Does the Law that God gave to Moses still apply? Was it meant as a curse?
Jesus says in MATTHEW 5: 17-19, ““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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore WHOEVER relaxes 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 does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” What Law is he referring to, other than the Mosaic Law? He was regarded as a rabbi, and an extraordinary one at that since he knew all the 400 some-odd Laws that are mentioned in the Pentateuch. It would seem clear at first glance that even though Jesus fulfills the Law, the rest of us who strive for righteousness are expected to abide by it to get called into the Kingdom of Heaven.
God had determined that the rest of us cannot abide continually by all of the Law, to the extent that evil is defined as the opposite of good. God said in Genesis 8:21, after the Flood, “…the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth…” At least at some point in our lives we will give in to evil temptations in varying degrees, as God has determined that that is our nature. But God has provided a way we may redeem ourselves, by asking for forgiveness so He may wipe the slate clean, at least until the nest time. In Psalm 51:2 we ask God to wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sins.
Did Jesus say that the Mosaic Law is a curse upon men? Those who came after Jesus have said that it is. Yet we can see above that Jesus has embraced the Mosaic Law as much as anyone can. Jesus fulfilled that Law, but I tell you that it is still up to the rest of us to STRIVE to fulfill it, and to ask for forgiveness if we have gone astray, in order that God’s Grace be upon us. Deuteronomy 28:1-6 says, “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.” As an aside I ask you, is Deuteronomy 28:1-6 a matter of faith, or a matter of works, that we may receive God’s Grace?
Who is God addressing in that passage? Is He addressing only the elders, or a prince that is referred to in Ezekiel 45:17? Do you see any mention of a prince in the above passage? It has been understood among generations prior to Jesus that God was addressing everyone. Furthermore, Deuteronomy 32: 7 says to “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.” Is there mention of a prince in this passage? Ezekiel 45:17 merely states that a person of stature such as a prince is obligated to abide by Mosaic Law, but it doesn’t say that the rest of us are not so obligated. And to be sure, is Jesus in Matthew 5: 17-19 only addressing a prince?
Jesus has said that all of the Mosaic Law can be summed up in two commandments: That we love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and we love eachother as we love ourselves. That is Jesus telling us what the Law entails. God expects us to strive to abide by His Law, as none of us can totally abide by it. But to the extent that we can’t, we ask Him to forgive us of the sin of breaking any of those Laws, including those we are not aware of. Many who have come after Jesus have asserted that we are free from Mosaic Law. If that is truly the case, then let me ask you an obvious question…Why is it that in the Christian Bible there is the entire Old Testament, if it is to be ignored?
Jesus says in MATTHEW 5: 17-19, ““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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore WHOEVER relaxes 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 does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” What Law is he referring to, other than the Mosaic Law? He was regarded as a rabbi, and an extraordinary one at that since he knew all the 400 some-odd Laws that are mentioned in the Pentateuch. It would seem clear at first glance that even though Jesus fulfills the Law, the rest of us who strive for righteousness are expected to abide by it to get called into the Kingdom of Heaven.
God had determined that the rest of us cannot abide continually by all of the Law, to the extent that evil is defined as the opposite of good. God said in Genesis 8:21, after the Flood, “…the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth…” At least at some point in our lives we will give in to evil temptations in varying degrees, as God has determined that that is our nature. But God has provided a way we may redeem ourselves, by asking for forgiveness so He may wipe the slate clean, at least until the nest time. In Psalm 51:2 we ask God to wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sins.
Did Jesus say that the Mosaic Law is a curse upon men? Those who came after Jesus have said that it is. Yet we can see above that Jesus has embraced the Mosaic Law as much as anyone can. Jesus fulfilled that Law, but I tell you that it is still up to the rest of us to STRIVE to fulfill it, and to ask for forgiveness if we have gone astray, in order that God’s Grace be upon us. Deuteronomy 28:1-6 says, “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.” As an aside I ask you, is Deuteronomy 28:1-6 a matter of faith, or a matter of works, that we may receive God’s Grace?
Who is God addressing in that passage? Is He addressing only the elders, or a prince that is referred to in Ezekiel 45:17? Do you see any mention of a prince in the above passage? It has been understood among generations prior to Jesus that God was addressing everyone. Furthermore, Deuteronomy 32: 7 says to “Remember the days of old; consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will show you, your elders, and they will tell you.” Is there mention of a prince in this passage? Ezekiel 45:17 merely states that a person of stature such as a prince is obligated to abide by Mosaic Law, but it doesn’t say that the rest of us are not so obligated. And to be sure, is Jesus in Matthew 5: 17-19 only addressing a prince?
Jesus has said that all of the Mosaic Law can be summed up in two commandments: That we love God with all our heart, soul and mind, and we love eachother as we love ourselves. That is Jesus telling us what the Law entails. God expects us to strive to abide by His Law, as none of us can totally abide by it. But to the extent that we can’t, we ask Him to forgive us of the sin of breaking any of those Laws, including those we are not aware of. Many who have come after Jesus have asserted that we are free from Mosaic Law. If that is truly the case, then let me ask you an obvious question…Why is it that in the Christian Bible there is the entire Old Testament, if it is to be ignored?