Tag: the Law

The following are all of the non-Pauline verses which refer to “law” or “the law”; 5 of 56, or about 9%, are evidently references to Torah. Adjective phrases are highlighted where relevant.

Click here for Pauline references to the law.

Verse	Non-Pauline uses of “the law” or “law” Not Referring to Torah
Mt 05:40	And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mt 10:35	For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Lk 12:53	The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
Jn 18:13	And led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that same year.
Ac 19:38	Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another.

 

Verse	Non-Pauline uses of “the law” or “law” Referring to Torah
Mt 05:17	Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Mt 05:18	For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Mt 07:12	Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Mt 11:13	For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
Mt 12:05	Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Mt 22:36	Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Mt 22:40	On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Mt 23:23	Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Lk 02:22	And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
Lk 02:23	(As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)
Lk 02:24	And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.
Lk 02:27	And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Lk 02:39	And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
Lk 05:17	And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
Lk 10:26	He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
Lk 16:16	The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Lk 16:17	And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
Lk 24:44	And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
Jn 01:17	For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Jn 01:45	Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
Jn 07:19	Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?
Jn 07:23	If a man on the sabbath day receive circumcision, that the law of Moses should not be broken; are ye angry at me, because I have made a man every whit whole on the sabbath day?
Jn 07:49	But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.
Jn 07:51	Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth?
Jn 08:05	Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
Jn 08:17	It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.
Jn 10:34	Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
Jn 12:34	The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
Jn 15:25	But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
Jn 18:31	Then said Pilate unto them, Take ye him, and judge him according to your law. The Jews therefore said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to death:
Jn 19:07	The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
Ac 05:34	Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
Ac 06:13	And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:
Ac 07:53	Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.
Ac 13:15	And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
Ac 13:39	And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Ac 15:05	But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
Ac 15:24	Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
Ac 18:13	Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.
Ac 18:15	But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters.
Ac 21:20	And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
Ac 21:24	Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
Ac 21:28	Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
Ac 22:03	I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
Ac 22:12	And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there,
Ac 23:03	Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?
Ac 23:29	Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.
Ac 24:06	Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom we took, and would have judged according to our law.
Ac 24:14	But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
Ac 25:08	While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all.
Ac 28:23	And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.
Ja 1:25	But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Ja 2:08	If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
Ja 2:09	But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
Ja 2:10	For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Ja 2:11	For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
Ja 2:12	So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
Ja 4:11	Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
1Jn 3:04	Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

articles  ♦  blog

The Law of God reveals the nature of God; it’s His definition of both sin and holiness (1Pe 1:14-16), instructing us in the Way so we can walk in the light with a clean heart. The purpose and goal of the Law is to help us become more Christ-like. (1Ti 1:5)

Since the Law is spiritual (Ro 7:14), holy, just and good (Ro 7:12), and the nature of Christ in every believer delights in the law of God (Ro 7:22), the enemy’s doing his best to keep us in the dark about the role of God’s law in our lives.

One trick he uses is to substitute an arbitrary definition for the law as we read Scripture, spiritualizing it into some vague “law of love” (just be nice), so we never actually consider the details of God’s commands as we study.

But it’s dishonest to arbitrarily change definitions depending on context to make verses mean whatever we like; it’s corrupting the Word and handling it deceitfully. (2Co 4:2) We should rightly divide the Word, using consistent definitions whenever it makes sense.

To get a proper definition, we may easily look at all New Testament references to the law and understand the correct meaning from the various contexts. If there are texts in which the meaning is clear, where any other sense is inappropriate, then we may safely use this as our definition, so long we aren’t contradicting other scripture.

Consider, “Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law.” (Ro 2:17-18) This implies the law is the Torah, the body of laws in the Old Testament preserved for us by the Jews. They’ve been studying this law for millennia; they’ve never known any other divine law. No other meaning is reasonable here.

How about, “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” (Ro 3:19) This implies God’s law is clearly stated and available to us. Torah is the only detailed body of law which claims to be inspired of God; there is no other.

Finally consider, “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” (Ro 3:31) Paul has just spent two chapters explaining the relationship of Torah to the believer, yet it is Torah itself that Paul was accused of making void. (Ac 21:20-21) He answers the accusation in no uncertain terms: through the principle of justification by faith we establish Torah, we don’t make any part of it obsolete.

90% of Pauline verses mentioning the law are like this, evidently references to Torah. The remaining texts evidently refer to principles clearly identified by the immediate context, generally by an added adjective phrase, such as, for example, the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, and the law of sin and death (Ro 8:2), describing spiritual forces at work in us to either respect or break Torah, and the law of faith (Ro 3:27) describing the principle of salvation by faith. The rest of the New Testament follows this pattern.

Some references, such as to the law of Christ (Ga 6:2), referring to Christ’s new commandment that we love one another as He loved us (Jn 13:34), upon close inspection also turn out to be references to Torah.

Throughout the New Testament, whenever something other than Torah is intended, we find wither an adjective phrase within the context identifying a specific principle (or law), or a set of man-made laws This triggers the tooltip where the context shows us it isn’t referring to Torah; in no verse does the phrase the law appear by itself where it is inappropriate to read it as Torah. This is therefore the most reasonable way to consistently interpret this phrase in scripture.

If we’re not zealous of the law like Christ and the Twelve, serving the law like the Apostle Paul (Ro 7:25a), it’s easy to deceive ourselves about what God expects of us in this life of faith. The nature which doesn’t submit to Torah is identified as the flesh (25b), or the carnal mind, which is enmity (or hatred) against God. (Ro 6:7) As we look carefully at what Christ Himself says about this, He is unmistakably clear:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:17-19)

It’s hard to imagine how He might be any more clear, direct and precise about the importance of all of us obeying Torah.

articles  ♦  posts