From: Leo_W@QM.CIRCA.UFL.EDU (Leo W)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.christia
Subject: Re>Help I am confuddled
Date: 7 Oct 92 17:54:25 GMT
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Dave wrote concerning the different attitudes towards keeping the OT laws in
the NT, as evidenced in the Gospels and Epistles.

He wrote: "At the Sermon on the Mount (Mat 5: something or other, I think)
Jesus says that we are to keep all of the Law, and teach others to do the
same."

The Apostle Paul points out that "Christ became a servant of the Jews.  This
was to show that God's promises to the Jewish ancestors are true.  And he also
did this so that the non-Jews could give glory to God for the mercy he gives to
them" (Romans 15:8,9).

Although Christ's death, burial, resurrection, and ascension make void a
continuation of the Old Covenant Jewish temple sacrifices, it does not void the
other Laws which the chosen nation will obey under the New Covenant.  As Dave
pointed out, the Law of Moses will be strictly enforced as never before when
the New Covenant goes into operation during the kingdom of heaven (Matthew
5:17-30).  Consider the foreshadowing of this kingdom's law enforcement in Acts
5 and also Isaiah 66:19-24.

Dave then wrote about the differences between the Apostles regarding keeping
the Law.  Part of this difference is that in the Pentecostal economy there were
two different groups of Apostles:

"God gave Peter the work of telling the Good News to the Jews.  But God gave me
the work of telling the Good News to the non-Jewish people.  God gave Peter the
power to work as an apostle for the Jewish people.  But he also gave me the
power to work as an apostle for those who are not Jews.  James, Peter, and
John, who seemed to be the leaders, saw that God had given me this special
grace.  So they accepted Barnabas and me.  They said, "Paul and Barnabas, we
agree that you should go to the people who are not Jews.  We will go to the
Jews" (Galatians 2:7-9).

Since the Gentiles, or non-Jews, were never given the Law, but the Jews were,
then this difference about Law-keeping is to be expected in the respective
Pentecostal ministries.  The Twelve Apostles were promised twelve thrones on
which to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.  They were the apostles of the
circumcision.  Paul on the other hand was commissioned separately from the
Twelve to be the Apostle of the Gentiles, and not unexpectedly he defends and
magnifies his peculiar office in almost every epistle.

Since others have mentioned the Dogma of Acts 15:20-21, there is another reason
for differences in the epistles concerning Law-keeping, and that is the
position of Israel in the Acts church, versus the non-position of Israel in the
post-Acts church.

During Acts, the Apostle Paul wrote in accordance with the Acts 15 Dogma that
since the Gentiles were grafted onto Israel and made partakers of Israel's
blessings, they should love the natural branches and avoid doing things that
would turn them away from Christ.  Although the Gentiles were not under the
Law, and the Acts 15 Dogma makes this clear, getting Israel to repent as the
chosen nation and channel of world blessing was the main thrust of the Acts
ministry.  The Apostle Paul even states:

"When the Jews fell, did that fall destroy them?  No!  But their mistake
brought salvation to the non-Jews.  This took place to cause the Jews to be
jealous" (Romans 11:11).

The reason for the inclusion of the Gentiles in the Acts church was to provoke
unbelieving Jews -- to provoke them to search and see and believe in Christ
Jesus!  In view of this purpose for having Gentiles in the Acts church, how
could any Apostle let them do whatever they wanted without concern for the
witness to Israel?  This is the reason for a little tiny bit of Law keeping in
the Acts church, even among Gentiles.

After Acts, however, the Apostle Paul wrote clearly (IMHO) that the Acts 15
Dogma had been nullified (Ephesians & Colossians).  The reason of course being
the temporary setting aside of Israel (that generation, Jesse), the tree of
which all branches in the Pentecostal church had been feeding from (Acts
28:28).  With Israel no longer having a special position, the Apostle Paul
wrote about a church connected with Christ's promise in the heavenly places in
glory, instead of one connected with Abraham's promise on the earth.  In the
heavenly places there is no Law of Moses, no chosen nation being specially
ministered to, and no Jews as such.  It is only in these post-Acts prison
epistles of Paul that we read nothing of Israel's ancestors and the promises
made to them, but we read only of Christ in His glory in heaven and our
inheritance with Him there.  Instead of a holy nation of priests inheriting the
earth and witnessing to the Gentiles, we read of the body of Christ church
inheriting glory itself and witnessing to the principalities and powers in the
heavenly places, where Christ is now seated.

Such grace for such undeserving folks to such a high realm of blessing....

However, stating that the Law of Moses does not apply in the Church which is
His Body, does not state that the same basic law of love for God and neighbor,
which sums up the Law of Moses and the prophetic writings, does not apply also.
 If one would compare the realm of blessing in the heavenly places with the
others in Scripture, the call to the highest standard of holiness and
faithfulness is the same throughout.  On this point all should agree.

"God chose you to be his people.  I tell you now to live the way God's people
should live.  Always be humble and gentle.  Be patient and accept each other
with love" (Ephesians 4:1,2).

The disagreements about Law keeping in churches today are limited to those
churches which claim to be part of the Pentecostal economy (the vast vast vast
majority of churches).  There are endless combinations of laws which tend to
separate these churches from each other.  Since I suspect Dave is a member of
one of these, I wish him God's wisdom in his search for the true balance
between his own legal freedom in Christ and his witness to provoke Israel to
faith in Christ.

One modern non-Mosaic example of church dogma comes to mind -- the Salvation
Army church forbids its members to drink alcoholic beverages.  This is not in
the Law of Moses, but it demonstrates the law of love in action.  As most know,
the SA often ministers to alcoholics.  And many alcoholics would agree that
watching folks drink alcohol or even talk about drinking alcohol might become
an occassion for a fall, a stumbling block which might lead to destruction.
This is no law of pride, or law of control over others, but this is a law of
love, a law needed when ministering to others with a particular background.
This is an example of Practical Christian Living, just as the Acts 15 Dogma was
in the Pentecostal economy.

This SA example contrasts, however, with a similar rule in a Baptist (water)
church I joined, which did not minister to alcoholics especially, but which
simply wanted a Law to lead to holiness (separate from the world).  There were
other laws too, and these had nothing to do with the Bible or ministering to
the weak, they were mostly for a puffed-up holiness (IMHO), useful in comparing
ourselves with ourselves as we looked down at other sincere believers.  From
such an assembly I would recommend withdrawing, but only after a couple of
admonitions (they might repent or they might have an excellent ministerial
reason).

Yours in Christ Jesus,
Leo
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