In
talking with people who aren’t Christian or are moderately Christian, I get
asked some strange questions, but there are some regular questions that pop up
over and over. One of them happened again this week. It’s a strange but regular
one. “What about clothes of different fibers? Or shell fish?”
This is a common attack that people use on Christianity. It stems from, what I feel, is an inappropriate explanation of the issue of homosexuality – same conclusion just the wrong approach, but I wanted to lay the foundation for the way that is explained.
I want us to be armed with a defense to the concerns that seem to come up the most when talking to nonChristians about Jesus because we don’t want them to get hung up on any of the lesser issues. We want to get them to Jesus, and then Jesus will help them through their questions.
So what about clothes of different fibers? Or shell fish? It seems like a silly question but it is a crafty, insidious attack.
The Law says:
“You must obey all my decrees. Do not mate two different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two different kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven from two different kinds of thread. Leviticus 19:19 (NLT)
Now, if you look into the clothing you are wearing today, you are probably breaking this law.
And the shell fish one:
“Of all the marine animals, these are ones you may use for food. You may eat anything from the water if it has both fins and scales, whether taken from salt water or from streams. But you must never eat animals from the sea or from rivers that do not have both fins and scales. They are detestable to you. This applies both to little creatures that live in shallow water and to all creatures that live in deep water. They will always be detestable to you. You must never eat their meat or even touch their dead bodies. Any marine animal that does not have both fins and scales is detestable to you." Leviticus 11:9 (NLT)
So if you ever eat crab, lobster, of shrimp – to name some popular ones, you are disobeying the Law.
And we are fine with disobeying these laws. I doubt you have ever heard a sermon against wearing clothing woven from two different fibers or eating shrimp. We don’t think that matters with us being right with God.
Often, we, as Christians, just ignore that the Old Testament has these weird and crazy laws. But you know what? Atheists don't ignore them. Nonbelievers don't ignore them. Typically, when you are talking with them about Christianity, these ridiculous laws from the Old Testament are things that come up. They come at us with an opinion on how we should be reading them. So I think it is useful to have a good understanding of how we deal with the Law. For you to know and to explain to them.
We could take the approach of the Seventh Day Adventists or similar groups in Christianity who still believe that we should hold to the law. You will notice that they still honor the Sabbath, literally, as the Old Testament taught and the rest of us don’t.
This is a common attack that people use on Christianity. It stems from, what I feel, is an inappropriate explanation of the issue of homosexuality – same conclusion just the wrong approach, but I wanted to lay the foundation for the way that is explained.
I want us to be armed with a defense to the concerns that seem to come up the most when talking to nonChristians about Jesus because we don’t want them to get hung up on any of the lesser issues. We want to get them to Jesus, and then Jesus will help them through their questions.
So what about clothes of different fibers? Or shell fish? It seems like a silly question but it is a crafty, insidious attack.
The Law says:
“You must obey all my decrees. Do not mate two different kinds of animals. Do not plant your field with two different kinds of seed. Do not wear clothing woven from two different kinds of thread. Leviticus 19:19 (NLT)
Now, if you look into the clothing you are wearing today, you are probably breaking this law.
And the shell fish one:
“Of all the marine animals, these are ones you may use for food. You may eat anything from the water if it has both fins and scales, whether taken from salt water or from streams. But you must never eat animals from the sea or from rivers that do not have both fins and scales. They are detestable to you. This applies both to little creatures that live in shallow water and to all creatures that live in deep water. They will always be detestable to you. You must never eat their meat or even touch their dead bodies. Any marine animal that does not have both fins and scales is detestable to you." Leviticus 11:9 (NLT)
So if you ever eat crab, lobster, of shrimp – to name some popular ones, you are disobeying the Law.
And we are fine with disobeying these laws. I doubt you have ever heard a sermon against wearing clothing woven from two different fibers or eating shrimp. We don’t think that matters with us being right with God.
Often, we, as Christians, just ignore that the Old Testament has these weird and crazy laws. But you know what? Atheists don't ignore them. Nonbelievers don't ignore them. Typically, when you are talking with them about Christianity, these ridiculous laws from the Old Testament are things that come up. They come at us with an opinion on how we should be reading them. So I think it is useful to have a good understanding of how we deal with the Law. For you to know and to explain to them.
We could take the approach of the Seventh Day Adventists or similar groups in Christianity who still believe that we should hold to the law. You will notice that they still honor the Sabbath, literally, as the Old Testament taught and the rest of us don’t.
