Note I did not say the Old law was invalid, so shelf the Mat 5 "I did not come to abolish the law" argument, and read the WHOLE OP if you want to discuss the points I will be making.
The Old (OC) and New covenants (NC) are contracts, that state do ABC and you will receive XYZ. Under the OC If you follow the OT laws according to Deut 6 and 7 you will receive Good Health, Wealth, God's protection, Long life and a piece of the promise Land.
...That's it...
There was no promise of eternal life as the afterlife was unknown, or not even mentioned in the Torah/When the law was given. Eg when the OC (Old covenant/contract) was established. Eternal life was never part of the deal. Even In Jesus' time the idea of the after life was highly debated. In fact this was the primary difference between the pharisees and the sadducees. The pharisees believed in the afterlife while the sadducees did not. Now because the Sadducees represented the temple leadership, the official position of the temple during the time of Christ was that there was no afterlife.
Technically meaning, following the old contract only buys you Good Health, Wealth, God's protection, Long life and a piece of the promise Land. If that's all that interests you, and you want no claim (In so far as the old contract stipulates) on eternal life, then by all means follow the OC.. But, there in lies the problem.. You can't follow the OC as 1/3 of the laws given pertain to temple/tabernacle worship. Meaning without a sanctified temple or wilderness tabernacle, the laws can not be completely followed. Which puts you in violation of the whole law. (You are in breech of the old contract.) Because you do not get partial credit for following 2/3s of the law.
This is why Jesus says in mat 5 18 For truly I tell you, 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.
Eg, if you are going to follow the old law/contract you are responsible for every part of it.
That said, Not being able to perform the rites and rituals (which includes the animal sacrifice needed for the forgiveness of sin) puts the follower of that law/contact in violation of the whole law as no part of that contract has 'disappeared.' (Just because the temple was destroyed 2000 years ago, doesn't mean, the followers of the law are any less responsible for those temple sacrifices and mandated offerings.
Which is why I believe the temple was destroyed in 70AD. So that no one could use the OC as check list theology to God. A honest seeker of God has to find another way to Him as sin can not be absolved as stated under that contract.
This is also why God created a new covenant/contract with us. So, New rules + New contract = New Reward. New reward = eternal life.
So inorder to qualify for this new reward means 0 dependance on the old system, but again the old system remains in place if for no other reason that to push those who would follow it to Christ (Because there is no temple, one can not follow the old covenant.)
So for those who would pick and choose what they would follow out of the old law (Keeping the sabbath, dietary restrictions, tithing etc etc) but ignore the mandated pilgrimages to the temple or the sacrifices required in a sanctified temple. they are in violation of the law because
For truly I tell you, 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.
The Old (OC) and New covenants (NC) are contracts, that state do ABC and you will receive XYZ. Under the OC If you follow the OT laws according to Deut 6 and 7 you will receive Good Health, Wealth, God's protection, Long life and a piece of the promise Land.
...That's it...
There was no promise of eternal life as the afterlife was unknown, or not even mentioned in the Torah/When the law was given. Eg when the OC (Old covenant/contract) was established. Eternal life was never part of the deal. Even In Jesus' time the idea of the after life was highly debated. In fact this was the primary difference between the pharisees and the sadducees. The pharisees believed in the afterlife while the sadducees did not. Now because the Sadducees represented the temple leadership, the official position of the temple during the time of Christ was that there was no afterlife.
Technically meaning, following the old contract only buys you Good Health, Wealth, God's protection, Long life and a piece of the promise Land. If that's all that interests you, and you want no claim (In so far as the old contract stipulates) on eternal life, then by all means follow the OC.. But, there in lies the problem.. You can't follow the OC as 1/3 of the laws given pertain to temple/tabernacle worship. Meaning without a sanctified temple or wilderness tabernacle, the laws can not be completely followed. Which puts you in violation of the whole law. (You are in breech of the old contract.) Because you do not get partial credit for following 2/3s of the law.
This is why Jesus says in mat 5 18 For truly I tell you, 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.
Eg, if you are going to follow the old law/contract you are responsible for every part of it.
That said, Not being able to perform the rites and rituals (which includes the animal sacrifice needed for the forgiveness of sin) puts the follower of that law/contact in violation of the whole law as no part of that contract has 'disappeared.' (Just because the temple was destroyed 2000 years ago, doesn't mean, the followers of the law are any less responsible for those temple sacrifices and mandated offerings.
Which is why I believe the temple was destroyed in 70AD. So that no one could use the OC as check list theology to God. A honest seeker of God has to find another way to Him as sin can not be absolved as stated under that contract.
This is also why God created a new covenant/contract with us. So, New rules + New contract = New Reward. New reward = eternal life.
So inorder to qualify for this new reward means 0 dependance on the old system, but again the old system remains in place if for no other reason that to push those who would follow it to Christ (Because there is no temple, one can not follow the old covenant.)
So for those who would pick and choose what they would follow out of the old law (Keeping the sabbath, dietary restrictions, tithing etc etc) but ignore the mandated pilgrimages to the temple or the sacrifices required in a sanctified temple. they are in violation of the law because
For truly I tell you, 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.
