Christianity is under the New Covenant, but the laws of the Old Covenant have always been SEPARATE from the Old Covenant itself, and still valid. Otherwise, for example, Old Covenant/Old Testament prohibited incestuous sex/marriages, legal in some countries, which produce a higher percentage of terribly deformed children, and using our Creator’s name disrespectfully would no longer be sinful. Part of the Old Covenant also contained laws PROHIBITING sex with animals (bestiality), arson, membership in vandalizing mobs, bribery, convicting a son for a crime his father committed, removal of property landmarks, placing stumbling blocks in front of the blind, the failure to cover deep holes that could, for example, break a cow’s leg, eating unclean armadillos that often carry leprosy, eating unclean monkeys that sometimes are infected with the often fatal Ebola virus, and eating unclean oysters, which always contain a certain amount of potentially flesh eating Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, harmfully hitting pregnant women, and other essential common sense laws that make society decent, safe, and healthy. These and many other Old Testament laws are not specifically mentioned in the New Testament quite probably because the Apostles considered it unnecessarily redundant to repeat them again since they were already in the quite regularly read Old Testament. Do you really think that God has DRASTICALLY lowered His standards to now permit such heinous, nasty, highly injurious behavior? No, silly, of course He hasn’t, a dozen times over. Despite what your trusted, impressive, well credentialed minister says, most of the law keeping part of the Old Covenant continues to still be quite valid. Also, if the food and Feast of Tabernacles laws were abolished, then Isaiah, who successfully predicted 685 years in advance that our Savior would come from a virgin, lied to us in his Isaiah 66:17 prophesy warning that those who ate pig meat in the distant future would be destroyed, and Zechariah lied to us when he prophesied in Zechariah 14:16-19 that a curse will be placed on any nation that does not observe that feast in the future. If all Old Testament laws really have been annulled, then Micah, who successfully predicted 700 years in advance that Jesus Christ would be born in Bethlehem, in Micah 4:1-3 and Jeremiah in Jeremiah 31:31,33,34 also lied to us when they predicted basically that all Christians in the distant future will be expected to obey the law. It is highly unlikely, of course, that any of these great prophets lied. It is even more unlikely that all of them lied to us. Since their prophecies came true, their predictions about the future then are not to be taken lightly. The Old Covenant was an AGREEMENT, CONTRACT, or PROMISE between God and Israel to merely protect and prosper them if and only if they obeyed His laws. The Apostles revealed that the circumcision, sacrifice, and Levitical priesthood laws, though, have been annulled. The “newness” of the New Covenant consists primarily of much better, priceless promises such as the gift of the Holy Spirit, forgiveness of sin, and immortality, besides protection and prosperity.
Some laws have even been expanded. For example, the commandment to not commit adultery has now been magnified so that merely lustfully focusing your eyes on a strange, devastatingly beautiful woman is a serious, potentially fatal sin. The Apostles explained that ONLY the specifically identified sacrifice, circumcision, and Levitical priesthood laws were annulled, as well as the eternal death penalty for repentant, law keeping Christians. The Ten Commandments and other laws were a part of the Old Covenant. Why do 13 verses in the New Testament repeatedly warn Christians to continue obeying the Ten Commandments to gain immortality later if that part of the Old Covenant has been abolished? Answer: That part, quite obviously, has not been annulled. The very small number of 4 now irrelevant laws above have been REMOVED, and the fabulous, major gifts of
1) the Holy Spirit,
2) complete forgiveness of sin, and
3) immortality
have been ADDED or PROMISED to righteous, repentant Christians. These three gifts never were available in the Old Covenant except for people like Noah, Moses, the prophets, Abraham, king David, and so on.
Romans 7:7,12: “…… I wouldn’t have known sin except through the law. For I wouldn’t have known coveting, unless the law had said ‘You shall not covet.’ 12 Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good.” WEB The law is a necessary guide as to what is bad so that we can identify evil and then try to avoid and prevent it from happening in our lives.
