The moral law of the Old Covenant, as it’s restated in the New Testament, is still binding on Christians today. Why?
And I don’t mean that we go back to those 613 commands and only keep the ones about morality.
What I mean is that we go into the New Testament and it says, “Jesus is the new Sabbath,” “the church is the new priesthood,” “you have freedom now when it comes to holy days and food.” All of those commandments are fulfilled and were radically changed by their fulfillment.
The moral laws though, even if they are put into a broader context in the New Testament, remain the same.
If Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial law with his sacrifice and the civil law with the new kingdom and the dietary laws with this new worship from the heart, why didn’t His fulfillment of the moral law through His perfect life put it away too?
Because the moral is based on the character of God.
God doesn’t want His people to live in a way that violates His character.
So, when the Bible talks about not bearing false witness, it is because God is truthful and He does not lie. He does not want us to do something that is opposed to His character.
When God says through Scripture not to commit adultery, it’s because He is faithful and He wants us to be faithful like Him.
When He says, “don’t murder,” it’s because He is the author of life and he wants us to respect life.
When He says, “don’t be unforgiving,” it’s because He is forgiving.
When He says, “don’t be unloving,” it’s because He is loving.
When He says, “don’t be unjust,” it’s because He is just.
Through the moral commands, God says, “This is who I am. Now go out and live in a way that honors it.”
The moral laws remain because our heart can’t be right with God if our lives don’t reflect Him and His character.
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