Lesson for March 19, 2025

The Mosaic Law

Lesson 4

The Mosaic Law and the Hypostatic Union

Jesus Christ is the unique Person of the universe. He is the only Person in history to be both fully God and fully human. The term for this unique union, called the Hypostatic Union, is derived from the Greek word “hupostatis,” meaning essence. In the case of Christ, it is both divine and human essence in one Person. He is the God-Man. Christ was born of a virgin; therefore, He was born without a sin nature. He is superior to mankind because He is God and because He is a sinless human being. 

Even though Christ’s two natures are united in one Person, they retain their separate identities. The attributes of one do not belong to the other. Deity remains deity, and humanity remains humanity. Because of this unique union, Christ is the perfect mediator between God and mankind. He is the only One in history qualified to go to the Cross and pay the penalty for sin. Christ was also our prototype for how to live the Christian life. (John 14:6; I Timothy 2:5)

Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father at this very moment. Ephesians 1:19-21, “And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us, the ones believing according to the working of His mighty strength which He worked in Christ in raising Him from the dead, and He seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, far above all principality and authority and power and dominion, and every name being named, not only in this world, but also in the coming age.” Seating Jesus at the right hand of the Father is an analogy of God honoring and exalting Jesus above all others. A person of high rank who puts someone on his right hand is giving them equal honor and recognizing them as possessing equal dignity and authority. Theologically we say that Jesus is undiminished deity and true humanity in One Person forever. Undiminished deity in that He is as much God as the Father and the Holy Spirit in essence, attributes, and character. He is true humanity in that He possesses a body, a soul, and a spirit. (Acts 5:31; Hebrews 1:3, 4:15,10:5; I Peter 2:24; Matthew 26:38; Mark 2:8; Luke 23:46; I John 3:3)

Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law in every point as a sinless human being. He was born of a virgin, without Adam’s original sin or a sin nature, under the Mosaic Law, and He kept the Law perfectly, never committing a personal sin. Jesus condemned the legalistic distortions of the Mosaic Law by the Pharisees who sponsored them. (Matthew 23) Jesus Christ kept the Law, according to Matthew 5:17. He fulfilled the spiritual part of the Law (the Ordinances) by His sinless life. He fulfilled the moral part of the Law (Ten Commandments) by keeping them perfectly. He fulfilled the governmental part of the Law by His patriotism. (Matthew 22:21)

The best the Mosaic Law could do was to define human freedom in terms of morality. Never before in history has so much freedom, privilege, opportunity, and equality been given to believers as in the dispensation of the royal family of God. Never have such objectives been given to each believer as in the Church Age; objectives that exceed any objective ever stated in the Mosaic Law. Only what has been restated in the New Testament is pertinent to the Christian Way of Life, as the Law of Christ.

The protocol plan of God is not taken from any of the commandments of the Mosaic Law, whether tithing, Sabbath observance, or keeping the Ten Commandments for salvation. Faith in Jesus Christ is not only eternal life, but it is the end of self-righteousness, works righteousness, and the distortion of the Mosaic Law.

Neither self-righteousness nor works righteousness can ever improve the divine righteousness which was given to us at the moment we believed in Jesus Christ. Divine righteousness is not only the basis of justification, but at the same time, it provides for logistical grace support and blessing. Divine righteousness also provides the basis for God’s personal love for every believer after salvation.

Not one word regarding the uniqueness of the Church Age is found in the Old Testament. This is why Church Age doctrine is called mystery doctrine. This means that the Mosaic Law has nothing to do with the Christian Way of Life. (Romans16:25-26; Ephesians 3:1-6; Colossians 1:25-26)

God provided divine establishment principles for Gentiles, long before He provided the Mosaic Law.The divine establishment principles were carried over into the Church Age, after the Mosaic Law. (Romans 13) The Protocol Plan of God for the Church Age supersedes the ritual plan of God for Israel. Precedence for the Protocol Plan of God in the Church Age is derived from the life of Christ.

Legalism, (such as tithing, sabbath observance, the substitution of morality for spirituality), originates from the erroneous premise that the Mosaic Law is a part of the Christian Way of Life. The substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the Cross fulfilled the Ordinances of the Mosaic Law. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the basis for the establishment of the Royal Family of God, and the Protocol Plan of God. The Protocol Plan of God and the Mosaic Law are mutually exclusive.

Legalism and the Mosaic Law

Hebrews 7:19, “For the Law accomplished nothing, but on the other hand the bringing in of a better hope did, through which [hope] we draw near to God.”

The Jews distorted the Mosaic Law into a system of works for salvation, which accomplished nothing. Faith in Christ for salvation was the better hope because it requires only faith. In other words, keeping the Law could not make a person perfect. On the other hand, believing in Christ and His payment for sin and receiving God’s righteousness can make a person perfect (positionally). “Drawing near” is a synonym for having faith in Jesus Christ (the better hope), the only way we can draw near to God.

The Bible is clear that salvation is a free gift from God, apart from any form of human good works.

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, lest any man should boast.”

Titus 3:5, “He saved us, not on the basis of works which we have done in righteousness, but on the basis of His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Spirit.”

Galatians 2:15-16,“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from the Gentiles; nevertheless, knowing that a person is not justified by works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law; since by works of the Law no flesh will be justified.

Many religions and denominations add certain requirements or obligations to faith in Christ (legalism), which is no salvation at all. Many who belong to these organizations claim they believe that Christ died on the Cross for their sins. They allege to believe in Christ but at the same time, their church has a system of human works which they must follow for salvation. If a person follows a system of human works for salvation, they are not saved. They have canceled any benefit of their faith by adding the works. If they are depending on the work of Christ on the Cross alone, they are saved. But if they add a system of penance and/or works, they are not saved. What people who believe this are saying is that the work of Christ on the Cross was not good enough to pay the penalty for their sin and they need to help Him out by some form of human effort. (I Corinthians 5:6)

A person does not have to practice a system of works (legalism) to ensure or retain their salvation, as alleged by many churches. Some people in these churches are saved because at some moment they believed in Christ alone for salvation, totally apart from anything imposed by their church. At the moment they believe in Christ, totally apart from their works, they receive eternal life. Later, after hearing the false explanation of the Gospel from some minister in their church, they may have changed their minds about the requirement for salvation, but they are still saved because of that one decision to trust Christ alone for eternal life.

John 19:30, ^“Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” This verse absolutely proves that the work of salvation was completed on the Cross by Christ. When something is completed, you can’t add anything to it – it’s finished. So, the only condition for eternal life is personal faith in Jesus Christ, whose substitutionary spiritual death on the Cross provided all the work for salvation. That is why Jesus said after He had been judged for our sins, “It is finished!” Salvation was completed on the Cross and there is nothing we can add to it now or ever. Eternal salvation is a free gift which is compatible with God’s policy of grace. Therefore, it is attained by faith alone in Jesus Christ. By adding anything to faith for salvation, mankind is in competition with God, and that alone is blasphemous. (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:15-18, 11:25-26, 16:8-9; Romans 1:16, 3:20-24, 4:4-5, 5:1-2, 8, 15-17; Galatians 2:16, 3:13; I Peter 3:18)