The
Laws
Mosaic Laws and Sermon on the Mount.
There is Mosaic Law, the Law given from God to Moses. These are degrees, the laws and regulations that the God established at Mount Sinai between Himself and the Israelite's through Moses.
There is Mosaic Law, the Law given from God to Moses. These are degrees, the laws and regulations that the God established at Mount Sinai between Himself and the Israelite's through Moses.
There
is the New Testament Laws spoke by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount, it is an
expansion on the Mosaic Law.
He
did not speak to abolish the Mosaic Law but to fulfill it in great detail.
The Laws are about rules for us to abide by.
Of course we must remember the first commandment;
Love the Lord your God wit all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.
The Laws are about rules for us to abide by.
Of course we must remember the first commandment;
Love the Lord your God wit all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus,
the Lawgiver,
said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the
Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17).
The Law was not evil. It served as a mirror to reveal the
condition of a person’s heart (Romans 7:7). John 1:17 says, “For the law
was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus
embodied the perfect balance between grace and the Law (John
1:14).
When
the Bible speaks of “the law,” it refers to the detailed standard God gave to
Moses,
beginning in Exodus 20 with the Ten Commandments. God’s Law
explained His requirements for a holy people and included three categories:
civil, ceremonial, and moral laws. The Law was given to separate
God’s people from the evil nations around them and to define sin (Ezra 10:11;
Romans 5:13; 7:7). The Law also clearly demonstrated that no
human being could purify himself enough to please God—i.e., the Law
revealed our need for a Savior.
By
New Testament times, the religious leaders had hijacked the Law
and added to it their own rules and traditions (Mark 7:7–9). While the Law
itself was good, it was weak in that it lacked the power to change a sinful
heart (Romans 8:3). Keeping the Law, as interpreted by the
Pharisees, had become an oppressive and overwhelming burden (Luke 11:46).
It
was into this legalistic climate that Jesus came, and conflict with the
hypocritical arbiters of the Law was inevitable. But Jesus,
the Lawgiver, said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law
or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew
5:17). The Law was not evil. It served as a mirror to reveal the
condition of a person’s heart (Romans 7:7). John 1:17 says, “For the law
was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Jesus
embodied the perfect balance between grace and the Law (John
1:14).
God
has always been full of grace (Psalm 116:5; Joel 2:13), and people have always
been saved by faith in God (Genesis 15:6). God did not change between the
Old and New Testaments (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 55:19). The same God who
gave the Law also gave Jesus (John 3:16). His grace was
demonstrated through the Law by providing the sacrificial system
to cover sin. Jesus was born “under the law” (Galatians 4:4) and
became the final sacrifice to bring the Law to fulfillment and
establish the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). Now, everyone who comes to God through
Christ is declared righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 9:15).
The
conflict between Jesus and the self-righteous arose immediately. Many who had
lived for so long under the Pharisees’ oppressive system eagerly embraced the
mercy of Christ and the freedom He offered (Mark 2:15). Some, however, saw this
new demonstration of grace as dangerous: what would keep a person from casting
off all moral restraint? Paul dealt with this issue in Romans 6: “What shall we
say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We
are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (verses
1—2). Paul clarified what Jesus had taught: the Law shows us what
God wants (holiness), and grace gives us the desire and power to be holy.
Rather than trust in the Law to save us, we trust in Christ. We
are freed from the Law’s bondage by His once-for-all sacrifice
(Romans 7:6; 1 Peter 3:18).
There
is no conflict between grace and the Law, properly understood. Christ fulfilled the Law
on our behalf and offers the power of the Holy Spirit, who motivates a
regenerated heart to live in obedience to Him (Matthew 3:8; Acts 1:8; 1
Thessalonians 1:5; 2 Timothy 1:14). James 2:26 says, “As the body without the
spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” A grace that has the power to
save also has the power to motivate a sinful heart toward godliness. Where
there is no impulse to be godly, there is no saving faith.
We
are saved by grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). The keeping of the Law
cannot save anyone (Romans 3:20; Titus 3:5). In fact, those who claim
righteousness on the basis of their keeping of the Law only think
they’re keeping the Law; this was one of Jesus’ main points in
the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:20–48; see also Luke 18:18–23).
The
purpose of the Law was, basically, to bring us to Christ
(Galatians 3:24). Once we are saved, God desires to glorify Himself through our
good works (Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 2:10). Therefore, good works follow
salvation; they do not precede it.
Conflict
between “grace” and the “Law” can arise when someone 1)
misunderstands the purpose of the Law; 2) redefines grace
as something other than “God’s benevolence on the undeserving” (see Romans
11:6); 3) tries to earn his own salvation or “supplement” Christ’s sacrifice;
4) follows the error of the Pharisees in tacking manmade rituals and
traditions onto his doctrine; or 5) fails to focus on the “whole
counsel of God” (Acts 20:27).
