The Law and the New Covenant

[iam1me]

Many/most Christians believe that with the establishment of the New Covenant, God's Law has been done away with. At least - it's not applicable to THEM. However, this view stems from a lack of knowledge of what the New Covenant promise is.

Jeremiah 31:33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Hewbrews 8:7-13 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”c]">[c]
13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Matthew 5:17-18 “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. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
​

The above passages make clear that note only was the Law never done away with - it is an essential component of the New Covenant. The Law is supposed to be written on our very hearts and minds.

Of course, that doesn't mean that every part of the Old Covenant was carried along with this law - as with the requirement of circumcision of the flesh. Also, animal sacrifices have been rendered irrelevant. As such, it becomes important to differentiate the Old Covenant and Jewish Traditions and Culture from the Law spoken of above.

Circumcision, for instance, was part of the Covenant with Abraham -established long before the Law was given to Israel (Genesis 17).

Other aspects of the Law - like what you are allowed to eat, and animal sacrifices - have been addressed by Christ's sacrifice. These aspects of the Law were conditional - but the conditions have changed so that the specific practices prescribed therein are no longer necessary for us.

When these things are removed, there are things which are not conditional, which always apply. These are often referred to as the Moral Law. Jesus summed the Law up with the two Greatest Commandments: 1. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and 2. Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus placed a greater commandment upon his followers: Love others as I have loved you. ie, Give up your life for the sake of others.

If you believe that the Law is irrelevant to Christians, please explain what you think of the passages above and why the Law has been abolished.

 

[Deeje]

@iam1me this is a very important thing to understand. You have explained it well.

There is no way to ignore Christ's teachings without offending God and without harming our neighbors in some way.

This is the lesson that God is teaching us by withdrawing the written code and replacing it with a conscience. Free will must be exercised from the heart, not just from the cold laws in a book. The Jews showed how they twisted that code and made it a heavy burden on the people, whereas Jesus said that 'his load was light' because when a heart is filled with love for God and appreciation for all that Jesus did for us in offering his life for us, then our will harmonizes with God's will naturally...it doesn't ever need to be forced or begrudged.

 

[Cacotopia]

Finally a Christian that understands this concept. You are literally the 1st Christian in 24 years that has said this.

 

[74x12]

Many/most Christians believe that with the establishment of the New Covenant, God's Law has been done away with. At least - it's not applicable to THEM. However, this view stems from a lack of knowledge of what the New Covenant promise is.

Jeremiah 31:33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Hewbrews 8:7-13 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”c]">[c]
13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Matthew 5:17-18 “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. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
​

The above passages make clear that note only was the Law never done away with - it is an essential component of the New Covenant. The Law is supposed to be written on our very hearts and minds.

Of course, that doesn't mean that every part of the Old Covenant was carried along with this law - as with the requirement of circumcision of the flesh. Also, animal sacrifices have been rendered irrelevant. As such, it becomes important to differentiate the Old Covenant and Jewish Traditions and Culture from the Law spoken of above.

Circumcision, for instance, was part of the Covenant with Abraham -established long before the Law was given to Israel (Genesis 17).

Other aspects of the Law - like what you are allowed to eat, and animal sacrifices - have been addressed by Christ's sacrifice. These aspects of the Law were conditional - but the conditions have changed so that the specific practices prescribed therein are no longer necessary for us.

When these things are removed, there are things which are not conditional, which always apply. These are often referred to as the Moral Law. Jesus summed the Law up with the two Greatest Commandments: 1. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and 2. Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus placed a greater commandment upon his followers: Love others as I have loved you. ie, Give up your life for the sake of others.

If you believe that the Law is irrelevant to Christians, please explain what you think of the passages above and why the Law has been abolished.

The Law of the new Testament is the holy Spirit. Whoever has the throne of God in their hearts has the Law proceeding from the throne. Moses was regent and so the Law came through him for a time. But in the new Testament the King(Jesus) has come to His throne. So if the King is on His throne the Law proceeds directly from the throne. The regent's work is finished.

As the new Covenant is through the holy Spirit the Law is no longer rigid like in the old Covenant but it is always better because it is directly giving the water of Life all the time. So the fruit of the Spirit can grow.

