The New Testament Speaks Out On the Law
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The Law of YHVH , given by Him from creation and mediated by angels to all the prophets, is the Hebrew word Torah, which means holy teaching or instruction.
The New Testament/Covenant does not negate the Law, rather. . .
1. The Law is increased in the heart by the New Covenant in Messiah.
"Behold, the days come, declares YHVH, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt . . . But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel . . . I will put My Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jeremiah 31:31-33).
"And when they heard it, they glorified the L-RD, and said unto him, 'You see brother, how many thousands of Jews there are who believe, and they are all zealous of the Law" (Acts 21:20).
2. The Law is perpetual throughout the New Covenant until the end of time.
"For I say to you absolutely, until heaven and earth pass away and everything is accomplished, in no way will one small letter or one minute punctuation be taken from the Law" (Matthew 5:18 ).
3. The Messiah expects the Law to be taught, not abolished.
"Do not suppose that I am come to destroy the Law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to complete . . . Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But, whoever shall do them and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5: 17,19).
4. The Apostle Paul wanted to establish the Law, not abolish it.
"Do we then make the Law void through faith? May it never be! Rather, we establish the Law" (Romans 3:3 1).
5. Messiah will reject anyone who works against the Law.
"Not every one who says to Me, L-RD, L-RD, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but only he that does the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, L-RD, L-RD, have we not prophesied in Your name? and in Your name cast out devils? and in Your name done many wonderful works? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you! Depart from me, you who work against the Law* " (Matthew 7:21-23).
[Note: The King James Version says "iniquity" but the Greek word is anomia, meaning lawless, anti-law or "against the Law. "]
6. Without the teaching of the Law we cannot know what YHVH considers to be sin.
"Whoever commits sin transgresses also the Law, for sin is the transgression of the Law" (1 John 3:4).
"For by the Law is the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3 :20).
"I had not known about sin, but by the Law, for I had not known what lust is, unless the Law had said, 'Thou shalt not covet"' (Romans 7:7).
7. The Law remains holy, right and good.
"Therefore the Law is holy, and the commandment holy, and right, and good"
8. The Law is spiritual and only the spiritually discerning can understand it.
"For we know that the Law is spiritual" (Romans 7:14).
"The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).
9. The Law is valid instruction under the New Covenant
"But He (Messiah) answered and said, 'It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God"' (Matthew 4:4).
"Every scripture * is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3: 16).
[Note: The early New Covenant believers had only the Law and the prophets as their scripture. ]
10. Being "under grace" does not mean we reject the Law.
"Shall we sin (transgress the Law), because we are not under the Law, but under grace? May it never be!" (Romans 6:15)
[Note: Paul's statement, "For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the Law, but under grace" (Romans 6:14), is one of the most misunderstood of the New Testament. Being "not under the Law" does not mean we can reject or disobey the Law. The idea is one of perspective. The Law is to be in us instead of over us. It means the Law is taught in us by the Spirit instead of at us. We are under grace, which is the power not to sin, or "transgress the Law. " Instead of the Law commanding us from without, it operates in us by the Spirit of Grace. For this reason Paul says, "How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Romans 6:2). And, John says, "Whoever is born of God does not keep committing sin . . . he cannot continue in sin because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whoever does not do righteousness is not of God, neither he that does not love his brother" (1 John 3:9,10).]
11. Doing the Law is not sufficient to justify a person.
"And by Him (Messiah) all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses" (Acts 13 :39).
"Therefore by the deeds of the Law no flesh will be justified in his sight" (Romans 3 :20).
"But if, while we seek to be justified by Messiah, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Messiah the minister of sin? May it never be!" (Galatians 2:17).
[Note: The inability of the Law to justify a person does not negate the truth of the Law. It is the Law which demands we have a sacrifice for sin. Faith in the justification which comes through Messiah's sacrifice is itself an obedience to the Law. "You must be born again" is in essence a commandment.]
