Many today teach that God’s Law was nailed to the cross and is no longer in effect. They say we are now under the new covenant and the old covenant is gone. The Old Testament was for the Jews and the New Testament is for the Gentiles. They teach that we are at liberty from the law since we are now under grace. Scriptures such as Rom. 3:28 are used to show you “that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law,” and others such as Rom. 6:14 which states that “…ye are not under the law, but under grace.” So what about it? Is it true that the law was indeed nailed to the cross?
Why law?
In love God created man in His own image. God loves human beings and He wanted them to be happy—to have peace, and to enjoy life. In order to make such a happy state possible, God set in living motion the spiritual laws which form the very WAY to every physical, mental and spiritual well-being—to avoid sorrow, suffering, anguish, insecurity, boredom, emptiness, frustration, violence and death. These spiritual laws provide the way to happy, invigorating, vital, interesting and joyful living.
God’s proposition to ancient Israel was to make them the world’s most prosperous, most blessed and powerful nation—they were to have the supreme blessing of having the guidance, protection, help, of the all-wise, all-loving, all-powerful God, as their sole King and Ruler. Their government was to be a theocracy. God was the Lawmaker, not a congress, or parliament. He would appoint leading men to execute His orders. And what was to come from the very voice of God for them to obey? A great law that already existed even as the laws of gravity and inertia—the laws of physics and chemistry—already existed. Only this was a spiritual law! God’s voice was to reveal that living, inexorable law in specific words, as a definite code.
“And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Eternal thy God …” and then the voice of God spoke to that mass of people the words of the Ten Commandments! (Exod. 19)
On that very first day of Pentecost (called festival of firstfruits, or festival of weeks, in the Old Testament), God gave His law—His way of life—to His people. This came at the founding, and setting up, of God’s nation on Earth.
Then, many centuries later, on the day of Pentecost, a.d. 31, God gave His Holy Spirit to His people—the love of God to fulfill that law. And that came at the founding, and setting up, of God’s Church on Earth!
And if you think this law was for “Jews only,” you couldn’t be more wrong! Have you not read, in Acts 7:38, that those Israelites “received the lively oracles to give unto us”—for us who, under the New Testament, are Christians?
Sin defined
By Bible definition, sin is the transgression of God’s law (I John 3:4) and without the law, there can be no sin (Rom. 4:15). Were the law really nailed to the cross, we would have no guidepost to tell us what sin actually is, and as we know, we can’t even enter into [eternal] life without keeping the commandments. This makes the “no law” arguement very difficult to defend.
John 5:3 says, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” Did you get that? Commandment keeping is associated directly with the law of God! Love is the way of giving, serving, sharing. That is why John 14:15 says, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Imagine that. We cannot even pretend to love Jesus Christ if we don’t love His spiritual laws. Can it get any more real than that?
The love of God is eternal and so is the law of God. Perhaps that is why Mat 5:18 says, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
Yet man seems to think nothing of casting it away, despite these plain words. Observe more closely, now, the Sabbath command.
“Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). God said remember this day! So men have insisted on forgetting—or trying to change it to a different day!
Christ said, in the sermon on the mount: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law,” so professing Christians think He did come to destroy it!
Christ said, in the same sermon on the mount: “Swear not,” so professing Christians universally hold up their right hands and swear.
Christ said: “Love your enemies,” so professing Christians—pretending to follow Him—hate their enemies and go to war to kill them.
Christ said: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,” so professing Christians say, “It’s impossible to keep God’s law, let alone to be perfect. Christ kept it in our stead, and then abolished it.”
Christ commands “Do!”—and His professed followers don’t!
Christ commands “Don’t!” and His professed followers do!
Perhaps it is time to stop following the crowd and to keep God’s word the way it was intended – spiritually, not carnally.
well for gentiles if you read acts 15 the apostles were clear on what was to be kept by gentiles
9That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
notice they did not includ sabbath or holy days or food diet laws for gentiles.
You might say but the most important command is not there to love God with all your heart etc… but it is there indirectly because to love God is to keep his commands but the question which commands did the apostle include for gentiles?
also jesus was clear we are to love others andto give expecting nothing back. Jesus was clear on loving God and others the apostles were clear in acts 15 on what gentiles should keep etc.. why is there no such verse in the NT that is clear we are to keep sabbath or food laws? you see gentiles are not lawless it just the apostle narrow it down on what to be kept from gentile.
why did jesus exlcude sabbath when we quote 9 of the 10 commands? could it be that sabbath is no longer a fix day but jesus himself is our sabbath rest?