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (Revelation 22:1)

For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. (Isaiah 51:3-4)

Whoever has the great King Jesus enthroned in their hearts has the water of Life. So their desert becomes the garden of Eden and they are bear the fruit of the holy Spirit. Thus they have the genuine tree of Life. Because they bear the fruit of eternal Life.

 

[iam1me]

The Law of the new Testament is the holy Spirit. Whoever has the throne of God in their hearts has the Law proceeding from the throne. Moses was regent and so the Law came through him for a time. But in the new Testament the King(Jesus) has come to His throne. So if the King is on His throne the Law proceeds directly from the throne. The regent's work is finished.

As the new Covenant is through the holy Spirit the Law is no longer rigid like in the old Covenant but it is always better because it is directly giving the water of Life all the time. So the fruit of the Spirit can grow.

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (Revelation 22:1)

For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people. (Isaiah 51:3-4)

Whoever has the great King Jesus enthroned in their hearts has the water of Life. So their desert becomes the garden of Eden and they are bear the fruit of the holy Spirit. Thus they have the genuine tree of Life. Because they bear the fruit of eternal Life.

The Law is written on our hearts and minds so that we may obey it - not so that others may obey it for us.

Deutoronomy 30:11-20
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
​

 

[Neuropteron]

[QUOTE="iam1me,

The above passages make clear that note only was the Law never done away with - it is an essential

If you believe that the Law is irrelevant to Christians, please explain what you think of the passages above and why the Law has been abolished.[/QUOTE]
....


Why then the law ?
It was added to make transgressions manifest, until the seed should arrive...Gal3

...recognizing that law is made, not for a righteous man, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, ungodly and sinners, disloyal and profane, murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers , manslayers, sexually immoral people......1 tim 1

In his saying a new covenan he has made the former one obsolete. Now what is obsolete and growing old is near to vanishing away.Heb 8

 

[74x12]

The Law is written on our hearts and minds so that we may obey it - not so that others may obey it for us.

Deutoronomy 30:11-20
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
​

Yes you should obey the holy Spirit; if you have received this Gift.

James and Paul taught the same things about the Law of Moses.

See James 2:10 and Galatians 3:10 and tell me what you think.

 

[Brickjectivity]

...If you believe that the Law is irrelevant to Christians, please explain what you think of the passages above and why the Law has been abolished....

I think its not abolished for Jews but its flexible which laws christians follow. Christians should be regular and stick to moral behavior according to an informed, trained conscience. That training for me explains why the elders in Acts impose certain moral laws on gentile converts.

The OP comments that circumcision starts with Abraham, but circumcision is in the mosaic law and inseparable from it, so when Christians do not practice circumcision we pointedly dissociate from mosaic law. That does not mean its abolished for Jews but that its not part of being a christian.

Christianity operates in the belief that renewal is going to come as a result of christ, but it talks about renewal like it has arrived. Its a way of looking at things. To outsiders christians call things that are not as though they were. Jesus apostles announce "The kingdom of God is here." Jesus teaches them to pray "Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," but at the same time christians live as if ezekiels temple is here, as if now every vessel is holy to the LORD and so on. We call these the latter days although work and time are required for reality to catch up to the words.

Sometimes people get the impression that the law is abolished, but its actually that we are forcefully attaching ourselves to abraham. I think if somebody wants to keep the mosaic laws well that is good not bad, but for christians it must not replace living by conscience with freedom. Its probably best if christians limit ourselves to a subset of laws.

 

[Thief]

no one has mentioned.....
Do unto others as you would have it done unto you

this was the quote that set the Pharisees against the Carpenter
they sought to kill Him from that hour onward

and you do know?....the Carpenter is not the author of that idea

 

[iam1me]

Yes you should obey the holy Spirit; if you have received this Gift.

James and Paul taught the same things about the Law of Moses.

See James 2:10 and Galatians 3:10 and tell me what you think.

Yes they both taught that to break even part of the Law was to sin - and this has not changed under the New Covenant. Sin is still sin.

