The Law: Its Purpose and Role Today
I have recently run into some confusion concerning the Mosaic/Levitical Law. For clarification's sake, I'm speaking of the Law that commanded the Hebrews, and that Hessitic Jews live by today.
The way I have always understood the Law is this:
Genesis tells us the story of why the Law is necessary. It also gives background information on some of the history concerning the Pre-Mosaic Law period, where God laid down some key covenants. It is not itself a part of the Law (in terms of a list of crimes, punishments, and retributions), but in it are things like the establishment of the death penalty (Genesis 9), God's promise to bring a Savior (Genesis 3), and genealogical records that could later be used to validate Christ's claim to the line of David (Genesis 5 and others).
Exodus is, again, somewhat of a history lesson. It continues the story of why the Law is necessary, and how it came to be established. However, Exodus focuses on one large string of events wherein we see the punishment for disobedience to the Word of God, even by those who do not believe in God.
Leviticus is the book where "the Law" officially begins. It is a list of sins, and how one is to placate God's wrath for that sin. This was done through a series of sacrifices performed by an intercessor between the trespasser and God. It also tells us that God is very serious about us following the Law, lest we be under the brunt of His wrath.
Numbers is all about the records. It's a book of genealogies, census data, and numbers in the Israelites. It also tells us how we arrived at the Twelve tribes of Israel, as far as I understand it.
Deuteronomy is again, a story book detailing the history of the Hebrews, showing more of why we as humans need the Law to show us where we err, and why we need a Savior.
That is how I have understood The Torah, or The Law. Now, in accordance with everything I've ever been taught, one of the key events during Christ's death was the tearing of the temple curtain from bottom to top. This curtain, which was about six inches thick, could not even be hacked into by a sword very easily. Nevertheless, upon Christ's death, the curtain between "The Holy Place" and "The Holy of Holies" was torn in two.
I understood that previous to this event, the priest could enter the Holy Place in order to make atonement for the person's sin by offering the sacrifice the person had brought. Once a year, the priest was allowed to go through a cleaning process, have a rope tied around his ankle, and enter the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. This was to make atonement for the nation, I believe. If he was not clean or did not follow the procedures God had set forth, he dropped over dead and they pulled him out via the rope around his ankle.
After the curtain was torn, this was God's way of saying that an intercessor was no longer necessary, correct? I also read that Christ came to fulfill the Law, and the only way to get to Heaven without Christ was to live a perfect life. Recently, some interesting conversations have come up among some acquaintances, and now I'm trying to gain a solid grasp of the role of the Law today. As far as I know, I'm not required to follow the dietary restrictions and the laws of the Bible in the Old Testament, but rather to live by the way Christ explained how to live--because the sacrifice system has been fulfilled by the Ultimate Sacrifice.
My peers believe that we are still subject to the Law, and yet under grace. How that works in their minds, I'm not sure.
Am I off my rocker, or are my peers two Spartans short of a phalanx?
I have recently run into some confusion concerning the Mosaic/Levitical Law. For clarification's sake, I'm speaking of the Law that commanded the Hebrews, and that Hessitic Jews live by today.
The way I have always understood the Law is this:
Genesis tells us the story of why the Law is necessary. It also gives background information on some of the history concerning the Pre-Mosaic Law period, where God laid down some key covenants. It is not itself a part of the Law (in terms of a list of crimes, punishments, and retributions), but in it are things like the establishment of the death penalty (Genesis 9), God's promise to bring a Savior (Genesis 3), and genealogical records that could later be used to validate Christ's claim to the line of David (Genesis 5 and others).
Exodus is, again, somewhat of a history lesson. It continues the story of why the Law is necessary, and how it came to be established. However, Exodus focuses on one large string of events wherein we see the punishment for disobedience to the Word of God, even by those who do not believe in God.
Leviticus is the book where "the Law" officially begins. It is a list of sins, and how one is to placate God's wrath for that sin. This was done through a series of sacrifices performed by an intercessor between the trespasser and God. It also tells us that God is very serious about us following the Law, lest we be under the brunt of His wrath.
Numbers is all about the records. It's a book of genealogies, census data, and numbers in the Israelites. It also tells us how we arrived at the Twelve tribes of Israel, as far as I understand it.
Deuteronomy is again, a story book detailing the history of the Hebrews, showing more of why we as humans need the Law to show us where we err, and why we need a Savior.
That is how I have understood The Torah, or The Law. Now, in accordance with everything I've ever been taught, one of the key events during Christ's death was the tearing of the temple curtain from bottom to top. This curtain, which was about six inches thick, could not even be hacked into by a sword very easily. Nevertheless, upon Christ's death, the curtain between "The Holy Place" and "The Holy of Holies" was torn in two.
I understood that previous to this event, the priest could enter the Holy Place in order to make atonement for the person's sin by offering the sacrifice the person had brought. Once a year, the priest was allowed to go through a cleaning process, have a rope tied around his ankle, and enter the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. This was to make atonement for the nation, I believe. If he was not clean or did not follow the procedures God had set forth, he dropped over dead and they pulled him out via the rope around his ankle.
After the curtain was torn, this was God's way of saying that an intercessor was no longer necessary, correct? I also read that Christ came to fulfill the Law, and the only way to get to Heaven without Christ was to live a perfect life. Recently, some interesting conversations have come up among some acquaintances, and now I'm trying to gain a solid grasp of the role of the Law today. As far as I know, I'm not required to follow the dietary restrictions and the laws of the Bible in the Old Testament, but rather to live by the way Christ explained how to live--because the sacrifice system has been fulfilled by the Ultimate Sacrifice.
My peers believe that we are still subject to the Law, and yet under grace. How that works in their minds, I'm not sure.
Am I off my rocker, or are my peers two Spartans short of a phalanx?