Reply to For teh Love of God Blog on the Law

Reply to the For the Love of God Blog
http://theologyconversation.blogspot.com/2010/02/did-jesus-oppose-law-of-moses.html
Did Jesus Oppose The Law of Moses?

By Russell Earl Kelly:
You miss the whole point of Jesus and the Law. He was a Jew living under the full jurisdiction of the Law per Gal 4:4-5. In order to live a sinless life it was essential for Jesus to keep all the law and to teach others to keep all the law before Calvary. It would have been sin for Jesus to do anything else.

It would have also been for Jesus to teach His Gentile disciples to keep the Law. He could not and did not tell Gentiles whom he healed to go show themselves to the priest and offer the sacrifice Moses commanded. After 1776 the Law of England (good and bad) became null and void in the US and was replaced by US Law.

Your use of Matthew 5:19 to explain 5:17 is wrong. Matthew 5:19 includes all 613 commands of the Law and 5:20-48 illustrates 5:19 by quoting from the commandments, statutes and judgments. Either we are still under all of the OT Law or none of it.

1. The law allowed multiple marriages. Do you?

2. The law discussed cleanliness as a ceremonial ritual. We are not required to be ceremonially clean. Even sexual intercourse made one unclean and unqualified to worship. Do you have sex before church?

4. The law required some to shave their heads while taking an oath. Do you?

5. The Sabbath was only for Old Covenant Israel per Ex 31:13-17. Do you worship at sunset Friday as the Law required? Do you let your slaves rest then as the Law required?
6. Have you ever read all of the Law? Exodus 21:15, 17 commands Hebrews to kill disobedient children. I certainly hope that you have not done that.

7. Mt 23:23 is in the context of "matters of the law." It is addressed to "you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites." It is before Calvary. It is not addressed to the New Covenant church. Jesus could not have commanded His Gentile converts to tithe either to him or to the Temple system because such was contrary to the law. In Leviticus 27:30-34 tithes are always only food from inside God's holy land of Israel. Although money was common and required for sanctuary worship, tithes are never money or increase from man's hand and cannot come from outside Israel.

8-9. According to Exodus 19:5-6 and scores of other texts, the Law was given only to national Israel in order to elevate them above other nations. Israel was never commanded to send out missionaries to convert the Gentiles. Only those Gentiles who became circumcised Hebrews could share with them.

"Jesus does not contradict Moses.Jesus does not oppose the Torah in any way."

Jesus would have been sinning if he did before Calvary.

Hebrews 8:12 says that the Old Covenant law "vanished" --all of it-- commandments, statutes and judgments.

Romans 8:2 says that Christians live by "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" --the law of love written in the heart of the new creation in Christ.

That which God wants his church to obey has been repeated to is after Calvary in terms of grace and faith. Hebrews 1:1,2; John 16:8-9.