"Christians consider the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) to be part of their sacred scriptures. However, in the New Testament, Jesus seems to rebel against some of the traditional Jewish laws laid out in the Hebrew Bible. For example, Jesus seems to disregard dietary laws (Mat. 15:10-11, Mark 7:14-23; see also 1 Timothy 4:3-5, Colossians 2:8-16). How do you think a Christian should decide which laws of the Hebrew Bible should still be followed and which are unnecessary for Christians?" asked Tucker Lieberman, editor of Moral Relativism Magazine - www.moralrelativism.com
Dr. Shirley's answer: First, we must understand that the laws and statutes of the Mosaic Covenant given to the nation of Israel were for Israel only, not for Christians or any other people group or nation. Since the human creation, Jehovah (Yahweh) God has established several covenants with people during various time periods, and the Mosaic Covenant was one such covenant. When we, Christians, speak of the "old covenant" in the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures), we are specifically referring to the Mosaic Covenant. The Mosaic Covenant was a sacred agreement between God and Israel only. Its code of laws was to govern them for a certain period of time, not forever (Jeremiah 31:31-34). All the laws God gave to the Israelites were used as a way to show that people cannot obtain righteousness or receive eternal life on their own—they needed a Savior to save them from their sins and provide eternal life. All the daily religious rituals in the Mosaic Covenant pointed to the Son of God, Jesus Christ; they were simply a foreshadow of what was to come.
During his earthly ministry, Jesus said, "Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill." (Matthew 5:17, WEB.) He fulfilled the Law (Mosaic Covenant) in two ways:
a) Obeying every single commandment without failing and without committing any sin. He correctly understood the principles behind the Law, not just the precepts themselves, and perfectly obeyed it. The only "laws" that Jesus "rebelled" against were the false interpretations of the Law and manmade traditions set by the scribes and Pharisees (i.e., Mark 7:13; Matthew 5:21-48). For example, he understood that the Sabbath law was established for the benefit of humanity, not to be a burden to them (Mark 2:25-27). He also understood that eating certain food doesn't make you morally unclean (Mat. 15:10-11; Mark 7:14-23). Contrary to what many believe, Jesus never rebelled against God's dietary regulation; what he refuted was people's understanding of the dietary law: they followed God's laws superficially and externally while their hearts were far from God, just as Jehovah Himself said, "This people draws near with their mouth and with their lips to honor me, but they have removed their heart far from me." (Isaiah 29:13)
b) Being the final sacrifice that was needed for all humankind. All previous animal sacrifices required in the Mosaic Covenant pointed to Jesus' final sacrifice as a prototype. Animal sacrifices showed people that only the shed blood of a perfect substitution could wash away their sins. Yet, animal sacrifices could merely act as an atonement—only a perfect human being could permanently wash away people's sins. ("Atonement" means that people's sins were forgiven temporarily.) No human being is ever perfect, so that's why God's only Son, Jesus, became a person so he could die for us and wash our sins away. Jesus was the perfect Lamb of God who died once and for all for the sins of everyone, so the daily animal sacrifices are no longer required for atonement. (For more information about Jesus' sacrifice and why it was necessary, please read my article blog.shirleycheng.com/2009/10/15/what-is-salvation-why-did-jesus-christ-have-to-die-to-save-us-from-what-are-we-saved.aspx )
After Jesus' death and sacrifice, the Mosaic Covenant was terminated and a new covenant was established between God and people of all nations, including Israel (Hebrews 8:13, 9:15, 12:24). Jesus' own fulfillment of the Mosaic Covenant abolished its governance.
In the New Covenant, God established a new code of laws to govern all people, and these laws are found in the New Testament of the Bible. Hence, all the laws set in the New Testament govern Christians. Christians are, and never have been, under the Mosaic Covenant. Israel is no longer under the Mosaic Covenant, either, since it was terminated. Both groups of people—Israel and the gentiles (all other people other than Israel) are now under the New Covenant.
However, the Old Testament portion of the Bible (the Hebrew Scriptures that contain the Mosaic Covenant) is not obsolete for Christians. For example, by reading and studying the Mosaic Covenant, Christians will be able to understand why Jesus' death and sacrifice was necessary in order to give us eternal life. Moreover, there are other covenants in the Old Testament that still apply to everyone on Earth: the Adamic Covenant (Genesis 3:15-19) and the Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9:3-16). For example, the Noahic Covenant was established by God after the great flood in Noah's day. This covenant governs all of Noah's descendents, which includes every person alive today. In this unconditional covenant, 1) we are permitted to eat all meat as long as we do not eat the blood, 2) the death penalty for murder is established, and 3) God promises not to destroy the Earth with a global flood again.
Thus, in order to know and understand which laws and which covenants govern Christians today, we must study the entire Bible, both the Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) and the New Testament (Greek Scriptures). We need to understand which covenants are still binding, and with whom they are binding. So we cannot accept the New Testament and ignore the Old Testament.
About Dr. Shirley Cheng:
Dr. Shirley Cheng (b. 1983), a blind and physically disabled award-winning author with twenty-seven book awards, proclaimer of Jehovah God's good news of salvation through Jesus Christ, Summa Cum Laude (Highest Honor) graduate with Doctor of Divinity, motivational speaker, self-empowerment expert, poet; author of nine books (including "Do You Love Jehovah?"), contributor to twenty-four, and an editor of one; and a parental rights advocate, has had severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis since infancy. Owing to years of hospitalization, she received no education until age eleven. Back then, she knew only her ABCs and very simple English; other than that, her book knowledge was non-existent. However, after only about 180 days of special education in elementary school, she mastered grade level and entered a regular sixth grade class in middle school. Unfortunately, Shirley lost her eyesight at the age of seventeen. After a successful eye surgery, she hopes to earn multiple science doctorates from Harvard University. www.shirleycheng.com
Do you have questions about the Bible? Something you don't understand? Do you need a bit of guidance in developing a relationship with Jehovah? Then Shirley would like to help you! Please contact her via her site at www.shirleycheng.com and she would be more than glad to do her best to answer your questions! Never hesitate to ask questions, for no question about the Bible is ever too small or stupid.
