If the 'old laws' are not relevant for Christians, why are they still in the Bible?

Question

About dietary laws (pork, etc.), mixed fabrics and several other things... A lot of Christians say that Jesus negated those laws. Why are they still in the Bible, then? I know that the Old Testament is a Jewish source, but surely when it's bound together with the New Testament, it's intended for Christians and could be modified, couldn't it?

Also, isn't God's law eternal?

Genuinely curious.

Selnyk: I'd get over it.

I'm not in a position to choose 'best answer' for this, as ı have no idea what the best asnwer is - so many conflicting interpretations... :(

So, although I hate doing this, I'm putting it to a vote. Please forgive me!

Answer 1

In the new testament, Jesus himself says that the laws of the old testament are still binding to Christians.

“For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:18-19)

Answer 2

The Bible is just merely a book, like it or not. There are some good morals but people tend to take it way too seriously. What would Jesus do? Probably live life as a good and moral person and not waste time worrying about little stuff like fabrics and pork because life is too short. I'm not intending to offend anyone with my comment, I just think the Bible gets taken way too seriously and people need to get their noses out of the past and think of how to live a good "Christian" life by today's standards. There were other religions before Christianity that established these so-called rules, so if you want to get to the heart of it, you're going to have to look into history and keep an open mind.

And you asked why they are still in the Bible - wouldn't that be somewhat immoral to rewrite or edit the Bible? Thats one of those issues that will never have a clear answer. There are newer versions and more updated copies being written, but last I saw, none existed at the present. Most "Christian bookstores" were also vowing not to sell them. There are books that address your issues and give their versions of how to update the "law" to fit today's lifestyles. Talk to your local bookstore or do some searching online. Good luck!

Answer 3

There is a school of thought that there are 2 gospels. Joshua (Jesus) was sent to the lost sheep of Israel (exclusively) and Paul called himself the apostle to the Gentiles.

Yes, as the person posted above, those dietary laws were given to the Jews forever (as stated in the OT). Gentiles were never bound by them - Christian or other. Peter (a Jew) had a vision regarding unclean foods, but how could that contradict God's command?

So the solution is not to change the scriptures but view them in the proper perspective - realize which ones are directed at specific people and which ones are directed at the reader in general - regardless of which are placed in which books.

Answer 4

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope".- Romans 15:4

"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. " Galatians 3:24-25


"But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second." Hebrews 8:6-7

The Law of Moses was fulfilled when Christ died on the cross. It has been abolished. It was our schoomaster but we are no longer bound by the Old Law.

Answer 5

The purpose of the "old law" that you are referring to was to reveal to the people the condition of sinfulness in their lives. We know what sin is because of the law, without the law we wouldn't recognize our desperately sinful hearts. That was one of the purposes of the old law, another purpose was to disclose the reasons behind need for a sinless human blood sacrifice ("Without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin"). Jesus did not come to negate the law, in fact he made it harder, he said you have heard it said that you should not murder but I tell you if a man hates his neighbor he is guilty of murder. Jesus came as PERFECTION of the law. The law is impossible for me or anyone to fulfill, so I cannot earn my way into heaven. This understanding is necessary for anyone to enter into belief in Jesus as their savior. The law states that the sin nature is passed on literally through the "seed of man" which is sperm, thus the need that the savior be born of the Holy Spirit as Jesus was. That is why there must have been a virgin birth. He was perfect and thus became an acceptable sacrifice before God the father for the sins of all who believe.

Answer 6

It's called backpedaling. The Christian religion is on its way out, and they're still grabbing at straws, trying to make their insane beliefs appear to be rational. They stop practicing the beliefs that are obviously false, and call them parables, or say they were misinterpreted, or that Jesus changed them, etc.

But all it boils down to is, they're backpedaling. And there's not much further they can go. That's why the fundamentalists are in the news every day right now. The final confrontation between faith and reason is happening right now (at least in America). In some other countries, faith still has a stranglehold, and that's why they're at war with everyone around them. But once we get the Christian right out of our politics here, we can begin to educate the rest of the world, as well.