Exodus 19: 1-6,8: “…… after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that same day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 …… they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain. 3 Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him out of the mountain, saying, ‘This is what you shall tell the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: 4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I …… brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine. 6 And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.’ ” WEB
Note that in the above or other Exodus verses NOTHING is promised or even mentioned about eternal life, the Holy Spirit, or the forgiveness of sins. Even more importantly, the above words “OBEY MY VOICE” show that obedience to what the Lord says to do is additional, supplemental to and separate from the command to “KEEP MY COVENANT.” God’s laws are separate from His covenants. His covenants are like agreements in which one or more promises will be fulfilled only after the first or performance part of the covenant has occurred, which is obedience to His laws in the case of Biblical covenants. In the first or Old Covenant the Lord promised only national protection, prosperity, and making Israel His special treasure as a model for other nations to imitate.
Ezekiel 18:4: “…… The soul who sins, he shall DIE.” Ezekiel 18:20: “The soul who sins, he shall DIE ……” WEB DEATH, DEATH, DEATH FOR BREAKING GOD’S LAWS, NOT FORGIVENESS, WAS THE MINDSET OF THE OLD COVENANT.
Numbers 15: 32-36, for example, illustrates this well. A man was caught picking up sticks, probably for firewood, during Sabbath hours. Regardless of his excuse for the sin if he had any, or repentance of it, he was later mercilessly stoned to death.
2 Corinthians 3:6-9,11-13: “who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. 7 But if the MINISTRY OF DEATH, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the MINISTRY OF CONDEMNATION had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. ……” NKJV 11 “For if that which passes away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. 12 Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech, 13 and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face, that the children of Israel wouldn’t look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away. WEB
The “ministry of death and condemnation” refers to the Old Covenant’s required death penalty for sins that has now been abolished, but abolished only for repentant, law keeping, converted Christians (Romans 8:2: “…… Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death.” WEB) The old ministry of death and condemnation refers ONLY to the now annulled penalty part, the death part, of the Ten Commandments and other Mosaic laws, NOT the Ten Commandments and other laws themselves. Remember, penitentiaries and jails did not exist in ancient Israel. Mercy and forgiveness were not a part of the Old Covenant. Old Covenant law violators (sinners) were simply killed, apparently by stoning, in accordance with the death penalty for serious sins, and lesser offenses were punished by fines or by other physical compensation. There were no juvenile delinquents in ancient Israel because those commandment breakers were simply stoned to death since the Old Covenant REQUIRED the automatic, “heartless” death penalty, EVEN IF THOSE SINNERS FERVENTLY REPENTED OF THEIR SINS!! That is why the Old Covenant, which lacked the New Covenant’s gift of forgiving sins, is described as a ministry of death and condemnation. The Ten Commandments and other Mosaic laws remain intact within the New Covenant, but the Apostles did explain that the sacrifice, circumcision, Levitical priesthood, and death penalty laws have been annulled. The attempt itself to obey Old Covenant laws DID NOT BRING ON DEATH AND CONDEMNATION.
The HOLY SPIRIT is promised to be given to those, and only to those who repent of breaking God’s laws and then begin OBEYING God’s laws according to the following verse:
ACTS 2:38: “Peter said to them, “REPENT, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” WEB
ACTS 2:38: “Peter replied, ‘All of you MUST STOP BREAKING GOD’S LAWS AND START OBEYING THEM and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then your sins will be forgiven. You will receive the gift of the HOLY SPIRIT‘” (an unofficial but more understandable translation). Specifically, what laws do Christians need to start obeying? Answer: God’s laws INCLUDE the protective dietary laws, the mostly predictive festivals, Saturday rest, and the enriching tithing laws.
The Greek for “SINS” refers to anomia, defined as breaking mostly OT laws. “Repent” means EXACTLY the same as STOP BREAKING BIBLICAL LAWS AND START OBEYING THEM.
