Is The Conservative Movment Flirting with FAscism?

OK- I'll bite- right off the top of my head.

There are two aspects of Old Testament Law that Jesus fulfills and addresses-

One is the sacrificial and ceremonial law that the Jews were given to atone for sin. That would include sin offerings, rituals, feasts, the priesthood, the temple worship etc.

These were given temporarily until Christ the perfect sin offering came. Once Christ was resurrected from the dead these were no longer valid or needed. This is thoroughly explained in the book of Hebrews and mentioned by Christ and other NT writers.

The Second aspect of Old Testament Law is the moral law. Those laws were given to reveal God's moral character and man's moral relationship to God and one another. These laws would include the Ten Commandments, laws regarding relationships between people, marriage, commerce etc. These laws are moral in nature meaning they define right and wrong behavior in accordance with God's character.

These laws Christ emphasized and brought further clarification- As an example the seventh Commandment says Thou shalt not commit adultery. But Christ clarified this by saying if a man lusts after a woman in his heart he already commits adultery in his heart.

So if you lump both these aspects of Old Testament Law together it will bring confusion.

The part about not committing murder still stands as what is right and wrong in God's judgment- same with lying, stealing, adultery, covetousness etc. Jesus made it clear that the very motive and thoughts of the heart were going to be judged with respect to the law.

Animal sacrifices, ceremonies and feasts are no longer needed or observed by Christians.

Christ is our priest, so there is no longer a priesthood.

But Christ did not come to do away with the moral law (right and wrong) He came to give us more light and understanding of each moral law.

 

To the point - I always understood from sunday school that Jesus freed you from the law - in a sense "fullfilling" it.

I understood that the point of Jesus was that laws are less important than acknowleding your sinfulness, and having faith that they are forgiven.

Picking out a random passage from the old testament to support Jesus' arguments is historically interesting, but utterly moot to achieving a better understanding of what constitutes being a christian. And this "view" is far larger than simply citing silly passages, be it from Leviticus or Paul or your pastor.

Having read the bible numerous times - I'm convinced most self-labeled christians haven't the foggiest clue what that really means!

 

yeah...it's an intensely difficult read. i struggle with it.

 

The simple answer-
The law cannot save a sinner. So Christ came to save the sinner.
Christ provided the salvation the law could not provide.

So what good is the law?

The ceremonial laws have no value they ended with Christ.
The moral laws have value because they reveal right and wrong and help us understand Christ's character.
The moral law convicts us of our need for salvation.

Without the moral law we would be self righteous and believe we do not need to believe in Jesus Christ.

Most people don't feel they need to become a Christian because they do not see the real benefit.

Nobody is sinless, everyone disobeys the moral law either in spirit or action.

 

Well said rhester. Now, what constitutes a moral law, as opposed to ceremonial law, or a law intended to restrict hazardous habits (shellfish, mold etc.)?

More importantly, is violation of a particular moral worse then the violation of another? Should I reach out to these "violators" by condemning them publicly over and over?

 

The simple answer- The Moral law is summarized in the Ten Commandments.

The ceremonial laws all had to do with ceremonial worship, feasts, and traditions that were not related to right and wrong issues.

If God said light a candle that is not a moral issue.
If God said don't have sex with your father's wife that was a moral issue.

So ceremonial law is centered around ceremony.
Moral law is centered around relationship and behavior toward God and one another.

Anything more will become a sermon, hope that clarifies some of my own thinking.