1.
The Law of Moses was for the "Jews"
2.
Jesus gave us a "new" commandment
3.
The "law" was nailed to the cross with
Jesus
4.
The "law" is too hard, no one can obey
it
But I ask you this: What does Scripture say? What does Jesus
say? What do the apostles say?
Just what constitutes
"the Law", how does it differ from the commands of men (often referred to as "oral law")?
And is there any benefit or drawback from following the "Law"?
(And why do we equate “law” to a negative thing, in the
first place? The word “Torah” simply refers to God’s instructions on what it looks like to go about living lives
as set-apart people. How to function in society by loving and respecting others
and their property. We sometimes call that “The Golden Rule”, and no one thinks
twice about living by that.)
Christ Fulfills the Law
Matthew 5:17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. (Show you how it is properly accomplished.) 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
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| The beautiful art of Christine Miller can be appreciated on her website. |
The Test of Knowing Him
1 John 2:3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
7 Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old
commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the
word which you heard from the beginning.
Sin and the Child of God
1 John 3:4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is
lawlessness (or “Torah-lessness”)
The Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Error
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him
1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
Knowing the True—Rejecting the False
18 We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he
who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.
19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies
under the sway of the wicked one.
20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding,
that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son
Jesus Christ
Around 1574 C.E., the Jewish scholar Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (also
known as Maimonides or Rambam,) codified the Jewish law into the Mishneh Torah[1].
This has developed into the assumption that there are 613 "laws" (248
do's, and 365 don'ts) or commandments in the Torah. According to widely
accepted Jewish opinion: "Of the 248 positive commands, only 126 are
currently applicable (due to the temple being demolished, there being no priesthood or king, etc.) And of the 365 negative commands, only 243 are still
applicable. So in total, nowadays, 369 mitzvot
(commands) are still operative."[2]
Many people look at that number of 613 Commandments and
assume that “no one can obey that many laws.” But think about this: If you live
in the United States, according to Wikipedia, “more
than 20,000 statutes have been enacted since 1789.”[3] In
fact, according to another un-authoritative website, “no one knows how many
laws are actually in effect.[4]
Rabbi Steve Berkson with Messianic Torah Observant Israel has done a thorough teaching of each of the 613 commandments. While some of his
opinions are just that, his opinions, his insight into the underlying core principle
of each “commandment” makes the 19-part series worth watching.[5]
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| The beautiful art of Christine Miller can be appreciated on her website. |
To Obey - or Not to Obey, That is the Question
When considering following the guidelines of someone we claim to love and serve, someone we claim to represent, recall what scripture itself says about it:
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.
Why would I choose a curse?
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_United_States
[4] https://www.quora.com/How-many-federal-laws-are-there-in-the-US
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