Subject: Law or grace or both? |
Bible Note: In addition, Christ said in Mat.5:17,Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfil.(ASV) God's laws were a gift to us to help us love and obey Him. By Jesus' time, religious leaders had complicated the law into a lot of useless rules. Now, does the OT law still apply to us today? Let us look at the three categories of OT Law: 1.) Ceremonial; This related specifically to Israel's worship practices (Lev.1:2-3). The purpose here was to point forward to Jesus Christ. Jesus was often accused of violating ceremonial law by the Phatisees. After His death and resurrection, these laws were unnecessary, but the principles behind them -To worship and love a holy God -still apply. 2.) Civil Law; This applied to daily life in Israel (see Deut.24:10-11). Because modern culture is so different from that setting, it is hard to try and follow these laws specifically. But the principles behind these laws will never become outdated and should guide our conduct. Jesus taught these laws by example. 3.)Moral Law; This is the Ten Commandments (Exod.20:13) and are direct commands from God. These laws require strict obedience and still apply today. Jesus obeyed the Moral Law without fail. Jesus showed the Pharisees that obeying the Moral Law was more important than explaining it, yet man's way is usually the other way around. Thank you for welcoming these comments, I hope to here from you again soon (o: Praise Him!! Faithfully, Tim |