Laws of Jesus

So does the Mosaic Covenant still stand? Certainly not for a Christian, because we are governed by a better covenant enacted on better promises. Also:

“By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.” (Hebrews 8:13 NIV)

So if the Mosaic Covenant is now obsolete, what of the Torah? Is that obsolete too? No, because … and this may be a surprise to some … the Mosaic Covenant is not the Torah.

The Mosaic Covenant is the agreement that God had with His people, that they should follow his instructions (Torah) and they would become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6). The covenant is all about keeping the Torah, not the Torah itself. So, if the covenant goes, the Torah still remains. This is a really misunderstood fact! This is the cause of all that fear from Christians who encounter that loaded phrase, “Hebrew Roots” and think they are about to be dragged into a jungle of legalism and strangled by roots. There is nothing to fear from the Torah (or the Hebrew Roots understood properly), it has nothing to do with the covenant you have with God through Jesus.

Perhaps a good way to explain this is in the world of computing. When you upgrade your Microsoft Office software, you are making the old version obsolete. But you are not making your PC obsolete, the same PC will be used to run the upgraded version, though it may need to be upgraded with more memory and a faster processor. In the same way, when the Mosaic covenant was upgraded to a better covenant, the New Covenant, the engine room of the covenant, the Torah, was still in place, though in an upgraded state (with not all laws still applicable).

We have been given an upgrade. Rejoice!

So, to summarise, the Torah still stands for Christians. Shock, horror! No this doesn’t mean we stone adulterers and those who disrespect the Sabbath or follow many of the 613 laws God gave through Moses that do not apply to Gentile Christians living in the 21^st Century.

The Torah that stands I have called the Jesus Torah, the laws either created or endorsed by Jesus in his teachings in the Gospels. Yes, there are laws to follow in the New Testament and they were put there for a purpose. Here’s what he has to say about this:

“Do not think that I came to do away with, or to bring an incorrect interpretation to, the Torah or the Prophets: I did not come to do away with but to bring spiritual abundance, for the Torah to be obeyed as it should be and God’s promises to receive fulfillment. For truly I say to you: until the sky and the Earth would pass away, not one yod or one vav could ever pass away from the Torah, until everything would come to pass.” (Matthew 5:17-18 ONMB)

Taking this at face value, Jesus is not going to change the Torah, but he was going to enhance it. Here are a couple of examples that are going to be familiar to you:

“You heard that it was said, ‘You will not commit adultery.’ But I am saying to you that everyone who looks at a woman with desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28 ONMB)

“You heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you to not stand against the evil person: but who strikes you in your right cheek, you must at once also turn the other to him: and to the one who wishes to sue you and to take your tunic, you must also let him have your cloak: and who will force you one mile, you must now go two with him. And to the one who asks you, you must give, and do not resist the one wanting to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:38-42 ONMB)

You can see the pattern. The Torah of Moses declares that, but now I say this. What we have is the Jesus Torah, which is the original one processed according to that prophecy in Jeremiah 31:33:

“I will put My Torah (Teaching) in their inward parts and write it in their hearts … “

This is an extract from the book, Livin’ the Life, available for £10 at https://www.sppublishing.com/livin-the-life-151-p.asp

Did Jesus abolish the Law?