DO WE STILL FOLLOW THE LAW?

Christ fulfilled the law and wrote it on our hearts

When Jesus says in Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them,” He closes the door to a simplistic answer. The law is neither discarded nor left untouched. It is fulfilled. The question is what that fulfillment means for those who now live under the New Covenant.

The Greek word translated “fulfill” is plēroō, which carries the sense of bringing something to its intended goal or fullness. Jesus does not treat the law as a mistake that needs correction. He treats it as a revelation that finds its completion in Him. The sacrificial system, the priesthood, the temple, the moral commands, and the civil regulations of Israel all point forward. In Christ, what was shadow becomes substance.

The Law In Its Original Context

The law given through Moses in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy functioned within a specific covenant relationship between God and Israel. It included moral commands, ceremonial regulations, and civil instructions for a theocratic nation. These were not randomly assembled rules. They expressed God’s holiness, defined Israel’s identity, and guarded the people from the surrounding idolatry and injustice of the ancient Near East.

The apostle Paul describes the law as holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). Its problem was never moral defect. Its limitation lay in human inability. The law could reveal sin but could not remove it. It could command righteousness but could not produce a new heart. As Paul writes in Galatians 3:24, the law served as a guardian leading to Christ. Once Christ has come, believers are no longer under that guardian in the same covenantal sense.

Moral, Ceremonial, And Civil Distinctions

Throughout church history, serious theologians have distinguished between the moral law, which reflects God’s unchanging character, and the ceremonial and civil aspects that governed Israel’s sacrificial system and national life. While Scripture does not present these categories in a formal list, the distinction arises naturally when reading the New Testament.

Ceremonial laws concerning sacrifices, dietary restrictions, and ritual purity are explicitly addressed in the New Testament. The letter to the Hebrews explains that Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice renders the repeated animal sacrifices obsolete (Hebrews 10:1–14). Peter’s vision in Acts 10 signals that food laws no longer define covenant membership. Paul writes in Colossians 2:16–17 that dietary rules and festivals were shadows of the reality found in Christ. It was all hinting to the final sacrifice for all human kind through Jesus's life, that he layed down like a lamb for all our sins. 

Civil laws that structured ancient Israel’s courts and penalties belonged to Israel’s unique national calling. Christians are not a geopolitical nation-state but a global body drawn from every tribe and language. The judicial structures tied to Israel’s land and monarchy do not transfer directly into modern societies.

The moral law, however, finds reaffirmation. Commands against murder, adultery, theft, idolatry, and false witness are repeated in the New Testament, not as a means of earning salvation but as expressions of love toward God and neighbor. Jesus summarizes the law in two great commandments: love God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:37–40). Paul echoes this by stating that love fulfills the law (Romans 13:8–10).

Under Law Or Under Grace?

Romans 6:14 declares that believers are not under law but under grace. That statement does not mean moral indifference. It means that the believer’s standing before God is no longer determined by covenantal adherence to the Mosaic code. Righteousness is credited through faith in Christ. The law’s condemning power has been satisfied in Him.

At the same time, grace does not produce lawlessness. The Spirit writes God’s moral will on the heart, fulfilling the promise of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:33. The transformation moves from external regulation to internal renewal. The believer does not obey in order to become accepted. The believer obeys because acceptance has already been secured through Christ.

James refers to the “law of liberty” (James 1:25), a phrase that captures this shift. The law, seen through Christ, becomes a guide for grateful obedience rather than a ladder for self-justification. The motive changes. The power source changes. The relationship changes.

Practical Examples

Consider Sabbath observance. The Fourth Commandment establishes a rhythm of rest rooted in creation. Yet the New Testament does not command Gentile believers to observe the Jewish Sabbath in the same covenantal form. Paul allows freedom of conscience regarding sacred days (Romans 14:5). Many Christians see the principle of rest and worship as abiding, while recognizing that the specific ceremonial framework has shifted in light of Christ’s resurrection and the gathering of the church on the first day of the week.

Dietary restrictions offer another example. Leviticus distinguishes clean and unclean foods as markers of Israel’s distinct identity. After Christ, those distinctions no longer define holiness. Jesus declares all foods clean in Mark 7:19, and Acts 10 reinforces that shift. The moral concern for self-control and gratitude remains, yet the ceremonial boundary is removed.

By contrast, prohibitions against adultery or theft remain binding because they reflect God’s moral character and are reaffirmed throughout the New Testament. The difference lies not in selective preference but in covenantal context.

Fulfillment In Christ

Ultimately, the law is personal before it is procedural. It points to Christ. He fulfills it by obeying perfectly, by bearing its curse on the cross (Galatians 3:13), and by embodying its true intent. The Sermon on the Mount deepens the law’s meaning by moving from external compliance to internal purity. Anger is revealed as the root of murder. Lust is exposed as the seed of adultery. The standard is not lowered. It is clarified.

Therefore, Christians do not follow the Mosaic law as a covenant of works. They follow Christ, in whom the law finds completion. Through union with Him, they receive both forgiveness for their failure and power for transformed living.

Sources Worth Reading

The Holy Bible, especially Matthew 5–7; Romans 6–8; Galatians 3–5; Hebrews 7–10.
The Epistle to the Romans
The Letter to the Hebrews
Thomas R. Schreiner, 40 Questions About Christians and Biblical Law (Kregel Academic).
Douglas J. Moo, Galatians (Baker Exegetical Commentary).
D. A. Carson, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Baker Books).

These works approach the issue with historical awareness, textual depth, and theological seriousness, helping readers understand how Christ fulfills the law without dismissing its enduring moral significance.