The Law’s Last Breath: How the Cross Fulfilled and Concluded the Old Covenant

by Pastor Ely Sembrano

Many Christians struggle to understand the role of the law today. Does it still govern believers? Did Jesus come to obey it, reinterpret it, or end it? The answer is both simple and profound: the law was never meant to be permanent; it was a guide, a guardian, and a shadow that found its purpose fulfilled in Christ.

When the law had accomplished its work, it breathed its last. The cross was not God’s limitation it was God’s plan completed.

Was God unable to abolish the law even to save His own Son?

Some imagine the law as a chain even God could not break. But Scripture clearly shows otherwise. Jesus did not die because God’s hands were tied by His own law. He died because fulfilling the law was His mission to satisfy its demands, silence its accusations, and redeem humanity from its curse forever (Galatians 3:13; Matthew 5:17).

Paul expresses this truth with clarity and power:

“Christ is the end (goal, completion, climax) of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” Romans 10:4

The cross is not a display of God’s limitation; it is the revelation of His unstoppable purpose. The law’s ultimate function was to point to Christ, and in Him, it reached its fulfillment.

Does Romans 4:15 prove the law must remain in force?

Romans 4:15 says:

“Where there is no law, there is no transgression.”

Some interpret this to mean the law must continue indefinitely. But Paul uses it to highlight the temporary role of the Mosaic law. Sin existed before Sinai, but it was not accounted in the same covenantal way (Romans 5:13). The law had a beginning, a purpose, and an ending.

“The law was added… until the Seed should come.” —Galatians 3:19

The law was a guardian, not a savior. Its role ended with the arrival of Christ (Romans 6:14–15; 7:4–6; Galatians 3:24–25). To insist the law still governs believers contradicts the teaching of Scripture. Once its purpose was complete, the law stepped aside.

Does grace require the law to define sin?

Some claim that without the law, sin loses definition. But Scripture teaches the opposite. Paul writes:

“Sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:14

 “The power of sin is the law.” —1 Corinthians 15:56

Grace does not rely on the law to survive. Instead, it destroys the tyranny of the law. Grace does what the law never could: it gives a new heart, new power, and new life not written on stone, but written by the Spirit of God (Ezekiel 36:26–27; Romans 8:2–4).

Sin is no longer defined by external commandments but by the transformed heart of a believer. Grace makes obedience possible, not fear.

“But the Ten Commandments are holy and good” (Romans 7:12)

Indeed, the commandments are holy, righteous, and good. But holiness does not equal permanence. The law served a covenantal purpose that ended in Christ. Nine of the Ten Commandments are expressed in the New Covenant as love shaped by the Spirit. The Sabbath fulfilled its ultimate purpose in Christ, pointing to His rest (Acts 15; Colossians 2:16–17; Romans 14:5–6; Hebrews 4:9–10).

We are no longer saved by law-keeping, but by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). Our obedience flows not from stone tablets, but from hearts renewed by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:6–18). True freedom comes when we move from fear and ritual into relationship and life.

The Danger of Returning to Sinai

Many believers are subtly pulled backward into the shadow of Sinai, where fear and performance dominate. But the cross makes clear: obedience cannot save. Only Christ can. The tragedy is not in seeking obedience, it is in believing the law can give what only Christ provides.

·        The law exposes sin.

·        Christ removes it.

·        The law condemns.

·        Christ justifies.

·        The law kills.

·        Christ gives life.

Preach Christ, Not Moses

If we desire to lead others to salvation, we must preach Christ, not the law. The law’s last breath was drawn on the cross. Its purpose fulfilled, its demands satisfied, and its role completed, the law now serves as a pointer to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Grace sets captives free. It does not drag believers back into fear, ritual, or obligation. It brings life. The law, beautiful as it was, brings death without Christ.

Let us proclaim the gospel in its fullness: the law ended, and Christ brings life everlasting.

Former Adventists Philippines

“Freed by the Gospel. Firm in the Word.”

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