Where exactly were Christians told to stop obeying the laws of the Old Testament?

Question

Christ never said he came to abolish the laws, just to fulfill them. Why then do Christians throw out the Old Testament rules and regulations that Christ did not amend when he fulfilled the Law.

Thanks everyone.

Answer 1

Just my thoughts

Answer 2

Many of the laws of the Old Testament are reinforced by Jesus teachings in the New Testament. Some of the Jewish Laws of the Old Testament however, were altered by Jesus' teachings. A couple of examples are:

Divorce -
Old Testament - A man could divorce his wife in writing for any reason.
New Testament - Jesus said divorce for any reason other than infidelity was unacceptable.

Ceremonial Washing -
Old Testament required ceremonial washing before eating.
New Testament - Jesus said only what comes out of the body makes a man unclean.

Food -
Old Testament - many foods were considered unclean.
New Testament - Jesus teachings were that foods are not unclean.

Revenge -
Old Testament - Eye for an eye and a Tooth For a Tooth
New Testament - Turn the other cheek.

Many people can site chapter and verse for these and many others but the gist of it all is this: The Old Testament was God's Covenant with Abraham. Jesus established a new Covenant with man in the New Testament. He altered some of the teachings from the Old Testament and taught that many of the Old Testament Laws and Rules were man's rules not God's. Old Testament Laws such as the 10 Commandments however are confirmed by the New Testament and should be followed by Christians today.

Answer 3

Jesus, Paul, and the rest of the apostles never said to throw out the Old Testament (or should I say never follow it.) The context of Paul's writings regarding the Old Testament law is that man should no longer trust the law for salvation because Christ already fulfilled the purpose of the law - salvation - through his death on the cross.

As a matter of fact, the teachings (timeless truths) of Proverbs and other wisdom books are still relevant in our modern age. The book of Psalms still describe the cry of the human heart towards God. the rest of the Old Testaments still gives comfort to Christians on the faithfulness of God to His promises made for us.

Answer 4

Christ fulfilled the old rituals such as sacrifices and burnt offerings because He became the ultimate - and last - sacrifice for sin. The burnt offerings and sacrifices were merely symbols of the shedding of Christ's blood on the cross. In the OT, before Christ, people were commanded by God to give blood sacrifices as a symbol of the cleansing of their sin, but Christ fulfilled that by dying on the cross, shedding HIS blood for our sins. We don't do that today because Christ was the last sacrifice. Because of His death on the cross, that ended the need for blood sacrifices and burnt offerings. The Ten Commandments, however, are not 'rituals', but God's law that He passed down to Moses. The commandments are to be kept by all men - even in our own day, though we cannot keep them perfectly; only to the best of our ability. God knows we're all sinners, so He knows we cannot follow them perfectly. I hope I've answered your question, though. The reason why we do not obey the rules and regulations of the OT is, again, due to the fact that Christ fulfilled them by dying on the cross and shedding His blood for sin. After His death and resurrection, there was no more need for burnt offerings and sacrifices - He was the last - He fulfilled those laws.

Answer 5

In place of the Old Testament law, we are under the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2) which is to, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40). If we do these two things, we will be fulfilling all that Christ wants for us to do, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Technically, the Ten Commandments are not even applicable to Christians. However, 9 of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament (all except the command to observe the Sabbath day). Obviously, if we are loving God we won't be worshipping other gods or worshipping idols. If we are loving our neighbors, we won't be murdering them, lying to them, committing adultery against them, or coveting what belongs to them. So, we are not under any of the requirements of the Old Testament law. We are to love God and love our neighbors. If we do those two things faithfully, everything else will fall into place.

Answer 6

The old testament laws (the old covenant) had as parties to it the Israelites and God. Christians were never a party to that law. You make the same mistake the Pharisee Christians made in Acts 15. The Christians who were Gentiles were not required to keep the conditions of a covenant they were never a party to.

All Christians "fulfill" the law through love. Keeping a law does not prove a person is good. Complying with the law that says not to murder does not address hatred one may have in their heart regardless.

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Answer 7

There are a couple which were abolished by the New Testament such as forbidden foods, but for the most part, Jesus ADDED to the Old Testament taboos.
He said to look at person with lust is the same as committing adultery and that hating a brother without cause is the same as murder.

That shows us we CANNOT keep the law and we NEED a Savior.

Answer 8

The 10 Commandments are from the old testiment....
no one abolished those.

Even Jews have a hard time deciding which of the 600+ commandments in the old testament are to be followed (for example, really no one believes in sacrificing lambs anymore).
Religion is a living breathing guide to living to find out we are not alone in our struggles to find what is right and what is wrong to do.

Answer 9

NO PLACE! It is taught obedience to a list of do's and dont's is not where salvation is derived from. THAT FACT does not do away with Yahweh's law, and it was known by the prophets and patriarchs as well. The Law of Yahweh was reestablished in Mt. Horeb, but the law of Moses was given in the Plain of Moab 40 years later. There are many similarities.

The LAW of Yahweh is what determines "SOUND DOCTRINE" ... read what PAUL says:
1Ti 1:8 But we know that the law [is] good, if a man use it lawfully;
1Ti 1:9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
1Ti 1:10 For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;
1Ti 1:11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed Yahweh,

Obviously, MOST do not even know that the "gospel" MUST teach the laws of Yahweh and they are what determines SOUND DOCTRINE.

HERE TOO:
Heb 9:15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions [that were] under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

The VERY REASON for Yahshua's redemption is stated plainly to be "TRANSGRESSIONS" against the first covenant laws of Yahweh. WHY do so many teach they can CONTINUE to TRANSGRESS those laws??

Rom 3:19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before Yahweh.

JUST CONSIDER, How is the world going to become guilty before Yahweh, IF THERE IS NO LAW TO FIND THEM GUILTY OF BREAKING???

What a bunch of wlaking dead!!
Peter said they TWIST THE SCRIPTURES TO THEIR OWN DESTRUCTION. This is not a light hearted issue. Plenty of religious people will be destroyed, and believe a lie.

Answer 10

I ask this same question a lot!! Christians seem to think that since Christ died for our sins, that they don't have to follow all the old laws (613) only the ten commandments. They tell me that the other 603 laws were only given to the Jews, therefore they don't have to follow them. As a Messianic Jew, this drives me crazy!!

Answer 11

Why did you ask this question without reading the New Testament?

Read Paul's teaching, especially the book of Romans; as well as Hebrews.

Also, Jesus said on the night of the first communion that He was establishing a NEW covenant with His people.