Why do Christains follow some laws from the old testament but not others?

Answer 1

Christians do not follow any of the ceremonial laws..We do follow the first two commandments,,because Jesus says if we keep those two, all the laws are wrapped up in those two. We are under Grace and no longer required to keep the laws of the Old Testement...if you do try to keep them, you will be judged by them.

Matthew 22:35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Answer 2

Originally, the law was given to show us that we needed a Savior. That Savior would be the ultimate and final sacrifice for our sins. When Christ came and became that sacrifice, there was no longer a need to sacrifice the animals which were actually "the shadow" of the atonement to come.

When He came, Christ refined many of the commandments such as saying that not only was it a sin to commit adultery but it was also a sin to look upon a woman with lust. He also gave us the new commandment to love our neighbors as our selves.

His fulfillment of some of the laws and His refinement of others may be what you are seeing as Christians following some of the Old Testament laws but not others. If you had been more specific, I might have had something different to say. I hope I have offered something useful here.

Answer 3

I believe the Old Testament is there for an example of what to do in situations. It is the practice of some beliefs to put these into their doctrines. However, that is not so. Jesus states we are not under the law, but under grace.

If we are under the law... grace has not been applied... if we are under grace... the law is of no effect to us..

We must, however, follow the New Testament. ((If I get detailed about this, and how people should live, I would most defintly affend someone))

Answer 4

the ten commandments and the dietary laws are still in effect but for some strange reason...that we are saved by grace and not bound to the law any more, people have gone off on a wrong road by taking things out of context...

They read the Bible but do not study the Bible.....The Old Testament and The New Testament work together hand in glove...You can not understand one without the other and will apply things out of context....

The word of God is for everyone...not just the Jews, not just the Levitical...that is out of context....

that is why so many people ignore the dietary laws...they wrongly think that it is a Jewish kosher thing...

NO, it is a DO NOT eat the unclean thing because it is unclean and will make you sick and diseases....

the Sabbath law did not change either....


worship when ever and eat whatever...that is not correct thinking at all...

Answer 5

We still follow the Ten Commandments.

We don't follow the Mosaic laws of ritual, as the One Perfect Sarcifice has been made.

We no longer follow the laws of cleanliness, (dont touch dead person, don't touch woman menstrating and more), because we know we will never be able to "cleanse" ourself with our own limited actions and long lists of observations. In other words, our Righteousness does not come from our Works, but from His Grace.

We also follow the Commandments Jesus gave us....to have fellowship with each other...to show the world we have been cleansed and rise up anew (baptism), to go forth and share the gospel, to care for the widows and orphans.

We do study the OT because it is the NT concealed, and NT is OT revealed.

Why we study NT more than OT is because we are disciples of Christ, not Moses, David or Abraham.

Answer 6

There is the Mosaic (old) covenant based upon blood sacrifice for the atonement of sins -- the inability to approach God directly and other aspects of religion which changed with the resurrection of Christ.

At the time of the resurrection the veil separating the sanctuary from the 'holy of holies' (God's place in the temple) could only be visited on the day of atonement by the senior priests -- was rent, i.e., torn in two from Heaven to Earth.

At that moment the Son, who occupies the Mercy Seat at the right hand of God paid for the sins of man in full and the New Covenant ensued whereby atonement and forgiveness may be obtained through prayer and there were no more blood sacrifices -- because the 'Lamb of God' who is Christ paid for our sins with his own blood.

So elements of the Old Testament were updated by events from the New Testament; particularly those involving people and their relationship with God.

God no longer wants blood sacrifice. All He wants is our love.

Answer 7

It's not that Christians "pick and choose" really.

As with every moral code there are overlaps. Almost every society believes killing another human being is wrong. Some societies think killing a dog is wrong, while others eat the dogs and could care less. The key is what the fundamental values that drive the selection of any particular moral precept.

Christians see parallel codes of conduct that are older (from Old Testament, Hebraic tradition) and find them truthful expressions of morality that they themselves adhere to. Other have no relevance (mostly the more "ceremonial" ordinances of the Levitical code that related to blood sacrifices and Temple rites that Christianity essentially discarded as no longer necessary).

Answer 8

They do not realize that the law stands, as is, forever. Christ came to drive that fact home, so that false professors could be condemned when they say He negated them.

In two commandments He established the law, letting all know that they could NEVER fullfil them without divine grace. That was His point, either you have Him as your covering, or you're naked as a jay bird before His penetrating eyes.

The only way you can fight the battle against the flesh is to have His regenerative Holy Spirit (born again) living in you. Those presently not equipped cannot turn from sin (repent), and are only relying on their good works.

Good works stem from a regenerate Christian, they are the result of His Spirit living through you, or they are no works at all.

Answer 9

I am an atheist and I have heard all the arguments. The fact of the matter is; things such as dietary laws were known to Noah according to the bible. Noah knew clean from unclean and it was known that the god of the old testament required clean for sacrifices to him as far back as Cain and Abel.

Answer 10

simple answer: Jesus said so and the OT said so.

many laws were clear that they were strictly for the Jews: example, the Sabbath day and year were called a lasting covenant for the Jews. Jesus said the sabbath is for man not man for the sabbath. another thing: the Jews had a very selective diet, yet Jesus said it is not what enters into a man's stomach that defiles him, but what comes out of his heart.

and then of course the ten commandments are really a broad brush of many commandments. the 10th is one of the most important. coveting leads to just about all the others.