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Shadowland: Redemption: Week 19
The Law of God
In the New Testament, there are 3 laws in view: The Law of God is
the moral law in effect since creation, and binding on all rational
creatures. It was summarized in 10 commandments spoken by God himself from
Mount Sinai. The Law of Moses are the regulations given by Moses
for the Nation of Israel. It will still be in force during
the Millenium (for those that admit that eschatology), but is not
binding on Gentiles as the
Council of Jerusalem makes clear. The Law of Christ is the Law of God
mediated by Christ, who keeps it perfectly.
Love is the fulfilling of the law, and the commandments are a brief sketch
of 10 categories of behavior that lack love. As Christ emphasizes in
Matthew 5, finding
loopholes does not enable you to be righteous.
Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, strength
- 20:1 God Himself gives the commandments, not Moses.
- 20:2 Although everyone, including Israel, was under the moral law
from creation, Israel now has the additional reason of being
redeemed by Jehovah.
- 20:3 The first and greatest commandment according to Christ.
- 20:4 There has been conflict in the Church over the use of Icons.
The last Ecumenical council declared that representations of the
incarnation of God and of the Saints were not representations
of Deity.
- 20:7 As in the prayer Christ taught us, "Hallowed be thy name".
Love your neighbor as yourself
- 20:8 While the regulations pertaining to the Sabbath given by
Moses (e.g. kindle no fire on the sabbath) are not binding on gentiles,
keeping the Sabbath holy is - as it has been since creation.
- 20:9 "Six days shalt thou labor and do all they work" - this aspect
of the Sabbath law is often overlooked.
- 20:10 Sabbath rest is for your servants and foreigners as well. Is
eating out on the Sabbath in keeping with this?
- 20:11 The Sabbath law is from creation. And we saw that God required
it already in
Exodus 16:4-5.
- 20:12 The first commandment with a promise. The "patriarchy" was
originally the ancient fathers, e.g. Shem who was within a century
of 600 at the time of Abraham. Now with our greatly shortened
lifespan, our father and mother are the closest most people have
to a true "patriarch". How blessed are those with even older
forbearers with their mind still intact!
- 20:13 Murder is a sin from creation, as Cain was held guilty, and mankind
is reminded of it after the flood in
Genesis 9:4-6.
- 20:14 Marriage is sacred from creation as we see in
Genesis 2:21-24, and as Christ reminds us in
Matthew 19:5-6.
- 20:15 Not just pilfering, but honesty in every dealing.
- 20:16 Not just telling lies about someone with malicious intent,
but also repeating gossip with no effort at fact-checking.
- 20:17 Sadly, "socialism" today is the politics of coveteousness,
but those on the other side are also too often driven by envy to
"keep up with the Joneses". As Cain's envy led to the murder of
Abel, so "whoever keeps the whole Law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."
James 2:10
- 20:20 Atheists often claim that they will believe in God when he
manifests in something like Mount Sinai. As we see from the
example of Israel, it works for a while, but doesn't stick.
- 20:24 We also see right from the giving of the Law of God that
knowing the Law (which is itself but a summary) gives no power
to keep it. And so immediately there is provision for forgiveness
based on sacrifices that look forward to the Lamb of God.
- 20:25 No human work can atone for sin.
- 20:26 We cannot ascend to God (as was attempted with the Tower of Babel),
but God must descend to us.
Philippians 2:6-8