A question about Biblical laws?

Question

There are hundreds of laws within the Old Testament alone. There are many verses in the Bible that state that God's law is perfect. Isaiah 40:8
Psalms 19:7

So therefore, God's law should stand forever, never changing. Wouldn't that lead us to conclude that there is no need for a New Testament?

If so, then which laws are meant to be followed in the Old Testament? If God's law is perfect, then shouldn't they all be perfect as well? Never changing, and lasting for all time?
What about the ones which are not exactly moral?
Such as if you blaspheme the name of God, you should be out to death- Lev. 24:16
If you commit adultery, you should be put to death- Leviticus 20:10
If you engage in a homosexual act, you should be put to death- Leviticus 20:13
If you have a rebellious son, he should be out to death- Deut. 21

The question that I have is, why would God's law change if it has always been perfect, and how do you know which laws to follow?

I am not trying to start an argument at all, I am just wanting an honest answer to how you find out what God really wants from us.

I am not intending for this to come across as rude, I apologize in advance if it seems that way. I have respect for people within a religion, I am just curious as to how you explain this.

Ok. so if the purpose of the New Testament is because of our sinful nature, then what about my second question? Who determines which laws are still to be followed? Why did Jesus break several of the Old Testament laws, if God's law is indeed perfect?

Shaz, so the word of God may contain mistakes?

Yes, but god is never changing. Why would he create a new covenant? Why would his expectations for us change? Why would he become a more loving and forgiving god in the New Testament, if he is never changing? Why do we see an entirely different God in the New Testament?

Answer 1

Okay Lindsey you have a heck of a question.
First we have to understand that in studying the Bible we have to go back to their times and come forward to our days here into the third millennium.
The Old Testament was God showing Himself to us. He Chose the Hebrews to do this. He chose a man from the land of Ur to leave his home and go where God directed him in faith. After that, bit by bit God showed Himself to us and it was up to the chosen people to teach the rest of us. Ancient evangelism if you will. Many prophets came to us through the Hebrews and God brought them closer to Him by way of worship, and sacrifice on His terms, as well as rules and laws for health, and safety.
The Old Testament has books of history, poetry, prophecy, and wisdom. Here throughout the books God spoke to us and told us that one day He will do away with all the sacrifices and bring but one lamb to the Temple for everyone on earth. Past and present and for the future.
Now comes the New Testament. Here the prophecies are fulfilled and here our Saviour is the Lamb to be sacrificed for our sins. Jesus the Christ said Himself that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill the law. That is just what He did.
There are the "ten commandments", and a host of other laws as well. For convenience sake lets look at one of the laws that have become tradition with the Nation of Israel.
Succinctly; no milk with meat.
Okay .....when God Almighty brought the Hebrews into the promised land there were others that were already living there with their own idols, gods, and religious rites. One of the group of people were the Canaanites. Now they had a religious ritual involving the boiling of a goat in the milk of it's mother to increase their virility, and produce more male children.
God said to the Hebrews that He doesn't want them to be practising a pagan's rite like that; so they were not to have dairy products with certain foods as a result of an ancient rite that could pollute the faith of the Hebrews.
Does that make sense darlin?
It has been about three to four thousand years since the Canaanites have worshiped this pagan idol in any manner. These days the misguided have raised up the likes of Molech, Ashtoreth, and other idols of ancient days but that does not make a majority. Still to this day the Nation of Israel holds on to this law about abstaining from milk and meat. They have over time built other minor rules into this tradition but the Christ has already told us that we don't need it anymore. You can live by the law, but you will be judged by the law as well. The Christ said quite clearly that it is not what goes into the mouth that is evil, but what comes out. This doesn't destroy an old law, but where are the Canaanites today? Is that law still required?
The Sadducees tried to corner Jesus with a question regarding the resurrection which was hypocritical because they did not believe in it. They were answered wisely by Jesus and left. Then the Pharisees tried to trap Him with a testing question. Asking Him, "teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said this to the Pharisee"' You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself'. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew wrote this as God's witness. Matthew was there and he heard it.
So I think Lindsey that if you take this and apply it then you can pretty well live your life knowing that the Christ has sovled the problem you have asked about biblical laws.
I hope this helps you.

