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The following scriptures are what most people use to say
that Christians do not have to obey
the commandments/law of God. TTGM is going to approach this study in a way
to hopefully engage your critical thinking ability. The scripture will be
stated first and then questions and answers will follow.
1st scripture (Galatians)
(Gal 3:1-4 [KJV])
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should
not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set
forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing
of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the
Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many
things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
Q1.
Why did Paul call the Galatians foolish and bewitched, what were they doing
to deserve this shameful description?
Q2.
Why did Paul make reference to “works of the law”
A. For Q1 and Q2, the Galatians were following the law.
Q. Did Paul
call the Galatians foolish and bewitched because they were following the
law?
The answer is in this comment: Received
ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having
begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Final answer: The Galatians were called foolish and bewitched
because they believed by following the law they can be made perfect
(saved). Paul was not saying to abolish or ignore the law, what he was
saying is that you cannot be made perfect by the law. Perfection can only
come by having faith in Christ.
Perfection (salvation) can
only be found in having faith in Christ:
(Matt 19:21 [KJV])
Jesus said unto him, If thou
wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
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2nd
scripture (Galatians)
(Gal 3:25-27 [KJV])
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a
schoolmaster. 26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus. 27 For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Q1. Here Paul calls the law a schoolmaster: If we are no
longer under the schoolmaster, is the believer to ignore the law as most
teach?
Consider this as you
contemplate your answer: If we are taught to ignore the law, how would you
know that you have committed a sin? The same teachers will tell you that
sin is defined as the transgression of God’s law. Also, whenever the law is
mentioned in the old and New Testament it always refers to the law of Moses
which consist of over 600 commandments. We must
not forget that the Bible was written by Jews, to Jews about the coming
King of the Jews.
(1John
3:4 [KJV])
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth
also the law: for sin is the transgression
of the law.
Final answer: The law continues to be a schoolmaster. What does a
schoolmaster do? A schoolmaster shows us what is right and what is wrong.
The schoolmaster also condemns when you have done wrong (called sin). After
the schoolmaster that you are under condemns you, your punishment is
eternal death and separation from God. When someone believes/follows
Christ, he/she is no longer under the schoolmaster but is now under grace.
Christ fulfilled all the requirements of the schoolmaster/law and therefore
we no longer die because a believer is now joined to Him by faith. He
becomes our Savior.
In conclusion, we are to observe the law, to do otherwise will
still be sin in the eyes of God.
Examples of Commandments
from the Torah:
As believers we must still
obey the following which are a few commandments given to us by the God of
the Universe (not just to Barbados, Israel or the USA but for all his human
creation):
The two greatest
commandments.
Love God (Deut 6:5)
Love neighbour and thyself (Lev 19:18)
All 10 commandments we all
know and only hear about (written on the tablets).
A small selection of the commandments that are not taught
or followed by most Christians.
Not to put the word of God
to the test (Deut. 6:16)
To honor the old and the wise
(Lev. 19:32) how many christians today sin by not honoring the
old and wise?
Not to stand by idly when a
human life is in danger (Lev. 19:16) how many christians
today avoid helping someone that is in danger?
Not to take revenge (Lev.
19:18) how many christians today take revenge when they are
“touched”?
To relieve a neighbor of his
burden and help to unload his beast (Ex. 23:5) how many christians
today help their brothers/sisters with a burden?
Not to leave a beast, that
has fallen down beneath its burden, unaided (Deut. 22:4)
Not to refrain from
maintaining a poor man and giving him what he needs (Deut. 15:7) how many christians
today help the poor that are in need?
Not to smite a father or a
mother (Ex. 21:15) how
many children today strike out at their parents and hit them (including
teachers)?
Not to withhold food,
clothing or conjugal rights from a wife (Ex. 21:10) how many Christian women withhold conjugal rights
from their husbands?
Not to commit incest with
one's mother (Lev. 18:7) in this godless world some are taking action to abolish this
command - Read More Here
Not to commit incest with
one's son's daughter (Lev. 18:10)
Not to have intercourse with
a woman, in her menstrual period (Lev. 18:19) how many Christian couples break this command?
Not to commit sodomy with a
male (Lev. 18:22) how
many Christian young men are indulging in sodomy?
Not to have intercourse with
a beast (Lev. 18:23)
Canada just passed a law that allows people to have intimate relations with
animals – Read
More Here
Not to eat blood (Lev. 7:26)
To pay wages to the hired
man at the due time (Deut. 24:15)
Not to break a vow (Num.
30:3-4) how many Christians do you
know that do not keep their word?
