Wasn't the law nailed to the cross?

It's widely believed in Christian circles today that God's law – presumably all the teachings of the Torah – were "nailed to the cross" at Calvary when Jesus was crucified. You hear this a lot in churches today.

Didn't the Apostle Paul teach us that all such ordinances were nailed to the cross, in Colossians 2:14?

So let's look at Colossians 2:14 and see what it says about the Torah being nailed to the cross.

First, let's back up one verse, Colossians 2:13, for context: "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross."

Is this suggesting the law of God was nailed to the cross at Jesus' death? Or does it say that sin was nailed to the cross at Jesus' death? I would suggest it is the latter. In fact, I'm afraid I will have insist on it.

I love the King James, but every other single translation of the Bible interprets Paul's words as I do – that the indictments against believers, the charges against believers, the legal indebtedness against believers – was what was nailed to the cross at Jesus' death, rather than the law itself, which is consistently characterized in Scripture as eternal and good.

I would further suggest that any other such interpretation of Paul's words would be in absolute contradiction to the words of Jesus, the words of other apostles and even the words of Paul himself in other passages of Scripture.

Let me give you just a few:

From Paul himself in Romans 3:31: "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

From Paul himself in Romans 7:12: "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good."

From Paul himself in Galatians 3:10: "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

Matthew 5:17: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill."

Matthew 5:18: "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

Matthew 19:17: "And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments."

John 14:15: "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

1 John 2:3: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments."

1 John 2:4: "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him."

1 John 3:4: "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

1 John 5:3: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous."

2 John 1:6: "And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it."

Revelation 22:14: "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."

Is the law dead?

Of course not. It's alive and well. But the law does not bring about salvation. That comes by grace through repentance for your transgressions of the law. If the law were dead, repentance would be unnecessary. Even for the believer, the rules of engagement are the same. When a believer stumbles and sins, sincere repentance is required. A believer doesn't have immunity from sin, only the Holy Spirit's help in combating temptation.

Most Christians would agree with this statement: "God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow."

It's not an exact scriptural reference, but it's true. It's faithful to scripture. God's character didn't change when Jesus came. Jesus was a perfect reflection of God the Father. He didn't come to abolish the law He had Himself had written with his finger in tablets of stone. He came to fulfill the law.

And Jesus Himself stated clearly: "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."

Have heaven and earth passed? No.

Has all been fulfilled? No.

Has the restoration of all things occurred? No.

Therefore, by the words of Jesus Himself, not one jot or tittle has passed from the law.

"The Gospel in Every Book of the Old Testament" by Joseph Farah is available in both hardcover and e-book versions.

ALSO: Get Joseph Farah's book "The Restitution of All Things: Israel, Christians, and the End of the Age," and learn about the Hebrew roots of the Christian faith and your future in God's Kingdom. Also available as an e-book.

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