Some Christians still believe that we should celebrate the Old
Testament festivals. I see some benefit in doing this. I spent one year here
celebrating each one, yet Christians are under no obligation to do this. It can
be a good learning tool, but it’s not a biblical mandate.
The most popular method, one of which we are more likely guilty of,
is that we pick and choose which laws we want to keep and which laws we want to
ignore. We disregard the laws we think are silly like the ones on shellfish and
different materials in our clothing. Then we keep the laws we like. But this is
really a totally intellectually dishonest way to deal with the law. What is the process for
picking and choosing anyway?
This arbitrary method doesn't really make any sense. We
accept the laws we like and reject the ones that seem a little weird. This also
isn't the way we should go about it.
In all this talk about the law, I want us to understand that
the law was very important.
Paul taught:
Paul taught:
"So then, the law was our guardian until
Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer
under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus
you are all sons of God, through faith." Galatians 3:24-26 (ESV)
The law was the guardian until Christ came. It played an
important role.
If you were living in the world before the Hebrews were
brought out of Egypt and Moses was given the law, you would recognize that it
was a vicious world. Maybe no more vicious than some of the places in our world
today. Places that would benefit from the law just like the Hebrews benefitted
from the law.
When you encounter a teaching like "an eye for an eye,
and a tooth for a tooth," which goes against Jesus and Paul’s teaching to
love our enemies; it helps to understand the world that teaching was given to.
[As an aside, last week we talk about Jesus’ teaching of obeying the commandments.
And then we used local context to understand that. Key Bible Study principle.
Reading something through the context of the original audience is also another
one of those key principles.] God works with people where they are at, and God
gave that teaching to prevent people from chopping off someone's head for
stealing. It was a step in the right direction, limiting retaliation and implementing
this would stop the process of escalating violence. The maximum punishment for
a crime could not be greater than the crime. This was a law of restraint, not a
law of violence – although an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth feels that
way these days among a people who have a Christian foundation and have been
practicing enemy love and forgiveness for millennium - although poorly at times.
This teaching’s purpose, at the time it was given, was reining in a chaotic
world.
The Law was intended to shape the people into who God wanted
them to be, but it didn't always work. The people didn't follow the law the way
God intended.
Jesus taught:
“Don’t misunderstand why I have come. I did
not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. [And that’s
where most people like to stop] No, I came to accomplish their purpose. I tell
you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not even the smallest detail
of God’s law will disappear until its purpose is achieved. [and it’s purpose was
achiveved, as it says Jesus was going to do, in Jesus on the cross. When he
says, “It is finished,” I feel it is fair, in light of this teaching, to apply
that to the Law and the fulfilling of it.] So if you ignore the least
commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in
the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be
called great in the Kingdom of Heaven."
“But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the
righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will
never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!" Matthew 5:17-20 (NLT)
Jesus is teaching that the law will end when all is
accomplished. But it's ending with its intended completion. He’s also pointing
out that our righteousness, if we are living by the Law, must exceed the righteousness
of the most righteous people of the day if we are to enter the Kingdom of
Heaven. In other words, the Law cannot get us into the Kingdom of Heaven. We
cannot be more righteous than the most righteous, but there is hope in Jesus.
Other translations will use the word “fulfill” here where it says “accomplish their purpose.” It’s not ending abruptly or prematurely. The "all is accomplished" in Jesus. The law is fulfilled. The word in the Greek is typically used for reaching one’s desired destination. The law was just a guardian to get us to the point where Jesus fulfilled it. Jesus was the Law’s destination. Because the law could never totally fulfill its own purpose. It needed Jesus to do that.
Other translations will use the word “fulfill” here where it says “accomplish their purpose.” It’s not ending abruptly or prematurely. The "all is accomplished" in Jesus. The law is fulfilled. The word in the Greek is typically used for reaching one’s desired destination. The law was just a guardian to get us to the point where Jesus fulfilled it. Jesus was the Law’s destination. Because the law could never totally fulfill its own purpose. It needed Jesus to do that.
Christianity is not a bunch of laws. Jesus came to fulfill
the law and bring the law to its intended ending. He came to bring something
better. As we talked last week, the commandment we are supposed to obey if we
love Jesus is to love one another. Jesus transitioned the Law to this.
