Why Christians Must Keep the Law of Moses: The Forgotten Truth of the New Covenant

To properly address the ancient statutes delivered amidst the smoke and thunder of Mount Sinai, one must first confront the man chosen to receive them. Moses stood as the mediator between heaven and earth, ascending into the thick darkness to bring down a code of conduct that would separate a chosen people from a pagan world. Yet, if we are to speak with total honesty, we must look past the servant and look directly to the Sovereign. First, let us call it what it truly is: God’s Law. Moses did not invent these precepts; he merely transcribed them from the mouth of Jehovah. When we reframe the question with that uncompromised truth in mind, the entire tone of the inquiry shifts from a historical debate to a present crisis of faith. The question is no longer an academic exercise regarding an ancient Hebrew prophet. The real question is this: Should Christians follow the Law of God?

To answer that question with a reckless “no” is to plunge the entire architecture of Christian theology into absolute darkness. The mainstream commentators who glibly declare that the Law has been abolished fail to recognize that they are systematically destroying the very definition of sin itself. We cannot understand the cross until we understand the transgression that demanded it. The scripture leaves no room for ambiguity or modern reinterpretation on this matter: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). There is no alternative definition found within the pages of holy writ. The Law of God is the solitary, immutable mirror that reveals the defilement of the human heart, drawing a sharp, uncompromising line between righteousness and rebellion.

Consider then the profound delusion of the popular narrative. If the Law of God was nailed to a tree in the sense of being annihilated, then the standard of right and wrong was annihilated along with it. Where there is no law, there is no transgression; and where there is no transgression, guilt cannot exist. If it is no longer a requirement to follow the Law of God, then modern man can no longer be accused of sinning against Him. By telling the world that God’s standards are dead, the modern church has inadvertently told the world that they no longer need a Savior. If the Law is done away with, the gospel becomes completely toothless, offering redemption from a penalty that no longer applies. It is a catastrophic theological failure. We must boldly declare that the Law stands firm, because the moment you dismiss the holy standard, you dismiss the very reason Christ had to die.

The Apostle Paul foresaw this exact brand of lawlessness creeping into the fellowship of believers. He confronted the ancient ancestors of today’s cheap-grace theologians with a direct, piercing question: “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31). Faith does not grant an exemption from obedience; it provides the absolute foundation for it. The true believer does not look upon the perfect commandments of the Creator as an obsolete yoke, but as the supreme expression of His unchanging character. To claim to love the Lawgiver while despising His Law is the ultimate form of spiritual hypocrisy.