The Law of Moses versus The Commandments of Christ?

For at least 1,700 years, most of Christianity has framed the question of the Law as the Law of Moses versus the Law of Christ, as if the Law of Christ has replaced the Law of Moses. This framing assumes a discontinuity that Scripture itself does not actually declare. It is not a neutral theological conclusion, it is the direct consequence of decisions made at the Council of Nicaea and the subsequent rise of replacement theology.

This either-or, or one versus the other, mindset that the Law of Moses is on one side and the Law of Christ is on the other is the same flawed lens through which many approach the question of Law and Grace, as well as other doctrinal issues. We have been taught to view this as a binary, as though grace and law are mutually exclusive. It’s packaged and sold as the logical outcome of the Cross, that there was one system before the Cross and a completely different one after. But this is not a biblical construct, it is the product of replacement theology, a system that has shaped the trajectory of Christianity and influenced how Scripture has been read and taught for centuries.

Biblical Context

Side note: I personally see this as a by-product of “the times of the gentiles” (Luke 21:24), which refers to a God-ordained period of history during which Gentile nations dominate Jerusalem and Israel, and during which the Gospel is primarily carried to and through the Gentiles. Jesus was foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple (70 AD) and then the long period when Gentile nations would have authority over Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Another Note: the Apostle John is the only original apostle left after the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple. Peter, Paul and the others had all perished before the destruction.

The countdown to the end for the “times of the gentiles” started when Israel became a Nation in 1948, thus ending Gentile control of the Nation. It accelerated after Israel captured all of East Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War, including the Old City and the Temple Mount, from Jordanian control. Afterwards there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Jews accepting Yeshua as their Messiah. At the same time the Holy Spirit was leading gentile believers to explore the Jewish roots of their faith and the Jewishness of Yeshua, the Messiah.

But the “times of the gentiles” continued because just days after the victory Moshe Dayan, the Israeli Defense Minister, unilaterally handed back day-to-day religious and administrative control of the Temple Mount to the Islamic Waqf, under Jordanian oversight. Israel retained full sovereignty and security control, but the Waqf was allowed to manage the Islamic holy sites, including Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Jews and Christians were allowed to visit the Temple Mount but not to pray on it, a restriction that continues to this day under the “status quo” arrangement.

Replacement Theology

Replacement Theology, along with its nuanced siblings, Covenant/Fulfillment Theology and Dual-Covenant Theology, represents the views of 80-85% of Christianity. This replacement mindset has even impacted how Bible translations, until recently, were written, with translators inserting their theological biases into the text. A clear example is John 1:17. The King James translation, and subsequently the New King James, read: “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.”

The addition of the word “but” introduces a contrast that is not present in the Greek text. The Greek simply presents two declarative statements:

“The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
There is no “but.”
There is no conflict.
There is no replacement.

Even though modern translations like the ESV and NIV have correctly removed the word “but,” the replacement mindset still lingers in how many read and teach this verse, as though it describes two separate, competing systems: law (bad) versus grace (good). This is the same thing we see in the Law of Moses versus the Law of Christ, or Jesus’ commandments. Jesus’ commandments replaced the Law of Moses: law (bad) versus Jesus’ commandments (good).

But that’s not what Scripture says. The text presents an addition, not a subtraction. It is not a before-and-after dichotomy. It is not replacement. It is continuation and fulfillment. To teach replacement, is to teach a false doctrine.

Continuation

The Law came through Moses, this is a fact. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ, this is another fact. Both are gifts from the Father. Both have purpose. Both flow into the same Kingdom. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it, to clarify it, to write it on our hearts, and to empower us by the Holy Spirit to live in alignment with the Father’s original intent.

The church needs to recover this foundational truth: it’s not law or grace, it’s both. It’s not Moses or Jesus, it’s both. It’s not replacement, it’s fulfillment and continuation.

