The Law of Christ
Fulfillment, Not Replacement
God’s law did not begin with Moses. Long before Mount Sinai, Scripture tells us that God already held humanity accountable to His moral will. God Himself said of Abraham, “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Genesis 26:5). This shows that right and wrong flow from God’s own nature and were known before they were written on stone. The law did not originate at Sinai; it was revealed there in a fuller and clearer way.
When God spoke at Sinai, He spoke the Ten Commandments directly to the people. Scripture says, “And God spoke all these words, saying” (Exodus 20:1). These commandments were not mediated through priests, nor were they ritual instructions. God later wrote them with His own finger on tablets of stone (Exodus 31:18). Scripture emphasizes their completeness: “These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly… and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me” (Deuteronomy 5:22). This demonstrates that the Ten Commandments were final, distinct, and sufficient to reveal God’s moral will.
Throughout the Old Testament, God made it clear that sacrifices were never His ultimate desire. Through Samuel He said, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Through Hosea He declared, “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). These statements show that rituals were never the heart of the Law. They addressed sin, but the Law itself was meant to shape faithfulness, mercy, and obedience from the heart.
Jesus affirmed this understanding without hesitation. He said plainly, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). He immediately warned that whoever breaks even the least of the commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19). Fulfillment, therefore, does not mean abolition; it means bringing the Law to its intended goal and full expression.
Jesus then revealed the deeper meaning of the Law. In the Sermon on the Mount, He showed that the Law addresses more than outward actions. Murder begins with anger, adultery begins in the heart, and truth requires integrity (Matthew 5:21–37). Jesus did not lower God’s standards; He intensified them by moving the Law inward, from external behavior to internal intention.
When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus quoted the Old Testament: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37) and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39). Then He clarified: “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40). Love does not replace the Law; love explains and fulfills it.
Later, Jesus gave what He called a new commandment: “That you love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). It is new because Jesus revealed love in its perfect form, lived through obedience to the Father, humility toward others, truth without compromise, and faithfulness unto death. This life of obedient love is what Scripture calls the Law of Christ.
The Twelve apostles taught consistently Jesus’ words. James referred to loving one’s neighbor as “the royal law according to the Scripture” (James 2:8) and then cited commandments against adultery and murder to show how sin is defined (James 2:11). John likewise explained that loving God requires keeping His commandments: “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3). He added, “And His commandments are not burdensome,” showing that obedience flows from love, not fear. At no point did any of the Twelve claim that God’s moral law was canceled or that it could be disregarded.
The Old Testament already promised this inward change: “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). God did not promise a different law, only a different place for the law to dwell. The law moved from stone to the heart.
This is the heart of the New Covenant. The Law of Christ does not replace the Ten Commandments; it fulfills them by restoring their true purpose. Sacrifices, priestly duties, and ritual shadows belonged to the old system addressing sin. Love, truth, and obedience belong to God’s eternal will.
Many today misunderstand the Law of Christ. Some claim that love removes commandments, yet Jesus said love holds the Law together. Others accuse obedience of legalism, yet John teaches that obedience expresses love. Some divide God’s commandments, choosing which to follow, but Jesus never divided God’s law this way.
The Law of Christ remains God’s eternal will revealed through Jesus, written on the heart, and lived out in love and obedience. As Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28).
Fulfillment, Not Replacement
God’s law did not begin with Moses. Long before Mount Sinai, Scripture tells us that God already held humanity accountable to His moral will. God Himself said of Abraham, “Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws” (Genesis 26:5). This shows that right and wrong flow from God’s own nature and were known before they were written on stone. The law did not originate at Sinai; it was revealed there in a fuller and clearer way.
When God spoke at Sinai, He spoke the Ten Commandments directly to the people. Scripture says, “And God spoke all these words, saying” (Exodus 20:1). These commandments were not mediated through priests, nor were they ritual instructions. God later wrote them with His own finger on tablets of stone (Exodus 31:18). Scripture emphasizes their completeness: “These words the LORD spoke to all your assembly… and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me” (Deuteronomy 5:22). This demonstrates that the Ten Commandments were final, distinct, and sufficient to reveal God’s moral will.
Throughout the Old Testament, God made it clear that sacrifices were never His ultimate desire. Through Samuel He said, “To obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22). Through Hosea He declared, “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6). These statements show that rituals were never the heart of the Law. They addressed sin, but the Law itself was meant to shape faithfulness, mercy, and obedience from the heart.
Jesus affirmed this understanding without hesitation. He said plainly, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). He immediately warned that whoever breaks even the least of the commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19). Fulfillment, therefore, does not mean abolition; it means bringing the Law to its intended goal and full expression.
Jesus then revealed the deeper meaning of the Law. In the Sermon on the Mount, He showed that the Law addresses more than outward actions. Murder begins with anger, adultery begins in the heart, and truth requires integrity (Matthew 5:21–37). Jesus did not lower God’s standards; He intensified them by moving the Law inward, from external behavior to internal intention.
When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus quoted the Old Testament: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37) and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39). Then He clarified: “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40). Love does not replace the Law; love explains and fulfills it.
Later, Jesus gave what He called a new commandment: “That you love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34). It is new because Jesus revealed love in its perfect form, lived through obedience to the Father, humility toward others, truth without compromise, and faithfulness unto death. This life of obedient love is what Scripture calls the Law of Christ.
The Twelve apostles taught consistently Jesus’ words. James referred to loving one’s neighbor as “the royal law according to the Scripture” (James 2:8) and then cited commandments against adultery and murder to show how sin is defined (James 2:11). John likewise explained that loving God requires keeping His commandments: “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments” (1 John 5:3). He added, “And His commandments are not burdensome,” showing that obedience flows from love, not fear. At no point did any of the Twelve claim that God’s moral law was canceled or that it could be disregarded.
The Old Testament already promised this inward change: “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). God did not promise a different law, only a different place for the law to dwell. The law moved from stone to the heart.
This is the heart of the New Covenant. The Law of Christ does not replace the Ten Commandments; it fulfills them by restoring their true purpose. Sacrifices, priestly duties, and ritual shadows belonged to the old system addressing sin. Love, truth, and obedience belong to God’s eternal will.
Many today misunderstand the Law of Christ. Some claim that love removes commandments, yet Jesus said love holds the Law together. Others accuse obedience of legalism, yet John teaches that obedience expresses love. Some divide God’s commandments, choosing which to follow, but Jesus never divided God’s law this way.
The Law of Christ remains God’s eternal will revealed through Jesus, written on the heart, and lived out in love and obedience. As Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke 11:28).
