How do you determine which OT laws still stand, and which can now be discarded?

Question

Serious ANSWERS only please. Please no insults because I have asked the question.

I know that some Christians want the 10c's posted in courthouses, but that is from the OT, so obviously they haven't discarded the 10c's.

But what about the OT commands to kill witches, or followers of "false Gods", what about the OT commandments about mixed fibers or not touching the skin of a dead pig, why aren't they being followed ?

How do you know which OT laws to discard, and which one to keep ?

Biblical support would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

We don't determine this - God does! He has spoken in these last days through his Son (Hebrews 1:1-3). Jesus' Sermon on the Mount plus the two greatest commandments combine to answer your question (Mat chapters 5-7; Mark 12:28-34) along with him saying he fulfilled the Mosaic Law.

That does not mean he discarded it! In fact, Jesus went further and showed his followers must enter into the New Covenant and into the spirit of the Law by having it engraved on their hearts, as prophecied in Jeremiah 31:31-34 (compare with Hebrews 8:7-13 & 10:12-18). He reminded us that the Law said not to commit adultery, but he says we must not even look lustfully at another or we commit adultery in our heart (Mat 5:27-29). Further, read what he said to the rich young ruler who said he kept all of the Law (Mat 19:16-30).

It is impossible to keep Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount, the golden rule, the two most important commands, without keeping all of the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament. The principles therein apply to all Christians. It is the social, judicial and dietary laws that no longer apply.

Answer 2

It doesn't matter whether it is from the OT or the NT; it is from the Bible! In fact, most of the NT is just a reiteration of the OT! All 10 of the 10 Commandments are still binding. They have never been changed by God. This includes the 4th commandment, which is why I worship on the seventh-day Sabbath. The one commandment that begins with the word "Remember" is the only one that everybody has forgotten! It wasn't "just for the Jews" - the Sabbath was instituted at Creation along with marriage, 2,000 years before the first Jew ever appeared, and it is still just as binding today as marriage is. Nowhere in the Bible will you find any instruction that the 4th commandment (or any other, for that matter), has been done away with. Neither will you find any explicit command from God to worship on Sunday. Sunday worship is a human tradition based on paganism, not a biblical command.
The only parts of the OT that were fulfilled by Jesus were the ordinances of the Mosaic law. The 10C's are God's MORAL law, which is permanent, not the Mosaic law. The ordinances include how to sacrifice animals, and capital punishments for certain sins. The reason why people are not stoned today for dissing their parents is because Christ already took the punishment. Now He can forgive us, and we don't have to suffer the punishment "under the law".
As far as the "clean vs. unclean" rules about animals, I follow that. God told us not to eat these animals because they are unfit for human consumption. Some Christians think that they are only "ceremonially" unclean, but they are also intrinsically unclean. All the animals that God forbade are all scavengers, predators and bottom feeders. These animals eat garbage,and what they eat goes into their flesh, so if you eat them, you are eating garbage. Even the FDA won't grade pork like it does beef. There's no such thing as "grade A pork". The FDA says, "eat it at your own risk." Pork contains trichina larva, carcinogens, bad cholesterol and other toxins. It is not safe to eat, no matter how "good" it tastes. I trust God's laws about food because He gave them to us for a good reason. He wants us to be healthy.

Answer 3

The law was not done away with. It was fulfilled by Jesus. If you are confused about which part to do or not do, see Romans. Paul explains the purpose of the law and what we should be doing now. No one explains it better than Paul did. He was trained up in the law as a Pharisee and had a much better understanding of it than any Gentile ever would. See Romans 7 in particular. Basically the law was taken from the physical realm and moved into the spiritual (book of Hebrews). Makes sense since man always struggles with a performance based religion. And we still do today. Christianity is the only faith based religion on the planet...even though we try to make it performance based.

Answer 4

The law of Moses consisted of many ceremonies, rituals,and symbols, to remind the people frequently of their duties and responsibilities. It included a law of carnal commandments and performances, added to the basic laws of the gospel. Faith, repentance, baptism in water, and remission of sins were part of the law, as were also the Ten Commandments. Although inferior to the fulness of the gospel, there were many provisions in the law of Moses of high ethical and moral value that were equal to the divine laws of any dispensation. The law of carnal commandments and much of the ceremonial law was fulfilled at the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The law functioned under the Aaronic Priesthood and was a preparatory gospel to bring its adherents to Christ.

