Believers today and the Old Testament Law

As believers in the new Covenant, our relationship to the Law of the Old Testament is another of the radical tensions of our faith. 

On the one hand, the Law of the Old Covenant has been ‘abolished’ by Jesus ‘blood’ on the Cross (Ephesians 2:13-15). As a rigid system of rules and regulations, it has ended and been done away with (Romans 10:4; Hebrews 10:1-9). Galatians 3:24-25 says that ‘the law was our guardian until Christ came’ and ‘now that faith has come, we are no longer under the guardian’.

On the other hand, God’s Law is also ‘established’ or upheld in the New Covenant (Romans 3:31). Jesus said, “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” (Matthew 5:17, ESV). ‘Fulfil’, translates the Greek word, ‘plēroō’, and means both to ‘end of’ and ‘to fill up’. And we see Jesus filling out the law’s full meaning in his teaching in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 to 7.

Paul shares his own experience of this tension in relation to the law in 1 Corinthians 9:20-21, where he says that on the one hand he 'not under the law’, but, on the other hand he is ‘under the law of Christ’.

'The law of Christ' is Paul’s way of referring to the republishing and fulfilling and giving fullest meaning to the law in the New Testament. We find examples of this republishing and filling out of the law in passages like Matthew chapters 5-7, Ephesians chapter 4-6; John 13:34 and Romans 13:8-10.

A careful look at the New Testament will show that the Ten Commandments are republished and given fullest meaning the New Testament. 

(Below I have listed where the New Testament republishes each of the Ten Commandments.)

The New Testament reveals that the fullest meaning and intention of the law is love. 

Jesus taught that to love God and to love neighbour are the greatest and second greatest commandments, upon which all other commandments depend (Matthew 22:36-40). Mark 12:33-34 commends as wisdom that loving God and neighbour ‘is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices’.

Paul sums it all up, saying; ‘Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:8-10, ESV)

Here are some examples of where the Ten Commandments get referred too and republished in the New Testament:

Commandment 1 - Exodus 20:1-3 - No other gods -1 Corinthians 8:4-6; Acts 14:15.

Commandment 2 - Exodus 20:4-6 - No Idolatry - Galatians. 5:18-21; Romans. 1:22-23; 1 John 5:21.

Commandment 3 – Exodus 20:7 - No blasphemy - James 5:12; 1 Timothy 6:1.

       

Commandment 4 – Exodus 20:8-11 - Sabbath keeping - Matthew 24:20; Colossians 2:16-17.

       

Commandment 5 – Exodus 20:12 - Honour father and mother - Ephesians 6:1-3.

   

Commandment 6 – Exodus 20:13 - No murder - Romans 13:8-10.

Commandment 7 – Exodus 20:14 - No adultery - Romans 13:8-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

       

Commandment 8 – Exodus 20:15 - No stealing- Romans 13:8-10; Ephesians 4:28.

       

Commandment 9 – Exodus 20:16 - No lying - Colossians 3:9; Revelation 21:7,8, 22:15.

       

Commandment 10 – Exodus 20:17 - No coveting  - Romans 13:8-10; Ephesians 5:3, 5.

Are you praying?

Are you praying?

I think that one of the big marks of a genuine conversion is that we begin to pray. I mean more than just saying a prayer or doing a religious ritual action. I mean connecting with God in personal communion. 

The apostle Paul was raised as a strict Pharisee (Philippians 3:5) and he must have said a lot of ritual prayers. But after meeting the Risen Jesus on the Damascus Road, the Lord identified that Paul had changed and become a follower of Jesus by simply saying that he “is praying” (Acts 9:11). This was the sign of the big change. Having met the Risen Christ, Paul, for the first time in his life, was truly communing with God in intimate prayer.

Humanity was made for a personal prayer intimacy with God. 

It is built into what we are and what we are meant to be. 

Without a personal relationship with God, our lives have something huge missing. 

In his quest for the meaning of life, the writer of Ecclesiastes describes this need for God. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 he says that God “has put eternity into man's heart”. Our hearts are designed for something more than what this temporal life can offer. 

King David found this more in God. This greatest of Israel’s kings, who had the best that this life can offer, confessed in Psalms 63:1-3; “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. 3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” 

To know God as “my God”, to “thirst” for Him personally, to behold his “power and glory” and to find that his “love is better than life”; this is the gift and blessing of intimacy with God for which humanity was created.

