Are Christians Commanded to Continue Obeying the Law of Moses?

One of my readers recently sent me an interesting question:

“A family member has come across a Jewish ministry called The Hebrew Roots Movement which is teaching that Christians need to go back to their Jewish Roots and follow the OT. They mention that Christians are to keep the Sabbath and the Feasts etc… They say Jesus said He did not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, so we must keep the Law.”

The statement in question can be found in the Sermon on the Mount. Here are Jesus’ actual words:

“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. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” Matt 5:17-18).

As you can see, Jesus did indeed say that He did not come to abolish the Law. But that is not all He said. It is always important to read the context of Scripture. Jesus went on to add, “I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” He also said, “until everything is accomplished.”

When did the Law become fulfilled? When was everything accomplished? These are the 50 million dollar questions. The Law became fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross. At that time, according to Matthew, the Temple curtain in front of the Holy of Holies was supernaturally ripped opened.

“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split” Matt 27:51)

The way is now carved for us to go into God’s presence without the High Priest and animal sacrifice once a year on Yom Kippur. It their place, Jesus became the ultimate High Priest and ultimate sacrifice (Hebrews 4, 6, 9-10). True, He talked about “not one jot or tittle of the law” being relaxed, but He also explained how long that situation would last: “Until all is accomplished.” The “all being accomplished” are the events described above. That is why right before Jesus died, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

People forget that even though we read about Jesus’ ministry in a book we call the New Testament, the Old Testament (or Old Covenant, Old Agreement) was still in operation until He went to the cross and atoned for our sin. But before this seminal event, through out Jesus’ lifetime, He did follow the Law of Moses and encouraged others to do the same.

Are we to follow the Law now after all that Jesus did for us on the cross? Of course not. We are in a relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit that goes beyond the Law. As Paul said to the Galatians, anyone going back to the Law “was obligated to obey the entire law” (Galatians 5:13). Nobody does that. Instead, they cherry pick the customs that are convenient to them. They may enjoy keeping Kosher or celebrating the Sabbath, but who makes animal sacrifices today? No Christian whom I ever met, although I’m sure there is always some nutcase somewhere who could do anything.

I myself am a Jewish Christian, but many of my Jewish Christian brethren (along with Orthodox Jews) insist that the Law must be followed. When I ask if they conduct animal sacrifices (a fairly large chunk of the Mosaic Law) they say, “We can’t. The temple has been destroyed.”

This argument may sound convenient but it immediately suffocates people in the quick sand it is made from. There was no temple from Moses to Solomon, yet God still commanded the sacrificial regulations.

Those who claim we must return to the Law justify their position only by doing verbal gymnastics with books such as Galatians and Hebrews, both written to Jewish Christians who were seriously considering returning to the Law.

The Law has been fulfilled. The New Covenant is here. As Jesus put it so well, let us not mix new wine with old wine skins (Matthew 9).