Answer 2

There are 2 classifications of laws in the OT. The 10 Commandments were written by the finger of God on stone and placed inside the arc of the covenant. The other laws are called Mosaic Laws. They were also given by God, but written by Moses and were compiled into a book and placed on the side of the arc "as a witness against" the people. (Deut 31: 24-26)

The Mosaic Laws were done away with at the Cross (Colossians 2:14), but the 10 Commandments were not because as you said, they are holy (Romans 7:12).

The NT shows the fulfillment of the OT - the predictions of the Messiah were fulfilled.

The NT continues with teaching prophecy of what will happen in the later days before Christ returns.

Answer 3

I feel that both the Old and New Testaments are relevant. We were taught in Seminary that the OT is historical fact. There are at least two books in the OT that talk about the coming of a "Savior". So the NT would need to be written,which has been proven to also be historically correct.
Some verses in the OT that talk about the coming of a Savior are IS. 42:6-7, as well as the Book of Daniel is full of the Coming of a Savior.
The OT law is actually a Covenant to NT Christians, and the verse I quoted you above is one that states this.
If you are a Christian, there are Laws to take from both books. But the NT is considered the New Covenant to Christians.

Answer 4

The new covenant is spoken about first in the book of Jeremiah. The old covenant that God had established with His people required obedience to the Old Testament Mosaic law. Because the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), the law required that people performed rituals and sacrifices in order to please God and remain in His grace. The prophet Jeremiah predicted that there would be a time when God would make a new covenant with the nation of Israel.



"'The day will come,' says the Lord, 'when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah....But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,' says the Lord. 'I will put my law in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people" (Jeremiah 31:31,33). Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law of Moses (Matthew 5:17) and create a new covenant between God and His people. The old covenant was written in stone, but the new covenant is written on our hearts, made possible only by faith in Christ, who shed His own blood to atone for the sins of the world. Luke 22:20 says, "After supper, [Jesus] took another cup of wine and said, 'This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you – an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you.'"



Now that we are under the new covenant, we are not bound by the law. We are now given the opportunity to receive salvation as a free gift, not as a reward for any of our good works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Through the life-giving Holy Spirit who lives in all believers (Romans 8:9-11), we can now share in the inheritance of Christ and enjoy a permanent, unbroken relationship with God. Hebrews 9:15 declares, “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance – now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.”

Answer 5

God's law is perfect. Unchanging, and lasting for all time, yes.
Who are you...or me either...to say that any of God's laws are immoral?
Why should anyone be allowed to blaspheme God, Who created them? Or to commit adultery, thus causing untold pain and misery in their family? Or rebel against loving and concerned parents, thus causing horrible anguish in their hearts? God has the right to insist on decent behavior, doesn't He? A person who could keep God's law would be a very good person, indeed.
God has rightly stated that the penalty for breaking His laws is death.
The problem is not that God's law is not perfect...the problem is that we are not.
God, in His infinite mercy, has provided a Way for us to escape the rightful penalty for breaking His law...we don't have to die, we can live eternally.
He paid the ultimate price to give us this blessing.
God places before you life and death.
Choose life, He begs you...why will you choose to die in your sins?
May God bless you!!

Answer 6

If you compare the biblical laws to the Constitution,you will see that basically most are the same,just not as extreme as the fundamentalists would like as far as punishment goes. If you go back far enough in the law books,you might find that sex between unmarried couples is illegal and anything other than normal man-woman sex is illegal (man on top of woman).NO blowjobs,no muff diving,no spanking or bondage,no masterbation,etc.

Answer 7

The law isn't why a NT is needed. Our sinful nature is why a New Covenant is needed. Without our sinful nature, there would be no need for Jesus Christ to have died on the cross.

Answer 8

We are under Grace not the law. You can however choose not to accept Jesus and live by the laws but then you will be judged by them. Seems more simple to accept Jesus and live under Grace. The New testament tells us what we are to follow.

Answer 9

You are assuming that the Bible has any truth in it whatsoever.

There is some good advice - mostly in Jesus' teachings (if you can seperate them from the religious mumbo jumbo - a lot of which I think was attributed to him after the fact).

A handful of the 10 commandments like 'don't kill/steal/covet' etc., but for the most part the bible is a collection of useless and fictitious nonsense.

Take what you can from it - and disregard the rest.

Answer 10

Well you have to take into account that none of those laws was written by God's own hand. The penholders were all men.

As such the laws may be falliable as they might have to do with God but they were written and given by man to man