When
the Holy Spirit guides our search of Scripture, we can “study to show ourselves
approved unto God” (2 Timothy 2:15) and discover the beauty of a grace that
produces good works.
(from
gotquesions,org)
Galatians
3
Faith
Brings Righteousness
1 You foolish Galatians,
who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly
portrayed as crucified? 2 This is the only
thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works
of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are
you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being
perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things
in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 So then, does He
who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you,
do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?
6 Even
so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as
righteousness. 7 Therefore, be sure that it is those
who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture,
foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the
gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the nations will
be blessed in you.” 9 So then those who are of faith are
blessed with Abraham, the believer.
10 For as many as are of the
works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written,
“Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the
law, to perform them.” 11 Now that no one is
justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The
righteous man shall live by faith.” 12 However, the Law
is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall
live by them.” 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse
of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written,
“Cursed is everyone who hangs on atree”— 14 in order
that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the
Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith.
Intent
of the Law
15 Brethren, I
speak in terms of human relations: even though it is only a
man’s covenant, yet when it has been ratified, no one sets it aside or
adds conditions to it. 16 Now the promises were
spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,”
as referring to many, but rather to
one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.17 What I am saying is
this: the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years
later, does not invalidate a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to
nullify the promise. 18 For if the inheritance
is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise;
but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.
19 Why the Law
then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained
through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would
come to whom the promise had been made. 20 Now a mediator
is not for one party only; whereas God is only one. 21 Is
the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never
be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart
life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. 22 But
the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by
faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we
were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was
later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has
become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so
that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now
that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.26 For you
are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For
all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with
Christ.28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave
nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one
in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to
Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according
to promise.
Mosaic
Law
Exodus
20
The
Ten Commandments
1
And God
spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods
before me.
4 “You shall not make for
yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth
beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or
worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the
children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those
who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those
who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the
name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who
misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by
keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but
the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any
work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant,
nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For
in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is
in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath
day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your
mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit
adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false
testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your
neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or
female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
18 When the people saw the
thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they
trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses,
“Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we
will die.”
20 Moses said to the people, “Do
not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with
you to keep you from sinning.”
21 The people remained at a
distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Idols and Altars
22 Then the Lord said to Moses,
“Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to
you from heaven: 23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not
make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.
Leviticus
26
Reward for Obedience
26 “‘Do not make idols or set up
an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in
your land to bow down before it. I am the Lord your God.
2 “‘Observe my Sabbaths and
have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
3 “‘If you follow my decrees
and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its
season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. 5 Your
threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue
until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in
your land.
6 “‘I will grant peace in the
land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild
beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. 7 You
will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five
of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and
your enemies will fall by the sword before you.
9 “‘I will look on you with
favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my
covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest
when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. 11 I
will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. 12 I
will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I
am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer
be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to
walk with heads held high.
Punishment for
Disobedience
14 “‘But if you will not listen
to me and carry out all these commands, 15 and if you reject my
decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands
and so violate my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will
bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your
sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies
will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you so that you will be
defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will
flee even when no one is pursuing you.
18 “‘If after all this you will
not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. 19 I
will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and
the ground beneath you like bronze. 20 Your strength will be spent
in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your
land yield their fruit.
21 “‘If you remain hostile
toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven
times over, as your sins deserve. 22 I will send wild animals
against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and
make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.
23 “‘If in spite of these things
you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, 24 I
myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven
times over. 25 And I will bring the sword on you to avenge the
breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a
plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. 26 When I
cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one
oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will
not be satisfied.
27 “‘If in spite of this you
still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, 28 then
in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your
sins seven times over. 29 You will eat the flesh of your sons and
the flesh of your daughters. 30 I will destroy your high places,
cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of
your idols, and I will abhor you. 31 I will turn your cities into
ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the
pleasing aroma of your offerings. 32 I myself will lay waste the
land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. 33 I
will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your
land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. 34 Then
the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and
you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its
sabbaths. 35 All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have
the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.
36 “‘As for those of you who are
left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that
the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though
fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing
them. 37 They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from
the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand
before your enemies. 38 You will perish among the nations; the land
of your enemies will devour you. 39 Those of you who are left will
waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of
their ancestors’ sins they will waste away.
40 “‘But if they will confess
their sins and the sins of their ancestors—their unfaithfulness and their
hostility toward me, 41 which made me hostile toward them so that I
sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are
humbled and they pay for their sin, 42 I will remember my covenant
with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will
remember the land. 43 For the land will be deserted by them and
will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for
their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees. 44 Yet
in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject
them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with
them. I am the Lord their God. 45 But for their sake I will
remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the
sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’”
46 These
are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the Lord
established at Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.
Timothy Skon, Chaplain and Prayer Minister
serving others, guided by Jesus
3/4/17