Not to favor a great man
when trying a case (Lev. 19:15)
Not to leave something that
might cause hurt (Deut. 22:8)
That a man shall not wear
women's clothing (Deut. 22:5) We all know what is happening now thanks to the feminist
movement in the early 70s. Before the 1970s, it was unheard of for a woman to wear what was traditionally worn by men.
Q. The list above are just a
few commandments from God’s word. Again, believers are told that they only
need to obey the 10 (or 9 depending) commandments and ignore the rest. The
question is which of the few commandments listed above are you going to
break? What about all the others that you never read or know about (600
plus in the Old Testament and additional ones in the New Testament)? How do
you go about choosing which of the commandments of God you would keep or
not keep?
One of the reasons why
Christians today are not keeping the commandments:
What has happened over time
is that man (including the church) has decided which commandments of God
should be abolished and no longer followed.
For example, in our time the
following commandment is about to be abolished worldwide (not in muslim countries).
(Lev 18:22 [KJV])- This law
is now being abolished in the western world.
Thou shalt not lie with
mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Laws are presently on the books to allow men to
marry each other. Some "christian" churches are practicing this abomination
by “marring” men with men.
THE FOLLOWING ARE ABOLISHED COMMANDMENTS &
PRECEPTS
The commandment of the sabbath
was abolished in 321 AD.
(Exod
20:8-9 [KJV])
Remember the sabbath day, to
keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour,
and do all thy work:
The following law was
written by man (Constantine) to
abolish the above law given by God (Torah)..
321 AD
“On the venerable Day of the
sun (Sunday the first day of the week) let the magistrates and people
residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country,
however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue
their pursuits: because it often happens that another Day is not so
suitable for grain sowing or for vine
planting: lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the
bounty of heaven should be lost”.
Following this initial
legislation, both emperors and Popes in succeeding centuries added other
laws to strengthen Sunday observance. What began as a pagan ordinance ended
as a Christian regulation. Close on the heels of
the Edict of Constantine followed the Catholic Church Council of Laodicea
(circa 364 AD):
364 AD
“Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday (Sabbath), but shall work
on that Day: but the Lord’s Day, they shall especially honour; and as being Christians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day.
If however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out from Christ”
Notice the word Judaize that was used in the law of 364 AD. This word speaks
volumes to people with the ability to critically think. Hint: The early
Christians were following Jews.
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The precept of marriage was
abolished in 1563 AD.
(Gen 2:23 [KJV])
And Adam said,
This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called
Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
The following law was
written by man (at the Council of
Trent) to abolish the above law given by God (Torah). WATCH PRESENTATION
AND FOLLOW LINKS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO BIBLICAL MARRIAGE
1563 AD
Dreamed up at the Council of Trent:
“Those who shall attempt to
contract marriage otherwise than in the presence of the parish priest or of
another priest authorized by the parish priest or by the ordinary and in
the presence of two or three witnesses, the holy council renders absolutely
incapable of thus contracting marriage and declares such contracts invalid
and null, as by the present decree it invalidates and annuls them.
Moreover, it commands that the parish priest or another priest who shall
have been present at a contract of this kind with less than the prescribed
number of witnesses, also the witnesses who shall have been present without
the parish priest or another priest, and also the contracting parties
themselves, shall at the discretion of the ordinary be severely punished”.
What exactly is severally punished
View the actual law – you will find link to full
document
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The precept of polygamy was
abolished in 1563 AD.
(Exod
21:10 [KJV])
If he take
him another wife; her food, her
raiment, and her duty of marriage, shall he not diminish.
The following law was
written by man (at the Council of
Trent) to abolish the above law given by God (Torah).
1563 AD
Dreamed up at the Council of Trent:
Concubinage Is Severely
Punished
It is a grave sin for
unmarried men to have concubines, but it is a most grave sin, and one
committed in singular contempt of this great sacrament, when married men
live in this state of damnation and have the boldness at times to maintain
and keep them in their homes even with their own wives. Wherefore, the holy
council, in order to provide suitable remedies against this great evil,
decrees that if these concubinaries, whether
unmarried or married, whatever may be their state, dignity or profession,
have not, after a threefold admonition in reference to this matter by the
ordinary, also ex officio, put away their concubines and separated
themselves from intimacy with them, they shall be punished with
excommunication from which they shall not be absolved till they have in
fact obeyed the admonition given them.
History on Polygamy
View the actual law that made polygamy "sin" – in 1563
man (sodomite men that lead the Catholic church - read the history) no
longer wanted to obey God's law of polygamy
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3rd scripture (Acts)
(Acts 15:1 [KJV])
And certain men which came
down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be
saved.
Q1. Why would certain men say that circumcision is required to
be saved?
A. This is a repeat to what happened in Galatians. People
believed that you needed to keep the law of Moses to be saved. After much discussion, look at what the
apostles said at the end – consider the following verse.
(Acts 15:21 [KJV])
For Moses of old time hath
in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath
day.
Q1. Why would the apostle say that Moses is being read every
Sabbath day after giving them commandments from the Torah?
(Acts 15:20 [KJV]) –
Commandments from the Torah were commanded in the previous verse V.20.
But that we write unto them,
that they abstain from pollutions of idols (from Torah), and from
fornication (Torah), and from things strangled, and from blood (Torah).
A. Could it be:
1. The apostle just felt
like saying it.
2. It was an announcement
that Moses was read in the synagogue because nobody knew.
3. The apostle expected the
believer to visit the synagogue and listen to the reading of the Torah to
learn the rest of the law.
Final answer: As mentioned before, here again we have a situation where people wanted to make following
the law the road to salvation. The law is not the road to salvation (only
Christ), but what it does is show us how to be obedient to God and to our
fellow man. For us the answer lies in
3. More and more gentiles were being
converted to the church and they were not aware of the law of God. So the
apostle gave them a few commands from the Torah and followed up by saying,
Moses is read in the synagogues to be heard. The intention was that they
visit the synagogues to get a better understanding of the law.
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4th scripture
(Romans)
(Rom 3:28-31 [KJV])
Therefore we conclude that a
man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Q1. Is Paul actually saying that the law is abolished or done
away with?
A. Paul answers in the
following verse.
(Rom 3:31 [KJV])
Do we then make void the law
through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.
Final answer: What does Paul mean by establish the law? Let us examine the word establish in the
Greek. You will notice it can also be translated, “continue”. Continue
means to go ahead and keep on doing what you are already observing (the
law). And God forbid, if you do otherwise.
G2476 ἵστημι histemi (hiy'-stee-miy) v. (this is the Greek word used
by Paul for Establish)
στάω stao (staō')
[used in certain tenses] to stand.
{transitively or intransitively; used in various applications, literally or
figuratively}
[a prolonged form of a primary stao stah'-o (of the same meaning, and used for
it in certain tenses)]
KJV: abide, appoint, bring, continue, covenant, establish, hold up, lay, present, set (up), stanch, stand (by, forth,
still, up)
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5th scripture
(Matthew)
(Matt 5:17 [KJV])
Think not that I am come to destroy
the law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Q1 What does fulfill mean?
A. The word in the Greek for fulfill is G4137 πληρόω pleroo (plee-ro'-ō) v. It
carries with it the meaning to satisfy. In other words our Lord came to satisfy/fulfill the requirements of the
law. He was sinless and was able to meet ALL the requirements of the law;
thus fulfilling every requirement because of His perfect life. This is why
we are no longer under the judgment of the law when we sin (break the same
law). Why? Jesus has taken away the penalty of the law because he became
the perfect sin offering on our behalf. This only applies to the believer.
The believer is saved while the unbeliever is dammed.
What the text is not saying.
Because our Lord fulfilled the law, we are no longer required to keep the
law. Yeshua even states in the same text that He did not come to do away
with the law (abolish). Meaning; yes, He fulfilled the law but the law
still stands (not abolished like most churches teach today).
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6th scripture
(Matthew)
(Matt 22:40 [KJV])
On these two commandments
hang all the law and the prophets..
Q1 What does hang all the law mean?
A. First notice that Yeshua
was asked the question, V 36 "Teacher, which is the
greatest commandment in the Law?”
Yeshua was asked which was the greatest commandment. He was not asked which
commandments we should only follow. People read in to this that Yeshua meant that we only need to follow the
greatest commandment (in this case He highlighted two). His answer was in
response to what was greatest of all the commandments, He never intended
for us to ignore all the rest. This is called reading into scripture what
is not there.
Let us look at it another
way. If Yeshua was asked, “Teacher, which is the commandment that we should
only follow in the Law?”. If this was
how the question was worded, then proponents of the “two commandments only
or no law” will have a slight case to argue. But this was not the question.
TTGM notes that in V 40 ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS HANG ON THESE TWO
COMMANDMENTS
Again we have a similar
situation. The word for hang does not mean we are only to follow two
commandments and leave out the rest.
Here is it in the Greek.
G2910 κρεμάννυμι
kremannumi (kre-man'-nď-miy) v.
to hang.
[a prolonged form of a
primary verb]
KJV: hang
The word in the Greek is
hang or to hang in English. Our Lord is saying here that all the
commandments that were given “hang” on these two greatest (no more no
less). Nowhere in the text before or after does it say to ignore all the
other commandments because they “hang” on the two greatest.
Maybe you can ask yourself this this.
Can you explain why our Lord
used the word “hang”? Why would all the commandments hang on just two?
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7th scripture
(Acts)
(Acts 10:11-15 [KJV])
And saw heaven opened, and a
certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at
the four corners, and let down to the earth: 12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted
beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the
air. 13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat. 14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord;
for I have NEVER eaten any thing that is common
or unclean. 15 And the voice spake unto him again
the second time, What God hath
cleansed, that call not thou common.
Q1 Does the vision that Peter had mean that believers could
now eat unclean meats and break the Torah law about meats? (eg: HAM)
A. Peter (also all other
Jewish apostles) believed that he should have nothing to do with gentiles.
However, God changed this viewpoint by giving him the vision in Acts
10. These verses are used to support
the eating of unclean foods – breaking the Torah laws (EG. HAM). However,
our Lord did not intend this; the vision was intended to show Peter that
the gentiles that he considered unclean should be approached and accepted
into the body (unclean foods in the vision represent all nations that were
gentiles). Up to this point the apostles would not even eat at a gentile
table or have any association with them. Even to this day Jews limit their
lives to themselves and keep gentiles at a distance (not marrying etc).
There is a very good reason for this; another lesson.
Again up to this point the
gentiles were “persona non grata” to the apostles until the
revelation/understanding of what the dream meant came to Peter. Read..
(Acts 10:19 [KJV]) – Note after the dream three men came looking for
Peter. Who were these men? Ans: Gentiles (non-Jews)
While Peter thought on the vision, the
Spirit said unto him, Behold, three
men seek thee.
(Acts
10:26-28 [KJV]) – Note here Peter understood what the dream meant. He understood
that people outside the Jewish nation
are not to be called unclean (not unclean meat)
But
Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man. 27 And as he
talked with him, he went in, and found many (gentiles) that were come
together. 28 And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a
man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean (ref. to Acts 10:15).
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8th scripture (John)
(John 13:34 [KJV])
A new commandment I give
unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love
one another.
Q1 What does new commandment mean? Does it mean that it
replaces all the other commandments?
A. Our Lord just gave a new command to add
to the others. He did not say, I give you a new commandment that will
abolish (do away with) all the others. In God’s Kingdom commandments are
new (first given), they are sometimes amended (divorce law) and some no
longer apply (animal sacrifices). Eg. Whenever a new traffic law (command)
is given, does this make previous traffic laws no longer relevant? No. All
our Lord did here was to give a new commandment for His people to observe
and follow. It is also important to note that nowhere in the context of the
chapter does our Lord say that the other commandments are abolished.
Conclusion: To say a new
command means the rest are no longer to be followed is the weakest of arguments.
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TTGM leaves you with these
words from our Lord (He is our Lord because we follow Him word for word).
Is He your Lord? Do you teach the commandments as we do?
(Matt 5:18-19 [KJV])
For verily I say unto you, Till
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the
law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore
shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he
shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do
and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Also, when we are in His
will, we do what is pleasing to Him. He then will give our heart the desire
it needs. In short His Spirit will
give you the comfort in knowing what to do. And this is for everything, as
long as you abide in Him (Yeshua-God).
Word of Worth
(Ps 37:4 [KJV])
Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the
desires of thine heart.
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How do we delight our-self
in the Lord? Let scripture tell us.
(Ps 1:2 [KJV])
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in
his law doth he meditate
day and night.
(Ps 112:1 [KJV])
Praise ye
the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
(Ps 119:174 [KJV])
I have longed for thy
salvation, O LORD; and thy
law is my delight.
(Prov
11:20 [KJV])
They that are of a froward heart are abomination
to the LORD: but such as are upright in
their way are his delight.
*The upright are the ones that keep the commandments of God
Our Lord connects Love with
the keeping of the commandments in the New Testament. Why? Love and
obedience go hand in hand.
(John 14:15 [KJV])
If ye love me, keep my
commandments.
(John 14:21 [KJV])
He that hath my commandments,
and keepeth them, he
it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
(1John
5:3 [KJV])
For this is the love of God,
that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
The next time someone tells you it is difficult
and hard to keep all of God’s commandments, tell them they are lying. Tell
them you believe the word, and the word says that God’s commandments are
not grievous.
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Coming soon..
Part 6
Why does the church no longer follow the Torah for doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness? (a little
history lesson)
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