“All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, or for correction, and for training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16. In this statement, Paul was referring to the value of the Old Testament writings. He was often inspired by the Old Testament and quoted it throughout his letters. In a commentary of this verse, Barnes makes a comparison between the breath of God, that brought life to man, with the writing of scripture. It’s like saying that the words in the scriptures are as much the production of God as life is. That’s a bold statement! It shows the confidence Paul had that the men who wrote the books of the bible were wholly inspired by the Holy Spirit. If the whole bible is meant for our betterment, then why is it that people shy away from reading it? At the very least, people read it as history only and refer to the laws and precepts as “Old Testament” (the sense of the phrase meaning that it is old fashioned or no longer relevant). On the other hand, Paul also said that we are no longer under the law but are under grace (Romans 6:14; Romans 7:4,6; 2 Corinthians 3:11,13; Galatians 3:25; Galatians 5:18). What does that mean? I will attempt to explain the purpose of the law and how it is relevant to us today, with reference to some of the mosaic laws mentioned in Leviticus.
OLD TESTAMENT LAWS
There has been speculation in the secular world about whether Moses was influenced by previous written laws, such as the code of Hammurabi, when he wrote the first books of the bible: Exodus, Leviticus and Deuteronomy (Got Questions Ministries). However, the Mosaic Law, unlike other laws, had the authority of God stamped on it. The bible assures us that God had scripture settled before the creation of the world (Psalm 119:89). It is an obvious strategy of the enemy to undermine God’s word to make people doubt, distorting other works to look like they are truth, but God said that His word would stand firm without changing (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35). The Mosaic Law, unlike other laws, dealt with the cause of crime and not just its effects. It tells us that the problem is that men are sinful and they cannot follow the law. God understood this when He gave them the law, which was why He also gave them a promise that there would be someone who would come and He would fulfill the law perfectly: Jesus.
Some of the laws were cultural and some of the laws were based on ethics and morality. The Ten Commandments fit into the last category. When moral laws were broken, it often resulted in the death penalty, such as with adultery or kidnapping (Leviticus 20:10; Exodus 21:16). Some of the Levitical laws, such as not sowing together two kinds of seeds or breeding two kinds of animals together (Leviticus 19:19), and not having sexual relations with someone of the same sex (Leviticus 20:13) were written as part of the moral code that the Israelites were expected to live by. They were designed to preserve God’s order in creation, so that nothing was taken from what God intended and nothing was added to it. If you look back to the book of Genesis where the creation story is recorded, you can read God’s assessment of what He created: “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). God created and designed things as He liked them. He even made things with the intention that they would bring pleasure and fulfillment to the man He created. For example, He gave man a partner (woman) so that he would not be alone (Genesis 2:18). God wanted to preserve this good world that He had made and didn’t want us to taint it in any way. However, the sin in our heart led us to do things that would benefit ourselves and harm others and creation. That is partly why our environment is in such a sorry state, why there are a lot of diseases and why so many of our animals are becoming extinct—we have mixed up the order of God’s original design. Even his separation of men and women has been challenged in the latter years. Women dress like men, and men dress like women. Women act and fulfill the roles of men, and men do not take responsibility. There is no order. God has given man dominion over the earth and His commands are like a manual that show us how to use creation in the best way possible. When we disobey God’s laws we are not in danger of losing our salvation (as some would claim), but we are not living in a way that is pleasing to Him.
It’s worth it to mention some of the ceremonial laws too, because they were designed to: show the Israelites how to remain in right standing with God (by making sacrifices), to remember what God did for them (through feasts and festivals which recounted His deeds), how to be distinguished from God’s enemies (by dressing differently and eating differently), as well as completing different signs to remember the Messiah who was to come (such as circumcision, Sabbath, and redemption of the first born). While we do not do these things anymore, the Christian faith has obtained new ceremonies and traditions by which we remember Jesus: Christmas, Easter, Sunday church, communion and baptism. Christians do not believe that observing these things will make them any holier, but they believe that they will assist us in remembering what God wants us to remember and carrying on the word for generations to come (Luke 22:19).
FOLLOWING THE LAW
You can read all the laws in the bible and feel overwhelmed. There are over 600 of them and a lot of them were cultural and can be hard to understand (or seem quite stupid to us). However, there is wisdom in God’s word and it can be translated into our own lives if we endeavor to understand it (all scripture is God breathed…). Jesus made it easy to follow the law. He broke it down into two categories: love God and love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matthew 22:37-39). If you are able to accomplish this, then you will have no problem when it comes to the other laws. For example, if you love your neighbor you will not steal from them, covet what they have, cheat them, abuse them, or even kill them. If you love God you will not worship other things, ignore Him, speak against His name, or mess up His good order. When we break God’s order, we are telling Him that we know better and our hearts are proud—like Adam and Eve, or even worse, like Satan. The Old Testament law is applicable to us if it helps us to love God better and love others better. Without a doubt, I believe it does!
NOT UNDER THE LAW
Why was there a need for the law in the first place?
