Question: My question concerns the Old Testament Law. In Ephesians 2:15 it speaks of Christ “Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments.” Also in Colossians 2:14, it speaks of “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances…nailing it to his cross.” However, in I Timothy 1:8-10 it says, “But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient,…” Does this mean the law is still in use today to convict sinners of sin?
It also says in Galatians 3:24, “…The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.” Galatians 3:25 says, “But after faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.” Is this speaking of humanity in general 2000 years ago, or does it mean the law is still bringing sinners to Christ today?
Now I have a more specific question which partly hinges on the former questions: In Deuteronomy 22:5 we read, “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.” I am surely convinced that a woman should not wear slacks, so that is not the question. I Timothy 2:9 makes it clear that a woman should dress modestly, but what I want to know is: In dealing with others about this matter is it correct to refer back to the Old Testament Law?
Answer: In regard to the first part of this question the words, “In his flesh,” in Ephesians 2:15 and “nailing it to his cross” in Colossians 2:14 are important key words. Many have difficulty in understanding that the Old Testament law was not carried over, at least in part, into the New Covenant of Grace because of the fact that there were many references to it in the New Testament and even in the ministry of Jesus, and He enjoined the observances of the law upon the people in numbers of instances. Jesus observed the law in many respects Himself. It must be remembered that the law was in effect until the death of Jesus. There was a lapping over of dispensations here and Jesus actually observed the law while teaching grace which was to come. John 1:17 says, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” That grace that Jesus brought was not fully given unto us until after the shedding of Christ’s blood and the subsequent coming of the Holy Ghost.
In Matthew 5:17 we see that Jesus came to fulfill the law. It is also clear in the Scriptures that the law was not fulfilled until the death of Christ as the supreme sacrifice for sin. The Scriptures also make it clear that the law was a temporary measure and that it had an end. In Galatians 3:19, we read, “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made;…” This makes it clear that the law was to be in existence until the “seed” should come. Then we would conclude that after the “seed” came the law ceased to exist. Who was that “seed?” Galatians 3:16 says, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Then the law was to be in existence until Christ came. One of the Scriptures used in the question Galatians 3:24-25 states that the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. The word schoolmaster was translated from a word which does not refer to the teacher but it means “pedagogue” which was a servant who escorted the children to school. He was not the teacher, but took the children to the teacher. Likewise, the law was not our teacher to teach us about Christ but was the agent which brought us to Christ, the great Teacher. Then this Scripture continues on to say that after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Consequently, when Christ came, the law (pedagogue) had done its work and served its purpose and brought us up to and delivered us to the great Teacher, Christ. When this was accomplished, then comes into focus the key words referred to in the first part of this answer: “In his flesh” and “nailing it to the cross.” When Christ expired on the cross, He fulfilled the last jot and tittle of the law and finished it, and it had no further use or purpose in the plan of God as pertains to our salvation, but was totally abolished at Calvary. From that point on, everything pertaining to our relationship with God was on a different basis faith in Christ instead of the works of the law for both Jews and Gentiles. Accordingly, we read in Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”
No, the law is not still in use today to convict men of sin. That was its purpose in its time, all right. We read in Romans 3:20, “…for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Again we read in Romans 7:13, “…that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.” and again in Romans 7:7, “…I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” The bitter truth is that it convicted men of sin while providing no deliverance for them from sin, and consequently they lived in a state of continuous, perpetual conviction and condemnation with no means of escape until they became very wretched and miserable. (See Romans 7:24.) Today we have the Holy Spirit in the world to convict men of sin, so do not need the law for that purpose. John 16:8 says concerning the work of the Holy Spirit, “And when he is come, he will reprove [convince, “margin”] the world of sin,…” That is His office work now, and the glorious thing about being convicted by the Holy Spirit is that as we respond to that conviction and follow through and allow Him to perform His work of salvation in our hearts, He administers grace to deliver from the sin He has convicted us of and fills us with joy and peace.
As to the thought that the law is good if a man use it lawfully; that is, if he teaches concerning the law as for what it was and its purpose to give knowledge of sin and consequently to restrain sin until Christ should come and put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, and when that was accomplished it had no further use in the plan of God and came to an end at Calvary; then it would be good and would enhance the gospel of Christ. Actually the law was good in its time and served as an effective restraint to sin and kept the Jews from falling into the same depths of degradation of the heathen nations around them. The only lawful use of the law now is as outlined here.
In regard to using Old Testament Scriptures to support New Testament truths I would say that at no time, and in no way, do saint ministers teach the law system as such and in no way do we teach anything as present day truth just because the law said it. However, there are many things said in various parts of the law and Old Testament scriptures which contain principles of truth which are carried over and included in New Testament doctrine. For example: Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-28, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Jesus taught very positively against adultery; not because the law had said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” but because adultery is wrong and involves a wrong principle. He carried this right over into His teaching and expanded it to include mental adultery or a lustful disposition in one’s heart. Several other similar examples could be given, but this will serve to establish my thought and I will move on.
I feel the text under consideration in Deuteronomy 22:5 falls in this category. At the time this text was written and in that land the garments of both men and women were close to identical. At least the outer garments were. Both wore long robes and the principle thing that distinguished the women’s robes was a little decorative embroidery that was not on the men’s robes. Consequently, I wondered for a long time why it would be so abominable to God if they should get them mixed up and one put on the other’s garment. It came clear to me in my meditation at one time that there was a principle laid down here. God made both man and woman and established certain duties and courses of life for each of them. Here He lays down a principle to forever condemn any attitude on the part of either of them to want to be like the other and not be satisfied with the way God made them and the course He laid out for them. This principle is carried over into the New Testament also. We read in I Corinthians 6:9-10, among many other evil things, that effeminate persons shall not inherit the kingdom of God. I define effeminate as a womanish man; sissy. Webster is a little more sophisticated than that in his dictionary and defines it: “1. having unsuitable feminine qualities; unmanly; 2. marked by weakness and love of ease.” Also in I Timothy 2:9-10 and in I Peter 3:1-6 and other texts, women are taught to be womanly. There are certain graces, refinements and delicacies which belong to womankind, and God’s women are instructed and admonished to manifest these. In other words, God wants men to be real men, look like real men, act like real men, dress like real men and fill the place of real men. Likewise, He wants women to be real women, look like real women and dress like real women. In this country where dress is one of the principle distinctive features between men and women, this thought in Deuteronomy 22:5, which is carried over into the New Testament, comes strongly into focus. Accordingly, it is concluded that God’s women must wear dresses (womanly apparel) and God’s men must wear pants (manly apparel). The principle is forever the same. God still strongly condemns any attitude on the part of either women or men to want to be like the other.
No, we as saint ministers do not use Old Testament scriptures alone to establish any point. There must be scriptures or scriptural principles in the New Testament which relate to them to make their use permissible in establishing or confirming a doctrine. It is perfectly permissible, when a good foundation has been laid in the New Testament, to use Old Testament scriptures which relate to them and thus establish the fact that God’s attitude has always been the same on any given point.
