From Sinai to Calvary: The Law’s Purpose Reexamined Under the New Covenant

 

1. Affirming the Law’s Goodness — But Not Its Covenantal Authority Over Christians

Yes, Romans 7:12 does say “the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” But this verse is descriptive of the Law’s character—not prescriptive of its covenantal authority over the believer.

The Law is good in what it reveals, but not in what it accomplishes. It is good like an X-ray machine that can detect a broken bone—but cannot heal it.

Paul's entire argument in Romans 7:1–6 is that believers died to the Law (v.4) in order to belong to Christ. That is not just about justification, but about covenant jurisdiction—just as a woman is no longer bound to her husband after his death (vv.2–3), we are no longer bound to the Law.

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2. The Law’s Role Was Temporary and Preparatory

The Law’s purpose was always temporary, never final. Paul says in Galatians 3:24–25:

“So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came... But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.”

Former Adventists Philippines teaches that the Law—including the Ten Commandments as a unit of the Old Covenant (Exod. 34:28; Deut. 4:13)—served as a temporary covenant code until Christ fulfilled and replaced it with a New Covenant (Hebrews 8:6–13).

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3. We Don’t Use the Law as Our Rule of Life

Many well-meaning teachers say that the Law still serves as a “guide” or “standard.” But this blurs the covenants. The New Covenant doesn’t renew the Old—it replaces it.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:7–11 that the Law written on tablets of stone is a “ministry of death,” “fading away,” and “set aside.”

“If what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!” (v.11)

Former Adventists Philippines teaches that the believer's life is now governed by the Law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2), not by the Mosaic Law. This Law of Christ includes the moral will of God as revealed in the New Covenant, shaped by the Spirit, not carved on stone.

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4. Honoring the Law Doesn't Mean Submitting to It

Yes, we honor the Law—as a revelation of God’s justice—but we don’t live under it (Romans 6:14).

• To say the Law points us to Christ is true (Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:24).

• But to suggest it still governs the Christian life is to resurrect what God has ended.

Former Adventists Philippines emphasizes that we honor the Law best not by clinging to it, but by recognizing that its purpose was fulfilled in Christ, and that He now governs our lives through His indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:2–4).

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Summary Statement:

“While the Law is holy and righteous, it was never meant to be a permanent covenant or a rule of life for Christians. The Law revealed our sin and pointed to Christ, but we have died to it through the body of Christ. Under the New Covenant, we now live by the Spirit, not under the Law. We honor its purpose by embracing Christ, not by returning to the shadows He fulfilled.”

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