Among believers there are varied ideas about the Law and its place in the Christian church.
Most Christians probably have a casual approach to the subject, rather than a studied investigation.
I have been taught that the Mosaic law has no place in the Christian church, that Jesus, as fulfilment of the sacrificial system, removed any need for the intricacies of Levitical order, and that we are not to live by the law, but by allow the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and teach us how to live holy and godly lives, filled with faith.
At least that’s probably what I believe, as I’ve never researched the subject deeply.
Be aware that I have an in-built bias on the topic I am about to explore. I expect to have my ideas vindicated, but also to be blessed and strengthened by the exercise of investigation.
Yet I’m also willing to change my point of view as the evidence directs.
A friend recently shared his belief that the Mosaic order, the Law, is important for believers, not as a source of salvation, but as the standard of godly living all believers are to follow. Sanctification by the Holy Spirit, in this man’s understanding, is to lead us to keep the Jewish feasts and follow the Levitical order and “keep the law”. He bases this on comments by Christ that we are keep the law and that the law is not going to be done away with.
So, the subject deserves investigation.
Since there are many threads to pull and I don’t know which is the most important I’m going to start with the book of Ephesians, which I was drawn to a few days ago. Ephesians is addressed to Gentile believers and it’s from the great apostle Paul, so we should find in it some keys for how Gentile believers interface with the Jewish law. Especially so if, in fact, all believers are to be sanctified by adopting and adhering to the Levitical order, feasts and so on.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians speaks directly to Gentile readers, as seen in Ephesians 2:11 “Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision ….”
It is also seen in Ephesians 4:1 “So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.”
Paul’s phrase “you who are Gentiles” (Eph 2:11) suggests his audience is not exclusively Gentile, while he wants to make some points specifically to his Gentile readers.
I’m going to do a verse by verse review of Ephesians Chapter One as see where we go from there.
I’ll itemise comments as we go through.
My base text version is Berean Standard Bible (via Bible Hub).
Ephesians 1
1.1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:”
1.1 to the SAINTS – an interesting description / not members of a family or tribe, but those made holy by some other means, and that means is faith in Christ.
1.1 faithful IN CHRIST JESUS – the believer’s identity is centred in Christ (not law or any reflection of Moses or Jewishness)
1.2 “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
1.2 Grace and Peace offered. We know that Grace came by Jesus Christ ….
“For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17
We see a contrast between the law and grace. The Law under Moses could not provide the ‘grace and peace’ which Paul conferred on his readers. It is from God our Father, so to those adopted into God’s family (believers), not to or through those who follow Mosaic order.
1.2 from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ – here we have a new relationship with God (although God as Father is not absent from the OT it is not as foundational as Christ made it for all believers). Through faith in Christ we have adoption as sons of God (John 1:12,13, 1John 3:1,2, Ephesians 1:5).
1.2 from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ – once again the Christ focus
1.3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.”
1.3 God has blessed us IN CHRIST – not by Levitical order or Judaism. Nothing is owed to the law of Moses in regard to our blessings, since the blessings come through Christ and his sacrifice, accessed by us through our faith, not our obedience or lawfulness.
1.3 every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms – this is pretty comprehensive, reminiscent of “all things that pertain to life and godliness”
2Peter 1:3 “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue”
These blessings were not provided until Christ. The Mosaic Law, Levitical order or codes of Judaism did not provide these things. Our joy is in the Lord. Our hope is in the Lord. Our blessing is in the Lord.
1.4 “For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love”
1.4 in HIM – Jesus is the complete deal.
1.4 holy and blameless in his presence – this is the wonderful place we arrive at through faith in Christ. We could never arrive at such a place by the Law or Levitical order.
1.5 “He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will,”
1.5 adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ – there is a new relationship with God that could not come by Moses or Judaism.
This amplifies the significance of 1.2 “Grace and peace to you from God our Father”. The place of God as our father is unique to believers. It is not a variation of any OT concept of God as father. It is only available through faith in Christ, “His sons through Jesus Christ”.
