Has The Law Been Abolished?
Before answering this question, we must define what is meant by “the law.”
The broadest view sees it as all the instructions God gave to Moses at Mount Sinai.
Others extend it to the first five books of the Bible, the Torah.
Some Bible writers refer to the entire Old Testament as “the law” or “the law and the prophets.”
But when we ask if the law has been abolished, we’re specifically referring to the Sinai instructions, not the Torah as a whole or the entire Old Testament.
Even within the Sinai laws, people differ:
Some say all the laws are one indivisible unit and still binding today.
Others split the law into “moral” and “ceremonial” parts, claiming only the ceremonial was abolished.
A few divide it further: moral, ceremonial, civil, and health laws—retaining or discarding selectively.
Many Christians, especially Adventists, follow the second or third views. They may uphold health laws and tithing while discarding firstfruits or temple rituals. But this approach lacks consistency and, more importantly, biblical support. The Bible never speaks of “moral vs. ceremonial law” as separate categories.
The Biblical View: Letter vs. Spirit
A clearer and truly biblical view is based on what Paul teaches—the contrast between the letter and the spirit.
“Now we are delivered from the law… that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.” (Rom. 7:6)
“Not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life.” (2 Cor. 3:6–8)
Paul says the letter—the written, external commands—has been done away (2 Cor. 3:11). He does not say the law is abolished. The law, as the expression of God's character, still stands. What was abolished was the system of governance based on the external written code.
The letter of the law was never the full revelation of God’s character—it was a limited expression, suited for a carnal, rebellious people. It gave a basic moral framework and showed humanity’s deep need for divine help. But it couldn’t transform hearts.
Christ: The Living Law
To show His true nature, God sent His Son. Jesus didn’t just explain the law—He embodied it. He magnified the law and made it honorable. But God did even more: through Christ, He sent the living law into our hearts.
“In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him…” (Col. 2:9–10)
In Christ, we now possess the living, spiritual reality the written law pointed toward. Those still focused on the letter reveal that they have not yet received the Spirit. The letter is for the lawless and disobedient—not for the righteous (1 Tim. 1:9–10).
Living by the Spirit
Whether ceremonial, moral, civil, or health-related, we now serve in the Spirit, not under the written code. We live by internal principles, not external rules.
We don’t follow rigid dietary laws, but honor God by caring for our bodies as His temple.
We don’t observe feast days in form, but experience their spiritual meanings: true Passover (freedom from sin), true Pentecost (Spirit baptism), true Atonement (cleansing of the soul).
We don’t pursue righteousness through rules, but through Christ living within us, producing love and holiness.
This is the heart of the New Covenant. The old system—based on the letter—is abolished for God’s people. We now walk by the Spirit, led by Christ within, not by dead regulations carved in stone.
May God help us all to honestly embrace what the Bible truly teaches.