But there is an allure to and a problem with laws. If we think Christianity is a group of laws that we must follow, then we will figure out ways to legally get around those laws. What is the minimum that I must do to get saved? Is it law that I must be part of a church? Who do I have to love? How many times must I forgive? That minimal approach to Christianity, despite being prevalent, is so wrong.
As the writer of Hebrews says:
"When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear. Hebrews 8:13 (NLT)
According to the writer of Hebrews, the Old Testament law is obsolete, out of date, and is disappearing. But the prevailing thought of modern Christianity makes us feel uncomfortable saying exactly this. The writer of Hebrews is stating that we don't have to follow the law any more. We are no longer under it.
But there is an allure to and a problem with laws. If we think Christianity is a group of laws that we must follow, then we will figure out ways to legally get around those laws. What is the minimum that I must do to get saved? Is it law that I must be part of a church? Who do I have to love? How many times must I forgive? That minimal approach to Christianity, despite being prevalent, is so wrong.
As the writer of Hebrews says:
"When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear. Hebrews 8:13 (NLT)
According to the writer of Hebrews, the Old Testament law is obsolete, out of date, and is disappearing. But the prevailing thought of modern Christianity makes us feel uncomfortable saying exactly this. The writer of Hebrews is stating that we don't have to follow the law any more. We are no longer under it.
Law is needed when there isn’t love. We wouldn't need laws
in our society if everyone loved each other. Nearly every law is there to
prevent people from behaving in ways that are not loving to each other.
So when a nonbeliever asks me about the Old Testament Law and tries to hold me to them. I explain how I am not a Jew following Torah. If I was, I would have to defend those laws. I serve a Jewish revolutionary named Jesus who fulfilled the Law of the Old Testament, revolutionized the Jewish faith, and has given us the Holy Spirit in its place.
Paul described it as:
"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins." Romans 8:1-3 (NLT)
So when a nonbeliever asks me about the Old Testament Law and tries to hold me to them. I explain how I am not a Jew following Torah. If I was, I would have to defend those laws. I serve a Jewish revolutionary named Jesus who fulfilled the Law of the Old Testament, revolutionized the Jewish faith, and has given us the Holy Spirit in its place.
Paul described it as:
"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins." Romans 8:1-3 (NLT)
We now have the Holy Spirit guiding our life. What we should
and shouldn’t do now comes through a relationship based on love, learning to
listen to God’s guidance.
The Holy Spirit knows what you should be doing this afternoon, and He is going to prompt you. You need to obey that prompting. The Holy Spirit knows what you should say to encourage your friend, and He is going to prompt you. You need to follow through on that. The Holy Spirit knows what you should tell your spouse, and He is going to prompt you. We must ask ourselves, "Are we willing to listen?" "Are we willing to follow?" “Are we willing to put our own desires aside and do what God wants?”
The Holy Spirit knows what you should be doing this afternoon, and He is going to prompt you. You need to obey that prompting. The Holy Spirit knows what you should say to encourage your friend, and He is going to prompt you. You need to follow through on that. The Holy Spirit knows what you should tell your spouse, and He is going to prompt you. We must ask ourselves, "Are we willing to listen?" "Are we willing to follow?" “Are we willing to put our own desires aside and do what God wants?”
A wife posted on Facebook, "Made
honey-do list for my hubby today to accomplish after his dentist appointment
this morning. And he did everything on the list and more."
To-do lists are good. The husband excelled with the to-do
list from his wife. He jokingly responded that he did it because he just wanted
to eat.
Likewise, we often want to follow the law just to get the
benefits that the law brings. The Pharisees followed the law because they
wanted to be God's people. We sometimes follow the law to prevent ourselves
from going to hell. We want benefits. And when we are just looking for
benefits, we miss out on the blessing of being God's children. Of living a life
guided by the Holy Spirit, dwelling in the presence and work of God all the
time.
God wants us to be more than just people who follow the law.
He wants us to be in a relationship with Him. He wants to dwell in us and guide
us.
The gospel can only bring life - its
benefits - when you truly surrender your life to Jesus.
It's like when you love your wife. If you bring home flowers for some manipulative reason and she found it out, the flowers wouldn't count. But if you brought flowers home just to show her that you love her - not for any ulterior motives whatsoever, then they have their worth. Or chocolates. Or jewelry.
It's like when you love your wife. If you bring home flowers for some manipulative reason and she found it out, the flowers wouldn't count. But if you brought flowers home just to show her that you love her - not for any ulterior motives whatsoever, then they have their worth. Or chocolates. Or jewelry.
