Jesus replaced law with grace…
labor with rest…
fear of punishment with perfect love…
separation with union with Him.
In Hebrews 8, the writer gives the Old Testament prophecy from Jeremiah 31 about the coming New Covenant now revealed in Christ:
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts…” (Hebrews 8:10)1
Hebrews 8:10 tells us that God puts His laws in our minds, and He writes them on our hearts. What are these new laws? Are they the Ten Commandments re-stated in a kinder, gentler, more gracious manner? Absolutely not!
The Old Covenant law was so burdensome that the people begged that the words not be spoken to them. The writer of Hebrews says “they could not endure what was commanded.”2 In Acts 15, Peter argued with those who wanted to bring the law back into the early church:
“Now therefore, 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)
In Matthew 11, Jesus was speaking to people who were heavy laden under the bondage of the law when He said:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30, The Message)3
Jesus came to do away with the whole system of the law. He replaced the relationship based on law with the relationship based on faith
The apostle John compared the new commandments of Jesus with the oppressive commandments of the law:
“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments ARE NOT BURDENSOME.” (1 John 5:3, emphasis mine)
Imagine commandments with no burden! The “commandments” of Christ are not the Mosaic law or any aspect of the law. The law of Christ is not the law of Moses. It’s not the ministry of death and condemnation.4 It’s the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus!5 His laws are…
“…the royal law of love…” (James 2:8)
“…the perfect law of liberty…” (James 1:25)
“And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.” (1 John 3:23)
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)
All of this is possible because in this New Covenant of grace we are in union with the Lord, and He lives His life through us!
(from pages 286, 288-290 of Unveiling Jesus)
Want more from Tricia Gunn? Check out excerpts from the Unveiling Jesus 20-part series!
Unveiling Jesus, by Tricia Gunn, is a verse by verse study of the pure gospel of grace. It’s an amazing journey of love, identity, and freedom in Christ.
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1All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New King James Version. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
2Hebrews 12:20
3Scripture quotations from THE MESSAGE. Copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
42 Corinthians 3:7,9
5Romans 8:2