Comment by Travis — November 18, 2009 @ 7:18 am |
You are taking a few scriptures and twisting them out of context. First, like many, you ASSUME the Old Testament (with the law of God) is no longer in force. You couldn’t be more wrong.
Second, there are scores of scriptures which show that the law of God is to be kept still today, and that includes the Sabbath. Also, Jesus Christ and the Apostles kept not only the Sabbath, but also the Holy Days.
Comment by breakthroughtogod — November 18, 2009 @ 7:49 am |
You are taking a few scriptures and twisting them out of context. First, like many, you ASSUME the Old Testament (with the law of God) is no longer in force. You couldn’t be more wrong.
let see what the apostles have to say about gentiles law keeping
24Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
get that from the apostles own mouth we gave no such command for gentiles to be circumcised nor to kept The Law so who twisting scripture now?
Second, there are scores of scriptures which show that the law of God is to be kept still today, and that includes the Sabbath. Also, Jesus Christ and the Apostles kept not only the Sabbath, but also the Holy Days. \
Please give me one clear scripture for this part
Second, there are scores of scriptures which show that the law of God is to be kept today by gentiles? that includes sabbath as meaning a fix day or food laws or holy days?
Jesus Christ and the Apostles kept not only the Sabbath, but also the Holy Days. \
Jesus was made under the Law so yes he had to keept it for fill full it and again is sabbath still a fix day of the week? paul taught it was a shadow of the cross and jesus says come to me and I give you rest so it pretty clear Jesus is our sabbath rest not no longer a fix day which was a shadow of the cross.
Comment by Travis — November 18, 2009 @ 8:09 am |
I’m not sure how I’m twisting your words. If you leave out one commandment, you might as well throw out the rest. So says your Bible:
Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
This, my friend, includes the fourth commandment – keeping the sabbath. Further, those who do not keep the entirety of the law are called liars by Jesus Christ:
1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Therefore, not keeping the Sabbath is a sin:
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
You sound like one of those Christians that say the Sabbath (or Sunday for you?) can be kept on any day of the week. I won’t argue with you since as I’ve stated, Jesus Christ and the Apostles kept the Sabbath and Holy Days. I simply will not list all scriptures for you since they can easily be found. Do your own research.
As for the shadow of the cross (Col 2:17 – Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ); you quote a common mistake. This simply speaks of the ceremonial law of Moses, which Christ abolished at the cross, NOT the spiritual law (ten commandments). This can easily be proven through a study of the original language or a Bible Commentary.
Comment by breakthroughtogod — November 18, 2009 @ 9:09 am |
Acts 15
24Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
says It All an I do not even need to add mine own interpretation to show The apostles taught no such command to the gentiles they must keep the law.
Comment by Travis — November 18, 2009 @ 8:17 am |
in ending I waiting for you hard core evidence that scriptures teaches that gentiles are to keep holy days food laws sabbath etc..
Comment by Travis — November 18, 2009 @ 8:20 am |
Travis, once again, the law you speak of in this verse is also the the ceremonial law of Moses, not the spiritual law. The Alexandrian copy, and the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions leave out this clause; See Acts 15:1, 15:5.
Get yourself a good Bible commentary to understand this plain fact.
Comment by breakthroughtogod — November 18, 2009 @ 8:54 am |
I’m not sure how I’m twisting your words. If you leave out one commandment, you might as well throw out the rest. So says your Bible:
Jas 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
This, my friend, includes the fourth commandment – keeping the sabbath. Further, those who do not keep the entirety of the law are called liars by Jesus Christ:
1Jn 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
Therefore, not keeping the Sabbath is a sin:
Your Mistaken Jesus said COME to me and I give you rest you seem to believe Jesus is not The sabbath rest but a fix day is I feel sorry for you.
1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.
You sound like one of those Christians that say the Sabbath (or Sunday for you?) can be kept on any day of the week. I won’t argue with you since as I’ve stated, Jesus Christ and the Apostles kept the Sabbath and Holy Days. I simply will not list all scriptures for you since they can easily be found. Do your own research.
Then you should not make a claim if your not going to back it up I not going to do your homework for you. The burden of proof is on you Because your the one that made the claim.
As for the shadow of the cross (Col 2:17 – Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ); you quote a common mistake. This simply speaks of the ceremonial law of Moses, which Christ abolished at the cross, NOT the spiritual law (ten commandments). This can easily be proven through a study of the original language or a Bible Commentary.
Your wrong again.
