Were the Apostles against the Law of God (Ten Commandments)? Did the Apostles abolish or change the Law of God? Can any claimed apostolic traditional continuity remove or change from the Law of God, if the immediate Apostles of Jesus did not do so? Among the majority of Christians or Christian denominations, there are mainly 4 groups in their approach to Ten Commandments: 1st group: Assuming from certain New Testament verses, which condemns a false understanding of the role of the Law, concludes that problem is with the Law itself. Therefore they preach that Ten Commandments are not binding on people under the New Covenant. 2nd group: This group, so convinced that Sabbath (4th Commandment) is not binding on Christians, in order to justify their position, argue that all Commandments were crucified on the Cross. 3rd group: They argue that the other 9 commandments are in effect but the 4th, the 7th day Sabbath, has been superseded by Sunday, the 1st day, which is to be kept in honor of the resurrection of Jesus. 4th group: This group claiming continual apostolic magisterial authority, removes one Commandment (2nd Commandment), changes one Commandment (4th Commandment: 7th day to 1st day of the week) and split one Commandment (10th Commandment into 9 and 10). Let us look at the attitude of Christs apostles regarding the law. Surely if it were to be nullified or modified after Christs death, the Apostles would have surely known something about it and put them into writing. What was Paul’s opinion about God’s Law? Some even go to the extent of considering Paul as the founder of Christianity. The main reason behind, is their misunderstanding of his teaching about law and grace. Paul contributed much to our theological understanding of Christian doctrine, by writing 13 books out of 27 of the New Testament. However, practically all his teachings can be found elsewhere in the scripture. If we read the following verses in isolation, they may give us the impression that Law is no more relevant for a Christian, and therefore nullified. “…man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” (Rom. 3:28). “… for you are not under law but under grace.” (Rom. 6:14). “… you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead…” (Rom. 7:4). “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith...we are no longer under a tutor.” (Gal. 3:24-25). However when we also read the following passages, we get a better understanding of what Paul really thinks about the Law. “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” (Rom. 3:31). “…Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!” (Rom. 6:15). “…That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin…So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” (Rom. 7:7-12). “Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! ...” (Gal. 3:21). Suppose you don’t understand the concept of justification by faith, then Paul will look like contradicting himself. While in the same breadth he claims that the Christian is not under the law, yet another time, the same Christian is obligated to keep the law. However, the problem is solved when we remember that God demands righteousness from those who claim to be in relationship with Him. The standard of righteousness is His law. However, when people measure up against His law, they fall short and are therefore condemned by the law. If the law were the means to salvation, then none would have any hope of eternal life. The hope of the Christian is not found in the law but in Jesus Christ. This Christ, who kept the law perfectly. God through His miraculous power allows believers to share in Jesus’ righteousness. “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us…” (Rom. 8:3-4). Therefore, the Christian can now serve the law of God with a free conscience because Christ has taken away the laws condemnation (There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus...For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free…Rom. 7:25-8:2). The grace that comes through Christ does not release us from the law but rather compels us to obey it. Peter and the Law of God Peter was one of Jesus’ closest apostles and was present in major events in the ministry of Jesus. On the morning when the resurrected Jesus appeared to the disciples by the sea, it was Peter who received specific instructions regarding the ministry of Christ. When the first group of believers gathered on the day of Pentecost, Peter was the chief spokesperson. Certainly, if the law had been changed in any way, Peter would have known it. The incident described in Acts 10:9-14 occurs many years after the ascension of Jesus. Here we see Peter’s strict adherence to Jewish Law. If Peter thought this way about laws concerning food, then we can easily imagine what will be his views on the importance of the Ten Commandments. By this time thousands of Jews had already accepted Jesus as the Messiah. There is nothing in the biblical record to suggest that the content of the Christian message included instructions to reject the law. It is evident that the earliest Christians fully identified with their Jewish roots. In 1 Peter 2:9, Peter referred to his audience as a royal priesthood, a holy nation (“…you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession…”), they would have recalled instantly the story of the giving of the law at Sinai (Exodus 19:6 “…you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”). As the heirs of Israel, they were expected to abide by the terms of the covenant made explicit in the law of God. So, immediately