that love is the evidence that one is already saved by the grace of God (1 John
48: Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
( This section of the Sermon on the Mount is summarized with the statement Be ye therefore perfect. Since the New Testament is clear that even the believer is capable of sin, the term perfect ( Greek teleios) is not to be taken as a sinless perfection. Perfect here means "complete", that is, possessing a complete love that, like God's verse 45, embraces those who love as well as those who do not.)