It’s this continuation narrative that Satan has attacked to keep believers from the truth. The Father’s Kingdom has always had laws. The same laws. The Law of Moses and the Law of Christ are not opposing systems; they are sequential administrations of the Father’s unchanging righteousness. Jesus did not abolish the law; He fulfilled it, clarified it, and internalized it. His commandments are not vague or abstract. When Jesus was asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36), He didn’t respond by dismissing the Law or pointing to a new system. He did what any faithful Jewish teacher would do: He went straight to the heart of the Torah.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”
(Deuteronomy 6:5 — known as the Shema)
“And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
(Leviticus 19:18)
“On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
(Matthew 22:37–40, ESV)

He didn’t just name these two commandments, He declared them the structural pillars of the entire Law and the Prophets. Every commandment given by God hangs on these two truths. They are not replacements for the Law but the framework that gives the Law meaning. Jesus makes this clear in Matthew 5:19, “Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the Law, not the Law. When Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30), He wasn’t offering freedom from the Law by creating His own laws, He was offering freedom from man-made religion, from legalism, and from the crushing burden of performance-based righteousness. He was inviting His followers into a right relationship with the Father’s instructions, under His leadership, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Take My Yoke: A Return to the Father’s Heart

When Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29–30), He wasn’t offering freedom from obligation or inviting us to a lawless grace. He was extending a deeply Jewish and Kingdom-centered invitation, one that reached all the way back to the Torah itself.

The Hebrew word for “yoke” is עֹל (ol), and it carried a rich spiritual meaning long before Jesus ever spoke the word. In the Hebrew Scriptures and later Jewish tradition, a “yoke” was never just a physical tool used to bind oxen for plowing. It was a metaphor for submission, discipleship, and governance under authority. To take on someone’s yoke meant to submit to their instruction and way of life. Rabbis would often describe their interpretation of Torah as a “yoke,” and followers would literally take that yoke upon themselves.

More specifically, in rabbinic tradition, to accept the “yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven” (עֹל מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם, ol malchut shamayim) meant to submit yourself to the reign of God by aligning your life with His Word, His Torah. The Yoke isn’t about oppressive legalism; it’s about covenantal relationship. The yoke was never meant to be a burden, nor will it ever be when rightly understood. It represents the joy and privilege of walking in the ways of the King. To take on this yoke is to say, “I live under the rule of the Father and His Son, not the rule of man or flesh.” It is a lifestyle of willing obedience, not rigid religion. A life of devotion that flows from love and reverence, not from obligation or fear.

However, by the first century many in Israel had been weighed down by the oppressive additions of man-made rules. The Pharisees, despite their zeal for the Law, had added layers of interpretation that turned God’s instructions into heavy burdens. Jesus wasn’t opposing Torah; He was opposing the twisting of Torah into something it was never meant to be. This carries over even into our churches today. The “thou shall nots” to be a member in “good” standing in many congregations is no different than the Pharisees oral Torah of Jesus’ day.

So when Jesus says, “Take my yoke…”, He is offering His interpretation of the Law, based on the Father’s original intent, which is rooted in mercy, truth, and Spirit-empowered obedience. It is the same Law, tightened down, but now seen through the eyes of the Son who came to reveal the Father. His yoke is well-fitting, in fact tailor-made for you, not because it removes responsibility, but because it restores the original purpose of Torah: life, peace, and covenantal intimacy.

The yoke of Jesus is the yoke of the Kingdom. It is an invitation to you and me to walk in alignment with the Father’s will and purpose, not merely external compliance. His yoke is “easy” because He walks with us. His burden is “light” because we are yoked with Him, our Messiah, and no longer have to strive in our own strength.

In the Kingdom of God, there has never been freedom without responsibility. Every age from Eden to Sinai to Pentecost to the Messianic Era, has laws. The same laws. The Father’s laws. The question is not whether we live by law, but whose law, whose interpretation, and whose Spirit empowers us to live it.

