Answering verses, which are often confused to support freedom of the Law/Torah

I explained the following verses, from a Messianic view to a friend, and thought I might as well post them here, as well. My answers are in the bold.

Romans 10:4 - For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. End here is telos in the Greek, and telos more accurately is translated, the end to which all things relate, the aim, purpose. So Christ is what the law points to. He is the fulfilment of the law, and the most accurate term for fulfilment is to carry into effect, bring to realisation, realise; to fulfil, i.e. to cause God's will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God's promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfilment.

Galatians 3:23-25 - But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Think of this example: If a king were to hire a tutor for his son, the prince, to teach him how to rule the kingdom, when he is threw with his lessons, does the prince kill the tutor and reject everything, which he has been taught, and then proclaim that his actions are in accordance with the king's will? The tutor is to make the rules a natural part of the thought process. One no longer needs to be controlled by the outside, but now control of the heart is done from the inside. Hebrews 10:16 says, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them." Through our heats being guided by Jesus, our consciences lead us from the inside, as Romans 2:15 says, "Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness."

Ephesians 2:15 - Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace. It is actually written like this in Bibles: Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace. This is from BlueLetterBible.org, but most Bibles have the words, which are in brackets here, in italics. This means that the words were not originally there in the ancient texts, but the translaters added them, to try to make more sense. but look at it if it were written this way: (Let me first put it in context).

Ephesians 2:15 - For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition [between us]; 16 -Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, [even] the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, [so] making peace; 17 - And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity.

This is a more fitting interpretation: For He is our peace,who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity. The law of commandments, contained in the Law of Moses, terminates the two, so that He might make in Him one new man making peace, reconciling both into one body of God, through the cross killing the enmity.

There are two things, which He abolished though His death.
1. Isaiah 44:22 - I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. (our sins)
2. Galatians 3:13 - Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. The curse is not the law, but the curse is what occurs, when one doesn't obey the law. Look at Daniel 9:11 - Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. So, it is not the law that is a curse and has been abolished, but it is the curse, which occurs from not obeying the Law. In fact, Paul goes on to say, in Romans 3:31, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law."

Galatians 6:2 - Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. This is nothing against Torah, because the commandments in the Torah were to bear one another's burdens. Look at this:

Love and Brotherhood
To love all human beings who are of the covenant (Lev. 19:18)
Not to stand by idly when a human life is in danger (Lev. 19:16)
Not to wrong any one in speech (Lev. 25:17)
Not to carry tales (Lev. 19:16)
Not to cherish hatred in one's heart (Lev. 19:17)
Not to take revenge (Lev. 19:18)
Not to bear a grudge (Lev. 19:18)
Not to put any Jew to shame (Lev. 19:17)
Not to curse any other Israelite (Lev. 19:14)
Not to give occasion to the simple-minded to stumble on the road (Lev. 19:14)
To relieve a neighbor of his burden and help to unload his beast (Ex. 23:5)
To assist in replacing the load upon a neighbor's beast (Deut. 22:4)
Not to leave a beast, that has fallen down beneath its burden, unaided (Deut. 22:4)
The Poor and Unfortunate
Not to afflict an orphan or a widow (Ex. 22:21)
Not to reap the entire field (Lev. 19:9; Lev. 23:22)
To leave the unreaped corner of the field or orchard for the poor (Lev. 19:9)
Not to gather gleanings (the ears that have fallen to the ground while reaping) (Lev. 19:9)
To leave the gleanings for the poor (Lev. 19:9)
Not to gather ol'loth (the imperfect clusters) of the vineyard (Lev. 19:10)
To leave ol'loth (the imperfect clusters) of the vineyard for the poor (Lev. 19:10; Deut. 24:21)
Not to gather the peret (grapes) that have fallen to the ground (Lev. 19:10)
To leave peret (the single grapes) of the vineyard for the poor (Lev. 19:10)
Not to return to take a forgotten sheaf (Deut. 24:19) This applies to all fruit trees (Deut. 24:20)
To leave the forgotten sheaves for the poor (Deut. 24:19-20)
Not to refrain from maintaining a poor man and giving him what he needs (Deut. 15:7)
To give charity according to one's means (Deut. 15:11)

So this verse is just an affirmation to follow Torah and show goodwill to the poor and to any neighbor/friend.

Matthew 22:37-39 - Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. This is nothing more than reitterating the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 6:5 - And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. The part about loving thy neighbor as thyself is exampled in the list of verses above.