This prayer intimacy began for Paul when he encountered the Risen Jesus Christ (Acts 9). 

It can begin for us as we allow the Word of God to lead us to put our faith in this Crucified and Risen Jesus Christ.

'Jesus said, ...... "Blessed are those who have not seen (a post-resurrection appearance) and yet have believed.” 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book (John' Gospel); 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.' (John 20:29-31 ESV )

Start reading the Gospel of John and may this testimony lead you to "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."

Live to the glory of God

Worship is more than music, words and services. Of course its important to sing and share and manifest the gifts of the Spirit as we 'come together’ and attend services of worship (1 Corinthians 14:26). 

But worship is also a matter of living every single moment to the glory of God. Romans 12:1 issues the call 'to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.’ 

Everything we do in and with our bodies, should be a part of our ‘spiritual  worship’. This life of worship is to be our grateful response to the gospel, which Paul has expounded in detail for eleven chapters of his letter to the Romans and which he summaries in Romans12:1 as 'the mercies of God’. 

Because God in Christ has been merciful in coming himself to pay the penalty for our sins and then rise from the dead to justify us through faith in Jesus as Lord (Romans 3:21-26; 10:9), we should want to say thank you by the way we live the rest of our lives on earth, in the body, as ‘a living sacrifice’ of ‘spiritual worship’.

Paul develops this idea of living to the glory of God in his first letter to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says; ‘Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.’ 

There it is again, worship is the outcome of the impact of the gospel. Because 'you were bought with a price' by Jesus death as a ‘ransom’ (Mark 10:45), you should respond and ‘glorify God in your body.’ 

And this life of living to the glory of God is possible because the indwelling Holy Spirit has turned your body into ‘a temple’. You are walking ‘worship centre’, a carrier of the presence of God. 

Enabled by the perpetual presence of the Holy Spirit ‘within you’, every part and moment of your life can become worship. 

1 Corinthians 10:31 sums this all up saying; 'So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.’ 

That’s the goal of the gospel, to orientate our lives around God so that we live to his praise and glory, now and forever. Amen.

What about healing?

Matthew 4:23 summarizes Jesus ministry as 'teaching and healing': 

'And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people' (ESV).

In Matthew 5-7 we get a great summary of His teaching, and in  Matthew 8-9 there is a record of His healing works.

As I write this, I am recovering from a cold and I can't wait to be back to full health again. I want to get as much healing as I can.

There is what might be called NATURAL healing, which is built into creation and discovered by wisdom and medical science.

We can detect hints of this in various Scriptures where natural, medical remedies are mentioned. In 2 Kings 20:1-7, King Hezekiah's healing involved the application of "a cake of figs" (v7). In 1 Timothy 5:23, the Apostle Paul advises Timothy to "use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments".

Natural wisdom also hints at health through prevention. Scripture says no to greed (Pr. 23:2; 25:16; 1 Cor. 5:11; Phil. 3:19), no to worry (Mt. 6:25-34) and yes to "some" bodily exercise (1 Tim. 4:8).In other words, don't abuse your body and mind and hope God will just miraculously keep you well. Live in line with health.

The laws of the Old Testament include health though hygiene and the prevention of infection.

Dr D.T. Atkinson notes in Magic, Myth and Medicine: "In the Bible, greater stress was placed upon prevention of disease than was given to the treatment of bodily ailments, and in this no race of people, before or since, has left us such a wealth of laws relative to hygiene and sanitation as the Hebrews. These important laws, coming down through the ages, are still used to a marked degree in every country in the world sufficiently enlightened to observe them. One has but to read the book of Leviticus carefully and thoughtfully to conclude that the admonitions of Moses contained therein are, in fact, the groundwork of most of today's sanitary laws. As one closes the book, he must, regardless of his spiritual leanings, feel that the wisdom therein expressed regarding the rules to protect health is superior to any which then existed in the world and that to this day they have been little improved upon."

Sadly there's a limit to the health and healing available in fallen nature, healthy living and what medical science can do.

Thankfully there is also SUPERNATURAL healing  by Jesus, by His Spirit and through His Church. It's all over the Gospels and Acts.

