THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #61 | THE LIFE OF MOSES #43
Pastor Christopher Choo
Lesson 3744
THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #61
THE LIFE OF MOSES #43
THE MOSIAC COVENANT #5
DO THE OLD TESTAMENT LAWS INCLUDING ALL THE TEN COMMANDMENTS APPLY TODAY?
There are different views on this.
Let's begin with the words of our Lord:
"Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven. But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!” —
MATTHEW 5:17-20
If Jesus did not come to abolish the law, does that mean all the Old Testament laws still apply to us today?
In the Old Testament, the Law can be understood to have three dimensions: ceremonial, civil, and moral.
ONE: Ceremonial Law
The ceremonial law related specifically to Israel’s worship (see Lev 1:2-3, for example).
Its primary purpose was to point forward to Jesus Christ; these laws, therefore, were no longer necessary after Jesus’ death and resurrection.
While we are no longer bound by ceremonial law, the principles behind them—to worship and love a holy God—still apply
TWO: Civil Law
The civil law applied to daily living in Israel (see Deut 24:10-11, for example).
Because modern society and culture are so radically different from that time and setting, all of these guidelines cannot be followed specifically.
But the principles behind the commands are timeless and should guide our conduct.
Jesus demonstrated these principles by example.
THREE: Moral Law
The moral law (such as the Ten Commandments) is the direct command of God, and it requires strict obedience (see Exod 20:13, for example).
The moral law reveals the nature and will of God, and it still applies today.
Jesus obeyed the moral law completely.
THE ULTIMATE GOAL
God’s laws were given to help people love God with all their hearts and minds.
Throughout Israel’s history, however, these laws had often been misquoted and misapplied.
By Jesus’ time, religious leaders had turned the laws into a confusing mass of rules.
When Jesus talked about a new way to understand God’s law, he was actually trying to bring people back to its original purpose.
Jesus did not speak against the law itself but against the abuses and excesses to which it had been subjected (see John 1:17).
Jesus was also saying that His listeners needed a different kind of righteousness altogether (out of love for God), not just a more intense version of the Pharisees’ obedience (which was mere legal compliance).
Our righteousness must
(1) come from what God does in us, not what we can do by ourselves,
(2) be God-centered, not self-centered,
(3) be based on reverence for God, not approval from people, and
(4) go beyond keeping the law to living by the principles behind the law.
We should be just as concerned about our attitudes that people don’t see as about our actions that they do see.
Diagreements abound till today. Some argue we do not need to obey the tribal laws peculiar to the Israelites but only the Ten Commanments ( minus one about observing the Jewish Sabbath ) because the Commandments are repeated and observed in New Testament teachings.
The purpose of this teaching is to explain that the principles behind the Law are still relevant and our attitude in obedience to them are called for.
And if we disgree, let us at least agree to do so without being disagreable or offensive as to who is right or wrong.