If you have never done so, I encourage you to ask the Lord, to seek Him, to find out the Yoke he has personally fashioned for you. The Yoke that unites you with Him in the work the Father has set before you. It will seem you are giving up everything by taking up your Yoke, or cross, but as Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

When Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God,” He was reordering the priorities of His listeners. In a world driven by survival, what we will eat, drink, and wear, Jesus redirects the focus toward something higher: the Father’s rule and the Father’s righteousness. Not merely heaven after death, but God’s kingdom rule on earth, now and into the age to come.

A Distortion That Still Persists

What was true in the days of Yeshua remains true today: tradition has eclipsed truth. Just as many first-century rabbis taught disciples to follow their own interpretations, even when they conflicted with the plain meaning of Scripture, modern Christianity has inherited a similar distortion.

The result? Generation after generation of Believers trained to ignore the very foundational truths of God’s covenantal order. The “yoke” of Jesus has been redefined as freedom from obedience, rather than freedom to obey rightly. His grace has been mischaracterized as a license to dismiss the commands of the Father rather than as the empowerment to walk in them. In many churches, even the suggestion that the Torah might still have something to say to the believer is treated as heresy.

And yet, the Law of the Lord has not changed. Jesus did not come to start a new religion called Christianity, nor did he ask Paul and the Apostles to start one. He came to restore what was broken, to reveal His Father’s will, and fulfill, not abolish, the Torah. He called people back to the Father, not away from the rules of Kingdom living. But just like in the first century, people today are often following inherited traditions rather than Scripture itself. And as in the first century, many religious leaders know Scripture, but don’t truly understand what it means from the Father’s perspective.

The Right Mindset, The Right Framework

When we start by asking the right questions and lay aside inherited theological assumptions, we can see the seamless flow of the Father’s Kingdom from Genesis to Revelation.

Law and grace have always worked together; they were never enemies. Word and Spirit were never meant to be alternative and competing church models. It is imperative that the church rediscover this integrated understanding and allow Scripture, not church councils, theological systems, or translator biases frame our questions and shape our answers.

All law ultimately originates from God the Father, the supreme lawgiver (Isaiah 33:22). Kingdoms, by definition, require laws to govern their citizens, to define righteousness, and to restrain wickedness. Without law, there is anarchy, a reality exemplified in the period of the Judges: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

Jesus “Tightens Down” The Father’s Laws

So the Law is the same from Mount Sinai through the Church Age into the Messianic Era or Millennial Kingdom. The difference between the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ is not in source, but in administration, purpose, and audience.

Jesus Himself said in John 7:16, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.” In John 8:28, “I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.” So the “Law of Christ” is not something Jesus invented independently. It is the correct interpretation, fulfillment, and internalization of the Laws of His Father as originally given.

In Matthew 5 when Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said… but I say to you…,” Jesus wasn’t replacing the Law, He was tightening it down to reflect His Father’s full meaning. In the Torah, the commandment against adultery is clear and foundational:

“You shall not commit adultery.”
(Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18)

This command is part of the Ten Commandments and in the plain reading, adultery refers to a physical act, the sexual violation of covenant fidelity, especially within the context of marriage. The Law treated adultery with absolute seriousness because it shattered the covenant bond between a man and a woman, and symbolically, between Israel and God.

But in Matthew 5:27–28, Yeshua doesn’t lessen the standard, He intensifies it:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent
has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27–28)

This isn’t a contradiction of Torah. It is a clarification of its depth. Jesus doesn’t negate the command against adultery, He reveals its full intent from the Father’s perspective. The Torah was never only about outward behavior; it was about cultivating a people whose hearts were in alignment with God’s holiness.

Yeshua is teaching His disciples that the Kingdom doesn’t just judge the act, it deals with the root. The problem of adultery doesn’t begin in the bed, it begins in the heart. Lust, unchecked and entertained, is a betrayal of purity and covenantal trust, even if no one else sees it. Jesus isn’t making a new rule, or Law, He is revealing the internal reality that the Torah always aimed at.

