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#4.23 JESUS DID NOT ABOLISH THE LAW OF COMMANDMENTS ON THE CROSS - Ephesians 2:15

This bible study proves that Jesus did not abolish the Ten Commandments on the cross - Ephesians 2:15. It uses a Greek Unicode font and is printable.

#4.23 YOUTUBE VIDEO What was Nailed to the cross in Ephesians 2:15?

Greek Word Study on 4521 σάββατον sabbaton Sabbath.
Hebrew Word Study on 7676 שַׁבָּת shabbat Sabbath.
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EPHESIANS 2:13-16
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of division between us;
15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; in order to make in himself of two one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both to God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity by it:

Note: Looking at this scripture by itself, it is easy to see why people misinterpret it to say that Jesus abolished the Ten Commandments on the cross. However, when we rightly divide the word of God, we look for other scriptures to put with it, and there are some which Jesus spoke which contradict that interpretation.

(Matthew 5:17) Do not think that I came to destroy the law, or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
5:18 For amen I say to you, Until the heaven and the earth shall pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall pass from the law, until all things come to pass.
5:19 Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever shall do and teach them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus also said to a man, "If you want to enter into life keep the commandments" (Matthew 19:17). Some might say that this was before the cross, and it did not apply after the cross; but that contradicts the words of Jesus also.

(Matthew 24:35) "The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but my words shall surely not pass away."
(Mark 13:31) "The heaven and the earth shall pass away: but my words shall surely not pass away."

So let us find scriptures that are similar to Ephesians 2:15 for comparison, and when we do that we find these.

(Colossians 2:14) "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;"
(Hebrews 7:15-16) "And it is yet far more clear, that according to the likeness of Melchisedek there arises another priest,
Who has not come according to a law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.
(Hebrews 9:9-10) "Which was symbolic for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him who did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;
Which stood only in meat and drink offerings, and various washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed until the time of reformation."

Now if we meditate on these scriptures, we can see what Jesus nailed to the cross, and what was contrary to him;

(Ephesians 2:15) "the law of commandments contained in ordinances;"
(Colossians 2:14) "the handwriting of ordinances;"
(Hebrews 7:16) "the law of a fleshly commandment;"
(Hebrews 9:10) "carnal ordinances;"

What Jesus abolished was carnal (or fleshly) commandments and ordinances, and hand written ordinances. Carnality was what defeated people in the Old Testament, and prevented them from keeping the law. Because the blood of bulls and goats did not remove the sin from the heart (Hebrews 10:4), people were often stuck in bondage to sin (Romans 7:14-24). Why?

(Romans 8:7) "Because the carnal mind is enmity with God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be."

As long as people are carnal they are "sold (like a slave) under sin" (Romans 7:14). The enmity is the carnal mind (Romans 8:7), and this is what Jesus slew on the cross (Ephesians 2:16). When we take up our spiritual crosses and follow Jesus, our carnal Old Man is crucified with him so the body of sin can be annulled (Romans 6:6). That sets us free from carnality. It is replaced by spirituality and a spiritual mind. Jesus was our example; he was a spiritual man and came to do the will of the Father and keep the law with the law of God written in his heart.

(Psalm 40:8) "I delight to do your will, O my God, and your law is in my heart."

In fact having the law in the heart was what God always commanded the children of Israel, and it was an attribute of every righteous man.

(Deuteronomy 6:6) "And these words, which I command you this day, shall be on your heart:"
(Psalms 37:30-31) "The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks of judgment.
The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide."
(Isaiah 51:7) "Hear me, you who know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law."

It also happens to be one of the attributes of people who come under the New Covenant.

(Jeremiah 31:33) "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, says Yahweh, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people."
(Hebrews 8:10) "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says Yahweh; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people."
(Hebrews 10:16) "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says Yahweh, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them."

This writing of the law in the hearts of people enables them to keep the commandments in the law.

(Psalm 119:11) "Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you."
(Romans 2:13-15) "For not the hearers of the law are righteous before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, who do not have the law, are a law to themselves:
Which shows the work of the law written in their hearts,"

Keeping the commandments of the law enables us to live free from sin just as Jesus did.

(Romans 7:7) "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? May it not be! No, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, You shall not covet."
(1 John 3:4) "Whoever commits sin also transgresses the law: for sin is the transgression of the law."

Jesus death on the cross enabled the Old Covenant written on stone and in a book, and made with carnal people, to be superseded. He replaced it with a spiritual covenant made with spiritual people, who have God's law written in their heart. The law is spiritual (Romans 7:14) and was meant to be fulfilled in a spiritual way, and Jesus gave us the example of how to do it.

(Romans 8:3-4) "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

When we operate according to the spirit, and not carnally according to the flesh, it sets us free from condemnation.

(Romans 8:1) "There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

When we follow Jesus' example in a spiritual way, and crucify our spiritual flesh, which is what causes us to sin, we can have God's law written in our hearts, and become fully obedient to fulfill the law in a spiritual way. Jesus didn't nail the Ten Commandments to the cross, he nailed carnal ordinances such as animal sacrifices to it, carnal interpretation, and gave us spiritual understanding to replace carnal understanding. As Jesus said, every commandment of God still stands in a spiritual sense.

(Matthew 5:17-19) "Do not think that I came to destroy the law, or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
For amen I say to you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The apostle Paul confirmed that we should still keep the commandments:

(Ephesians 2:10) "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God before ordained that we should walk in them."

Now ask yourself the question, "What good works did God before ordain that we should walk in?" Here is the scriptural answer.

(Exodus 16:4) "Then Yahweh said to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or not."

In Context, the above verse is specifically dealing with the Sabbath day commandment. Here are some more examples.

(1 Kings 6:12) "Concerning this house which you are in building, if you will walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with you, which I spoke to David your father:"
(Nehemiah 10:29) "They clung to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God's law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of Yahweh our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;"
(Psalm 119:1) "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of Yahweh."

So you can see that God has before ordained that anyone saved by Grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8) has been saved to walk in God's commandments and laws. There is no proof in Ephesians 2:15 for abolishing the Sabbath commandment, or any other of the Ten Commandments.

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