Paul wrote that without the law there would be no sin and that the law was given to the people to convict them of sin. In other words, it is to clarify what God’s standards and expectations of us are. According to John Piper, when we are confronted with the law our sins increase (Romans 5:20) because we ultimately want to be perceived as good and right and be satisfied with ourselves (which is pride and idolatry). Therefore, the law increases sin even for those who set out to obey it.
We need to remember that it is not the law that is evil; it is our sinful hearts that are evil. However, looking to the law cannot make you a loving person—but the Spirit can. The attitude of the Christian is not to say, “I am saved by grace, therefore I can keep sinning” (Romans 6:1), but instead the Christian understands that grace, which is received through faith, is the only way we can fight sin. John Piper wrote that the reason Israel stumbled into destruction wasn’t because they didn’t follow the law, but that they did it in the wrong way: from their own efforts and not through faith. It was an effort of their flesh and did not touch their hearts at all. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 15:11 that what goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean, it is what comes out of his mouth that makes him unclean. He wanted people to understand that the problem was not in people’s behavior, but in their heart.
RENEW YOUR MIND
In the book ‘Radical Womanhood: Feminine faith in a feminist world’ by Carolyn McCulley, McCulley lays out her testimony as a young woman who was influenced by feministic teachings. However, when she became a Christian she said, “Little did I know that the Holy Spirit was in the process of turning me upside down and shaking loose all my prior beliefs and ideas like so much pocket change. Point by point, the Holy Spirit used the Bible and the church to renew my mind.” The picture that she paints is that she was once a woman who was very strong on certain world views. She believed that men were the problem and that women were oppressed. When she trusted in Jesus as her Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit changed the way that she thought. She realized that men were not the problem; sin was the problem. Her testimony illustrates what the bible meant when it prophesied that the law would be written on man’s heart. Paul saw this in some of the Gentiles when they were obeying the law without any knowledge of it (Romans 2:14). Our justification makes us as a new creation, reborn in the eyes of God, however we are still under the consequences of sin—since our bodies still decay and we are still tempted towards rebellion against God. The bible describes a process, often referred to as sanctification, where a person is being made into the image of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Holy Spirit counsels us and convicts and changes us into the person that we can only be in Christ.
We may not be slaves to the law anymore (as a Gentile I know that the laws were not given to me anyway, they were given to the Jews who were God’s chosen people among whom the Messiah would be born from), however, it is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in us when we follow these laws in our everyday life. If we love God, we obey Him (John 14:15). The temptation we are often faced with is to look at the laws and think that we have to follow each one in a legalistic manner that makes us somehow holier. Luther, commenting on Romans, wrote, “Because of our natural and spiritual gifts, men may regard us as wise, righteous and good. But God does not regard us as such, especially not if we so esteem ourselves. We therefore must remain so humble, as if we as yet nothing.” The bible says that God considers our best efforts to be like filthy rags (Isaiah 54:6, Philippians 3:8). It is wrong to think that we are somehow earning God’s favour. Wayne Grudem wrote that Christians who think this way cut themselves off from the hope of salvation. He quotes Galatians 3:10-11 where is says that everyone who relies on upholding the law is under a curse, because no man can be justified by the law (except Jesus).
GOOD NEWS
The good news is that Christians have been freed from the covenant of works because of Jesus’ work on the cross and there is a new covenant of grace. God does not demand us to obey all of His laws, but that we would be led by the Holy Spirit. Nothing we can do can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:39). Charles Spurgeon, in his defense of Calvinism, wrote “if I believed what some preach about the temporary, trumpery of salvation which only lasts for a time, I would scarcely be at all grateful for it; but when I know that those whom God saves He saves with an everlasting salvation, when I know that He gives to them an everlasting righteousness, when I know that He settles them on an everlasting foundation of everlasting love, and the He will bring them to His everlasting kingdom, oh, then I do wonder, and I am astonished that such a blessing as this should ever have been given to me!”
The good news is that Christians have been freed from the covenant of works because of Jesus’ work on the cross and there is a new covenant of grace. God does not demand us to obey all of His laws, but that we would be led by the Holy Spirit. Nothing we can do can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:39). Charles Spurgeon, in his defense of Calvinism, wrote “if I believed what some preach about the temporary, trumpery of salvation which only lasts for a time, I would scarcely be at all grateful for it; but when I know that those whom God saves He saves with an everlasting salvation, when I know that He gives to them an everlasting righteousness, when I know that He settles them on an everlasting foundation of everlasting love, and the He will bring them to His everlasting kingdom, oh, then I do wonder, and I am astonished that such a blessing as this should ever have been given to me!”
It is not for us to understand why we are saved, but to accept salvation and to live in gratitude of God for what He has done—to “take up our cross,” if you will (Luke 9:23).