 

[iam1me]

I think its not abolished for Jews but its flexible which laws christians follow. Christians should be regular and stick to moral behavior according to an informed, trained conscience. That training for me explains why the elders in Acts impose certain moral laws on gentile converts.

Do you not believe that the Law is written on our hearts and minds as Christians? Because that is what the New Covenant is: we have God's Law written on our hearts and minds, and thereby become God's people, and he our God.

As for the issue of circumcision - it was heavily debated by Paul, the disciples, and others. The issue was not immediately clear cut even to them. However, the wisdom that won out in the end was that what truly matters is circumcision of the heart, of which physical circumcision was a mere symbol.

Deuteronomy 10:16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.

Deuteronomy 30:6The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.

Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts, you people of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, or my wrath will flare up and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it.

Romans 2:29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

The OP comments that circumcision starts with Abraham, but circumcision is in the mosaic law and inseparable from it, so when Christians do not practice circumcision we pointedly dissociate from mosaic law. That does not mean its abolished for Jews but that its not part of being a christian.

It is true that in practice even Paul maintained circumcision for Jews. However, this is due to the Abrahamic Covenant - a covenant of the flesh, a covenant with Abraham's physical descendants.

Acts 7:8 Then he gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. And Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him eight days after his birth. Later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.

Romans 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter?

Gentiles are not the physical descendants of Abraham, and so it is not necessary for them to follow this Covenant. For the Jews, on the other hand, this Covenant was never done away with - so of course they must still follow it.

The Law does declare that there should be circumcision on the 8th day, and outsiders who wanted to become an Israeli citizen had to enter into this covenant by being circumcised. However, properly understood this is all just an extension of the Covenant of Abraham, which all Jews were under to begin with. There is no reason to say that this would apply to one not under the Covenant of Abraham and not seeking to join the physical nation of Israel.

The question of circumcision for Gentiles, then, is not a matter of obeying the Law so much as it is a question of whether or not gentiles need to enter into the Covenant of Abraham. Paul and the rest ultimately said no - you don't need to enter into the covenant intended for Abraham and his physical descendants. What is important is the Spirit - not the flesh.

Sometimes people get the impression that the law is abolished, but its actually that we are forcefully attaching ourselves to abraham. I think if somebody wants to keep the mosaic laws well that is good not bad, but for christians it must not replace living by conscience with freedom. Its probably best if christians limit ourselves to a subset of laws.

We are indeed grafted onto Israel spiritually. There should be no question whether or not the Law applies to us - it is simply a matter of approaching the Law spiritually rather than blindly following a list of instructions. Hence Jesus is able to take all of the Laws and commandments and summarize them into just two commandments.

 

[oldbadger]

Many/most Christians believe that with the establishment of the New Covenant, God's Law has been done away with. At least - it's not applicable to THEM. However, this view stems from a lack of knowledge of what the New Covenant promise is.

Extremist Christians would run you in circles on this one, and they reckon you're wrong.

Jeremiah 31:33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.​

WRONG!
Extreme Christians will tell you that the above was all about a covenant with the ISRAELITES.
Get it? Do you know any Israelite Christians perhaps?

Hewbrews 8:7-13 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah........

Know any Christians from Israel or Judah do you? So the rest is superfluous....

10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel.....

...people of Israel. Not Scots, Texans, Spanish..........

Matthew 5:17-18 “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. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Yeah....... when extremist Christians want to justify public executions of Gays etc they will quote the above and the suitable Leviticus verse. But when asked to pay up for provision for the poor and shown OT poor laws they will tell you that these laws were for the Israelites only. So its cherry-picking and body swerving as required. But your verses above are not going to pin 'em down, I'm afraid.
​

The above passages make clear that note only was the Law never done away with - it is an essential component of the New Covenant. The Law is supposed to be written on our very hearts and minds.

...wasn't clear ablout anybody but Israelites and Jews.

Of course, that doesn't mean that every part of the Old Covenant was carried along with this law - as with the requirement of circumcision of the flesh. Also, animal sacrifices have been rendered irrelevant. As such, it becomes important to differentiate the Old Covenant and Jewish Traditions and Culture from the Law spoken of above.