This fits the pattern of everything Yeshua taught in the Sermon on the Mount. He didn’t come to abolish the Law (Matthew 5:17), He came to fulfill it, to live it out in perfection, and to call His followers to walk in its truest form, not just its surface applications.

The Law of Moses: The Old Covenant Framework

The Law of Moses, given at Mount Sinai, was a comprehensive covenantal system composed of moral, ceremonial, and civil laws. It defined Israel’s national identity and set them apart as the Father’s chosen people. It was delivered through Moses, but originated with the Father. In calling it the law of Moses, the term almost makes it sound like Moses initiated the law.

The law regulated every aspect of Jewish life, from Temple sacrifices to dietary restrictions to social justice. It also included how gentiles, who chose to relate to the God of Israel, were to be included. The Torah includes laws that make absolutely no sense to the mind of man. Even Rabbinic scholars through the centuries have no clue as to why they were included. They reference them as one of the three categories of laws, the category of Chukim (חֻקִּים), which means Statutes or decrees without clear reason. The other two broad categories are Mishpatim (rational laws), and Edot (testimonies).

Maimonides, the medieval Jewish scholar, meticulously codified 613 commandments he found in the Torah. While he didn’t originate the three broad categories, he did classify commands as either positive commandments (things to do) and negative commandments (things to avoid). Notably, Maimonides’ classification also recognized that many of these laws were conditional upon the existence of the Temple and the sacrificial system. With the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, much of the ceremonial law became inoperative—not abolished, but temporarily suspended, to be operative later in the Messianic Era.

These commandments are unable to function until the restoration of Temple worship, which prophetic Scripture anticipates will be reestablished in the Third Temple during the Messianic Era. The key word here is inoperative—these laws remain part of the covenantal structure and are expected to resume their operation under the leadership of Messiah.

According to most rabbinic enumerations the total of such commandments exceeds 300, making them approximately one-half of the Torah. There are approximately 26 Land‑of‑Israel‑only commandments that relate to agriculture, tithes, Sabbatical and Jubilee years, applicable only within Israel. And of the 248 positive commandments, 77 can currently be practiced (e.g., prayer, charity), and of the Torah’s 365 negative commandments, 194 remain applicable. In reality, less than 5% of the 613 law are directly applicable to Gentiles. I will explain more on Gentiles and the Law in the section: The Gentile Question and Acts 15.

The Law of Christ: The New Covenant Framework of Fulfillment and Internalization

A key aspect of Jesus’ ministry was to explain the Father’s heart in regards to his law, that when both a positive commandment and a negative commandment were both applicable in a given situation, the positive commandment took precedence. We see this in Jesus’ confrontation with Jewish religious leaders about his Sabbath activities, and their hard-line, legalistic, misinterpretation of the Law.

The episodes where Jesus heals on the Sabbath and where His disciples pluck grain in the wheat field are instructive moments in the Gospels. These stories are often misunderstood as Jesus dismissing or abolishing the Sabbath, but it is really far more profound: The Pharisee’s see Jesus as being a Sabbath breaker, thus disqualifying him from being the Messiah and Christians often see Jesus as abolishing the Law. When in reality He is restoring the Father’s true purpose and properly interpreting the Law. Jesus is challenging man-made traditions, not the Father’s original intent.

The purpose of the Mosaic Law was not to impart life but to reveal sin (Romans 3:20; 7:7) and to serve as a guardian until Christ (Galatians 3:24-25). It governed Israel as a theocratic nation, administered blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28).

Unlike the external regulations of the Mosaic system, the Law of Christ is written on the hearts of believers (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10). It is administered internally by the Holy Spirit, empowering us to be able to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law (Romans 8:4).

