Which Laws, if any, does a RM member follow?

[Eccl12and13]

I was told by a RM member that the Laws of the OT does not apply to Christians today.

So let me ask this question....Do you believe none of the Laws of the OT are meant for Chrisians today, or do some still apply? And if some are still to be kept, how do you make the determination which to keep and which to reject?


For instance, when Jesus was asked how to get eternal life, His reply was, ".......but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." 19 Matt 17.


And when asked which ones, He said, ".........Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
[19] Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." 19 Matt; 18-19.


Now all of these were originally given by God in the OT. Are only these (6) OT laws to be kept, or are these laws not meant for christians today? And what of the other (4) that were not mentioned? Does the fact that Jesus did not mention them mean they are no longer valid?

Just trying to get a guage on the RM forum.

Thanks.

[mrconstance]

This is a problematic issue, and not only for RM members. The answer given in the early days of the RM is that some of the OT laws (including the laws quoted in Matthew 19) are part of the eternally valid natural law. "Do not kill" and "do not commit adultery" apply everywhere, all the time. On the other hand, the ceremonial laws regarding sacrifices and festivals were given to the Israelites in particular, to be used for their worship, not for everyone. The gist is that there are many OT laws that are valid, but they aren't valid only because they are recorded in the OT--they're confirmed through natural law, or by the words of the New Testament. The main problem with this today is that we know so much more about the variety of social systems and the forces that mold them that "natural law" is much harder to pin down.

The original idea of the Restoration Movement was that we could restore the early church by doing exactly what the New Testament said. I personally believe that the New Testament doesn't provide enough information about the early church's order and worship to recreate a complete system--and that this is a sign that God did not intend us to use the New Testament for that purpose. So I believe that God has given us a great deal of freedom in the design of our worship and church order. Many others here will disagree with me, so I don't want to claim to speak for all (or even most) of the people in RM churches or on this list.

Alan

[Loveaboveall]

I have been in a "Church of Christ" where only New Testament bibles were supplied and there was never any talk of the OT because "it is no longer valid". But, there are other churches who speak much about the OT and the many truths that can be learned from studying it.

Mr. Constance, I agree that a better line of thinking when using the term "Restoration" would be.... Not trying to copy cat the New Testament church in everything they did, especially when using historical books to fill in the gaps, but rather to restore the true worship of God as He has commanded us to worship Him. At the core of this would be worshipping from the heart rather then focusing on the outward expression which many times can go to far when trying to mimic the early church.

[JDIBe]

Eccl12and13,

There's a thread regarding Hebrews that might give you some insight into various views on the subject. (A word of warning: It's long....)

http://foru.ms/t5594692-the-book-of-hebrews.html

Hope that helps.

[Eccl12and13]

Eccl12and13,

There's a thread regarding Hebrews that might give you some insight into various views on the subject. (A word of warning: It's long....)

http://foru.ms/t5594692-the-book-of-hebrews.html

Hope that helps.


Thanks for the reply. But just to let you know, I'm not asking for myself. I'm well aware of the Laws I'm to keep and follow. I was asking to see where RM members stand as far as keeping or rejecting the Laws of God.
For that I'm still waiting an answer.


Reading the book of Hebrews is a good start, but did not Jesus say, "....Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Matt 4:4

Now at the time Jesus spoke those words the only words God had spoken were contained in the OT.

And as far as doctrine, should not all follow these sayings, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" II Tim 3:16.

Once again the writter is telling everyone that EVERYTHING that is said by God is to be used for doctrine and correction.

With that being said, once again, my question is, how do you determine what is kept and what is rejected?

Just trying to understand how other doctrines are developed!

[JDIBe]

As I said, read the thread. There is a comprehensive discussion of the Law and it's relavence to us today by many members of this forum.

[DerSchweik]

Personally, and speaking generally only, I treat the OT law as applicable today, superseded or amended only by the NT.

Obviously, much of the Levitical laws no longer apply - sacrificial and ceremonial laws, etc., but the greater moral laws definitely do. Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it, and in fact gave stronger, stricter application to some of the OT teachings.

Any congregation that no longer teaches or even recognizes the OT is, in my mind, very deluded in their way of thinking about the OT and its relevancy to us today. Moreover, just because one congregation acts weird in their interpretations, does not mean that that weirdness applies to all churches of Christ. We have our kooks like any other non-denominational (or denominational, for that matter) group.

We should be careful and judge righteously before ascribing the practices of one particular group to all who go by a similar name.

In Him,