Ethan Walker
The New Law, or the Law of the Gospel, is a Catholic concept that refers to the perfection of divine law on earth, as revealed by Jesus Christ and contained in the New Testament. It is expressed in Christ's Sermon on the Mount and is considered the fulfillment of the Old Law, which was given to Moses and is found in the Old Testament. The New Law emphasizes charity and uses the sacraments to provide grace, empowering individuals to follow its teachings. It is summed up in the Golden Rule: Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; this is the law and the prophets.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of Law | Divine Law |
| Old Testament Name | Mosaic Law |
| New Testament Name | Law of the Gospel |
| Old Law | Summed up in the Ten Commandments |
| New Law | Contains both precepts and evangelical counsels |
| Perfection on Earth | Perfection of the divine law, natural and revealed |
| Work of | Christ and the Holy Spirit |
| Expressed in | The Sermon on the Mount |
| Grace of the Holy Spirit | Given to the faithful through faith in Christ |
| Works Through | Charity |
| Sacraments | Give us the grace to do what is taught in the Sermon on the Mount |
| Teachings | To love one another as Jesus loved us |
| Addressed to | The poor, the humble, the afflicted, the pure of heart, those persecuted on account of Christ |
| Fulfills | Commandments of the Law |
| Reform | Reforms the heart, the root of human acts |
| Formation | Faith, hope and charity are formed |
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What You'll Learn
The New Law is the work of Christ
The New Law, or the Law of the Gospel, is the perfection on Earth of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is the work of Christ, expressed in the Sermon on the Mount, and is also the work of the Holy Spirit. The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the faithful through faith in Christ. It works through charity and uses the Sermon on the Mount to teach us what must be done. It makes use of the sacraments to give us the grace to do it.
The New Law is a fulfilment of the Old Law, which was revealed by God and contained in the Pentateuch. The Old Law, or the Mosaic Law, is commonly divided into civil, ceremonial, and moral precepts. The civil legislation regulated the relations of the people of God among themselves and with their neighbours; the ceremonial regulated matters of religion and the worship of God; and the moral was a Divine code of ethics.
The New Law is addressed to those open to accepting a new hope with faith—the poor, the humble, the afflicted, the pure of heart, and those persecuted on account of Christ. It marks out the surprising ways of the Kingdom and elevates and orients them towards the "kingdom of heaven". The Law of the Gospel does not add new external precepts but proceeds to reform the heart, the root of human acts, where man chooses between the pure and the impure, and where faith, hope, and charity are formed.
The New Law practices the acts of religion: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, directing them to the "Father who sees in secret". It is summed up in the Golden Rule: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; this is the law and the prophets." The entire Law of the Gospel is contained in the "new commandment" of Jesus, to love one another as he has loved us.
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It is expressed in the Sermon on the Mount
The New Law, or the Law of the Gospel, is the perfection on earth of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is the work of Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and is expressed in the Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings spoken by Jesus of Nazareth, found in the Gospel of Matthew (Chapters 5, 6, and 7). It is the first of five discourses in the Gospel and is one of the most widely quoted sections of the Gospels. The Sermon on the Mount is placed relatively early in Matthew's portrayal of Jesus's ministry.
The Sermon on the Mount is where Jesus fulfils and reinterprets the Old Covenant, particularly the Ten Commandments. For example, he advises turning the other cheek and loving one's enemies, in contrast to taking an eye for an eye. In Matthew 6, Jesus condemns doing what would normally be considered "good works" for recognition rather than from the heart, such as almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.
The Beatitudes, found in Matthew 5:3-12, are a key part of the Sermon on the Mount. They describe the character of the people of the Kingdom of Heaven, expressed as "blessings". In the Beatitudes, the New Law fulfills the divine promises by elevating and orienting them toward the "kingdom of heaven". It is addressed to those open to accepting this new hope with faith—the poor, the humble, the afflicted, the pure of heart, and those persecuted on account of Christ.
The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the faithful through faith in Christ. It works through charity and uses the Sermon on the Mount to teach us what must be done. It also makes use of the sacraments to give us the grace to do it. The entire Law of the Gospel is contained in the "new commandment" of Jesus, to love one another as he has loved us.
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It is also the work of the Holy Spirit
The New Law, or the Law of the Gospel, is the perfection on earth of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is the work of Christ and is expressed in the Sermon on the Mount. It is also the work of the Holy Spirit, who makes it the interior law of charity. The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the faithful through faith in Christ. It works through charity and uses the Sermon on the Mount to teach us what must be done. It also makes use of the sacraments to give us the grace to do what is taught in the Sermon on the Mount.
