THE LAW, COMMANDMENTS, AND THE TWO COVENANTS

The Law, the 2277 commandments embodying 445 laws that comprise The Law of Moses, provided religious, moral, and civil rules for all of Israel to live by until the Messiah should come to make the New Covenant of Grace. The Law is found throughout the Pentateuch, specific precepts running the gauntlet of human experience from “You shall not commit adultery” (Ex. 20:14) to “Nor shall a garment of mixed linen and wool come upon you” (Lev. 19:19), or “You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.” (Ex. 23:19) We all know... are should know, The Law is not applicable to the New Covenant of Grace, having served its purpose in bringing us to Christ and His Cross of reconciliation. New Testament phrases such as The Law, The Law and The Prophets, The Law of Moses, The Mosaic Law, etc., all point to the Old Testament Law.

There are 1050 commandments in the New Testament covering every phase of man’s life in his relationship to God, his fellow man, now, and hereafter, written by the Holy Spirit to guide the spiritual walk of New Covenant believers. Some of these commandments are modified Old Testament commandments such as the passage in Matt. 5:21-48 where Jesus uses “You have heard that it was said to those of old ... but I say to you” phraseology to modify and reintroduce commandments from The Law into the New Covenant of Grace. When the word “command/commandment” is used in the New Testament one must pay particular attention to the context to determine which set of commandments, Old Testament or New Testament, are referenced. All New Testament commandments are subordinate to the First and Second “Great” commandments to love God and love others, which, by the way, summarize “all The Law and The Prophets.” Other New Testament commands include: “And do not be conformed to the world.” (Rom. 12:2) “Keep yourself in the love of God.” (Jude 21) “Rejoice always.” (1 Thess. 5:16) “Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thess. 5:22) “In everything give thanks.” (1 Thess. 5:18) “Forgive and you will be forgiven.” (Lk. 6:37) “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” (1 Cor. 15:58) “Be strong in the Lord.” (Eph. 6:10) “Be content with such things as you have.” (Heb. 13:5) ‘Be anxious for nothing.” (Phil. 4:6) ‘Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 13:14), and so on. There are about 800 categories of things to do, be, avoid, believe, charge, consider, endure, flee, follow, have, hold, keep, lay aside, let, remember, seek, prove, put on, put off, rebuke, think on, walk in, etc. The New Testament commandments are much more general in nature – we have the Holy Spirit to teach us the specifics – but they are no less commandments, and demonstrate our obedience to our Lord’s First Commandment... “If you love Me you will keep My…

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