Circumcision, for instance, was part of the Covenant with Abraham -established long before the Law was given to Israel (Genesis 17).

Other aspects of the Law - like what you are allowed to eat, and animal sacrifices - have been addressed by Christ's sacrifice. These aspects of the Law were conditional - but the conditions have changed so that the specific practices prescribed therein are no longer necessary for us.

So Jesus did away with 106 sacrificial laws....... and Temple redemption etc. The Baptist started that circumvention with baptism and Jresus carried it on. 'I will have Mercy and not sacrifice' ....... Hosea's call from before.
But all the rest, the 507 were supported by Jesus...... for his people.

When these things are removed, there are things which are not conditional, which always apply. These are often referred to as the Moral Law. Jesus summed the Law up with the two Greatest Commandments: 1. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and 2. Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus placed a greater commandment upon his followers: Love others as I have loved you. ie, Give up your life for the sake of others.

If you believe that the Law is irrelevant to Christians, please explain what you think of the passages above and why the Law has been abolished.

You've got to show where any of the OT Laws apply to gentiles with Jesus's words, and once you've done that you have to mess about trying to exclude the laws you don't like. But you can't make mention of any sacrificial laws in your guidance because Jesus got rid of them all already.

OK? Now try again.

While you're about it, you could quote exact guidance for Christians about abortion without referring to 'Laws for Israelites'. If you choose 'Laws for Israelites' then you've got to show us how you excluded the OT laws that you don't want, like or need. (Forget the sacrifice laws..... they're gone already)

 

[iam1me]

Extremist Christians would run you in circles on this one, and they reckon you're wrong.

You have to especially love the Dispensationalist crowd; they are a hoot!

You've got to show where any of the OT Laws apply to gentiles with Jesus's words, and once you've done that you have to mess about trying to exclude the laws you don't like. But you can't make mention of any sacrificial laws in your guidance because Jesus got rid of them all already.

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

While you're about it, you could quote exact guidance for Christians about abortion without referring to 'Laws for Israelites'. If you choose 'Laws for Israelites' then you've got to show us how you excluded the OT laws that you don't want, like or need. (Forget the sacrifice laws..... they're gone already)

Abortion, of course, is not explicitly addressed in the scriptures. However, it is easy enough to infer from commandments like "thou shall not murder" and "love your neighbor as yourself."

 

[oldbadger]

You have to especially love the Dispensationalist crowd; they are a hoot!

Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Right. Jesus supported all of the 507 laws, from the beginning (the 106 sacrificial laws are excluded).
Therefore, from what you have shown, every single one of the 507 must be kept.
Or can any Christian show different?

Abortion, of course, is not explicitly addressed in the scriptures. However, it is easy enough to infer from commandments like "thou shall not murder" and "love your neighbor as yourself."

Help me......... where does the OT command 'No Murder'? I thought the law was written, 'No Killing'. ??
But Christian find righteous reason for killing without trouble. ??

I recently heard that there are NO Downs Syndrome children in Iceland. None. Is this good or bad? Icelandic women choose not to carry Downs Syndrome to birth, which seems either a wonderful or disgusting condition according to whether one is a rational human or a self-righteous dominator of women...... what do you think?

 

[TheBannerofHomuraAkemi]

Many/most Christians believe that with the establishment of the New Covenant, God's Law has been done away with. At least - it's not applicable to THEM. However, this view stems from a lack of knowledge of what the New Covenant promise is.

Jeremiah 31:33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Hewbrews 8:7-13 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. 8 But God found fault with the people and said:
“The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they did not remain faithful to my covenant,
and I turned away from them,
declares the Lord.
10 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”c]">[c]
13 By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

Matthew 5:17-18 “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. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
​

The above passages make clear that note only was the Law never done away with - it is an essential component of the New Covenant. The Law is supposed to be written on our very hearts and minds.

Of course, that doesn't mean that every part of the Old Covenant was carried along with this law - as with the requirement of circumcision of the flesh. Also, animal sacrifices have been rendered irrelevant. As such, it becomes important to differentiate the Old Covenant and Jewish Traditions and Culture from the Law spoken of above.

Circumcision, for instance, was part of the Covenant with Abraham -established long before the Law was given to Israel (Genesis 17).