Matthew 22:40 - On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. This is not saying that the Law is abolished, but that in order for us to keep these two commandments (Love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might and love thy neighbor as yourself) then we must follow Torah, which teaches us how. If we do not have Torah, how do we know what offends our brother, and what we must do to love them. This question mirrors Paul's statement, in Romans 3:20, "by the law is the knowledge of sin." Law is the knowledge of all things - whether to know sin or whether to know how to love God and treat our neighbors. Consider Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Forgetting the Law is connected with lack of knowledge. Those who forget the law are destroyed, it says. Now look at 2 Peter 3:15-16 - Our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. So, many people are going to forget the Law, because they misunderstand Paul's teachings, and this will lead to their own destruction. And then, consider Isaiah 5:24 - Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 5 is pertaining to the Great and Terrible day of the Lord, because verse 30 speaks of the darkened heavens and the whole chapter speaks of the grapes being pressed, which is symbolism as judgment of the wicked. Also the stubble and chaff being consumed also speak of the last day, as compared to Luke 3:17 - Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable and Malichi 4:1 - For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

James 2:10 - For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. This is saying nothing about the law being finished. He is just saying that we are all guily of breaking the whole law, and by the mercy we meet out to others, so will we be judged by that mercy. And then he goes on to say that works need to accompany faith, so even though we are justified by faith alone, works are important to impute love and mercy on our fellow men. To do that goes back up to the list of Torah commandments, which I listed above, pertaining to brotherhood and the poor.

1 John 5:3 - For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. This is actually reitterating two places in the Bible - one by Paul, and one by Moses, wherein the one by Paul was referring to Moses.

Here lies the original by Moses:
Deuteronomy 30:10-14
If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.

Here lies Paul's reference to Moses: (Let me put the whole thing into context.)
Romans 10:1-10
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

So what Paul is saying here is he prays that Israel might be saved, because they have a zeal for God, but not according to the appropriate knowledge. They do not know what righteousness is according to the God, and so they do what they think is righteousness in their own hearts. Christ is the target of the Law, and that is righteousness, to all who will believe in Him. Because Moses had spoken of Him saying who will go to heaven or to the depths where the dead are kept to get the commandments, which Moses preached in Deuteronomy 30. He is saying no one has to go anywhere because the word is already with us, it is near to us so that we may already do them. (Paul only adds that it is Christ, who makes it possible to do them and believing in Him imputes righteousness onto us, but he is not saying that the Jews are wrong to keep Torah, only that they need to add Christ to what they are doing by works. Righteousness doesn't come by works, but by faith, but again, faith without works are dead (James 2:20) and the demons even believe and tremble (James 2:19). So with all this being said, both Moses and Paul agreed that the commandments are not too grievious to keep.

Romans 7:7-9 - What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. First of all notice that he is not saying that the law is sin, but that, as above, the law showed him what sin is. When he says that sin wrought in him all kinds of concupiscence, he is saying that it brought all kinds of lustful desires in him. (Lustful desires aren't necessarily a sexual nature - it could be lust of food, and in today's world would be such things as drugs, cigarettes, alchohol or any matter of cravings to do with the flesh. - I just wanted to make that clear, because Paul did say that there was no need for him to marry, but it says here that he was actually coveting something.) The he says that when he didn't know the law he was alive, but when it revived he died. Now, we know that transgressions of the law is sin (1 John 3:4) and so if there is no law, then we can say there is no sin. So, I think, as all of Isreal had become lost from the law, so had he. When he came to know Christ - then the law was revived in him. He goes on in the rest of the chapter (Romans 7) to say that the sin is killing him, because now he has an awareness of what sin is. And it is because of the law that he knows. But, like all of us, he struggles with sin, because he does live in the flesh, but look at verse 7:22 - For I delight in the law of God after the inward man, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord, verse 7:25 - so then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin and verse 7:12 - Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. So the law of God is just and holy, and Paul loves it but he struggles with it, because his mind wants to go in one direction and his heart wants to go in another, but then continuing in Romans 8, he says that with our being in Christ, we are able to do what is right, according to the will of God, because we are of the Spirit (Romans 8:4). He then says that those of the flesh mind things of the flesh, but those of the Spirit mind things of the Spirit (Romans 8:5). But then we are reminded that the Law is Spiritual in Romans 7:14, "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." And so for us to be spiritual, we must mind the Law.