1.5 the concept of being ‘predestined’ is a springboard for various ideas and the source of many arguments. It is not the focus of this investigation so I will only say that in my humble understanding God knows in advance (foreknowledge – Romans 8:29) who will trust in him, and he identifies us (predestines us) in advance. I do not hold with the suggestion we have no will and end up having our destiny forced on us by God’s advance choice. However I know there are those already ready to take me task on that – so for now, let’s not have that get in the way of this investigation.
1.6 “to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.”
1.6 his glorious grace freely given – all the most wonderful aspirations of a keeper of Moses’ law or the Levitical order are now freely available, but not through Moses or the law.
1.6 grace freely given us in the Beloved One – Christ is the source of this glorious grace.
1.7,8 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.”
1.7 redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses – All we need in order to deal with our sin and failure before God is here. Redemption (the ransom paid) and forgiveness.
1.7 in HIM – hitting this nail on the head yet again – this amazing place before God comes through Christ, while everyone else is still striving to achieve it by means that don’t work – including Mosaic law and Judaism.
1.7 riches of his grace – such Amazing Grace, so vast, so undeserved, so free
1.8 he lavished on us – how blessed we are.
1.9 “And He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ”
1.9 the mystery of his will – this was God’s big picture purpose – it was hidden
1.9 purposed in Christ – God’s big picture purpose, the mystery of his will, was to provide us what we saw in 1.7,8 – redemption through his blood, forgiveness of our trespasses, his grace lavished on us – all provided through Christ. Christ is not the adjustment to the Mosaic / Levitical system, but the true purpose which Moses and the Levitical system could not supply. Christ completely supersedes the Mosaic / Levitical order.
1.10 “as a plan for the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together in Christ.”
1.10 bring all things together in Christ – there is no escaping the absolute centrality of Christ and the primacy of all that Christ has done, completely dwarfing all that came before – including the law.
1.11 “In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,”
1.11 again we see “In Him”
1.12 “in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, would be for the praise of His glory.”
1.12 God gets honoured for the great work he does in us through Christ.
1.13 “And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,”
1.13 the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation – this truth message we are to hear and believe – that’s the doorway into God’s salvation, not the law processes that prevailed over the Jewish people.
1.13 sealed with the promised Holy Spirit – here we have a key insight as to the bigger picture of God’s plan, causing millions of people from all nations to have the Holy Spirit active in their lives.
1.13 promised Holy Spirit – where is this promise? Joel 2:28 “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” (see Acts 2:17)
1.13 sealed with the promised Holy Spirit – compare Paul’s reference to this in Galatians 3:14
“He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” Galatians 3:14 BSB
[Note here the convergence of two promises – one to Abraham, that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3) – the other through Joel, that God would put his Spirit on all flesh. By our faith in Christ we take part in the fulfilment of both promises.
1.13 the presence and work of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life is central to Jesus dying for us. Forgiveness of sins was a necessary process to prepare for the deeper and more wonderful stuff – that we move in the power of the Holy Spirit – “he redeemed us IN ORDER THAT the blessing of the promised to Abraham would come – receive the promise of the Spirit” Gal 3:14
1.14 “who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.”
1.14 pledge of our inheritance – what inheritance?
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you” 1Peter 1:3,4
“Therefore Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, now that He has died to redeem them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” Hebrews 9:15 [Note in this verse that in Christ we are in a new covenant, not the ‘first covenant’ (the Mosaic law)]
“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29 [The Abrahamic promise was that all families of the earth be blessed in him (Gen 12:3) – which means the Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit (Gal 3:14).]
“so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:7
1.14 until the redemption – same word as in 1.7 “In Him we have redemption through His blood”. This sets up a ‘now and not yet’ picture – we already have redemption and we are yet to experience redemption in the future.
This ‘now and not yet’ scenario can be pictured in a person stranded in flood water, saved when the rescue boat gets to them, being saved as the boat brings them to shore, and finally completely saved after stepping onto shore. We are redeemed, and the fullness of that redemption is yet to be experienced.
1.14 the PLEDGE of our inheritance – as in a deposit, or token to guarantee what is to come, or even like an engagement ring showing promise of the marriage yet to come.