Other aspects of the Law - like what you are allowed to eat, and animal sacrifices - have been addressed by Christ's sacrifice. These aspects of the Law were conditional - but the conditions have changed so that the specific practices prescribed therein are no longer necessary for us.

When these things are removed, there are things which are not conditional, which always apply. These are often referred to as the Moral Law. Jesus summed the Law up with the two Greatest Commandments: 1. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and 2. Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus placed a greater commandment upon his followers: Love others as I have loved you. ie, Give up your life for the sake of others.

If you believe that the Law is irrelevant to Christians, please explain what you think of the passages above and why the Law has been abolished.

How would you apply the law to Christians today?

 

[iam1me]

How would you apply the law to Christians today?

Christ summarizes the Law with the two Great Commandments:

Matthew 22:34-40
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”​

And love is applicable in just about any matter in life. It means making the well being of others a priority. Don't take actions which adversely and unjustifiably bring harm to others. If others are in need, help them. etc.

 

[iam1me]

Right. Jesus supported all of the 507 laws, from the beginning (the 106 sacrificial laws are excluded).
Therefore, from what you have shown, every single one of the 507 must be kept.
Or can any Christian show different?

The commandments must be understood in context to when and how they are applicable. This requires study, pure and simple. Tithe, for instance, was the inheritance of the Levites. The other tribes were to tithe to support the Levites and their work for the Lord, a welfare program funded via taxes if you will. A good thing.

That said, we are not living in the state of Israel (at least I'm not), to the best of my knowledge I'm not of Jewish birth such that I should be paying tithe to Levites, nor are there Levites roaming around the country doing the Lords work such that such funds would be put to use doing the Lord's work.

The churches have tried to set themselves up as the inheritors for tithe - but the scriptures don't support this. Giving is good, of course, but there is no commandment for how much or little is to be given. Rather, the New Testament says to only give as you are led to give in good conscience, and not by being coerced.

In general, though, if you approach everyone and every matter with love for God and your fellow man at the forefront of your mind, then you will do well.

Help me......... where does the OT command 'No Murder'? I thought the law was written, 'No Killing'. ??
But Christian find righteous reason for killing without trouble. ??

I recently heard that there are NO Downs Syndrome children in Iceland. None. Is this good or bad? Icelandic women choose not to carry Downs Syndrome to birth, which seems either a wonderful or disgusting condition according to whether one is a rational human or a self-righteous dominator of women...... what do you think?

Exodus 20:13 You shall not murder.

Killing your children is a bad thing. Women shouldn't get a pass to kill their children because they view their children as an inconvenience - just as we shouldn't get to kill anyone out of convenience for ourselves.

 

[TheBannerofHomuraAkemi]

Christ summarizes the Law with the two Great Commandments:

Matthew 22:34-40
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”​

And love is applicable in just about any matter in life. It means making the well being of others a priority. Don't take actions which adversely and unjustifiably bring harm to others. If others are in need, help them. etc.

So how would you go about Leviticus 19:28?

 

[iam1me]

So how would you go about Leviticus 19:28?

In terms of following it? I guess I won't be cutting my body for the dead (darn!)

In terms of relating it to the two greatest commandments, I would associate it with the Greatest Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. You could append body to the list too - the point being to love the Lord with your everything. Commandments like these are about following God's will for us - rather than about how we relate to one another.

You can also bring into this the teaching that our bodies are the temple of God, where the Holy Spirit resides. Doing such things to your body is a desecration of God's temple.

 

[TheBannerofHomuraAkemi]

In terms of following it? I guess I won't be cutting my body for the dead (darn!)

In terms of relating it to the two greatest commandments, I would associate it with the Greatest Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. You could append body to the list too - the point being to love the Lord with your everything. Commandments like these are about following God's will for us - rather than about how we relate to one another.

You can also bring into this the teaching that our bodies are the temple of God, where the Holy Spirit resides. Doing such things to your body is a desecration of God's temple.

That's acceptable. I think I'm going to get along with you.

This is just purely for ****s and giggles, but would you accept a tattoo of "property of the holy spirit" on your chest?