after reminding the people of their status, Peter urges them to live lives of righteousness (1 Pet. 2:11-12 “…to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”). He also warns his audience to be wary of false teachers promoting a law-free gospel (“For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them” 2 Pet. 2:21. “That you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles” 2 Pet. 3:2). John and the Law John is second only to Paul in the number of books written in the New Testament. Being one among the first disciples Jesus choose, he had a special relationship with Jesus. Because of his closeness to Jesus, he is often called “John the beloved.” John knew a lot of personal information about Jesus. A person as close as John would have surely known, if Jesus has set aside God’s law. Toward the end of His earthly life, Jesus could testify to His disciples that He had been faithful to His Fathers commandments, and, as a result, had remained in His Fathers love (“Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Fathers commandments and abide in his love…that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” John 15:9-11). Jesus did not see the commandments as negative obstacles to be dismissed or discarded; rather, He saw them as guidelines for a loving relationship with Him and with other people. When John, the beloved disciple, reminds Christians of their obligation to God, he uses the same language of love and unity that Jesus does in the Gospel. In fact, John understood that love has always been the essence of the law (“And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says I know him but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:3-6). A person cannot claim to be keeping the law if he or she is not involved in loving relationships with God and other people. James and the law James, to whom only one book of the New Testament is attributed, is generally accepted to be the brother of Jesus. Although at first doubtful whether Jesus is the Messiah (John 7:5), later rose to a leadership position in the New Testament church (Acts 15:13, Gal. 1:19). If Jesus had plans to nullify Ten Commandments, His brother James certainly would have known. When we read James 2:7-9, we see the relationship between love and obeying God’s law. “Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” Misunderstanding Pauls teaching on the law, some argue that James and Paul are opposed to each other regarding the role of the law. The major point of contention is over the place of works in salvation. Paul declares that we are saved by grace through faith apart from works (Eph. 2:8-9), while James emphasizes that faith without works is dead (James 2:26). These statements are not contradictory; James is merely expressing in a forceful manner what Paul had said numerous times about grace not nullifying the law. Like Paul in Romans 13:9, James fully understands that the essence of Gods law is love (James 2:8). No one can truly claim to keep Gods commandments if he or she does not demonstrate practical acts of love. Jude and the Law Jude, one of the shortest books of the New Testament is believed to be written by another brother of Jesus. Mathew mentions his name in Matt. 13:55, when he speaks of the brothers of Jesus. As with all other New Testament writers, Jude would have known if Jesus has abolished the Law of God. Although Jude does not make any direct reference about Law or Commandments, his entire letter is about loyalty to God and consequences of violating His Law. Jude about people who pervert God’s grace and violate God’s Commandment. “For certain people have crept in…ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 4). The very mention of grace demands the existence of law, because grace would not be necessary if there were no sin (“For as by the one mans disobedience the many were made sinners…where sin increased, grace abounded all the more…grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord...Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies…For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace…Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Rom. 5:18-6:15). Jude equates the behavior of those false teachers who promote licentiousness violating God’s Commandments, on the pretext of grace, as denying the Lord Himself. If we go through the following verses, we can see the relationship between obedience to God’s Commandments and faith. “…Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 5). This is same as in Heb. 3:7-19 “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness…unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God…none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin…they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” Jude reminds his audience about the experience of the Israelites, who had been delivered from Egyptian bondage. God had demonstrated His strength to them and had even given them His law, but when they became unfaithful, they faced terrible consequences that came from being separated from Him. Jude makes it very clear that people can, indeed, fall away, and those who do will face judgment. Jude is as clear as is the rest of Scripture: all who claim to have faith must be willing to express that faith through an obedient life. If you like this message, please visit my page, like and share it with your friends https://facebook/SomeTruthsThatYouShouldNotMiss
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 02:17:12 +0000
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