Steve Petersen
Senior Veteran
We do not live by obedience to the old covenant law, but by faith in Jesus Christ: "For if those who live by law are heirs, faith has no value and the promise is worthless, because law brings wrath....Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed" -- (Romans 4:14-16).
But that is precisely the point.
Why would you want to be under a law that condemns the world?
It is for this very reason that God got rid of the old covenant letter of the law, it is because the old covenant law condemns the world and God does not want the world to be condemned:
"He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory...will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?" -- (2 Corinthians 3:6-8).
The old covenant law of Ten Commandments, which was engraved in letters on stone, only brought death, and this is the very reason the old covenant law was made obsolete: "By calling this covenant "new," He has made the first one obsolete." -- (Hebrews 8:13).
A better translation would be: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” -- (1 John 3:4 - NKJV).
Sin is not merely the transgression of the letter of the law. Sin existed in the world long before the letter of the law was given: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned – for before the law was given, sin was in the world.” -- (Romans 5:12-13).
Sin was in the world through Satan and through Adam before the letter of law was given. So sin cannot merely be the transgression of a law that came after the sin. The letter of the law was given to the Jews to reveal the knowledge of the sin that was already in the world:
“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law, for through the law is the knowledge of sin…Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law.’” -- (Romans 3:20, Romans 7:7).
The purpose of the letter of the law was to reveal the knowledge of sin which was already in the world. Therefore, sin is not merely the transgression of the law since sin existed long before the letter of the law was given.
Love is the fulfillment God’s eternal law: “Whatever other commandment there may be, are all summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” -- (Romans 13:9-10).
The reason we do not take God’s name in vein is because we love God, and not merely because we are trying to obey a law. The command not to take God’s name in vein is fulfilled through our love for God, because love is the fulfillment of the law, even for those who do not have the letter of the law:
“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts” -- (Romans 2:14-15).
The requirements of the law is love. Gentiles who have love are fulfilling the requirements of God’s eternal law, even though they do not have the letter of the law.
What do you mean "UNCHANGED"?
I think you are misrepresenting both Hebrews and Jeremiah’s writings:
“For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for a second. But God found fault with the people and said: ‘The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt’” -- (Hebrews 8:7-9).
Hebrews and Jeremiah is telling us that the new covenant “will not be like” the old covenant that was made with the forefathers who came out of Egypt. So you are misrepresenting both Hebrews and Jeremiah when you say “it is UNCHANGED”.
Paul in Ephesians 6:2-3 is not encouraging old covenant law keeping. Paul is simply emphasizing the importance of honoring our parents under the new covenant, just as it was important to do so under the old covenant. We honor our parents because we love them, and not merely because we are trying to keep a law.
That’s correct. And those who love God will not sin by taking His name in vein, because our love for God overcomes the sin, even without the law:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love...against such there is no law.” -- (Galatians 5:22-23).
Those who are governed by love have no need for the letter of the law, because “love is the fulfillment of the law.” -- (Romans 13:8-10).
Traditional Christian interpretation of the texts with no reference to historical/cultural context. Bible onlyism.
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