THE LAWS NOT CHANGED !

 

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Did Christ come to abolish or to fulfill the law?

“Do not think that I came to destroy the law... I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5.17).

Note.

Since the word "law" is used in different senses in the Bible, we will begin our study of the Law of God with a brief overview of the various uses of the word...

The Hebrew word "torah" used in this text (we are talking about the Old Testament), refers to the laws given through Moses. However, it should be noted that these laws fell into three categories:

a) Civil laws were relevant only to God's chosen people. They were used in special circumstances during wanderings in the wilderness and in the Promised Land. It is interesting to note that these laws became the model on which other civilized peoples subsequently began to create their civil laws. And to this day these laws have not lost their moral significance;

b) The ceremonial law was also given only to the people of Israel and converts from paganism and was of a temporary and symbolic nature (see Gal 4.3,9; Col 2.16-17,20-21; Heb 7.18-19, 9.10, 10.1). He not only was a type of Christianity, but also demonstrated the unchanging principles of the relationship between sinful man and sinless God;

c) The moral law was given to Israel so that the Ten Commandments would become the property of all mankind. It contains the fundamental moral and religious principles, embodying the eternal foundations of goodness and revealing to man the essence of sin. This law has never been repealed, it is unchanged, like its Author. It is based on the desire of people to communicate with their Creator and among themselves, which was laid down by God even at creation, and therefore the moral Law of God is the eternal and all-encompassing factor of God's rule in the Universe (see Matt. 5.17-20). The seventh chapter of the Church Manual of the Anglican Episcopal Church states: “Since the law given by God to Moses does not apply to Christians in respect of rites, ceremonies and rituals, and civil ordinances, therefore Commonwealth Christians should not adhere to these laws. As for the moral law, the observance of its commandments is the sacred duty of every Christian... “.

As we begin to take a closer look at the moral law, let's examine its characteristics and how it was originally enunciated.

1. It can be seen as a revelation of God's mind and will. It is comprehensive in scope, but purely individual in application, for all the commands of God are written in personal form and appeal to the heart of a single person.

2. It is amazingly compact and at the same time surprisingly complete and comprehensive, covering all aspects of our relationship with God and people and showing our duties towards them.

It concerns not only what we openly say and do, but also our most secret thoughts and motives: the first, second and tenth commandments regulate our desires, the third and ninth - our words, and the rest - our behavior. The commands contained in the commandments imply a prohibition, and by prohibiting something, the law thereby indicates what God expects from us. We read about this in Lev 19.18, Deut 6.5,10,12 (William C. Procter, Moody Bible Insitute Monthly, October 1933, p. 49).

“These laws may rightly be called all-encompassing.... These Ten Commandments are a combination into a single whole of what human nature perceives as true. And they are true, true, and unchangeable in all ages, for all peoples” (Peloubet’s Select Notes [International Sunday School Lessons for January 20, 1946], p. 35).

“He did not abolish the moral law contained in the Ten Commandments, to which the Old Testament prophets called for obedience. He did not come to cancel any part of it... The whole of God's Law remains in force and applies to all people at all times, and does not depend on time, place, or any other changeable factors. It contains at its core the Divine and human natures and the unchanging nature of their relationship" (John Wesley, "Upon Our Lord's Sermon on the Mount", Discourse 5, Works, vol.5 [1829] , pp.311,312).

 

 

What does the word "fulfill" mean when referring to the law?

Act, fulfill, act in accordance with the law, for example: “Carry one another's burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal 6.2, see Matt 3.15, Jac 2.8-9).

 

 

How did Christ feel about His Father's commandments?

”I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love” (John 15.10).

 

 

What should one do who is in Christ?

”Whoever says that he abides in Him must do as He did” (1 John 2.6).