The Law in the Messianic Era: A Framework of Unified Biblical Testimony
When you carefully trace the thread of Scripture from the Old Testament, through the teachings of Jesus, Paul, and the other New Testament writers, you begin to see something profoundly clear: the Law is never abolished. The way we relate to the Law changes, but its role in the Father’s Kingdom continues and is ultimately fulfilled by Messiah, not discarded.

For centuries, Christian teaching has often given the impression that the Law was terminated with the coming of Jesus, but that’s not what Scripture says. From Genesis to Revelation, the testimony is unified: the Law is transformed, internalized, and fully realized in the Messianic era.

The Old Testament prophets foresaw this. Jeremiah said the day would come when the Law would be written on our hearts. It would no longer just sit on stone tablets. It would be inscribed within us. Isaiah tells us that in the Messianic Kingdom, the Law will go forth from Zion. It doesn’t disappear, it becomes the global instruction for the nations. Ezekiel gives us a detailed vision of a future Temple, complete with sacrifices, Sabbaths, and feasts. Zechariah tells us the nations will come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Booths. Isaiah declares that from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh will worship before the Lord. The Law remains in play, it is simply restored to its rightful purpose.

It is a common misconception that Jesus’ role as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedek replaces or cancels the Levitical priesthood. Scripture never teaches this. In fact, the Torah explicitly states that the Levitical priesthood is a perpetual covenant, “It shall be for them (Levites) an appointment as priests forever.” (Exodus 29:9). The Levitical priesthood is not abolished. It is on pause, not because it failed in its assignment, but because its operational context, the Temple, is currently absent. And Scripture makes clear that in the Messianic Age, it returns.

During the Messianic Era we will see the two priesthoods function together. Jesus, the high priest after the order of Melchizedek and the Levitical priesthood. The two priesthoods are not in conflict. One is eternal and redemptive, the other is generational and liturgical. Together, they reflect the fullness of God’s covenantal order.

Jesus didn’t replace the Levitical priesthood, He fulfilled the heavenly role it pointed to, while affirming its earthly continuity under His reign. In the age to come, we will see both priesthoods function together under the kingship of Messiah.

The Gentile Question and Acts 15

The purpose for the Jerusalem Council and its decision (Acts 15:19-21) was not whether Gentile believers should keep the entire Law or the Gentile portion, but whether gentiles needed to convert to Judaism in order to be saved and become full covenant members in the Body of Messiah. This is a crucial distinction, and it is often misunderstood in Christian teaching.

Acts 15 was not a compromise between Law and Grace. It wasn’t a new moral framework or a partial Torah obligation for Gentiles. It was a declaration of covenantal inclusion, that Gentile believers were fully accepted by God through faith in Yeshua, without the need for religious conversion or circumcision.

However, while salvation wasn’t on the line, fellowship was. The Apostolic Church was a sect of Judaism, not a new religion called Christianity. It was deeply rooted in the Jewish world, and Jewish believers were Torah observant. For them, purity laws, especially related to food and idolatry, were not optional cultural preferences; they were covenantal boundaries. Eating together was core to fellowship, but Torah-based purity concerns made this impossible unless some practical steps were taken.

That’s why the apostles and elders, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, issued four specific instructions to Gentile believers: “…to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.” (Acts 15:20, 29).

These four directives were not presented as a new Torah for Gentiles or as a replacement for the Law. They were relational safeguards, given by the Holy Spirit to enable Jew and Gentile believers to worship, eat, and live together without violating conscience or identity. This marked a crucial turning point, distinguishing the New Covenant administration from the Old.

Another important item that comes out of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15, is how new Gentile converts will grow in their faith through instruction.

“For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.” (Acts 15:21).

This is not an afterthought. It’s a recognition that Gentile believers would be continually exposed to the Torah, week after week, as they gathered with the wider Body. The apostles, in Acts 15, were not giving Gentiles a lighter version of God’s Law, or trying to spell out everything Gentiles needed to know in one council decree, they were trusting the ongoing process of discipleship. As these believers walked in covenant community, they would grow in maturity, understanding, as one new man (Ephesians 2:14–16), in the power of the Spirit and in obedience to the ways of the Father.