The law as given through Moses was a good law, although adapted to a lower spiritual capacity than is required for obedience to the gospel in its fulness. However, the Jewish leaders had added many unauthorized provisions, ceremonies, and prohibitions to the original law, until it became extremely burdensome. These innovations were known as the “traditions of the elders.” By N.T. times among the Jews the law had become so altered it had lost much of its spiritual meaning almost to the point that the law was worshipped more than the Lord. It is this form of the law that is so harshly spoken against by Jesus and by Paul

Answer 5

As far as God and believing in Jesus;those in Christ do not have to conform to the OT to be saved and Go to heaven

But the OT laws were and still are practical and true and those things can have affect on us.Like eating what the Bible calls unclead animals is generally the type of food we know today to be heavy meats and are worse for our health.

Again,those in Christ arnt dependent on OT laws for salvation

But the OT laws still have good,honest practical application.

Answer 6

Jesus fulfilled the OT. St Matthew 22:36-40 will answer your question beyond any doubt.

Answer 7

The ones that are least inconvenient at the time stand. If it gets in the way, it is discarded.

Answer 8

ADAPTATION, BUT HOW?
A vital requirement, which Nature strictly observes, is with a few exceptions no longer known to man: natural adaptation! He has become incapable of mastering any longer that adaptation which furthers and ennobles his spirit.
The concept of "adaptation" has become grossly distorted, especially in the realm of human association. Whether it is a question of wrong adaptations to harmful customs in marriage and family, or of a more or less enforced adaptation to unnatural social systems.
In the realms of Nature a correct adaptation is taken for granted. Every animal, every flower, every tree adapts to the environment in which it lives - to the zone, the climate, the yays of the earth and the stars. Whether this occurs in the arctic region, in great heat, in water or in the air, everywhere
e find a perfect adaptation to the natural conditions.
This automatic adaptation is only one of the many-sided eifects of the Law of Spiritual Movement!
Man atone closes himself voluntarily to this all-animating, spirit-refreshing movement, which would also spur him on to a ~ealthy adaptation everywhere. His earthly intellect indeed
ans at high speed, but his spirit has become too lazy to open :self consciously to the spiritual power-current that moues Creation, and to make use of it in a furthering and upbuilding =av.
Otherwise things would look different on earth today. :?armony and peace would spread, and joyful activity be _,::nd everywhere.
Already the Ten Commandments contain in reality enough suggestions for a genuine adaptation, the compliance with which would bring only happiness and joy. Especially when it is recognised that to the concept of adaptation in human life there also belongs this: not to haret one's neighbour through some desire or other!
The man of today finds himself in a grave adaptation-crisis, because he is the only creature who for thousands of years has neglected to carry out that adaptation which clone really allows him to become a fully-conscious personality: the unconditional adaptation of his spirit to the Laws of Creation! These also include the Laws of Nature, without which research, for instance, can do nothing if it wishes to be successful. For making use of the forces of the carth, water, air and fire means nothing other than adapting onesclf to the lawfulness expressed in them.
But unfortunately, in this field natural adaptation often becomes a curse, if the results of research and discoveries have to contribute to the affliction and destruction of men and animais, and to the pollution of the environment.
Anyone who now wishes to begin to concern himself with the Laws of Creation, such as the Law of Movement, the Law of the Cycle, the Law of Balance between Giving and Taking, the Law of Sowing and Reaping (the Law of Reciprocal Action), the Law of the Attraction of Homogeneous Species, or the Law of Gravity will gradually open for himself the way to an adaptation to the Will of God. For something other than the Will of God cannot be expressed in the Laws, which are His Work. And ail these Laws apply not only to the realm of Nature but also to human life.
If man cannot or tan no longer tome to terms with the Old Testament ideas of God, if he is striving to form for himself a new concept of God, then he should attempt at last
22
i o begin with Creation and its Laws. He will always find in i hem an imperishable quantity (constant), an all-embracing, rrni f orm whole, which offers him a firm support and does not let him waver so easily.
It can be said that Creation and its Laws makc him familiar with the Language of God.
In this way man is able to master his lift rcliably, and to unfold his personality. There opens up to him an cntirely new world-picture, in which he rediscovers himself as a crcature who gets to know and to understand his origin, his goal and his task, like a revelation.
Finally he reaches that stage of development at which he recognises and acknowledges the Will of his God and therewith also God Himself, Who is unapproachably cnthroncd outside
I lis Creation, and has woven into His Work only Ils Will in
t lie form of the Laws of Creation.
This is the highest stage of adaptation to which man can attain: the adaptation of his entire life to the Will of God, ro His Laws and His Commandments.
Then gradually he will also adapt the institutions of stage
and society, and ail other realms, to the inflexible Laws of
Creation. And such a right adaptation can bring nothing but
peace, joy and ascent!

Answer 9

It all goes as per it suits each Christian's needs and position...

A fat rich Christian will discard the "glory of poverty" parts..

Death penalty advocates swear that kill and murder is not the same, but seriously tell you that "stoning adulteresses is wrong"..

Answer 10

The ones that are repeated in the New Testament should be adhered to, in my opinion.