Answer 7

The bible is the road map for living a better life. The old laws are our schoolmasters they help guide us to the ways and will of God. And they give us order and balance to our daily living. Jewish as they may be, they can never be toss out of the bible. Someone once said the BIBLE stands for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.

Answer 8

As a Christian, I look at a lot of it as history, and also those laws still apply today, but they are mostly to keep people healthy. It's not that if you eat pork you're a sinner, but God didn't want His people to get parasites associated with pork, so today we have processes that do that for us. As far as purple cloth, it wasn't that it was wrong inherently, but purple was made using snails so anyone who wore it with a shellfish allergy would have a reaction. It's the more practical reasons, to keep His people safe, that those laws were made and they are important to keep in mind today but don't apply in the same way as they used to unless you live in a place akin to those described in the Old Testament without technology (what if technology failed and we had to live in the wilderness? Then those laws would apply again). Also, in the Bible it states that the law was made for man, not man for the law, so laws are meant to help protect us and keep us safe... God made us first and then told us how to protect ourselves, not the law first and applied us to it. Blessings,

Brian

Answer 9

There are many things written in God's eternal Word. Things that can be argued until we all are blue in the face. None of those issues are really worth arguing. Arguing only distracts us. All the stories in the Bible are about "God", and his love for us allowing us to have pardons for our sins back then and now, until the ultimate Sacrificial Lamb>>>>>>>>> "Jesus". Now all we have to do is grab hold of his Salvation and Grace and use the bible for a way to know what God has to say about how we should live, and allow the word of God to guide us and direct us in the way we should go....... (how we should live our lives).... And there can be no argument about that from a believer.

Answer 10

Actually the old laws still exist today.
The Old and New Testament are still binding for christians.
Yes God's Law is eternal too.(Rev.22:14)
Do you really want to follow the majority (Matt.7:13); their way is destruction.
Jesus did not abolish these laws. Many people don't let the Bible interpet itself; they try to say what they want it to say. Their foundation is on the sand and not on the Bible. Look what Jesus says about them in Matt.7:21-23.

2Tim.3:16 "ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY INSPIRATION OF GOD,..."

Luke 4:4 "AND JESUS ANSWERED HIM, SAYING IT IS WRITTEN, THAT MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD OF GOD."

Like I heard from my past church; how can you understand the new without the old and visa versa.

Actually the old testament tells you that the dietary laws are still in existence! Look in
Isaiah 66:16-17 "FOR BY FIRE AND BY HIS SWORD WILL THE LORD PLEAD WITH ALL FLESH: AND THE SLAIN OF THE LORD SHALL BE MANY. THEY THAT SANCTIFY THEMSELVES, AND PURIFYING THEMSELVES IN THE GARDENS BEHIND ONE TREE IN THE MIDST, EATING SWINE'S FLESH, AND THE ABOMINATION, AND THE MOUSE SHALL BE CONSUMED TOGETHER, SAITH THE LORD."

Jesus made a perfect example twice; he ate (Gen.18:7)cow meat, and (Luke 24:42)fish; he never ate the unclean animals. In Matt.3:4; John the Baptist ate Locusts.

1Cor.9:27 "BUT I KEEP UNDER MY BODY, AND BRING IT INTO SUBJECTION: LEST THAT BY ANY MEANS, WHEN I HAVE PREACHED TO OTHERS, I MYSELF SHOULD BE A CASTAWAY."

In the New Testament; you can see that God's Law was never abolished.
Rom.3:31 "DO WE THEN MAKE VOID THE LAW THROUGH FAITH? GOD FORBID: YEA, WE ESTABLISH THE LAW."

1John 2:3 "AND HEREBY WE DO KNOW THAT WE KNOW HIM, IF WE KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS."

1John 3:24 "AND HE THAT KEEPETH HIS COMMANDMENTS DWELLETH IN HIM, AND HE IN HIM. AND HEREBY WE KNOW THAT HE ABIDETH IN US, BY THE SPIRIT HE HATH GIVEN US."