Do Christians have to obey the Old Testament Laws?

“Do all Old Testament commands apply today? How do we choose which commands in the Law to obey and which ones to disregard?"
Dr. Thomas Schreiner answers in Honest Answers | Episode 49

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[christtheonlyhope]

2 ways of approaching the subject of holiness for a Christian: 1 newness of the Spirit 2 letter of the law

1 died with Christ/risen with Christ/dead to sin/new nature within/dead to the law/walk in the Spirit/Spirit empowers you to be holy
2 letter of the law brings awareness of sin/condemnation/awakens sin within us/causes us to sin even more/brings about pride/brings about judgementalism/brings about self righteousness

[samuelrodriguez]

The law summarized is what we are to keep. Love your neighbor as yourself. In that, all the law is fulfilled. Romans 13:9, 10.

[IAMhassentyou-hw]

2 Corinthians 3:9---- If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness!

[steveparks]

In Matthew 22 Jesus sums up the law for us.

34  But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35  Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying,  36  "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" 37  Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38  This is the first and great commandment. 39  And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Then and John 13 Christ gives us a new commandment. This commandment would be just as binding upon New Testament Christians as the law of Moses was upon Israel in the Old Testament. Why? Because Jesus Christ is God manifest in the flesh. He is our Lord.

31  So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. 32  If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. 33  Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going, you cannot come, ' so now I say to you. 34  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Then, Christ reiterates this commandment in John 15.

12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. 14  You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 

The Apostle John repeats this commandment in 1st John 3.

22  And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

23  And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

The law of Christ which our Lord and Savior gave us himself.

[IAMhassentyou-hw]

Galatians knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

[pearltears]

Galatians 3:10
10 All those who depend on works of law are under a curse, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not remain in all the things written in the scroll of the Law by doing them.”

[steelcity]

The key to understanding the relationship between the Christian and the Law is knowing that the Old Testament law was given to the nation of Israel, not to Christians. Some of the laws were to reveal to the Israelites how to obey and please God (the Ten Commandments, for example). Some of the laws were to show the Israelites how to worship God and atone for sin (the sacrificial system). Some of the laws were intended to make the Israelites distinct from other nations (the food and clothing rules). None of the Old Testament law is binding on Christians today. When Jesus died on the cross, He put an end to the Old Testament law (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:23–25; Ephesians 2:15).
In place of the Old Testament law, Christians are under the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2), which is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…and to love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). If we obey those two commands, we will be fulfilling all that Christ requires of us: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40). Now, this does not mean the Old Testament law is irrelevant today. Many of the commands in the Old Testament law fall into the categories of “loving God” and “loving your neighbor.” The Old Testament law can be a good guidepost for knowing how to love God and knowing what goes into loving your neighbor. At the same time, to say that the Old Testament law applies to Christians today is incorrect. The Old Testament law is a unit (James 2:10). Either all of it applies, or none of it applies. If Christ fulfilled some of it, such as the sacrificial system, He fulfilled all of it.

“This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). The Ten Commandments were essentially a summary of the entire Old Testament law. Nine of the Ten Commandments are clearly repeated in the New Testament (all except the command to observe the Sabbath day). Obviously, if we are loving God, we will not be worshipping false gods or bowing down before idols. If we are loving our neighbors, we will not be murdering them, lying to them, committing adultery against them, or coveting what belongs to them. The purpose of the Old Testament law is to convict people of our inability to keep the law and point us to our need for Jesus Christ as Savior (Romans 7:7-9; Galatians 3:24). The Old Testament law was never intended by God to be the universal law for all people for all of time. We are to love God and love our neighbors. If we obey those two commands faithfully, we will be upholding all that God requires of

[duanerichards]

The New Testament is greater than the Old Testament. Better promises and Jesus is revealed.

[BrevoryFoster]

1 John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."

[jmonroe]

I, for one, appreciate the video. He does a very good job explaining the subject for us and I would say most agree. We are NT believers under the new covenant promises. We are under Gods amazing grace. Thank you for posting this video. Blessings

[kennycouch]

An exposition of Romans 10:4, which says: "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes, " will help in understanding what is means that Christians are not under the law. The apostle Paul clarifies the effects of original sin in Romans 2:12, stating "All who sin apart from the law will perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law." All men stand condemned before God, whether they are Jews or not, or to put it another way, whether they have the Law of God or not. Paul also states "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

If we are without Christ, we are justly condemned in God’s sight by the Law that was given to His servant Moses. However, we might argue that those who are not Jewish and therefore do not benefit from the knowledge of the Mosaic Law (including the moral and ceremonial laws), should not be condemned in the same way. This is dealt with by the Apostle in Romans 2:14-15, where he states that the Gentiles have the essence of God’s legal requirements already ingrained and so are just as much without excuse.

The Law is the issue that has to be dealt with in order to bring us into a right relationship with God. "Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified" (Galatians 2:16). This passage reveals that the Law cannot justify or make righteous any man in God’s sight, which is why God sent His Son to completely fulfil the requirements of the Law for all those who would ever believe in Him. 

