The same law contained in ordinances is abolished and some think that's the ten commandments. Let's further compound the issue with these two texts:

Now that we can see both sides, it's easy to see why some people teach that the law is done away with and we are not obliged to keep it. Let's make it simple. In the last lesson, we all agreed that we had sin in our world. That also led us to know there must be some sort of law! First John 3:4 says, "sin is the transgression of the law." Romans 4:15 says it as well. If there is no law, then anyone can sin all they want and still go to heaven.

Here is the simple answer. The Bible speaks of two laws - God's law of ten commandments, and Moses' law, or the "law of ordinances." Below is a simple graph of these two laws. Understanding simple truth makes this subject very clear.

GOD'S 10 COMMANDMENT LAW:	MOSES CEREMONIAL LAW:
1. Spoken by God Himself (Exodus 20:1,22).	1. Spoken by Moses (Exodus 24:3).
2. Was written by God (Exodus 31:18; Exodus 32:16).	2. Written by Moses (Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 31:9).
3. Written on stone (Exodus 31:18).	3. In a book (Exodus 24:4, 7; Deuteronomy 31:24).
4. Handed by God, its writer, to Moses (Exodus 31:18).	4. Handed by Moses, its writer, to Levites (Deuteronomy 31:24).
5. Deposited by Moses "in the ark" (Deuteronomy 10:5).	5. Deposited by Levites "by the side of the ark" (Deuteronomy 31:26 ARV).
6. Deals with moral precepts (Exodus 20:3-17).	6. Deals with ceremonial , ritual matters (see parts of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy).
7. Reveals sin (Romans 7:7).	7. Prescribes offerings for sins (see Leviticus).
8. Breaking of "the law" is "sin" (1John 3:4).	8. No sin in breaking, for now it is "abolished" (Ephesians 2:15; Romans 4:15).
9. Should "keep the whole law" (James 2:10).	9. Apostles gave "no such commandment" to "keep the law" (Acts 15:24).
10. Because we "shall be judged" by this law (James 2:12).	10. Not to be judged by it (Colossians 2:16).
11. The Christian who keeps this law is "blessed in his deed" (James 1:25).	11. The Christian who keeps this law is not blessed (see example: Galatians 5:1-6).
12. "The perfect law of liberty" (James 1:25; Cf. James 2:12).	12. The Christian who keeps this law loses his liberty (Galatians 5:1,3).
13. Paul said, "I delight in the law of God" (Romans 7:22; Cf. verse 7).	13. Paul called this law a "yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1; Acts 15:10).
14. Established by faith in Christ (Romans 3:31).	14. Abolished by Christ (Ephesians 2:15).
15. Christ was to "magnify the law and make it honourable" (Isaiah 42:21).	15. Blotted "out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us" (Colossians 2:14).
16. "We know that the law is spiritual" (Romans 7:14; Cf. verse 7).	16. "The law of a carnal commandment" (Hebrews 7:16).

(See Daniel 9:11; 2Kings 21:8; Nehemiah 9:13,14; Deuteronomy 33:2,4).

Let's see both of them individually. First God's law. Exodus 31:18, "And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." This was the ten-commandment law of Exodus 20, and this law, written on stone, was placed inside the ark of the covenant. Deuteronomy 10:1,2, "At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which thou brakest, and thou shalt put them in the ark." Now secondly, Moses' law was written by Moses in a book! Deuteronomy 31:9, 24-26, "And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests the sons of Levi, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel....And it came to pass, when Moses had made and end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee." Moses' law was written with Moses' handwriting, then placed in the side of the ark - it was against the people, and it was called the "book of the law."

Now Moses' law can be read for the most part in Leviticus 23. It dealt with ceremonies, sacrifices, feast days, ceremonial sabbath days, and meat and drink offerings. All these things pointed forward to Jesus' coming. Christ was the substance of all that Moses' law pointed forward to. In other words, Moses' law and all its requirements was to lead people to look forward to the coming promised Messiah who would be the ultimate fulfilment of it. With this background, we are prepared to re-examine the four earlier texts that were in question (Colossians 2:14-16; Ephesians 2:15; Romans 6:14; Galatians 3:23-25). Clearly the "handwriting of ordinances, that was against us" was Moses' law. The meat and drink, and sabbath days were those referred to in Moses' law. The same goes for Ephesians 2:15 and the law of "ordinances." Notice also the law spoken of in Galatians is not the ten commandments. In Galatians 3:10 it speaks of the "book of the law," or Moses' law that we're no longer under. As long as one keeps the two laws separate, there is no confusion. God's ten-commandment law is eternal. Moses' law was temporary, and Jesus fulfilled it and thus it was done away with. Many times people quote the book of Galatians in an effort to do away with God's law. It's very important to see that Galatians is speaking of Moses' law, not the ten commandments!

Thank God, Moses' law was nailed to the cross! Were Moses' law still binding, all men would have to go to Jerusalem three times a year, for that was required.

