Sorry this is a week late, here are some of my musings as I sought to answer so pretty tough questions.
Q & A
1. Why are only certain commandments from the old testament
relevant for today, but not all of them?
Check Out: Matthew 5:17-20;
Galatians 2:11-12; 3:24-25; 5:1, 14-6:1; Romans 7:6; Hebrews 8:13; 2
Corinthians 3:6-11
As we look at the Old
Testament Laws and commandments, it is good to remember that Old Testament
means “old covenant.” As Christians, we call it “Old” as in “first” or “former”
covenant, because of the New Covenant in Christ. The first covenant was
insufficient and therefore God decreed the new covenant. When Christ came, He
said He did not come “to abolish the old covenant, but to fulfill it.”
The first covenant revealed
the law of God, His commandments for right standing and worship of Him, and
expectation on the creation. These are best summarized as the Civil Law, the
Ceremonial Law, the Dietary Law, and the Moral Law.
In the Old Testament, we see
that God calls out a people group, the Israelites, to be a nation unto Himself.
They were to be an ethnic and religious state; therefore the Civil Law was
given on how to govern a nation and how to punish crimes against God and the
state.
The Ceremonial Law was given
to govern the worship of God. The sacrificial system and temple worship orders
were given for a sinful people to know the proper way to approach God. These
laws demonstrated that people must come to God on His terms, not their own, and
they pointed to something greater than themselves, the Lord Jesus.
The Dietary Laws were given
to set the people apart from the nations. These Kosher laws were strict and
preventative, but did cause the Israelites to stand out in their communities.
Consider the story of Daniel and his 3 friends.
The Moral Law is based on
the immutable characteristics of God, meaning they do not change and are
relevant for all time. Consider the 10 commandments.
The purse of the Law was to
be guardian, a teacher, to demonstrate Israel’s (and our) need for a Savior.
Just like Israel, we cannot keep the law on our own. We all fail at some point,
making us transgressors of the law. God knew that we would need a champion to
come to our rescue. Thus, Jesus entered into the story, God Himself took on
human flesh, and fulfilled the Law completely. In His life, death, burial and
resurrection, Jesus fulfilled all the Law and the prophets and set us free from
the Law.
So when we look at the Civil
Law of the OT, we see that after Jesus’ resurrection, the Church was
established, not as a political state, but as a religious movement that is to
submit to the local government they are under. Therefore the Civil Law does not
apply directly to the Church, although many of the principals and patterns
given in the OT Civil Law influence our Laws. One day, Jesus will return and
establish His kingdom on earth in complete fulfillment of the Civil Law.
The Ceremonial Law was a
system of sacrifice that pointed to Jesus. Jesus’ death on the cross was a
“once and for all time” sacrifice, never needing to be repeated. He is the one
mediator we need for direct access to the Father, therefore there is not need
for the OT priesthood and ceremonial system.
The Dietary Laws were put
aside when Jesus said that all foods are not clean (Mark 7:19; Acts 10).
The Moral Law has been
fulfilled in Christ but is still relevant for us today. As God commands us to
be holy as He is holy.
“Now, even though we still
defend the moral laws of the Old Testament, we have to keep in mind that Jesus
fulfilled it all. The Christian is not under obligation to keep the moral law
as a way of earning her way to God. Instead, she is changed by the presence of
God’s Spirit to desire to keep God’s laws. Because God isn’t just after
obedience; he’s after a whole new kind of obedience, an obedience that comes
from love and delight in God. Christians keep the moral commands, not because
“it’s the law,” but because they love God and want to be like him.” – J.D.
Greear
The Moral Law still pertains
to daily life and is the measure that God will hold us to. Those that are in
Christ know that they cannot earn God’s favor by trying to keep the moral law
on their own, but out of love for Jesus seek to follow His pattern. It is the
moral law of God that Christians look to in order to understand the purpose and
value of life, the proper view of marriage, sex, business, family, work, etc.
2. If all sin is the same, then why do people act like some are
way worse than others? Even God when he distributes worse or lesser
punishments.
Yes and No.
Yes, sin is all the same in
that anyone who breaks one of God’s Laws is guilty of all (James 2:10; Rom
3:23). I like to understand it as we are all in the same boat. No matter what
sin someone commits, they are in the sinners boat. As a matter of fact, we are
all born in the sinners’ boat. We are all on equal footing before God as
sinners, big or small.
