Courtesy of 3rd & Kilgore Church of Christ
Have you read the Old Testament much? If you have, you know that there were A LOT of rules about how to live under the Law of Moses. The number of rules is supposedly close to 1,000! On top of this, keeping the law could be very costly when you commit sin, because you typically had to sacrifice a lamb, goat, or bull (Leviticus 1-7), which are not cheap now and probably weren’t then either. That law was so difficult to keep that Paul said that nobody (besides Jesus) kept it perfectly (Acts 15:10). However, if these commands are in the Bible, do we have to keep them today?
Fortunately, God promised to bring a new testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34), which means a covenant or agreement. Some of the commands from the Old Testament have also been included in the New Testament (e.g., Leviticus 19:18; 2 John 1:5). However, people should not keep the Law of Moses if they want to receive the grace that comes from Jesus (Galatians 5:1-6). God describes this covenant under Jesus as a better covenant (Hebrews 7:22; 8:6) where we receive adoption into His family and kingdom (Colossians 1:13; Galatians 4:4-7). If we have a new citizenship in a new kingdom, then we live under those new rules, not those of any other kingdom!
However, not everyone understands this difference and so sadly many people have tried to keep parts of the Law of Moses bound to Christians today. God warns that we cannot seek to be saved through keeping that law, explaining that “you are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace” (Galatians 5:4). The Old Testament contains examples for our instruction (1 Corinthians 10:11) and provides encouragement (Romans 15:4), but we have to handle its teachings correctly (2 Timothy 2:15).
Unfortunately, some people have not yet heard God’s word, some have heard inaccurate teaching, and some have been blinded by the devil (2 Corinthians 4:1-4). Others who know the truth often need encouragement towards love, good works, and meeting together (Hebrews 10:24, 25). If we know how great the penalty is for those who disregard God’s grace (Hebrews 10:26-31), we should make sure that we’re right with God (Philippians 2:12) and that others are also (2 Corinthians 5:9-11, 18-21). If we love people, why wouldn’t we warn them if we thought that their soul was in danger?
In addition to avoiding spiritual death, the promises in God’s word are beautiful beyond compare under God’s new covenant. In Romans 8 alone, it says that we have no condemnation (verse 1), gain life and peace (v. 6), receive adoption (v. 15), become heirs (v. 17), find hope (v. 24), have the Spirit praying for us (v. 26), experience God arranging our lives for good (v. 28), attainjustification and glorification (v. 30), receive God’s favor (v. 31), obtain all things (v. 32), have Christ praying for us (v. 34), encounter God’s unending love (v. 35), and become more than conquerors (v. 37). It seems that the benefits to becoming a Christian far outweigh the costs (v. 18)!
Why would anyone who understands this offer refuse the covenant that God has offered for our forgiveness and eternal joy? Let’s be thankful for the better promises that we live under and help others who may not know it or understand it gain a better perceptive. Many people have taught God’s word out of context in a manner that has hurt others spiritually, but we can speak the truth to them in love so that they can know Christ!