Let's look at Moses' law and see step by step how it was fulfilled by Christ. First there was Passover, a ceremonial sabbath that came on the fourteenth day of the first month. You were required to go to Jerusalem to celebrate this or be cut off from God! Now Passover had been kept each year as a ceremonial sabbath day for hundreds of years. The people's faith was in lambs, rituals, and ceremonies! Then Jesus came. When John the Baptist saw Him, he said "Behold the Lamb of God." Jesus died on Passover. The night before, Jesus said "prepare" for it, and the disciples knew what to do. They had celebrated Passover for years. But in the last Passover supper in the upper room, there was bread and wine, and Jesus said, "This is the last Passover, I'm instituting a new, whosoever eats and drinks shows the Lord's death till He come!" Then Jesus went to Calvary. The priest in the sanctuary was getting ready to sacrifice the Passover lamb. When Jesus died, the veil in the sanctuary was rent from top to bottom. The true Lamb of God died. Jesus then nailed Passover to the cross! I'm so glad! Suppose every time you sinned you were required to kill a lamb? Now since Jesus came and died, we are forgiven by His precious blood! Hebrews 9:12-14, "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Now Passover, this ceremonial sabbath that fell on the fourteenth day of the first month, was abolished, and we are free from it. It has been "nailed to the cross" by Jesus.

Next in Moses' law was the wave offering. It always came on the third day following Passover. On this day, Israel would go out in the field and cut the first shocks of grain. It was taken into the sanctuary and there the high priest waved it before the alter. This was to symbolize faith that God would send a harvest and the needed early rain and latter rain. This also pointed forward to Jesus. Jesus was the first fruit of the harvest. First Corinthians 15:20-23, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming." Christ rose from the tomb on the day of the wave offering and fulfilled the wave offering. He went to His Father that day and presented Himself. He is the first fruit. When is the harvest? Matthew 13:39 says at the end of the world. "The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels." There will be a harvest, and the proof is, the first fruits (Jesus) is already there! That's why Jesus is pictured in Revelation 14 with a sickle when He comes. The earth must be "harvested." All God's people who are alive must be harvested along with the dead who die in the Lord. Jesus will take them all to heaven. So Jesus nailed the wave offering to the cross also since He fulfilled it.

Moses' law also had the feast of tabernacles. Once a year you were required to build a tent and sit in it for one week. The week ended with a water ceremony. Jesus taught that He was the true water of life. John 4:14, "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

Then there was circumcision. After Christ, Paul says circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing (1Corinthians 7:19).

Then in Moses' law you will also find the feast of unleavened bread, peace offerings, burnt offerings, and the jubilee. Christ fulfilled all of these. They were all part of Moses' law. And one can easily see the difference between God's ten-commandment law and Moses' law.

You see, we can no more do away with God's ten-commandment law than we can do away with God Himself. God's ten-commandment law is a transcript of His character.

The devil knows full well the law is the highest standard of morality in the world. Now that we have clearly established God's law, we are prepared to let the Bible answer some of the strange theories abounding. Such confusion seems to come from texts such as Romans 6:14. "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Here many people say, "We don't have to keep God's law because we're under grace." Paul, realizing people might think that quickly added verse 15. "What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." What does it mean "not under the law, but under grace?"

Let's define some terms. Grace is unmerited favour - a pardon we don't deserve, life when we deserve death. All are under grace because all have sinned. But we also appreciate God's grace, and love Him for saving us, and, therefore, we should want to keep His commandments. Let's put it this way. A pear tree doesn't produce pears to prove it's a pear tree, but because it is a pear tree. So a Christian also loves God and keeps His commandments not to prove he is a Christian, but because he is a Christian. Now we read in Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God." We are saved by grace, and yet we also read in Revelation 22:14, 12, "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they might have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." We also must obey and do His commandments. You don't obey to be a Christian, but you obey because you are a Christian! In other words, an unborn-again man will steal, hate, and commit adultery. A converted man will keep the commandments. All have sinned. The wages of sin is death, and because all have sinned, all are under grace. Romans 6:1-2, "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?"

And so we can rejoice that Moses' law of ordinances has been done away with! But God's ten-commandment law is our guide forever, and through keeping it, we are changed into the likeness of Him whom it characterizes. One of my favourite promises is 1John 5:2, 3, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." That means the commandments are not hard. It works a lot like a marriage relationship. Two people in love pledge to love, and be faithful to each other in sickness, health, prosperity, adversity, and to forsake all others. When this covenant is made, there are hundreds of laws that go into effect. Very strict and binding laws. Yet despite this, I've never heard a bride or groom say, "Marriage is so hard, I can't date anyone else, I have to be faithful to one person!" Or, "I guess I be nice to my spouse because if I'm not, the law says she can take me for everything!" No, on the contrary, these laws are written in the hearts of those who love each other, and they naturally do what pleases the other simply because they love each other! It's the same way with God. He too wants to enter into a covenant with us. Hebrews 10:15-16, "Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them." When His law is in our hearts, it will be natural for us to obey it because we love Him! Wherever you go in the Bible, God's law of ten commandments is upheld. First John 2:3,4, "And hereby we do know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." James 2:10-12, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." Revelation 12:17, "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 14:12, "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Oh friends, God's law is a wonderful blessing. The more you come into harmony with it, the happier you will be.

In the fight of the century, when man is trying to do away with God's law, the Beast and those that follow him stand on one side. On the other side stands God's truth-filled, commandment-keeping saints, and in one blow the Beast and his followers are defeated.

Today which side will you be on? Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments."