Believe it or not, there are Christians that believe they are no longer under the law (the 10 commandments)- TO KEEP that law, but are somehow magically exempt because of their conversion to Christ. But that is far from the truth! They have yet to understand. WE STILL KEEP EVERY JOT AND TITTLE OF THE LAW. The 10 Commandments were never dissolved. Luke 16:17. "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the Law to fail." It's easier to keep the law by love instead of by demands. I'll explain shortly. Listen to what Paul added in the book of Romans 6:15 "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." As believers and followers of Jesus, we must not and CANNOT, continue practicing sin because we think the 10 commandments no longer pertain to us. Here's the bottom line then I'll explain. The Old Law (Mosaic/old Covenant) was given to Moses by God (called the 10 Commandments) for the nation of Israel. It also included hundreds of ceremonal, dietary, and civil laws. Included were animal sacrifice, the spilling of blood for the cleansing of sin. The law was given like a schoolmaster or a reflective mirror to show people their own sinfulness and inability to be righteous on their own.The object was to point to their need for a SAVIOR. Law makes us aware we have sinned. Until there is a law, no one knows they are wrong. That's why the law was given. Law is not a punisher, it's actually a good thing.
WE NEED LAW. For without laws there is chaos. Example of laws that keep us safe.
Without a stop sign, people would continue through intersections resulting in multiply accidents.
Without a speed limit sign, people would travel dangerously fast resulting in injury to themselves or others.
Without designated crosswalks, pedestrian fatalties would frequently occur.
Without air-traffic control there would be hundreds of mid-air collisions on a daily basis.
Then further imagine no sanitation laws (resulting in illnesses like choera, hepatitis, typhoid), no building code laws (means structural failure, fire & electrical hazards) no prescription regulations (antibiotics, opiods, psychiatric medications would be available over the counter where children and teens would have access like buying a box of cough drops. on and on.
So it's obvious we need laws to govern ourselves AND OUR SOULS!
***SPIRITUAL LAWS .. ONLY ONE NOW; love (Matthew 22:36, Mark 12: 28-31). When you love those around you as Jesus commanded, there is no way you can be found guilty of any of the original 10 commandments because you're not going to hurt anyone, steal from anyone, take a life, covet someone's spouse, commit adultery, etc. Nor will you worship another god or bow to an idol. LOVE is easier to understand than hundreds of laws, rituals, ceremonies, animal sacrifices, you can't possibly keep or even remember..
LOVE. That's it. "Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and your neighbor as yourself." LOVE fulfills the Law. All of them. "Love covers a multitude of sins" (Peter 4:8)
Old Covenant law VS the law of love.
Is it getting easier to understand now?
Instead of laws carved on stone tablets, God now writes His law (LOVE) directly on the hearts and minds of believers. CHRISTIANS ARE NOT EXEMPT FROM OBEYING THE LAW, we keep the law because we love others and do them no wrong. You see, "obedience" does not come from trying to mechanically check off a list of do's and don'ts under the threat of punishment. Instead, it flows from an inward transformation tolove others and desire to please God energized by the indwelling Holy Spirit giving us power to overcome temptation and ultimately having victory over sin itself.
And now you're asking ..
"But how do I love those that have done a terrible injustice to me?" Examples: personal betrayal, violent crime, infidelity, gaslighting, scamming you of thousands of dollars, for murdering your child, harrassing you because of your race, a wrongful conviction, trafficking a family member, the dad who abandoned you, the lady who lied and runined your reputation, molestation from someone you trusted, on and on and on. Jesus directly said, "Love our enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those, who hate you, and pray for who spitefully use you and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). You didn't want to hear that, did you? First of all, the kind of love Jesus was speaking about is not an emotion, but an action! His love is Biblical love (agape) is not a warm, affectionate feeling toward someone who has hurt you. You're not expected to feel mushy and cordial. It is, rather, an act of the will--choosing to seek their well-being, refusing to harbor malice, and acting with goodwill instead of retaliation. Scripture is not asking you to pretend a terrible injustice is okay, nor does it strip away the reality of pain. Instead, it commands you to hand the scales of justice over to God. "Vengence is Mine, says the Lord. I will repay" (Hebrews10:30). "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath" (Romans 12:19). Also, as difficult as it may seem, we are to: *Pray for our enemies and persecutors. *Refuse hatred and bitterness. *Practice forgiveness *Overcome evil with good. WE AREABLE TO DO THESE THINGS ONLY WITH THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. He dwells in us and helps us overcome sin and obey God's commands by transforming our inner nature, providing daily guidance and supplying the strength to resist temptation. The Holy Spirit helps us avoid sin by replacing old, sinful cravings, with new holy desires making things like truth, purity, and generosity more appealing than past temptations. I would not have believed it myself had it not happened to me!
Here is a final thought from God to you: "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin" (Hebrews 10: 17-18)
Until He Comes,
-Pat-
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