Oracles of Yah

The Perfect Law of Yahweh

At a Sunday night church service the speaker we had gone to hear mentioned James 1:25 in his lesson. That verse mentions the perfect law of liberty. It reminded me of Psalms 19:7. That verse says that the law of YHVH (God) is perfect. So it seemed like a good idea to do a word study on all the verses that contain the words Law and Perfect. I think that there are some interesting facts in the verses that came up in the search. Here is a listing of the verses.

Ezra 7:12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of Heaven, perfect peace, and now:

This verse came up in the search, but as you can tell does not deal with God's Law being perfect. The rest of the list does deal with the perfect law.

Psalms 19:7 The Law of Yahweh is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of Yahweh is sure, making the simple wise.

There are many who read this verse and acknowledge that God's Law is perfect, but then when reading in the New Testament they tell us that Christ came and improved or fixed the Law because it was not perfect. I have had some people try to pit Christ against God. They say Christ replaced God's imperfect law. Psalms says otherwise.

Acts 22:3 I am verily a man which am a Judahite, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

The phrase perfect manner is from the Greek word akribeia. The word means exactness. The verse could have read, "exactness of the Law". Paul said the law of God was exact. In a lawful, legal sense it is perfect and exact.

Hebrews 7:11 Therefore if perfection were by the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the Law), what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchizedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

We know that the Law is perfect, but the Levitical priesthood was not perfect. The Levitical priesthood was added to the Law and was intended to be replaced by our high priest, Christ.

Hebrews 7:28 For the Law appoints men high priests who have infirmity, but the word of the swearing of an oath, after the Law, has consecrated the Son forever, having been perfected.

Hebrews 7:19 For the Law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did, by which we draw near to God.

Even though the law is perfect it can not make anyone perfect.

Hebrews 10:1 For the Law which has a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things, appearing year by year with the same sacrifices, which they offer continually, they are never able to perfect those drawing near.

The law is perfect, but sacrifices could not make anyone perfect. Christ fulfilled the sacrifices with His own sacrifice ending the need for the continued sacrifices of the law. Sacrifices were added to the law for righteousness. His sacrifice was perfect negating the need for their continuation.

Please note that Christ did not replace the law. He fulfilled those parts that were prophesied about him to fulfill or accomplish, Luke 24:44. Another way to say it is that he fulfilled or satisfied the parts of the law that were added "because of transgressions", Galatians 3:17-19. I have heard it taught that the law did not exist until Moses. God's complete and perfect law existed from the very beginning. This is a fundamental understanding of the nature of God. To site only two of many examples we know that Abraham obeyed the Law as mentioned in Genesis 26:5. Moses was teaching God's law two chapters before he was given the ten commandments, which were finally written down for a specific purpose.

It was our sin, that was nailed to the cross.

Colossians 2:14 blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.

The handwriting of ordinances was, as the Greek says, a bill of debt that our sin created. It is important to remember that law is not made up of just a command. It also includes statutes to explain the command and judgements to enforce it. When Paul says that we are not under law, but under grace we should understand that we are no longer under the judgement of the law because of grace. Grace can not exist with out law.

Lastly, some might say that all of this does not matter because the old covenant was replaced with a new one, but let us look and see what is the new covenant. Here is the New Testament quote of Jeremiah 31:31-33.

Hebrews 10:16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord; I will put My Laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,"

So then God's new covenant is his perfect law, now written on our hearts, not just on stone. It was not God's law that was imperfect or weak. It was the weakness of the people as it says in Hebrews 8:8. The new covenant includes grace because the ultimate sacrifice has now been made. God's law has been internalized so now it is easier to know. God's perfect law is a part of both covenants. God and Christ are one and they only have one moral represented by the law.

James 1:25 But whoever looks into the perfect Law of liberty and continues in it, he is not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work. This one shall be blessed in his doing.

Psalms 119:44 (KJV) So shall I keep thy law continually forever and ever.
45 And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.

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