A Word About the Noahide Laws

Some Christian scholars and teachers have argued that Acts 15 essentially affirms and applies the Noahide laws to Gentile believers. (The Noahide Laws being a rabbinic tradition of seven universal laws for Gentiles derived from Genesis-era narratives.) But this is a later Jewish framework, not a teaching of Jesus or the apostles. Jesus never endorsed or mentioned the Noahide Laws, nor did the Apostle Paul ever reference them. Instead, Paul speaks of Gentiles being grafted into the olive tree (Romans 11), becoming fellow citizens and co-heirs (Ephesians 3:6), and being led by the Spirit to fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law (Romans 8:4). Nowhere does he advocate for a reduced moral code for Gentiles.

Paul’s Example: Torah-Observant Yet Free

Paul never saw himself as violating the Law of Moses. He declared before the Jewish authorities: Acts 23:1, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience up to this day.” He also says in Acts 24:14-16, “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God…” And later in Acts 25:8, “Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense.”

He continued to honor the Temple, observe Jewish customs, and live as a Torah-faithful Jew, even though he understood the Law’s fulfillment in Christ. He participated in purification rituals (Acts 21:20-26). He took a Nazarite vow (Acts 18:18), and circumcised Timothy to honor Jewish customs (Acts 16:3).

Yet in Paul’s teaching, he emphasized freedom from the Law for salvation but personal adherence to Jewish practices as a cultural and missional strategy. “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

The Law was never abolished or changed

Jesus never said He came to abolish the Law. In fact, He said the exact opposite. He said not one jot or tittle of the Law would pass away until all is accomplished. His life, death, and resurrection did not cancel the Law, but fulfill it. Jesus brings clarity and completion. Jesus didn’t break the Sabbath, He taught us how to keep it, the way the Father has always intended. He didn’t disregard the feasts, He fulfilled their deepest meaning. He is the Lord of the Sabbath, the Passover Lamb, and the Firstfruits of the resurrection.

When Paul writes about the Law, he isn’t throwing it away. He’s making a critical distinction. The Law was never the problem, the curse of the Law was. Jesus redeems us from the curse, not from the Law itself. Paul insists that faith does not overthrow the Law, it establishes it. The Law is fulfilled in love and walked out by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul is clear: Gentile believers were never required to convert to Judaism or keep the entire Mosaic Law. The Jerusalem Council made that definitive. But that does not mean the Law vanished, it means its administration shifted.

The writer of Hebrews shows us that Jesus is now our High Priest in the order of Melchizedek, not Aaron. The Levitical priesthood is temporarily inoperative, but not abolished. Prophetic Scripture makes it clear that Temple worship will be restored in the Messianic Kingdom. Priestly service, feasts, and Sabbath observance will resume, not to replace Christ’s finished work, but to honor it and remember it.

It’s not law versus grace. It’s not Moses versus Jesus. It’s the Law of the Father fulfilled in the Son and written on the hearts of His people by the Spirit. The Law was never meant to be a burden. It was always meant to be life-giving. When Jesus says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” He is making a direct contrast, not with the Father’s Law, but with the crushing weight of the man-made legalism and religious systems that had developed by the time of His ministry and continue to this day.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28–30

The Law of the Lord Is Perfect

The psalmist declares, “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul” (Psalm 19:7). There is no conflict between the Mosaic Law and the Law of Christ in their source or moral essence. The difference lies in their administration, purpose, and application. The Mosaic Law pointed forward to Christ; the Law of Christ brings its fulfillment to the people of God in the power of the Spirit.

