16. The Law of Christ vs. the Law of Moses

The words of Jesus Christ on the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) illustrate very well the superiority of the Gospel (or Law of Christ) over the Mosaic Law. And, as mentioned earlier, it shows Christ taking authority from the Mosaic Law and placing it on Himself. The focus is moved from the old law and centered on Christ, the bringer of the new law, or New Covenant.

Matthew 7:12
"Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."

While honoring one's father and mother is a part of the Mosaic Law, there is no mandate to love them, just as there is no mandate for husbands to love their wives or vice versa. Neither is there a command in the law discouraging fathers from provoking their children to anger. Love in the Gospel sense covers conduct in all these areas. Take a look at these passages:

Those were just a few examples why the Gospel is superior to the Mosaic Law which was fulfilled by the perfect life of Christ. If one loves in the Gospel sense, one would love one's husband or wife and one's children (and vice versa), one would not hate one's brother or sister, one would not commit adultery with their body or their eyes and mind, one would seek to make peace with an opponent whenever possible, one would not retaliate against one's enemies, but pray for them. Christ summed up all the law and the prophets by proclaiming these commandments which call out to us through the centuries for observance: that we are to love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds; and love our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-31). If we love our neighbors as ourselves, we do so because we love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds. If we do not love God, we cannot love our neighbors as ourselves. This is the essence of living in the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; the sum and substance of loving within the framework of the Gospel.

Galatians 6:2
"Bear one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ."

Bearing one another's burdens shows love for one another, a concern for each other's welfare, a more than passing interest in how one's need or needs can be met. This falls well within Christ's command for us to love one another as He loves us (John 13:34-35), which is a vital part of living in accordance with the Gospel.

Caring for one another as God cares for us, through the inner working of the Holy Spirit, brings us into obedience to the law of Christ. It brings us into conformity with the will of God that we love one another and consider each other's burdens as our own.

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