3.02.2010

Mar 2

Leviticus 23-24
Psalm 57
Luke 21

2 comments:

Rachael said...

I just got caught up after a long bout of being behind so I'm sorry if I'm repeating anyone's earlier comment when I say, is it freaking anyone else out to realize how many times in their life they would've been stoned by old testament standards? Gah!
Also, what things are we still required to follow and which things are we not required to follow because Jesus died as the final sacrifice? For example, the 10 commandments are obviously something we should still live by and we no longer need to perform sacrifices but what about only eating kosher food or not 'wearing a garment upon you of two kinds of material mixed together'?

Emery Jo said...

the question of all questions! Christians have been debating this issue since the time of Acts.

Here are some statements I found helpful from this article.


"In 613 commands the Mosaic Law represented an ethical code given by God to Israel to govern the nation until the coming of Messiah, but at their heart, they represented the moral law of God— righteous principles vital to humanity. Today, we are not under this code, but many of its righteous principles, the eternal laws of God, have been carried over and are part of the law of the Spirit of life in Christ (Rom. 8:2) or the law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2). In this, some of the former commands are carried over (Rom. 13:9), some new commands and guidelines are added (Eph. 4:11f; 1 Tim. 3:1f; 4:4), and some have been revised, as in the case of capitol punishment which is to be exercised by human government (Rom. 13:4).


This should be no more difficult to understand than the fact that a citizen of the United States is not under the laws of Canada, even though the moral principles underlying the laws of the two countries are the same. When a citizen of the United States becomes a citizen of Canada he does not remain under ten of the best laws of the United States. Nor does the fact that some of the laws of the United States are quite similar to some of the laws of Canada confuse or compromise his new exclusive responsibility to Canada. So the believing Jew of the first century moved entirely from the Mosaic economy of law into the new economy of grace instituted by Jesus Christ (John 1:17).14"