12. Apostle Paul lived and taught the Law.
"Paul . . . sailed into Syria . . . having cut his hair in Cenchrea, for he had (completed) a vow" (Acts 18: 18 ) . See Numbers 6:5.
"Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise" (Ephesians 6:2).
"For it is written in the Law of Moses, You shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the corn" (1 Corinthians 9:9).
"But this I confess unto you . . . I worship the God of my fathers, committed to all things which are written in the Law and in the prophets" (Acts 24:14).
"Messiah, our passover, is sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast (of Passover), not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Corinthians 5:7,8 ).
"But we know that the Law is good, if a man use it lawfully. Knowing this, that the Law is not made for a righteous man, but for those against the Law and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane" (1 Timothy 1:8-10).
13. The Faithful Keep the Law.
"Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that says, 'I know him', and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:2-5). See 1 John 5:2,3.
"The dragon was angry . . . and went to make war with the remnant . . . which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Yeshua the Messiah" (Revelation 12: 17).
"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Yeshua" (Rev. 14:12).
Copyright 1996. Rabbi David M. Hargis. All rights reserved. -
The apostle Paul makes it very clear....
U are saved by faith, not the law.
The End..... -
Please read point 12... and point 11....Originally posted by laoda99:The apostle Paul makes it very clear....
U are saved by faith, not the law.
The End.....
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True, but the law is not abolished just because we are saved by grace. We are still commanded to keep God's laws, though we know that by just doing that we cannot be saved. The law is never abolished! Christ came not to break the law, but to fulfil it.Originally posted by laoda99:The apostle Paul makes it very clear....
U are saved by faith, not the law.
The End..... -
Since when did grace negate the law? It the unbalanced Christian and myopic Jew that supposes such a concept is possible.
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I believe the question to ask is,
which law? Morals or Mosiac? -
Acts 15
1Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
5Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses."
6The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
12The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. 14Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. 15The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16" 'After this I will return
and rebuild David's fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
17that the remnant of men may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things'[b]
18that have been known for ages.[c]
19"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."
22Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. 23With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
This passage clearly states the debate the council at Jersulem with Paul over the enforcement of Jewish laws on the Gentiles and the resulting response from Paul. It clearly shows there it is not necessary for an Gentile to follow the Mosaic Laws or the Hebrew traditions. -
CE,
I do not view the Torah as just OT, but as the entire word of the Lord from Genesis to Revelation. God is not an inconsistent God to apply one principle to the Jews and another to us. If you read the bible, it is very consistent and it is us that have to recognise and realise this point.
The whole word of the Lord applies to us as His children. -
I agree with Chin Eng we are Gentiles. Gentiles do not need to follow jewish traditions.
Brey - u can never be a jew.
I tot all these already solved in the council of jerusalem. -
Galatians 3:6-14
6Consider Abraham: "He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."[a] 7Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham. 8The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you." 9So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
[b]10All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law."[c] 11Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."[d] 12The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, "The man who does these things will live by them."[e] 13Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."[f] 14He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. -
The operative phrase here is: "I do not view". So now suddenly your VIEW is the definitive opinion on how things are to be viewed?Originally posted by breytonhartge:CE,
I do not view the Torah as just OT, but as the entire word of the Lord from Genesis to Revelation. God is not an inconsistent God to apply one principle to the Jews and another to us. If you read the bible, it is very consistent and it is us that have to recognise and realise this point.
The whole word of the Lord applies to us as His children.
The Torah is the Torah, the Bible is the Bible..... and the Quran is the Quran, although there are overlaps, each is distinctly different from each other - and all these has GOT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT YOUR VIEW IS! -
The truth is, God never made that covenant with you. You are not His chosen people.Originally posted by breytonhartge:CE,
I do not view the Torah as just OT, but as the entire word of the Lord from Genesis to Revelation. God is not an inconsistent God to apply one principle to the Jews and another to us. If you read the bible, it is very consistent and it is us that have to recognise and realise this point.
The whole word of the Lord applies to us as His children.
So God does not have to apply the same principle to Jews and gentiles.