No, all sins are not the
same in their heinousness and offensiveness to God. Now all sins offend God and
are worthy of judgment, but some carry more weight and receive greater judgment
in this life and the next.
a. Proximity: What would hurt you more, a stranger wronging
your or your best friend wronging you? The best friend, right? Why? Because the
closeness of relationships brings a higher expectation. Similarly, the more we
know God and know about His Word, the more we will be held in account for.
“Jesus did say, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded”
(Luke 12:47-48). The more revelation we have about God, the more responsible we
are to God.” - Marty Foord
b. Intentions: The Bible distinguishes between the intents of
the heart (Hebrews 4:12). We are all sinners, it’s part of our fallen state.
Therefore, there are times we sin and don’t even realize it, yet there are
other times we know what we are doing and choose to sin. Perhaps we recognize
it the most in children, when we say don’t do something, they look at us and
defiantly do the opposite of what we say. “The OT Law meted out lesser
punishments for a person who sins “unintentionally”, and greater punishments
for those who sinned “defiantly” (Numr 15:27-31).” - Marty Foord
c. Influence: The greater the sin the more effect it will have
on everyone in proximity to the sinner. Our sin is never in a vacuum. It will
affect and influence all those around us. Our private sins of the heart and
mind may seem like they don’t affect anyone else, but those sins change the way
you think about and care for others. The more public your sinning is, the more
it influences others to do the same, or causes them harm. Thus, “James can say
about preachers: Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers,
because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. (James 3:1,
NIV).” - Marty Foord
Yes, there is a distinction
between sins. They are not all the same in that some are more offensive to God,
some do more harm to others, some have heavier consequences, and some hurt your
relationship with God. Yes, all sins are the same in the fact that they are all
offensive to God and make us all sinners before God. They are also all the same
in that the blood of Jesus Christ is enough to cover them, when we repent and
believe.
It would do us no good to
list out the sins based on how offensive they are to God or to us. I think it
is best to think of it in the sense of proximity to God, the intentions of the
heart and the influence it has on others. Even in all the lists of the Bible,
it becomes clear that only one sin will condemn someone to hell, and that is
unbelief.
3. How to disagree?
I found some practical helps
from KidsHealth.org, to go along with some Scriptures and personal thoughts for
this question.
a. Don't make it personal. If you get upset, it can help to
remember you're mad at the idea or concept your parent (or friend, coach,
coworker, etc.) is raising, not the person.
Ephesians 6:12
[12] For we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly places. (ESV)
Paul reminds us it’s not the
person we are wrestling against, it is a spiritual warfare. Sin is in the world
and is our greatest enemy, it does harm to all of our relationships. We have a
real enemy who wants to destroy our relationships. Keep an eye on the big
picture.
b. Avoid putting down the other person's ideas and beliefs. If
you've ever been on the receiving end of someone's tirade or put-downs, you
know how valuable using respectful language and behavior can be. So instead of
saying what you might be thinking ("That's a stupid idea!"), try:
"I don't agree, and here's why." Resist the temptation to yell, use
sarcasm, or make derogatory comments and you'll have a much better chance of
getting your point across.
1 Peter 3:15
but in your hearts honor
Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who
asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness
and respect,
Seek to be Christ-like in
your disagreements, that means being gentle, compassionate and respectful.
Really listen and hear what they are saying to you. Finding common ground to
build from will help when discussing the differences.
c. Use "I" statements to communicate how you feel,
what you think, and what you want or need. Using "you" statements can
sound argumentative. For example, telling your mom or dad, "You always
remind me about my chores on Wednesdays when you know I have a lot of homework"
has a very different tone from "I'm feeling pressured because I have a lot
of homework tonight. Can I do those chores tomorrow?"
Matthew 7:3–5
[3] Why do you see the speck
that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own
eye? [4] Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your
eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? [5] You hypocrite, first take the
log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of
your brother's eye. (ESV)
Begin with yourself before
you point fingers. Ask yourself, “How did I contribute to this dispute? How did
I wrong this person?” When you can answer these questions, and begin your
dispute with “I wronged you when I did this, will you forgive me?” you will be
shocked at how different the argument goes.
d. Listen to the other point of view. Being a good listener is
a way of showing that you respect and understand the other person's
perspective. That makes it more likely he or she will do the same for you. When
the other person is talking, try to stop yourself from thinking about why you
disagree or what you'll say next. Instead, focus on what's being said. When
it's your turn to talk, repeat any key points the other person made to show you
listened and heard what was said. Then calmly present your case and why you
disagree.
