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April 18, 2010 |
| The Law | ||
Few questions in Christian theology generate more varied opinions and more heat than the role of Old Testament law in the life of a Christian. Most Christians would say that at least part of the Old Testament law does not apply. There are Christians that believe all of the law remains. Other Christians believe none of the law remains. Most Christians fall somewhere in the middle.
In answering this question of the law the best source we can hope for is Jesus himself. But the four verses from Matthew that deal directly with the topic have been interpreted in many ways. In this lesson we will see the various interpretations (shown as numbered lines) and discuss each.
I will be devil's advocate
The verses are presented from both NIV and Aramaic NT, NIV first. There doesn't seem to be any significant difference between the two but it seems wise to work from two sources that are as different as these.
17"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.1
17Do not think that I have come to revoke The Written Law or The Prophets; I am not come to revoke but to fulfill.2
Jesus is speaking of two of the three divisions of the Old Testament, which are the Law (Pentateuch – first 5 books), the Prophets, and the Writings.
1. Jesus came to fulfill the law, where fulfill means "to carry out, or bring to realization, as a prophecy or promise"3. Therefore the law still applies.
2. Jesus came to fulfill the law, where fulfill means "to bring to an end; finish or complete, as a period of time"4. Therefore the law is gone.
3. Jesus did not come to end the law, but that was the result of the Jews executing their promised one. Therefore the law is gone.
18I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
18Amen, I say to you that until Heaven and earth will pass away, one Yodh or one Taag will not pass away from The Written Law until everything will happen.
1. The law remains in force until everything is accomplished, where accomplished means "Jesus' ascension to heaven"
2. The law remains in force until heaven and earth pass away, which is a reference to the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of time
3. The text of the law remains but at least some of it does not apply to Christians
19Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
19Everyone therefore who violates one of these small commandments and will teach thus to the children of men will be called small in the Kingdom of Heaven, but everyone who will do and will teach the same will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
1. By "these commandments" Jesus is referring to the entire Mosaic law described in the Law.
2. By "these commandments" Jesus is referring only to the 10 commandments
3. By "these commandments" Jesus is referring only to the 2 love commandments
4. It doesn't matter what commandments Jesus is talking about because the Law was about to end and now has ended.
5. If you break only one of the least of these commandments, you will still make it into the Kingdom of Heaven, though you might be the least among the people in Heaven.
6. Which commandments are the least?
20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
20For I say to you, that unless your goodness will exceed that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
1. If you are righteous or good enough you can make it into the Kingdom of Heaven
Summary
1. What is the point Jesus is making?
Now we change to Matthew 22, where Jesus discusses the law of love, the foundation of all the other law.
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together. 35 And one of them who knew The Written Law asked him while testing him:
36 "Teacher, which commandment in The Written Law is the greatest?" 37 Yeshua said to him, "You shall love THE LORD JEHOVAH your God from all your heart and from all your soul and from all your power and from all your mind." 38 "This is the great and the first commandment." 39 "And the second which is like it is, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commands depend all The Written Law and The Prophets."
These two commands are first introduced separately, not together, one in Deuteronomy 6:5 and the other in Leviticus 19:18. But they are not introduced as commands by themselves. The first is found in a summary by Moses after he relates the story of the giving of the Ten Commandments and the rest of the law.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
The second is found while Moses is giving more laws to Israel.
18 " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
Why do you think that these two were given this way?
Romans 3
31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Galatians 3
24So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
The law describes how we should live but obeying it does not earn a place for us in the Kingdom of Heaven. Only by faith, and by the grace of God, can we be given a place in the Kingdom of Heaven. But if we believe, we will strive to follow the example Jesus set.
1 The first verse of each pair comes from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible
2 Alternating verses come from the Aramaic New Testament
3 Dictionary.com first given meaning for "fulfill"
4 Dictionary.com fourth given meaning for "fulfill"