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Commentary on "God the Lawgiver"
Day 5: Wednesday, February 8, 2012 - The Law and the Prophets
The writer fails to identify who believes that the law was means of salvation. Never in the Old Covenant is eternal life promised to those who kept the covenant between Israel and God.
The writer then acknowledges that the Jewish definition of law emcompasses more than then 10 commandments and it is indeed the whole body of old testament teachings including the 613 commands.
The lesson reads: “They [Israel] loved “truth” as it was revealed to them and as they best grasped it. It wasn’t a love of rules, per se, but a love of a set of guidelines and principles that, if kept, would have opened the way for many blessings and promises, because all that God had given them was for their good and well-being. Is it any different today?”
The correct answer is a resounding, “YES!”
The truth that is revealed to us is that Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins was complete. We can rest in His finished work. We have been redeemed and we are blessed because we are His, not because we keep the law! See it in Ephesians 1:3-8 (but please don’t stop there, read the whole beautiful chapter!):
“3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.”
To suggest that we should identify with Israel’s pre-Messianic love and zeal for the law (completely ignoring its fulfillment) is preposterous and insulting to believers.
The law is good, holy and righteous, yes. But it is not Jesus. It is not the transcript of who God is.
Questions to consider:
- What is the law? It is important to settle in your mind what the Bible writers are referring to when they talk about the law. Take some time to look into this and decide for yourself if the law can be defined only as the 10 Commandments. Then take some time to consider the implications in light of what is written in Romans, Galatians and Hebrews with regard to the law.
- How did Paul’s conversion from teacher of the law (Pharisee) to follower of Jesus and Apostle to the Gentiles change his views on the law? How might an encounter with Jesus affect how you view the law?
Copyright 2012 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised February 6, 2012. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Glendale, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
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