Christians.....Why dont we?

Question

Why dont we stone prostitutes in the street? Why dont we stone adulterers? Why dont we practice an eye for an eye? Why dont we follow the laws of Moses?

I know why, but from the board this morning, apparently others seem to think we advocate terror and torture and death to others, as was standard law in the OT. So clear it up for them, Why dont we?

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

I know I threw in my answer, that was the point of the question, for those of you who didnt bother to READ the question. So far, excellent answers, mostly!

Answer 1

Judge not lest thee be judged.

We were asked to carry out His teachings, not carry out what we think His punishments might be.

Answer 2

I'm an atheist but a former Christian so I know that Jesus is supposed to make a new covenent with the people so that they are no longer under the old laws. I do wonder at how some Christian denominations still pick and choose things from the OT that they reason still do apply while others do not. I also wonder at the things from the NT that most Christians have figured out are not reasonable. I think we should be more willing to acknowledge that just as the NT people were growing beyond the barbarism of their time we have grown up enough to realize that the Bible is not the definitive word on behavior and morality.

Questionable New Testament rules:

1 Corinthians 11:1-17:

But every woman praying or prophesying with her head not covered disgraceth her head: for it is all one as if she were shaven. For if a woman be not covered, let her be shorn. But if it be a shame to a woman to be shorn or made bald, let her cover her head.


Luke 12:45-48:

And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.

It is important to realize that the term "servant" in the King James Version of the Bible refers to slaves, not employees like a butler, cook, or maid. Here, a slave which did not follow his owner's will would be beaten with many lashes of a whip.

Answer 3

The Old Testament is the history of our relationship with God. The law in the Old Testament was designed to help prepare the way of the Messiah, to lead people to be ready for the coming.

When Jesus came - so Christians believe - He was the Messiah. And fulfilled the law. And, if you read the New Testament, Jesus gave us a new law. THAT is the law Christians are called to follow, the law of forgiveness and love, even in the face of cruelty and oppression and evil.

Reading some responses to these and other questions, you'd think the new law was arguing and threatening and insulting. A whole lot of answers don't sound very much like Christ.

Answer 4

Jeremiah 17:13 tells us Jesus was writing the names and sins of all those who would stone the adultress, accused by the Pharisees, in the earth. Why was their accusation of this woman a sin? Because the Mosaic Law prohibits anyone from accusing someone of committing a sin punishable by death (such as adultry) if they had EVER committed that sin and not gotten caught. This would make the accuser a "false witness." According to the Law, a false witness is deserving of the punishment that otherwise would have gone to the accused.

But it goes even farther than that -- the Law also tells us it stands as one unit: if you break even ONE law, you're guilty of breaking them ALL (Deut. 27:26 and James 2:10). Therefore, you would literally have to be SINLESS in order to accuse someone else. You would also have to be sinless in order to participate in the stoning.

Since none of the accusers there were sinless, they all dropped their stones. Because Jesus knew their sins, He stood ready to call the accusers hypocrites. Notice that the only sinless person there refused to condemn the adultress; instead, He forgave.

Peace.

EDIT: "J.P.," see Jeremiah 31:31. Messianic Jews and gentile Christians have entered into the New Covenant. But you're a Jew and even YOU don't know the Law actually PROHIBITED your forefathers from stoning anyone? This aspect of the Law DIDN'T pass away; Jesus came to tell you the truth. Will you listen?

Answer 5

Because it is against the law. We don't stone women who were raped within city limits because she didn't cry out. That would be foolish and it's against the law. Your religion could say you should do it, but thankfully Thomas Jefferson knew that your religion shouldn't be US law. If you want to live under irrational ancient beliefs, go join the Taliban.

Also, apparently Christians tried it for thousands of years until the New Testament was written. According to some Christians, the Old Testament--though it is God's word--doesn't apply somehow.

Answer 6

You are right. The law was created to expose peoples sin. God said He was going to make a new covenant. God told everyone the Messiah was going to come. But until the Messiah came the people were to follow these rules. Guess what people- the Messiah came!!!! So we do not practice the rules that will lead us to certain death. The only way to salvation is through Jesus Christ.

Answer 7

The only reason that Christians no longer do those things is because religion was forcibly removed from the political realm when political power was secularized. We can see today that countries that are still ruled by a religion, still carry out those barbaric practices. All religious states must be dismantled to prevent such abuse and separation of religion and state must be adopted worldwide to protect humanity.

Answer 8

The problem you face is that even Jesus said not one single letter of the law will pass away.

A Covenant is a contract that lasts literally forever. Though some parts of it may be singular, the contract itself lasts eternally.

Let's say you and I make a covenant. You agree to make me breakfast every morning for all eternity, and I agree to say 'thank you' every morning and once, who knows when, I will pay you $1,000,000. After a year of you making me my breakfast, I pay up on the million dollars. However, that doesn't 'finish' the covenant, because a covanent is for eternity. You still must continue to make me breakfast and I must continue to thank you, ONLY the million dollar component has been settled.

This is the nature of the Covenant of the Old Testament, the Law of Moses. God said, "Moses, you guys follows these laws, I'll be your God, and eventually I'll send you a Messiah." Now, Jesus could not have been the messiah because he broke the messianic prophecies, but let's ASSUME for a moment he was. Jesus multiple times said that not a letter of the law would pass away. God in the OT constantly reminds his people that while he is renewing the Covenant, that it will never die. Jesus says he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it -- but we've seen that his fulfilling his one part of it in no way invalidates the rest.

Christians are thus still beholden to the Law of Moses. The Blood of the Lamb may wash away their failings to do so, but they are still required to make the effort. To just say, "Well, we don't have to follow the law because we are washed in the Blood," is to say, "Well, that wraps up the Covenant, we don't need it any more."

Without that Covenant... you have no God, for you are not his people.

Christians have cut themselves off from the Covenant that gave them Life in the first place.

I find that more than mildly amusing.

----

Suzanne: For the record, I'm not a Jew either. You should know what I am by now -- the thing that Christians hate more than anything...

A self-actualized, happy, fulfilled atheist.

Also, Jeremiah 31:31 is mistranslated in every English translation of the Bible. The word translated 'new' is in fact 'renew'. God speaks MANY times of 'new covenants' and each time he refers to renewing the old one, not creating a new one. So try again.

Answer 9

As you stated, Paul brought out throughout the book of Romans, and Hebrews, that the old covenant was done away with.

I heard an excellant talk one Sunday about the excelling value of the ransom sacrifice. The brother mentioned:

"You know, if we were still living under the Mosaic law? And someone in the congregation wanted to go to the older men and confess a sin, like adultery? Well, we'd have to stone them.

"But brother, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"We know you are, but well, see, you have to pay the price, and off they'd go."

We all sort of laughed, but the point was clear.

As Paul said, "Thanks be to Jesus our Lord". He has delivered us from this, and given us a legal means for forgiveness of even serious sins through the ransom sacrifice, given we follow the proper Biblical steps to receive that forgiveness.

Answer 10

Let whoever is without sin cast the first stone

-Jesus.

Also because anger and hatred for those people will do nothing to show them the love of God, especially around the Christmas season. That would defeat the purpose of being a Christian

Answer 11

Christ was very clear on this matter: "He who is without sin shall cast the first stone." Since that list includes one and only one person, and he chose to forgive her - that pretty much settled the issue.

The problem is that the Christian Faith is being hijacked by political extremists who manipulate the faith from both sides for political gain.