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NASB | Romans 6:14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 6:14 For sin will no longer be a master over you, since you are not under Law [as slaves], but under [unmerited] grace [as recipients of God's favor and mercy]. |
Bible Question: I really believe in God, Christ and the Holy Spirit. Recently in our bible syudy at church we have been discussing the Old Testament.. Over and again when I ask a question we are told that none of it applys to today. Do we only read the OT to learn the lessons that the OT people learned?(I know we get the ten commandments from it) Please , anyone that reads this, I believe in the bible I praise God for salvation. I am just wondering. |
Bible Answer: The main purpose of the OT for us as christians is to "paint the background" so we can understand the circumstances and some of the reasons things are the way they are in the NT. For example: how can you possibly explain the difficulties the disciples have in understanding some of the basic lessons Christ taught? Even after the burial and resurrection of Christ, the disciples ask Jesus and I paraphrase "Now, Lord, can we take up our swords and fight the Romans, freeing our country from its rule?" You know of course Christ tells them to stay put in Jersulalem until the Holy Spirit comes to them. Ah, the patience of Jesus far exceeded that of Job. Now you and I see and understand the "mystery of God," his wonderful plan of salvation. But to them, it was a complete puzzle. We see that kind of shallow understanding of God and his ways throughout the OT. Of course, God's thoughts and ways are far higher than anything we can possibly think of. And here's a thought: if you and I or a large bulk of average people from this dispensation were transported as babies to grow up in their dispensation, we wouldn't have done any better. The main purpose of the OT as far as those folks before Christ was concerned was to be a "school master" and educate them as to what is sin and how much our God hates sin while loving the sinner. So you see, the OT is far more than just the history of that dispensation before Christ. It's a series of love letters. God telling all mankind what He made for us and how much He wants us back. A side bonus is the tremendous variety, beauty, depth and power of God, expressed in all the various books of the OT. Can you imagine how boring our Perfect Maintenance Manual from God would be if we didn't have the OT? Yes, as you can see I'm very thankful for it. While even, Moses got advice from his gentile father in law, Jethro in the handling of a large bulk of people in transit. And guess what: those same principles are used in almost every culture since then, especially the military. With all that said, however, we CANNOT and should not rely on the OT for specific authority to guide or restrict the activities in the Lord's church. Thus, you see all the 10 commandments mentioned in the NT, BUT the one about the Sabbath, so we worship on the first day of the week as commanded by example. There are many others, but I'll let you discover those on your own. I pray God blesses you in your study of His Word. |