“Torah” is one of the richest words in all Scripture. Yet, for many Christians, it has sadly been reduced to our understanding of Law. Law, we may believe, conflicts with grace. Law, we tell ourselves, is what we are no longer under.(1) We likely arrive at such negative assessments of the Law from an understanding of Paul, seen through Luther and other Reformation leaders. For those of us in the Restoration Movement, it also comes through Alexander Campbell’s distinction between the Mosaic age and the Christian age, most notably expressed in his famous Sermon on the Law.(2)

Hold those difficult questions in abeyance for a while and just listen to the Psalmist of Psalm 19. Last week, we saw that the Psalmist said that the heavens declare the glory of God, and so, The LORD speaks through His creation. In verse 7, we are told that the Creator, God, also speaks through His Torah.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,

refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,

making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the Lord are right,

giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant,

giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is pure,

enduring forever.

The decrees of the Lord are firm,

and all of them are righteous. (Psalm 19:7-9, NIV)

Far from seeing Law as a burden to get out from under, it gives great joy. Also, it is not a mere list of “Thou shalt not” commands. Like its longer companion in Psalm 119, Psalm 19 shows us the diversity in Torah. Torah is used to describe the first 5 books of the Old Testament, but could also be used for the entire Hebrew Bible. So, it wasn’t just commands. It was teachings, instruction, wisdom, and revelation through prophets and history. It was, in short, the Word of God.

Given that broader meaning of Torah, it cannot have come to an end! God still speaks to us through all those means, and it’s far from terminated. It is also not the opposite of Good News (Gospel). As Paul came to the Torah; as all the earliest disciples came to the Torah; and as we come to the Torah, they came, and we come through the Messiah, Jesus. Torah was not terminated. It was Jesus, the Messiah, who said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17 NIV).” They were fulfilled. Jesus was the climax of the Law, not its demise. For the Torah took on flesh and tabernacled among us (John 1:14)! Good News, indeed!

Tim Kelley

(1) I take Paul to mean by “under the Law,” to be under condemnation based on fully keeping the Law.

(2) It’s completely impossible to deal with Paul’s complex and complicated view of the Law here. One helpful resource is, “LAW” (from Dictionary of Paul and His Letters © 1993 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA.)