WALKING WITH THE SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit speaks to men in different ways, expecting different things from each person. It is damaging to add any rules to the gospel, especially relating to issues that are not even mentioned in the bible. People like to eliminate certain movies, activities, words, clothing, or even acceptable social groups to feel as though they are pleasing God. However, what is right and good for one person is not good for another person. I have a friend who loves the Harry Potter books and movies who often quotes things from them in her everyday life. She shares things with me about Harry Potter that makes her excited about the gospel. For her, her viewing of Harry Potter brings glory to God, therefore it is not wicked. I know of some people, on the other hand, whom have had a past where they have participated in activities of the occult and are tempted by any form of witchcraft, whether it would be reading their signs or playing satanic board games. For that person to watch Harry Potter would not bring glory to God, but would further tempt them into doing something sinful. In my own life, I have a tendency to obsess over romance. It has been a lifelong struggle. It is tempting for me to put romantic love and certain individuals above God in my heart. Watching romantic movies and reading romance novels does not bring glory to God in my life. I try to use wisdom and the direction of the Holy Spirit when I approach these things. I do not restrict my life so that I cannot watch any romantic films, but when I feel myself struggling with temptation, I recognize that I would not be doing myself any favours if I read a certain book. Like it says in 1 Corinthians 6:12, “Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial…” So, I often choose to open up a book that would put my mind back onto Jesus.
Another friend of mine even challenged me about pornography, seriously wondering if we have set legalistic rules about that and whether it could actually help people who are struggling in their marriage because they are not informed about sex. This stumped me for a minute, especially since I am not married and therefore I haven’t got the experience to draw from, but then I wondered if it would be possible to watch those films and not lust and if it would be possible to watch those films and not covet. I’m not sure that it is possible, but then I would only be confident to say that it is not right for me. We live in a fallen world and we can sin without even opening our eyes. We can choose to only listen to Christian music, only watch Christian movies, only read Christian books and only spend time with Christian people…and all we succeed in is becoming religious, proud and unrelatable to the world.
I believe the things we participate in, assist us in our mission for Jesus. I am the kind of person who likes to follow rules, not because I can be satisfied that I am more righteous, but because they make me feel safe. I like to be neat and I don’t often curse or talk about things that are inappropriate. I cannot help but think that because of the person I have become, due to the choices I have made in my life, it is not likely that I would be an effective witness to someone in a gang or someone who goes to parties, or even anyone who is a little wild. I could not relate to them. My sister often points out that when I hang around her friends I have a tendency to flinch when they swear. This does not make them feel comfortable with me. It makes me unrelatable. I often heard sermons growing up where the pastor would say that we need to show ourselves to be different to the world in order to win the world for Jesus. I have not seen this to be true in the bible or in real life. In the bible, whenever it talks about being different to “the heathens” it is always in reference to inward attitudes or desires (Romans 12:2 and 13:14; John17:15-18; 1 Corinthians 6:19). We need to respond differently, making wiser choices, be more loving and be more generous. However, Paul also told the church that he would become anything for anyone if it meant that they might be saved (1 Corinthians 9:22). We need to be relatable. We need to know what the world is doing, thinking about, watching and listening. Then again, I think that even though I cannot reach the wild-at-heart, I have a certain way with people who are religious. I can hopefully present to the religious people God’s gospel, and they would feel comfortable with someone like me (since I struggle with falling into religious ways myself and I can relate).
The best advice that is given to the church, is to work out their own salvation for themselves (Philippians 2:12). As long as we love God and love each other, we will not stray from the gospel. The gospel is more important to get across than the law.
CONCLUSION
The law was given to God’s people to point towards Jesus. It was never intended to make God’s people holier. The law was created for Jesus to fulfill and for God’s people to understand that they are sinners (Romans 3:20). It worries me when I hear that people read the laws and think they are old fashioned, or not applicable to us anymore, because the response after reading the law should be sober reflection and humility. We should want to please God—at the same time, knowing that our efforts can never be enough.
May we understand God’s freedom and grace and live in a way that is pleasing to Him. May we endeavor to understand his gospel fully.
REFERENCES
Barnes, A. (N.d.). ‘Timothy 3:16,’ Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, retrieved from http://biblecommenter.com/2_timothy/3-16.htm
Gill, J. (N.d.) ‘Leviticus 19,’ Gill’s Exposition of the entire bible, retrieved from http://biblecommenter.com/leviticus/19-19.htm
Got Questions Ministries. (N.d.) ‘Did Moses copy the Law from the Code of Hammurabi,’ retrieved from http://www.gotquestions.org/Moses-Hammurabi-code.html
Got Questions Ministries. (N.d.) ‘What does it mean that Christians are not under the law?’ retrieved from http://www.gotquestions.org/not-under-the-law.html
Got Questions Ministries. (N.d.) ‘What is the difference between the ceremonial law, the moral law, and the judicial law in the Old Testament?’ retrieved from http://www.gotquestions.org/ceremonial-law.html
Grudem, W. (N.d.) ‘The Covenant of Works,’ Systematic Theology: An introduction to biblical doctrine. Retrieved from http://www.monergism.com/thethreshold/articles/onsite/covofworks.html
Luther, M. (1954). ‘Commentary on Romans,’ translated by J. Theodore Mueller. Zondervan Publishing House: United States of America.
