The law and the prophets

[Mad Matt]

Ok, Jesus did not destroy the law or the prophets, he "added" to them, if you will. Then why do some Christians diss Mosaic law, or should I say the Word of God? The Bible repeats itself often,on purpose IMHO because man is too stupid/stubborn to listen the first time. If we as Christians don't accept Mosaic law we also renounce the Ten Commandments, which are Mosaic law. This I believe is how Christianity has splintered into so many "factions", if you will. This confuses me sometimes. Your thoughts, Hannah... Glenn-O...

[mattfivefour]

If I may ... Jesus did not "add" to the Law and the Prophets, He fulfilled them. Further, the two great commandments Jesus gave do not ADD to the Ten, they summarize them ... as Jesus said. "Love the Lord they God with all thy heart, mind, soul, and strength; and they neighbour as thyself. The first four of the Decalogue represent the manifestation of love for God; the final six represent the manifestation of love for our fellow man.

But, as the Holy Spirit points out to us through Paul's letter to the Romans, no man could ever keep the law. That was the point of it. It was to show us God's standard, and man's inability. And because of that inability animal sacrifices were instituted. But their efficacy was temporal and temporary. As the epistle to the Hebrews shows us the blood of bulls and goats could never take away our sins; but the blood of Jesus Christ does just that. The Law was an external schoolmaster or governor who forced us to be obedient to God through the imposition of punishments. The punishment for the transgression of God's Law was/is death. But under the sacrificial system that God gave us as a shadow of Christ to come, the punishments could be symbolically transferred to an animal through faith in the efficacy of that transfer. This symb0olized the great truth that two thousand years ago was finally revealed to man ... and why Paul preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified. His life manifested what a pure and holy life submitted to God "looked like" (to use modern parlance). But if that had been all He did we should yet be miserable sinners lost for eternity. But He came to die; the Cross cast a shadow over the manger. Perhaps that is why there were no singing choirs of angels or trumpets and jubilation in the stable that night. The jubilation was given to humble and lowly men in the fields.

Christianity is the antithesis of Law. Rather than the external Law written on tablets of stone, each infraction ready to be punished, we now have the law of Christ internally, written on our human hearts (if so be we are truly Christ's) by the Holy Spirit who indwells each Christian; and any infraction is covered by the blood of Jesus Christ on whom fell the punishment due us all. No Christian "disses" Mosaic Law. They simply accept in its place the Law of Love ... that God so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins in our place so that we being thus cleansed may become the residing place of the Holy Spirit who births—and brings to fruition—a new nature in us, the nature of Christ, who is the embodiment of God's love. In Him are God's pure righteousness (and the justice that it demands) and His loving mercy joined into one; the former being fully satisfied, the latter fully expressed. The prophetic 85th Psalm expresses this beautifully in the tenth verse: "Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other."

Never think that walking in Christ leads to the ignoring of God's Law. No! It actually leads to the keeping of it ... not through fleshly effort in fear of the consequences of disobedience or failure ... but through a surpassing love for the Father and His Son who loved us so much He died for us. As God has told us: Perfect love casts out all fear. We love Him because He first loved us. And even that human love we have is surpassed and transformed into something even greater— the agape love of God by the Holy Spirit who indeed is changing us into the very image of the Son.

The Ten Commandments witnessed as well as could be expressed in words as to what the worship of God required. They were our instructor. But we have a far greater witness! A far better instructor. Not words carved on stone (even though it was the finger of God that did so) but, rather, the Word of God written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit Himself and spoken to us daily as we live, and act, and speak, and think.

I pray this helps.

[IamPJ]

Well stated Matt. What a wonderful explanation!