Mosaic Law or Gospel Precepts?

Allan Jellett | Added: Oct 16, 2025 | Category: Theology

There is much contention regarding that which governs the behaviour, the lifestyle, of true believers in the days since Christ ascended to glory. Many, like the Judaizers that troubled the Galatian believers, insist that it is the law of Moses given at Sinai that still directs the conduct of God’s people in this world; they call it, ‘The believer’s rule of life’. But the Apostles, writing in the light of Christ having fulfilled all Old Testament types, were consistent and insistent that Mosaic law is not the believer’s rule. Paul stressed (Romans 10:4) that Christ was the end of that law for righteousness, for rightness and acceptance with God.

Much of the New Testament, especially the epistles, is devoted to inspired instructions to believers individually and as local churches as to how to behave, how to interact with each other and the world around. Take the example of lying. Being untruthful with Christian brethren, being untruthful with neighbours, fellow citizens, civil authorities is clearly inconsistent with the holiness of God and the gospel of Christ. Lying is the ‘offspring’ of Satan (John 8:44) and the antithesis of God’s truth. Christ died to pay the penalty for the sins of all His people including their lying, so how can it ever be considered permissible for one whose lies have been forgiven then to assume licence to sin in lying to others? But nowhere does the New Testament enforce the precept of truthfulness by appeal to Mosaic law, i.e. the ninth commandment, ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness …’ Rather the appeal is to the new man born of God’s Spirit to ‘Adorn the doctrine of our God and Saviour in all things’ (Titus 2:10).

Colossians 3:9 tells the elect of God to ‘Lie not to one another’, why? ‘seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds’. Ephesians 4:25 is clearer still, ‘Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour’, why? ‘for we are members one of another’. The gospel reason for believers to be truthful is not because lying violates the ninth commandment, but because being members together of the one unified body of Christ, to lie to one another would damage that sacred union. If I lie to my Christian brother it is as if I used my left hand to stab my right hand. The same principles apply to all the New Testament ‘Gospel Precepts’.

The New Testament scriptures call for all of Christ’s redeemed people to live by gospel precepts; their behaviour in this world, to one another, to people all around is to be honouring to God; selfless, truthful, kind and generous. Only the new man of God’s Spirit imparted in the new birth is capable of spontaneously producing this behaviour but the old man of the flesh constantly resists. Believers are told often to live life ‘putting off the old man of flesh’ and ‘putting on the new man of the Spirit’. But what will empower success in response to this call? Will threats of punishment or loss for failure; will promise of extra reward in heaven as implied by the law empower the change? No, because of the inability, the weakness, of the flesh (Romans 8:3).

But when the new man of the Spirit bathes in the light of gospel grace, looking unto Jesus, contemplating the ‘mind that was in Christ’ (Philippians 2:5) that brought him down from heavenly glory to the lowest shame of the cross, delighting in the accomplishment of the blood of Christ, and so much more, then the power of God unto salvation drives willing conformance to gospel precepts. Just as the moon has no ability to shine of itself but lights up a dark night by reflecting the sun’s light, so the light of believers shines (Matthew 5:16) only in so much as it reflects the light of the glory of God in Jesus Christ.

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