hi SummaScriptura,
i am one who subscribes to the fact that the ten commandments are still binding.
i am probably known as a "law pusher", but i'm not.
what i have maintained is that the ten commandments define sin (1jn 3:7).God gave us His laws for a reason not in vain, for He doesn't operate like that (ezek 6:10). His reason was given in exodus:
Exodus 16:4(NKJV)
4Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.
and deut:
Deuteronomy 8:6(NKJV)
6“Therefore you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.
His laws express his ways and the way in which we should walk!:
let's go to the "video tape":
enoch walked with God (gen 5:22,24).
noah walked with God (gen 6:9).
abraham and isaac walked with God (gen 48:15). and to walk with God means to keep his
commandment, statutes, and judgments, just like abraham did (gen 26:5)!
(see also ex 18:20, lev 18:4-5, lev 26:3, deut 5:33, deut 10:12, deut 11:22, deut 13:4,5, iking 2:4, 1king 3:14, 1king 6:12, 2king 10:31, 2king 21:22, 2chron 6:16, 2chron 6:31, neh 10:29, ps 78:10, ps 81:13, ps 86:11, ps 89:30, ps 119:1,3,35,45, prov 2:20, isa 42:24, jer 7:23, jer 26:4, ezek 11:19-20, ezek 20:13,16,19-21, dan 9:10, hosea 14:9, micah 4:2,5 zech 3:7, jn 8:12, jn12:35, rom 4:12, rom 6:4, rom 8:1, gal 5:16,25, eph 2:10, eph 4:1, phil 3:17, col 1:10, col 2:6, ithess 2:12, 1thess 4:1, 1jn 1:7, 1jn 2:6).
i have said before that the laws of God aren't just a bunch of do's and don'ts for an ancient people. they express His ways (deut 8:6).
when God led the COI out of the land of egypt, the first thing He was concerned with is whether or not they would walk in His laws (ex 16:4)! for the patriachs of old walked in His laws because He said so (gen 26:5).
so, God made a different covenant with the COI, that if they obey Him and walked in His law that He would be the God for them. in that way, His ways would be revealed to the rest of the world through the COI. but, we know how that turned out.
the COI was already kicking and screaming before they got to sinai! nevertheless, God gave them His laws. even before the COI reached sinai they were keeping holy days (ex 12, 16) and they were keeping His commandment, statutes, and laws (ex 15-18)!
so, God entered into a covenant, (it was a marriage covenant), with the the COI and they were to become a nation of kings and priests (ex 19:5-6).He gave them His law to keep and He would fulfill His end by blessing them and protecting them, and in that way, the other nations of the earth would see them prospering and realize that it was because they were living the way of the Lord. the conditions of the covenant are spelled out in ex 19-24.
He wrote the first ten Himself, the ten commandments (ex 20). He also gave them the statutes and judgments (ex 21-23).
the ten commandments define sin (1jn 3:4). break one of them and you deserve death (rom 6:23). it is also a spiritual law (rom 7:14), meaning that it takes no physical effort to perform.
the statutes were concerned with certain religious practices, ethical and humanitarian standards, excessive debt, and judicial impartiality.
the judgments were given to help in making decisions based on the ten commandments, to expound the ten for everyday living. so, the statutes and judgments are like our civil laws today.
with the law, the COI had the laws they needed to govern their nation. this is not the first time the law was made known or given, for the patriarchs of old walked in God's laws. and we
have to remember that moses was making God's laws known (ex 18:16) to the COI before they reached sinai , which was three months after they left egypt.
God wrote the ten commandments on two tablets of stone and mosese wrote the statutes and jugments in what is called the "Book of the Law". the book of the law also contained the ministration of death (e.g.ex 21:12). this book of the law or book of the covenant became known as the law of moses, not that it was his law, rather, because he wrote it. this book of the covenant was written on stone too, when the COI reached mt. ebal (deut 27:1-8).
the covenant was agreed to by the COI and ratified with blood (ex 24:8). the sacrificial laws were not part of the original terms and agreement. the sacrificial laws were added later (ex 40:2,17, gal 3:19):
Galatians 3:19(NKJV)
19What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.
this law of ceremony was added later and apparently appointed through angels. this is no where stated in ex 19-24. they had law and law was added because of transgressions. however, this law was only temporary, pointing to things to come, i.e., Jesus and the Holy Spirit. it served as a tutor to keep the COI in the habit of obedience, with the washings and sacrifices etc. paul also referred to the ceremonial law as the "works of law" in the book of galatians, because it takes physical labor to accomplish them. they were tough and grueling to carry out.
now when the COI broke the covenant (jer 31:32), God decreed that He would make a new covenant. God allowed israel to be captured and carried away out of His sight even, that they would be ruled by other nations. so, what was nailed to the cross was the law that served a temporary purpose - the law of ceremony concerning the priesthood.
jesus came to magnify the law:
Isaiah 42:21(NKJV)
21 The Lord is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake; He will exalt the law and make it honorable.
Isaiah 42:21(KJV)
21The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable. (i think the kjv gives a better expression of the hebrew word "gaw-dal" by translating it as "magnify" (strong's h1431).
and Jesus did just that (matt 5:17-48). jesus said He didn't come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill verse 17. He, in the form of a human, flesh even, fulfilled the law of God. He didn't break God's law on any point. He did it by relying on God, and with God's help, He was able to keep God's law. Jesus even magnified the statutes (matt 5).
with this magnification of the law, Jesus was showing that we should walk in the spirit of the law or to it's spiritual intent and not to the letter of the law.
Romans 7:6(NKJV)
6But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
so:
Romans 8:4(NKJV)
4that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
now, for a man it is impossible to keep God's law (matt 19:26), however, we can accomplish this with the help of the Christ (gal 2:20).
and even into the millennium:
Isaiah 2:3(NKJV)
3 Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
it's not about a bunch of do's and don'ts or building up works of oneself to obtain justification, rather, it's the way God wants us to live our lives - His Way.
and finally:
1 Corinthians 7:19(NKJV)
19Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters.
so, i say don't go for the "lie". the law is not our problem it's sin that's our problem (rom 6:23, rom 7:7-8). the law is our friend (rom 7:12,14).
this is my answer to your challenge, take it easy on me.