It's the same thing with God, except He knows our heart and can't
be deceived. If we do what the law teaches and don't give Him our heart, it
doesn't work. Being right with God is not about checking off a list. It’s about
being in a relationship with Him and letting Him guide you. Letting Him live
through and transform the world through you.
I had a great high school baseball coach. He
would take time to correct me when I would be doing something wrong. He would
see my mistakes and take me aside to teach me how to improve. I would be pitching
and do something wrong; he would tell me what to change. One of those times
that he pulled me aside he said, "You know, I spend a lot of time
correcting you, Regan, because I believe that you can be better. I don't spend
time correcting [and he pointed at a teammate] because he's not going to be
better." God spends a lot of time prompting us because he knows we can be
better. And unlike my coach, he thinks we all can be better. Our lives. Our
family. Our church. Our town. Our world. He’s prompting us all. Are we
listening? If we aren't listening, we will not become any better. Things will
not be transformed and improve. We believe in a God who does not force His will
but waits on the faithful to transform the world.
The great danger is that the less we listen to the promptings we hear, the more we shut off the pathways to hearing God. It's like a person who has had a stroke. They have to work on rewiring everything so that they can once again do all the things that they previously did. They have to develop different neural pathways to laboriously do the things that once came easily to them. Sometimes we are like that with God. We have hardened ourselves to His promptings so much that we no longer hear His voice. He doesn't give up on us though. He will continually try to get past the hardness of our hearts. He is always willing to guide us, but it is up to us to listen to God and be the people that He wants us to be. So pick those callouses off your heart that life has given you and open yourself up to God’s leading.
The great danger is that the less we listen to the promptings we hear, the more we shut off the pathways to hearing God. It's like a person who has had a stroke. They have to work on rewiring everything so that they can once again do all the things that they previously did. They have to develop different neural pathways to laboriously do the things that once came easily to them. Sometimes we are like that with God. We have hardened ourselves to His promptings so much that we no longer hear His voice. He doesn't give up on us though. He will continually try to get past the hardness of our hearts. He is always willing to guide us, but it is up to us to listen to God and be the people that He wants us to be. So pick those callouses off your heart that life has given you and open yourself up to God’s leading.
Be all that God has destined you to be. It
is up to you to live the life that God wants you to live. Nobody else can live
it for you. No amount of listening to teaching will do that. No amount of
singing songs in worship will suffice. You have to be the one listening to His
voice, and then acting on it. God is going to tell you what He wants you to do
with your life. My role as a pastor is to encourage you to listen to God, help
you to test your promptings with Scripture, use Scripture to open your hearts, pray
for you, and challenge you to be who God wants you to be with your life.
No church will be a healthy church unless the people in the
church are focused on listening to the Holy Spirit and doing what the Spirit
wants them to do with their lives. A church will not receive the blessing that
God wants to give it unless it is filled with people who are trying to be who
God wants them to be. Likewise, a person will not receive the blessing that God
wants to give them unless that person is trying to be who God wants them to be.
Your relationship with God matters.
The desire to know
God rather than adhere to the law. Those are all things we would benefit from
having more of. The question we are all faced with is whether we are going to
continue to grow closer to God throughout our lives or are we going to drift
away. The choice is ours. Whether we will replace relationship with legalism. We
can cling to the Law and die – and our Law can be some other law than even the
Old Testament Law, or we can grow closer to God, learn to listen to the Spirit,
and act upon who He is guiding us to be.
Christian culture will
continue to try and convince us that the way to do that is through following
laws. It's wrong. Laws are not going to get you closer to God. You could be the
most moral person around, yet you could be just as far away from God as the
most immoral person you know. God wants you to be close to Him. He wants you to
acknowledge Him as Lord of your life. There are no laws that if we followed
would bring that about. It only comes through a willing heart, a willingness to
listen, a willingness to let that Spirit lead you, a willingness to act on His
promptings, and a willingness to be different when God wants you to be
different. That's what God wants in our lives. He wants you to say yes to Him.
The law has been fulfilled. The law has been made obsolete. The Holy Spirit has been given to us in its place. May we grow closer to God through our lives. May we not stray into an unhealthy dependence upon laws. May we learn to listen to Him every day of our life.
The law has been fulfilled. The law has been made obsolete. The Holy Spirit has been given to us in its place. May we grow closer to God through our lives. May we not stray into an unhealthy dependence upon laws. May we learn to listen to Him every day of our life.
