For many years the relationship between my Christian faith and the concept of “the law” in the Bible confused me. They almost seemed incompatible. I’m saved by grace. Why is the law necessary? Why is it still in our Bible if it isn’t relevant any more?
Few topics cause Christians more confusion than this one. They ask, “How does the Old Testament law fit into my faith?”
Is that you? If so, you aren’t alone. There are many who find the same confusion you and I experience.
Some claim that because we are under grace, we no longer have any relationship to the law. Others insist that unless we uphold the law to the letter, we are failing in our faith.
Which is it? What’s the truth?
To answer these, we must first consider something else. What is the law, and how does it relate to us? Let’s look at that now.
What Is the Law?
Before we get into the topic, let’s define some terms. We need to have a working understanding of what the law is. So let’s define it.
The law Paul speaks of in the New Testament is the Hebrew law. It’s the set of commandments given by God in the Old Testament. While the Pharisees had added many traditions that distorted its application, the law itself was clearly understood.
At its core, the law is summarized in the Ten Commandments. These can be understood even more simply than just ten principles. Here’s what Christ said:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40 NASB).
It’s fairly simple. Love God. Love others.
But this raises another question. If the law is simply loving people, why have any commands at all? Isn’t love a much better way of approaching life without any kind of “legalistic standard” to have to navigate? Does this mean we are free to completely forsake the law if we believe in Christ?
If so, why do we still have commands to abstain from evil and pursue righteousness? Let’s explore this important subject by looking at two key truths about the law.
The Law Isn’t Bad
Let’s first look at the value of the law. Is it bad? The simple answer is no, but there’s a lot more to it than just a simple answer. Let’s look at what the Bible says.
Paul’s View of the Law
Reading Paul’s letters, we might think he was inconsistent about the law. At times, he praised it:
- “For it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified” (Romans 2:13).
- “So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good” (Romans 7:12).
- “But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully” (1 Timothy 1:8).
Yet in other places, Paul appears to take a negative view:
- “By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Romans 3:20).
- “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Romans 3:28).
- “You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
Was Paul contradicting himself? Not at all. Paul understood the law in its proper context—as a guide pointing to Christ. The law was never meant to be the means of salvation. The problem was not the law itself, but humanity’s misuse of it, attempting to earn righteousness through works.
So Paul viewed the law as good but the use of it sometimes bad. The law was good because God is good. Man is sinful at his core, so he sometimes abuses and misuses the law.
But was this just a “Paul thing”? Was Paul unique in seeing the Law as good?
Jesus and the Law
Some mistakenly believe that Jesus opposed the law. They see Him as an “iconoclast,” breaking from the law and establishing His own code. However, Jesus made it clear:
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17).
Christ fulfilled the law, living perfectly according to it and completing its purpose. His issue was not with the law itself but with the way the Pharisees treated it. They mistakenly used it as an end rather than a means to point to God’s grace.
Jesus upheld the law while exposing the Pharisees’ hypocrisy:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others” (Matthew 23:23).
The law is good when used properly. It becomes dangerous when humans distort its purpose.
The Law Is Good
When we look at these facts, it all makes sense. Paul’s fluctuating perspective of the law shows us that he viewed it through the lens of Christ. The law was never the problem—it was always the human response to the law that created issues.
The Right Understanding of the Law
Paul warned against using the law as a standard of self-righteousness:
“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?” (Galatians 3:1-2).
The law can’t save us, but that doesn’t mean it has no place in the Christian life. Instead, the law, when we understand it correctly, guides us in honoring Christ. Jesus didn’t destroy the law. He completed it.
He loved His own law so much that He didn’t throw it in the trash. He finished it and set it like artwork in a grand gallery for all to see. Why, then, would we think that the law is something we should ignore? Why should we despise what Christ honored?
The Law and Grace
A beautiful truth of the New Covenant is that the law is no longer external but written on our hearts:
“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:33).
Paul echoes this truth:
“You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3).
This means we fulfill the law when we live in obedience to Christ. We honor the law of God, not out of obligation, but out of love and gratitude.
We don’t have to think to ourselves, “Oh, boy. I need to make sure I don’t murder someone today!” God has given us a new heart of love rather than hatred (Leviticus 19:17, Matthew 5:43-44).
We don’t have to think to ourselves, “I hope I don’t steal today!” God has given us a spirit of gratitude that gives rather than receives (Acts 20:35).
We don’t have to think, “I really shouldn’t commit adultery today!” God has written the law on our hearts so that we don’t want to shame ourselves with lustful thoughts (Matthew 5:27-28).
Of course, none of this would have been possible if Christ hadn’t died in our place for our sins. You see, the instant we believed in faith in Him, God’s grace changed our hearts. Now we obey out of grace rather than compulsion.
So What?
So be a Christian legalist!
Yes, you read that right. We should all be Christian legalists—but only in the proper sense. Not in the sense of self-righteousness. We love and obey God’s law because we love Him out of grace-filled hearts.
We honor God’s law every time we:
- Recognize His grace in keeping our marriages strong.
- Give Him credit for guiding us in raising our children.
- Attribute our talents and opportunities to His provision.
- Love our enemies and do good to those who persecute us.
Likewise, we dishonor Him when we:
- Indulge in sinful anger.
- Entertain impure thoughts.
- Speak in ways that dishonor Him.
Being a Christian legalist means obeying God not to earn salvation, but because grace has won us over. It means glorifying Him through obedience that flows from a heart transformed by grace.
The psalmist declared:
“O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97).
Oh, to God that we would be that dedicated to loving our God.
So, let’s love the law—not because we must, but because we love the Lawgiver. Let’s be Christian legalists, not in the sense of empty rule-keeping. As those who have the law written on our hearts, let’s obey God out of joyful gratitude.
This is the way we glorify Christ in everything we do and say. This is how to truly attain the title “Christian legalist.” And because of it, we get to bask in the wonder of His glory and grace (John 1:14).
Praise God for His law!
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