Reading for January 5th, 2000

In the Old Testament, God's moral and ceremonial laws were given to help people love God with all their hearts and minds.   Throughout Israel's history, however, these laws had often been misquoted and misapplied.   Jesus believed in and quoted from scripture frequently, but by Jesus' time, religious leaders had turned God's words into a confusing mass of rules.   When Jesus talked about a new way to understand God's law, he was actually trying to bring people back to its original purpose.   Jesus did not speak against the law itself but against the abuses and excesses to which it had been subjected.

If Jesus did not come to abolish the law, does that mean that all the Old Testament laws still apply to us today?   In the Old Testament, there were three categories of law: ceremonial, civil, and moral.

1) The ceremonial law related specifically to Israel's worship (Lev 1:2-3).   Its primary purpose was to point forward to Jesus Christ; these laws, therefore were no longer necessary after Jesus' death and resurrection.   While we are no longer bound by ceremonial law, the principles behind them--to worship and love a holy God--still apply.   Jesus was often accused by the Pharisees of violating ceremonial law, but he was the fulfillment of what these laws represented and were pointing to at that very moment in time.

2) The civil law applied to daily living in Israel (Deut 24:10-11).   Because modern society and culture are so radically different from that time and setting, all of these guidelines cannot be followed specifically.  But the principles behind the commands are timeless and should guide our conduct.   Jesus demonstrated these principles by example.

3) The moral law (such as the Ten Commandments) is the direct command of God, and it requires strict obedience (Exod 20:13).   The moral law reveals the nature and will of God, and it still applies today.   Jesus obeyed the moral law completely.

Some listening to Jesus speaking on the mount were experts in telling others what to do, but they missed the central point of God's laws themselves.   Jesus made it clear, however, that obeying God's laws is more important than explaining them.   It's much easier to study God's laws and tell others to obey them than to put them into practice.

We are to continually ask ourselves... "How am I doing at obeying God?   Am I allowing him to work his will in my life?"