As Christians we can have a challenging relationship with the Old Testament Law:
- On the one hand we read passages like the one last Sunday morning from Deuteronomy ch 5, see the 10 commandments and realise that such a clear expression of God’s character is obviously a truth for all of time: it starts in vs 6 by tying everything that follows to “I am the LORD”!
- On the other hand we know the New Testament makes clear that:
“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” (Rom 3:20)
Add the Lord Jesus’ declaration:
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.” (Matt 5:17)
What then are we supposed to do?
We can’t lay out all of the issues here but put simply: when someone treats us with generous grace that we don’t deserve, our relationship with them changes.
As Christians, not only does the Old Testament Law quantify our sinful failure, it shows us how our treatment of God should be:
- The Lord Jesus kept the Old Testament Law perfectly and so seeking to be more like Him means seeking to be disciples who keep God’s Law, not because we have to but because we’re free to. (see Gal 5:13-26)
Last Sunday morning we thought what a world without the 10 commandments would be like. For many around us that’s exactly how it feels. Praise God for the clear boundaries He has given us to live the best lives possible in a broken world. Thank God for Jesus who took the punishment we deserve when we fail.
Spencer Shaw