(I will look at the supernatural dimension of healing in a later post.)

Equipping Course

In recent days Julie and I have sensed a desire to be involved in helping equip believers for  a more active ministry in God's Kingdom.

We are basically aiming to offer new people at Christian Life Camps Bay an equipping experience on an eight week course, called Equipping, which I have just finished writing.

Here is a look at the course outline:

Equipping in ...

1. Gospel Grace
2. Radical Balance
3. Bible Truth
4. Spirit Prayer
5. Prophetic Gifting
6. Hearing God
7. Healing Ministry
8. Following Jesus

We are going to follow a sort of Alpha structure for the course with a meal, worship, teaching and group question time or a ministry time focusing on the personal prayer gift of tongues, hearing God for prophetic ministry and a model of healing prayer.

I feel that God is raising up an 'army', as it were, and Ezekiel 37:10 has been speaking to me. It says that 'the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.'

We will be running this course for eight Tuesdays from the 8th August to the 26th September 2017.

We'd love you to join us.

It's not just all about me

In Numbers 32, we read of how two and a half of the tribes want an inheritance outside the Land (v1-5) . But Moses says they can only have it if they first go into the Land and help their brothers and sisters also get their inheritance. (Read verses 6-7, 17-18)

It's not just all about me and mine, my family, my salvation, my prosperity, my blessing.  

It's about US, all God's people getting their inheritance in and from God.

So what can I do today to help someone else inherit in God?

(See this challenge expressed in 1 Cor. 11:12-26)

10 Days of Prayer for Pentecost 2017

Following the practice that started in the great South African revival of 1860, we are calling Christian Life Camps Bay to 10 Days of Prayer before Pentecost Sunday, and this will be from Ascension Day, 25th May to Pentecost Sunday 4th June 2017.

We are calling for special personal times of prayer to be set aside each day as we call on God for a fresh Pentecost.

Check out this blog for guidance regarding how and what to pray.

During these 10 Days we will hold the following times of corporate prayer:

• Thursday 25th May during our 9:00am Ascension Day Service.

• Sunday 28th May during our 9:00am Service 

• Sunday 28th May at our 6:00pm Church Prayer Meeting

Our normal mid-week small group meetings will include a special focus on prayer.

We also call on church friends and members to consider fasting during this time of prayer.

Please Note:

If you are pregnant, on medication, have any long form of illness, or have any reason not to fast, please do not fast. Or please do not undertake any kind of food or drink fast without the agreement of your doctor. Other kinds of fast are available to you, like abstaining from luxuries, TV, Facebook and the like.

Because fasting is meant to be a "secret" thing between the believer and the Heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16-18), we are suggesting that each one of us consult the Holy Spirit and decide if and how we will personally respond to this call to fast. Believers need to be led into fasting by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 4:1-2). The New Testament assumes fasting (Matthew 6:16-18; Matthew 9:15) but never commands us to fast.

For those new to fasting it may be wise to start with a short one day fast and this could involve missing breakfast and lunch. Do drink water or liquids. You might like to choose Wednesday for your day of fasting.

'In Bible times, fasts were generally one day in length (Judges 20:26). In Old Testament times the Israelites were required to fast annually on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29; 23:29). There were also other special fast days in which the entire nation of Israel humbled themselves before God (1 Sam. 7:5-6; Jer. 14:12).'

'Occasionally, fasts in Bible times were three days (Esther 4:16; Acts 9:9) or even seven days (1 Samuel 31:13). And on three occasions, fasts lasted 40 days: Moses receiving the 10 Commandments (Exodus 34:28), Elijah encountering God (1 Kings 19:8), and Jesus while being tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4). Since these were unusual circumstances, it is normally not recommended for a person to fast longer periods of time up to a maximum of 40 days without medical supervision.' (I am quoting here but have forgotten the source.)

Fasting mostly means abstaining from food and drinking water. In exceptional circumstances, some people abstained from both food and water (Esther 4:16; Acts 9:9) but this is very dangerous and one needs to be do this sort of fast with medical advice.

Fasting for longer than a day is for those with greater experience of fasting. This would mean abstaining from food but drinking liquids. And it is advised that these longer fasts be done with medical supervision.

(More information on how to pray during the 10 days will follow soon)