Without divine law, moral relativism reigns. Lawlessness breeds confusion, rebellion, and the dissolution of societies. God’s law, whether given through Moses or through Christ, is the bedrock of justice, order, and true freedom. In Christ, the law is no longer an external list of commands but the internalized life principle of love empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In this present generation, as we see lawlessness in our streets, our institutions, and in our social discourse, our Father is giving us a profound opportunity. He is inviting us to reconsider what it means to walk in covenant with Him, not by human tradition or shallow grace, but by returning to the heart of His instruction.

This moment in history is not just a cultural crisis; I believe it is a divine wake-up call. My prayer is that He would open the eyes of each of us, to see as He sees, to hear His voice through His Word, and to rightly divide the Scriptures with the discernment of the Spirit. May we embrace not only the truth of His Word but the fullness of His ways, so that we can walk faithfully in this generation with clarity, conviction, and love.

I want to include some Comparative Views:

1. 1. Derek Prince’s View
      Derek Prince strongly emphasized the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, teaching that believers in Christ are no longer under the Law of Moses but are now under the Law of Christ, which is governed by the Holy Spirit and centered on love.

Key Points:

• • Law Fulfilled in Christ: Derek consistently taught that Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses and introduced a higher, internal law that operates through the Holy Spirit.

• • Law of the Spirit: Derek emphasized Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” He taught that this is the governing law of the believer’s life.

• • Mosaic Law is No Longer Binding: Derek believed that the ceremonial, civil, and dietary laws of the Old Covenant no longer apply to believers in Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile.

• • Obedience from the Heart: He taught that under the Law of Christ, obedience is no longer about external rules but about internal transformation, motivated by love and empowered by the Spirit.

Example Teaching:
Derek often explained how Jesus “tightened” the law in the Sermon on the Mount, exposing the true intention of the Father behind the commandments. He stressed that the issue is the heart, not mere external compliance.

2. 2. Watchman Nee’s View
      Watchman Nee deeply emphasized life in the Spirit and the new creation reality under the New Covenant.

Key Points:

• • The Law Reveals but Cannot Empower: Watchman Nee taught that the Law of Moses was given to expose sin but could not supply the life or power to overcome it.

• • The New Law is Life: Watchman Nee often described the Christian life as governed by the “law of life” (Romans 8:2), where the indwelling life of Christ naturally expresses itself in righteousness.

• • The Issue is the Nature, Not Rules: He taught that the Christian has a new nature, not just a new set of laws. The Christian life flows from abiding in Christ rather than observing external commandments.

• • The Law of Christ is Spontaneous: In Watchman Nee’s view, the Law of Christ is not a codified set of rules but is the spontaneous expression of the life of Christ within the believer.

Example Teaching:
Watchman Nee emphasized that the Father’s law is now internal and that living by the Spirit automatically fulfills the righteous requirements of the law (Romans 8:4), not by striving but by walking according to life.

3. 3. Messianic Jewish’ View
      Messianic Jewish scholars often provide a more integrated and nuanced perspective, balancing the continuity and discontinuity between the covenants.

Key Points:

• • The Law Remains, but its Application Changes: Messianic scholars usually maintain that the Torah is still valid but that its application is transformed in the New Covenant.

• • Distinction between Jews and Gentiles: Acts 15 is pivotal. Messianic scholars recognize that Gentile believers are not required to keep the full Mosaic Law but that Jewish believers may continue to observe elements of Torah as part of their cultural and covenantal identity.

• • Ceremonial Law Fulfilled in Christ: The sacrificial system and temple ordinances have been fulfilled in Jesus, but many Messianic Jews still honor the feasts, dietary laws, and Shabbat as a lifestyle, not as a means of salvation.

• • The Law of Christ is Not Lawlessness: Messianic scholars often critique parts of the Christian church for what they perceive as antinomianism (disregard for God’s moral standards).

Example Teaching:
Messianic teachers like David Stern argue that Jesus and the apostles lived Torah-observant lives, but Jesus redefined Torah from within by showing its deepest intent. Gentiles are invited into covenant life without full Torah observance but are called to uphold universal moral law.