The Holy Spirit given to us is the guarantee of the eternal glories waiting for us as our inheritance.
Paul refers to this elsewhere.
“Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us, placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.” 2Corinthians 1:21,22
1.14 the PLEDGE – not only do we have an inheritance waiting for us, we get to enjoy some of that inheritance in advance, in the same way deposit money can be spent. It seems, therefore, that all the wonderful things connected with our eternal inheritance are available to us in a limited way through the Holy Spirit. Note that in the New Testament the presence of the Holy Spirit is linked to many wonderful, spiritual things, such as visions, dreams, prophecy, revelation, power, miracles, wisdom, spiritual songs, and so on. The wonderful dimension of our faith in Christ is not that we are forgiven and adopted into God’s family, precious as that is, but that we are given God’s Holy Spirit poured into us and we experience supernatural blessing and lifestyle as a foretaste of our future heavenly life.
1.15,16 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,“
1.15 did not stop giving thanks for these believers, and why? Because of their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all the saints. Faith in Christ is the foundational experience that transforms us and releases to us the wonders of salvation. It is something to rejoice about.
1.17 “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him.”
1.17 Paul’s prayer for these believers is a spiritual experience, of wisdom and also of revelation knowledge of God. He wants them to know God, as God is revealed to them.
1.18 “I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,”
1.18 Paul wanted their heart to have increased perception, so they would know what is in store for them as believers, including the abundance which we will inherit.
1.19 “and the surpassing greatness of His power to us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of His mighty strength,”
1.19 Paul also wanted them to recognise how great God’s power is as it works in us.
Paul then goes on to demonstrate the dimensions of God’s power as evidenced in Christ’s resurrection.
1.20,21,22 “which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms,far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church,“
1.20 God’s power was able to raise Christ from death, among the dead, the lowest place, and lift him to the highest place, at God’s right hand in heaven, way above all others who might claim power or significance in all of time. And everything is under Christ’s feet.
If that’s the scope of God’s power toward us, then what can stop God rescuing us from our lowest place and lifting us into glory?
1.23 “which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
1.23 the church is ‘his body’ – so believers are not adopted into the Jewish race, or made proselytes to Judaism or the Mosaic order. Believers are in the church, which is Jesus’ body.
That’s Ephesians 1.
So what do we see here about Christian living for believers?
We see believers as “saints”, “in Christ”, as a result of faith in Christ. They are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. They are holy and blameless in His presence, adopted as God sons through Jesus Christ, recipients of glorious grace freely given in Christ, with redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of trespasses.
They are unified with “all things in heaven and on earth” which are brought together “in Christ”.
They are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, awaiting future redemption, and expected to discover the surpassing greatness of God’s power available to believers.
They are in the Church, which is Jesus’ body.
We see people totally transformed as a result of accepting the gospel message and putting faith in Christ. That transformation is internal and is not related to conformity to codes, but to having a living faith in Christ.
We see people given a new position, described as “in Christ”. This is a spiritual miracle, totally outside human effort or merit. We see them in a new community, the church.
How much of that relates to the Mosaic order?
All that was offered by Mosaic law is already fully outworked in believers. They are already forgiven and blameless in God’s presence. The “once for all” sacrifice has been made by Christ (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 10:10, 1Peter 3:18, Romans 6:10).
Both the Promise to Abraham and the Prophecy of Joel are fulfilled in believers.
Believers are engaged in heavenly spiritual realities through the Spirit, given the Holy Spirit within them, empowering them to live with a new heart their new life of faith, walking in the Spirit.
Ephesians 1 makes no reference to honouring the old Mosaic system, or following any ordered religious activities (feasts, sacrifices, codes or the like).
Believers are far removed from followers of Mosaic law, having entered into a far more wonderful and powerful relationship with God, including adoption into God’s family, than Jewish worshippers could ever find in the Levitical system.
OK, so that’s a start at this. I’ll see how motivated I am to continue.
May these observations be instructive to you as you dig into God’s Word.
Leave a Reply