James 1:19–20
[19] Know this, my beloved
brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; [20]
for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (ESV)
Often times our disputes are
the results of not hearing each other. Learning to listen and asking clarifying
questions will stave off many arguments.
d. Stay calm. This is the most important thing you can do to
keep a conversation on track. Of course, it's a huge challenge to stay calm and
rational when you feel angry or passionate about something — especially if the
person you're talking to gets heated. You may need to be the mature one who
manages the conversation, even if the other person is a parent or someone who
should know better.
Romans 12:18
If possible, so far as it
depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Learning to control your
emotions and making peace a priority helps. Keeping the peace does not mean to
overlook sin. Sin will always lead to more harm and needs to be dealt with. But
our emotions are not always trustworthy. I like to say, feelings are fickle. In
an argument or disagreement, you need to keep an eye on your emotions. I have
noticed that when I am assured of my point of view, I am calmer and can ask
more questions to bring others along. When I am insecure in my point of view, I
become more defensive and emotional. Asking myself internal questions like,
“why am I so upset by this?” can help you understand yourself.
After following these 5
steps, understand that fights are going to happen. We will fail at some point
and lose our cool. The important thing is to learn from it, and seek to grow as
a communicator and a peacemaker.
Matthew 5:9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall
be called sons of God. (ESV)
4. How did evil come into the world? Didn't God create
everything, so why would he make evil for us?
This is perhaps one of the
hardest questions to answer because at some level we can’t fully explain the
answer. We cannot know the Why questions, like “why did Adam choose to eat the
fruit?” or “why did Satan choose to rebel the first time?” All we can know is
what the Bible reveals to us about God, the beginnings and sin entering the
world.
Genesis 1 reveals to us that
God is the Creator and everything that He created was good, very good. He
created Adam without sin and placed him in a garden without sin (Genesis 3). It
was the ideal situation to live in close proximity to God. God gave Adam one
rule, just one, and that was that there was only one tree he was not allowed to
eat from, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
In placing this tree and
giving Adam a choice, we learn that Adam was a moral being with a free choice.
Although Adam was created good, and was in a good garden, he was not perfectly
holy. He was created without sin, but when faced with a choice he could choose
sin.
Only one thing did God say
was not good in creation, and that was Adam being alone. God knew that he made
Adam a relational being, but there were no other humans for Adam to relate to.
God saw Adam’s need and made Eve from Adam’s rib to complete him.
The story continues that
these two were in the Garden of Eden when a serpent began speaking to Eve.
Enticing her to eat the forbidden fruit. Wait a second…who is this serpent,
where did he come from and why is he tempting them? The Genesis account speaks
to us as if the answers to those questions are understood.
The serpent is Satan and he
has already fallen into sin. Satan is a created being, who was also created
good. We learn something about angels in this story, as they are moral beings
and were given a choice. Satan became puffed up with pride and wanted to usurp
the throne of God. God cast him out of his position in heaven and he has been
plaguing the earth since.
As the serpent, Satan cast
doubt on God’s Word. He cast doubt on God’s protection of Adam and Eve. He cast
doubt on God’s provision for Adam and Eve. Satan made it seem like God was
withholding the best stuff from Adam and Eve. And so they ate.
Sin, evil entered the world
at that time.
What we learn is this, God
is good, He is holy, and there is no evil with in Him.
James 1:13–14
“Let no one say when he is
tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and
he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and
enticed by his own desire.”
God cannot sin and He will
not cause anyone to sin.
The creature, created good,
chose to sin. The creature brought evil into the world. The creature used a
good power, called free will, to choose sin. God could have created the world
without free will, but then all creatures would be programmed. Free will allows
for the free choice to love. A relationship would be void if there was no power
to choose to love. By creating moral
beings who have a free will, God invites us to into a relationship with Him,
but He won’t make us. He invites us and calls us. The enemy is tempting us away
from God. The choice is ours. Will we trust God and the love of Jesus Christ or
will we listen to the temptation of the enemy?
