The law of God: is it still relevant?
Published on 02 March 2009 -This content is old and might be outdated.
Sometimes one might think: are the laws which God had given to Israel still relevant to us, or shall we just skip them? Did the Lord Jesus not fulfill the complete law when He died on that tree at Golgotha? Does that not mean that we do not need to keep these laws throughout our lives?
Let us open up our Bibles and see what God has to say about this.
The law is not passed away, for the first chapter of the Sermon of The Mount is wholly written about the way we should practise the law in our daily lives. Paul, the Apostle, also says he delights in the law of God. (Romans 7:22). That does not mean the law can save us (Romans 3:20), for salvation is only by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1-4). I personally think we can say that law in the New Testament is less like ‘rules’ and more like ‘doing the will of God’. His will is found in the Bible, which is revealed by Himself (2 Timothy 3:16).
The foundation of His will is love for God and for our neighbours (Matthew 22:40). Flowing from that love for God and because we are grateful for what He did for us, we (should?) want to do his will. Then it is easy to understand why Paul says he delights in the law.
Summarizing: the law has been fulfilled by Jesus, and we don’t need to fulfill it anymore to get saved. However, because He did this much for us, we want to do what He wants us to do.
Which brings us back at the law. In this case, the law of Christ, consisting of love for God and all other people. So you might wonder how to show your love towards God. You can do so by doing His will, which is given in Scripture, especially in the first five books (Genesis till Deuteronomy).
Many of these books are filled with guidance and precepts which we are still able to apply. Many parts of it seem to be quite obsolete for everyday life, though, for example the sacrificial laws. I think it is good to apply many of these laws in a practical way, useful in our everyday life. Joshua 1:7-8 also seems to point that out.
Many times I’m struggling with applying these laws as a general rule in my life. It certainly isn’t easy to take 3000+ years-old laws and give them an application in the 21st century. However, it really is worth a try.
Are you in?