CwC asked:
Dan, what stops you from obeying the Mosaic Code?
For those of us who are saved, if it's in the Old Covenant it has been nailed to the Cross by Jesus, as fulfilled, and the New Covenant has continued it. The only time you would follow the Old Covenant of the nation of Israel, is if it is repeated in the New Covenant, for the saved.
You won't find anything repeated about keeping the Sabbath in the New Covenant, for example, because Jesus is our Sabbath rest. So the 4th Old Commandment had been fulfilled for the saved.
(Hebrews 4:9-10, Matthew 11:28)
Jeremiah 31:31-34, Hebrews 8:7-8,13, Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25, Hebrews 8:6, Hebrews 9:11-15, ,Hebrews 1:1-14, Romans 6:14, Romans 8:1-4, Hebrews 10:16
I can stop here and point you to Hebrews 10:9-10 that clearly spells it out, but I'll flesh it out further. I am sure you are fully aware of this, but it's worth repeating for the discussion. We need to make a distinction between the three types of laws in the Old Testament for the nation of Isreal.
The first type is ceremonial. These are the laws governing the temple worship and the way the Jewish were to approach God. They have to do with the layout of the temple, the ways a person must be purified, the sacrificial system. We don’t sacrifice animals today because, for one they were for Israel, and two Jesus has come, the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God. He, in his death on the cross, fulfilled the ceremonial law. They only apply as Christ has fulfilled these, to those that are saved in Him.
The second type is judicial, civil law. These laws covered the specific laws for the nation of Israel. These still apply to given a proper Godly way to run a government, I believe. They are about not taxing, no police force fining it's citizens for infractions, and more about restitution and capital punishment, instead of prisons, as a much better way to governing it's citizens. The civil law has been fulfilled by Christ in that God’s Kingdom, extended to all nations, transcending national identity as a better way to run a government with the headship of Jesus Christ.
The third type is moral law, the Ten Commandments fall into this category. These are laws that transcend the civil and ceremonial laws. Yes, Jesus fulfilled the moral law, just as he did the other two, but we are now free to follow this Law. They are still in effect, because they are a reflection of God’s moral character, and that does not change. We, as the saved, are not held to the Law as a Covenant.
On a side note, the dietary guidelines in Leviticus 11 are still "in effect" I want to believe. Even if it's repeated and continued in the NT for Israel, while Christ was still around, they have been fulfilled and no longer apply under the New Covenant. But, the fact that 'clean' and 'unclean' foods haven't changed, gives us a guide. But again, you're made clean through Christ, not from anything we're doing, or ingesting. It's just good to not ingest unclean animals that were created to ingest death and the refuge of the world. God's wisdom gave us very good nutritional, and preparatory, guidelines. Following them just makes sense still. It just will not get you to heaven by doing so. These days we have more options to continue to follow the practices even. We even have beef bacon!
Galatians 3:11-13 "
But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us:
for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"
Jesus, at the time before the cross, was an Old Covenant prophet (Old Covenant Messianic Kingdom of David), after the cross he became the High Priest (Christ’s New Covenant Church Kingdom)
In order for there to be a change in the LAW, there had to be a change in the Priesthood. Jesus did NOT become High Priest of His New Covenant Kingdom until He was Resurrected from the dead. If Jesus, before the Cross, had given NEW Covenant Law, there would have been NO New High Priest to Mediate it. When He was alive we were still under the Old Covenant Messianic Kingdom of David.
Hebrews 7:12 "For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law."
Romans 7:5-7 "For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.
All people will face God under one of two covenants. Either Adam, or the
second Adam named Jesus Christ. It's that simple. 1 Corinthians 15:45-49
Which Covenant are you going to meet God under?
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