The New Law is a law of love because it makes us act out of the love infused by the Holy Spirit, rather than from fear. It is a law of grace because it confers the strength of grace to act, by means of faith and the sacraments. It is also a law of freedom because it sets us free from the ritual and juridical observances of the Old Law. The New Law frees us to act spontaneously by the prompting of charity. It also lets us pass from the condition of a servant to that of a friend or even a son of Christ.
The New Law contains both precepts and evangelical counsels. Precepts remove what is incompatible with charity, while counsels remove what hinders the development of charity. Living by the evangelical counsels means that a person's charity is never satisfied. The New Law is highly spiritual, and it was not fitting for it to be given from the beginning of the world. The New Law, as stated by the Apostle, consists chiefly in the grace of the Holy Ghost, which was not given abundantly until sin had been cast out of man through the redemption accomplished by Christ.
The Law of the Gospel, or the New Law, is contained in the "new commandment" of Jesus, to love one another as he has loved us. To the Lord's Sermon on the Mount, it is fitting to add the moral catechesis of the apostolic teachings, such as Romans 12-15, 1 Corinthians 12-13, Colossians 3-4, Ephesians 4-5, etc. This doctrine hands on the Lord's teaching with the authority of the apostles, particularly in the presentation of the virtues that flow from faith in Christ and are animated by charity, the principal gift of the Holy Spirit.
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It is the perfection of the Old Law
The New Law, or the Law of the Gospel, is the perfection of the Old Law. It is the work of Christ, expressed in the Sermon on the Mount, and it is also the work of the Holy Spirit. The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the faithful through faith in Christ. It works through charity, using the Sermon on the Mount to teach us what must be done and making use of the sacraments to give us the grace to do it.
The New Law is a fulfillment of the Old Law, elevating and orienting its divine promises towards the "kingdom of heaven". It is addressed to those open to accepting this new hope with faith, including the poor, the humble, the afflicted, the pure of heart, and those persecuted because of Christ. The Law of the Gospel does not abolish or devalue the moral prescriptions of the Old Law but instead releases their hidden potential and has new demands arise from them. It does not add new external precepts but proceeds to reform the heart, the root of human acts, where man chooses between the pure and the impure, and where faith, hope, and charity are formed.
The New Law includes both precepts and evangelical counsels. Precepts remove what is incompatible with charity, while counsels remove what hinders the development of charity. The evangelical counsels point out more direct ways to love God and one's neighbour.
The Old Law, or the Mosaic Law, is commonly divided into civil, ceremonial, and moral precepts. The civil legislation regulated the relations of the people of God among themselves and with their neighbours, the ceremonial regulated matters of religion and the worship of God, and the moral was a Divine code of ethics. The Old Law is summed up in the Ten Commandments and is the first stage of revealed law, preparing the way for the coming of the Messiah.
The New Law practices the acts of religion: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, directing them to the "Father who sees in secret". The entire Law of the Gospel is contained in the "new commandment" of Jesus, to love one another as he has loved us.
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It is summed up in the Golden Rule
The New Law, or the Law of the Gospel, is the perfection on earth of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is the work of Christ, succeeding the Mosaic Law of the Old Testament, and is expressed in the Sermon on the Mount.
The New Law is the grace of the Holy Spirit given to the faithful through faith in Christ. It works through charity, teaching what must be done and using sacraments to give us the grace to do it. It is summed up in the Golden Rule: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; this is the law and the prophets." This is the "new commandment" of Jesus, to love one another as he has loved us.
The Law of the Gospel does not add new external precepts but proceeds to reform the heart, the root of human acts, where man chooses between the pure and the impure, and where faith, hope, and charity are formed. The New Law teaches us to direct our acts of religion—almsgiving, prayer, and fasting—to the "Father who sees in secret."
The New Law is addressed to those open to accepting a new hope with faith, including the poor, the humble, the afflicted, the pure of heart, and those persecuted because of their faith in Christ. It marks out the surprising ways of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The New Law or the Law of the Gospel is also referred to as the "interior law of charity." It is a covenant between God and his people, where God's laws are written on their hearts and minds.
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Frequently asked questions
The New Law, or the Law of the Gospel, is the perfection on earth of the divine law, natural and revealed. It is the work of Christ and is expressed in the Sermon on the Mount. It is also the work of the Holy Spirit, who uses the sacraments to give us the grace to follow the law.
The Old Law, or Mosaic Law, is commonly divided into civil, ceremonial, and moral precepts. The New Law completes the Old Law, fulfilling its commandments and leading it to perfection. The New Law is addressed to those open to accepting a new hope with faith, including the poor, the humble, and the afflicted.
The New Law practices the acts of religion: almsgiving, prayer, and fasting, directing them to God, the "Father who sees in secret". The Law of the Gospel requires us to make the decisive choice between "the two ways" and to put into practice the words of the Lord. This is summed up in the Golden Rule: "Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; this is the law and the prophets."