When God wanted to refer to the whole system of Jewish holy days, rather than name them all, He would refer to the yearly, monthly and weekly as representing the whole system. Sabbatarians argue that the Sabbath Day of Col 2:16 is the years Sabbaths. But yearly Sabbaths were already referred to in Col 2:16 as “festivals”. The “Year, Month, Week” pattern is so well established in the Old Testament, that Col 2:16 must refer to the weekly Sabbath. Notice, even Gal 4:10, following this pattern, states the weekly Sabbath is abolished!
Now read this verse
Col 2:14
2 Cor 3:7
having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way,
having nailed it to the cross.
Now read
But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face
Sabbatarians have overlooked the fact that the 10 commandments were called a “ministry of death” What is the difference between “hostile to us” and “ministry of death”?
Also The ten commands are called like any other commands statues God ordinances decrees etc… you really need to take a knife and cut up the law to see what you see fit.
Comment by Travis — November 18, 2009 @ 7:43 pm |
Travis.
1) Your first point about the Sabbath is merely opinion. Christ and the disciples observed the Sabbath day as an example to us; and we have the commandments which teach us to obey the Sabbath. So if you don’t want to do so, then don’t. But I have proven from scripture that the law of God is alive today:
Mat 5:18: “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Not even the smallest dot will pass from the law, yet you take out the Sabbath, even though Christ Himself said, in the sermon on the mount: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law.
Clarke’s Commentary says this: Think not that I am come to destroy the law – Do not imagine that I am come to violate the law καταλυσαι, from κατα, and λυω. I am not come to make the law of none effect – to dissolve the connection which subsists between its several parts, or the obligation men are under to have their lives regulated by its moral precepts…. But I am come, πληρωσαι, to complete – to perfect its connection and reference… to fill up, or complete, every moral duty.
In effect, the word גמר gamar, among the rabbins, signifies not only to fulfill, but also to teach; and, consequently, we may infer that Christ intimated, that the law and the prophets were still to be taught or inculcated by him and his disciples. And this meaning of the word gives the clear sense of the apostle’s words, Col. 1:25: “Whereof I am made a minister, πληρωσαι τον λογον του Θεου, to fulfill the word of God, i.e. to teach the doctrine of God.”
2) I am not going to list all the verses in the New Testament showing the observance of the Sabbath. You know they are there and I will not waste time. Let’s get serious with the easy stuff please.
3) I am going to offer the definition of Col. 216, not for you because you won’t listen, but for my readers. Here it is:
While Paul was in prison, heresy entered into the Church. Christ often disagreed with the Jews on the law (Matt. 23:23) and on the value of their own traditions (Mark 7:7 – the commandments of men). The issue at Colossae was a heresy that sought to transcend Christ through angel worship (verse 18), circumcision, no eating of meats or drinking wine, super strict Sabbath keeping, etc (verse 21). Paul said these man made traditions were all to perish (Col. 2:22 – read commandments and doctrines of men in this verse). Verse 23 shows these doctrine are not of humility, but of pride and carnality – a mere shadow of wisdom which only satisfies the flesh.
So rather than talking about the spiritual law of God, verse 16 speaks of adding unnecessary and materialistic functions to the Sabbath day. Where it says says not to let anyone judge you in respect to Holy days, new Moons or the Sabbath, it simply means the Church, not anyone else (outsiders) can judge a true Christian. The outsiders were introducing man devised ordinances which caused God’s people to break His commandments. The Arnot-Gingrich Greek English Lexicon says, “The bond that stood against us, or the note of indebtness in the decrees (ordinances, decisions). This is why verse 14 speaks of them being contrary to us. There is no way you can reconcile the spiritual law being contrary to us, when Jesus Christ says in 1Jn 2:4: “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” God’s law, as we know from Ps. 111:7-8 is endures forever.
And II Cor. 3:7 also speaks of the ordinances of Moses, not the spiritual law of the New Testament covenant. ANY Bible help or commentary will tell you that. Paul had referred to the institutions of Moses, and to the superiority of the New Testament gospel. He had said that the former were engraved on stones, but the latter on the heart 2Co. 3:3. The ministration of death only refers to the letter of the Old Covenant leading to death, but the latter to life 2Co. 3:6.
Travis, please read the context to get the meaning. I think I could be here all night and you would simply repeat yourself over and over. Therefore I will cut this conversation and your comments off at this time. I appreciate your visits, but I am not here to convince you and neither will you listen. Take care.
Comment by breakthroughtogod — November 19, 2009 @ 5:57 am |