Christ Jesus redeemed us from the curse that has been brought through the law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). He substituted Himself in our place and upon the cross took the punishment that is justly ours so that we are no longer under the curse of the Law. In doing so, He fulfilled and upheld the requirements of the Law. This does not mean that Christians are to be lawless, as some advocate today—a teaching called antinomianism. Rather, it means that we are free from the Mosaic Law and instead under the law of Christ, which is to love God with all of our being and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.

Christ became the end of the Law by virtue of what He did on earth through His sinless life and His sacrifice on the cross. So, the Law no longer has any bearing over us because its demands have been fully met in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith in Christ who satisfied the righteous demands of the Law restores us into a pleasing relationship with God and keeps us there. No longer under the penalty of the Law, we now live under the law of grace in the love of God.

[kennycouch]

Everyone is "under the law" before salvation because we are under its judgement. Therefore, nobody can be justified before God by keeping the law.

Romans 3:19-24

19  Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Righteousness through Faith

21  But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,  22  even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,  

Only by faith in Jesus Christ is a person justified before God.

[steveparks]

As Christians we are under what is known as the law of Christ which Paul describes in Galatians 6:2.

Burden-Bearing and the Law of Christ

The main point of Galatians 6:1–5 is given in a general way in verse 2 and a specific way in verse 1. Verse 2: "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." If a Christian brother or sister is weighed down or menaced by some burden or threat, be alert to that and quickly do something to help. Don't let them be crushed. Don't let them be destroyed. Don't be like the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus said, "They bind heavy burdens hard to bear and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger" (Matthew 23:4). Don't increase burdens. Make them lighter for people. Some of you wonder what you are supposed to do with your life. Here is a vocation that will bring you more satisfaction than if you became a millionaire ten times over: Develop the extraordinary skill for detecting the burdens of others and devote yourself daily to making them lighter.

In this way you fulfill the law of Christ(6:2). That's an odd phrase in a book that says (5:18): "If you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law." And (3:13): "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law." Have we been freed from the curse and burden of the Mosaic law just to be burdened down with a more radical law of Christ? No. The difference is that Moses gave us a law but could not change our hearts so that we would freely obey. Our pride and rebellion was not conquered by Moses. But when Christ summons us to obey his law of love, he offers us himself to slay the dragon of our pride, change our hearts, empower us by his Spirit, and fulfill his law.

That is why, even though Christ's law is more radical than the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, he can say, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28–30). It is easy because when we are weak, he is strong. It's easy because he produces the fruit of love: "I am crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (2:20). Christ never commands us to do anything that he wants us to do on our own. Therefore, every command in the law of Christ is a call to faith. Through faith God supplies the Spirit of Christ (Galatians 3:5); through the Spirit we produce the fruit of love (5:22); through love we fulfill the law of Christ (6:2). Therefore, if you trust him, you will fulfill his law of love. You will devote yourself to lifting the burdens of others.

[jesusistheanswer]

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.~Galatians 6:2

[steveparks]

If Christian's were still bound to the law then Christ died for nothing. Some will say that the law of Christ is simply the old testament law repeated but look at what Christ said when he gave us his commandment in John 13.
Vs. 34  A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

When God gave the command to love in Leviticus it said no such thing and there were penalties for not keeping it. Not only does Christ give us a "new commandment, " not only is there no penalty and condemnation involved but we are to love as he loved us. Entirely different from the commandment given in Leviticus. The new testament law of Christ is wrapped up in loving as Christ loved us and gave himself for us on the cross. As he gave his all for us, we should give our all to others and bear one another's burdens as we see in Galatians 6:2. God bless. ☝🏻🙏🙂

[kennycouch]

The Judaizer would say that if we claim to be under grace that we are saying it's ok to sin. Much to the contrary. Romans 6 tells us that we should not continue in sin so that grace can abound. Roman's 6 also tells us that sin will not have dominion over you because you are not under law but under grace. The law cannot break sins authority over a person. Grace is what does that. We are called to walk in the Spirit and when we do that, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Not by keeping the law. By walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5).

[kennycouch]

In the end the only thing that matters is what God's word says. Everything else is secondary. Cultists seem right, on the surface, until you dig deeper into what they're saying. Thankfully, for us as Christians, we have the Holy Spirit guarding our soul and keeping us from falling prey to doctrines of demons.

[jesusourlord]

When we put our faith in Jesus Christ and make him the Lord of our life, his Spirit comes and dwells within. That is how the law is now "written on our hearts." When we walk in the Spirit, we are not breaking the law of God.

Galatians 5
I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,  20  idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,  21  envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  23  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

[kennycouch]

Galatians 1:6-9

6  I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,  7  which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9  As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

[magandangaraw]

Christians are not "under" the law.
Not only do Old Testament penalties not apply but Jesus Christ fulfilled the moral code of the law, being sinless in his flesh and covers us in his righteousness.