Hebrews 8:6,8,10: “But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry, by so much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant, which on BETTER PROMISES has been given as law …… 8 …… ‘Behold, the days come,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;’ …… 10 ‘For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel. After those days,’ says the Lord; ‘I will put MY LAWS into their mind, I will also write them on their heart. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’ ” WEB The original Greek for LAWS here and in the following verses is nomos, which refers to the first 5 books in the Old Testament where the Mosaic laws are listed.
Hebrews 9:15: “…… he is the mediator of a new covenant, since a death has occurred for the redemption of the TRANSGRESSIONS that were under the first covenant, that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” WEB
The word “transgressions” means violations of pre-existing laws in the first covenant. If those violations were so bad that Jesus Christ had TO DIE to atone for, to get rid of those transgressions, then those laws must still be valid and in full force, otherwise there would have been no need for Jesus to sacrifice His life. Which would have been easier, to get rid of the laws or to get rid of the precious life of Jesus? God the Father and Jesus Both decided that it would be easier or better for Jesus to die, very briefly, though, of course, for sinners to atone for their transgressions, instead of scrapping the holy laws that give and protect life and dignity.
THINK!!
It would have been GROTESQUELY IRONIC, SUPREMELY NONSENSICAL, LUDICROUSLY ILLOGICAL, AND MASSIVELY WASTEFUL for our Savior Jesus to experience the infinitely gargantuan insult and embarrassment of temporarily dying for our transgressions of laws (specifically the Mosaic laws) IF THEY HAD BEEN ABOLISHED, OR WOULD NO LONGER EXIST. In such a situation Jesus’ death would have been a complete waste of time. Only the Mosaic laws were the main laws in existence at the time of His sacrifice. So those Mosaic laws MOST CERTAINLY MUST still be in full force.
Remember, the Greek word for “law” in the Bible overwhelmingly REALLY DOES refer to the Mosaic laws in the first 5 books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), which include the food and mostly prophetic festival laws. The following verses remind us of what Jeremiah prophesied long ago.
Hebrews 10:15-17: “The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, 16 ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them: ‘After those days,’ says the Lord, ‘I WILL PUT MY LAWS ON THEIR HEART, I WILL ALSO WRITE THEM ON THEIR MIND;’ 17 then he says, ‘I will remember their sins and their iniquities no more.’ ” WEB
Jeremiah 31:31,33,34: “Behold, the days come,” says Yahweh, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 33 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says Yahweh: “I will put MY LAW in their inward parts, and I will write it in their heart. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 …… for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” WEB Instead of “abolishing” the law, God will place it or emphasize it in the minds of Christians, according to Jeremiah, apparently with the assistance of the peacefulness, love, and humility of the Holy Spirit. By incorrectly teaching that many or all of the Old Testament laws have been annulled in the New Covenant, mainstream Christianity has labeled Jeremiah a liar.
Remember also, that both Isaiah and Micah predicted that after the return of Jesus Christ, the law would eventually be taught to everyone around the world. It is ridiculously unreasonable to think that God would annul the law for thousands of years after Jesus died, then confusingly re-establish it after Our Savior came back.
Isaiah 2:2,3,4: “It shall happen in the latter days, that the mountain of Yahweh’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains …… and all nations shall flow to it. 3 Many peoples shall go and say, ‘Come, let’s go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.’ For THE LAW shall go out of Zion, and Yahweh’s word from Jerusalem. 4 …… Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” WEB The words “mountain of the Lord” mean the theocratic government of the Lord. After nuclear World War III Jesus will return to save humanity from itself, then the 1,000 year Millennium will begin, and the Mosaic law will be preached from Jerusalem for EVERYONE to obey.
Micah 4:1-3: “ But in the latter days, it will happen that the mountain of Yahweh’s temple will be established on the top of the mountains …… and peoples will stream to it. 2 MANY NATIONS will go and say, “Come! Let’s go up to the mountain of Yahweh, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For THE LAW will go out of Zion, and Yahweh’s word from Jerusalem; 3 …… neither will they learn war any more. WEB These verses refer to the distant future, a time that has not yet arrived. So every prophesy of Isaiah and Micah needs to be believed, including the ones predicting worldwide Mosaic law keeping by everyone in the future.