Keeping the Law

Keeping the Law



I had commented on No Longer Qivering the other day and, among a blizzard of other replies, many of which I had a hard time responding to because of some technical problems, I received this question:
"Do you also follow Saturday Sabbath, Passover and kosher laws as well? If not, why not?"
Now this is a rather common question for me to receive, in various forms. It is asked almost exclusively (to me) as a form of protest or denial when I apply one of Gods laws to a modern situation. They tend not to particularly care whether I follow this law or that law, but they are eager to deny the use of Gods law in judging modern society. They desire to do, or support others in doing, something which is clearly against Gods law, and they wish for the Scriptures to be in favor or at least neutral toward their activity.Ironically many of the people that argue in this way claim to be non-Christians. It is funny how so many people really want Scripture to be on their side in spite of the fact that they are against the God of Scipture. None of them seem to care what Buddah or Allah think about their actions: it is always the God of Scripture.Oh, well, leaving that aside, let us turn to the question at hand. Arguing that Gods law (indeed Gods word) applies to actions such as women in the military, what of the laws she mentions? Saturday Sabbath? Passover? Kosher? If and how I practice those. Or, more generally, should modern Christians practice those?Let us turn our attention, in answering that question, to I Corinthians chapter 11

1Co 11:1-7 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.
But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head.
But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.
For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.
For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
Here we see a NT ordinance: the headcovering. And one thing we notice fairly quickly about this ordinance is that it has two parts, two forms of fulfilment. The women ARE to wear headcoverings, and the men ARENT to wear headcoverings. It is a law that makes a difference between two groups of people. A man following this ordinance in the same way that a woman follows it would be in disobedience to it, not obedience.This kind of ordinance is not at all unusual to the issue of headcoverings. In the OT we find that the sons of the priests were given one law, which was distinct from the law that the non-sons-of-priests were given. So it is not unusual to have a law which binds one group to one thing, and doesnt bind another, or binds them to something different.On the other hand this is not the general case for most laws, as pretty much everyone agrees. Few people indeed are running around saying that the commandment thou shalt not murder has been abolished. Even the most antinomian (anti-Gods-Law) of Christians rarely question the applicability of thou shalt not commit adultery.So there are two classes of laws and ordinances. Those that have been given to one group of people, at one time, for on reason… and that are either different or dont apply at all for another group of people at another time. And those that have been given to all mankind and reflect the very nature of God and creation.Now let us turn to Acts chapter 15 and 21:

Act 15:5-6 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
…Act 15:22-29 Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.


Act 21:20-25 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
The early church was faced with a quandry, a conflict. Certain people were saying that the new Gentile believers had to keep some specifically Jewish laws in order to be saved. In effect these people (judaizers) were saying that only Jews could be saved, thus if a Gentile wished to be saved, he had to become a Jew. In particular they had to follow the very specifically Jewish rite of circumcision; the rite that was mandatory on anyone wishing to become a Jew, and which would allow them to keep passover.The apostles held a big meeting on this conflict, and came to a decision: Gentiles were not required to become Jews in order to be saved. The apostles did not ask that the Jews stop circumcising their young, or call them to disobey Gods law. And, indeed, they pointed out that the Gentiles were able to hear Moses (ie the Law) preached every Sabbath in Synagogue. But they were clear that the Gentiles were not required to become Jews (ie get circumcised) in order to be saved. Those laws did not apply to them.As, indeed, why should they? Circumcision was given as a commanded rite to Abraham, his sons after him, and all the males born or bought in his house, forever. Thats it. It was never given as a rite to Gentiles, to Christians, or to all believers in Yaweh.Passover was given as a rite to all of the Jews as a remembarance of what they had gone through in Egypt. It was specifically forbidden to the Gentiles (ie those who werent circumcised).Kosher was given to the Jews as a rite intended to separate them from the surrounding people, to make them look different, to stand out, from the culture around them.There is no indication, in Scripture, that the Jews were ever asked to stop their specifically Jewish rituals. However neither is there any indication that God desired to require them of the Gentiles.
Now the Sabbath is a different issue. The Sabbath is a creation ordinance, and required of all men, everywhere. However the church has instituted a change in the Sabbath ordinance. Not an annulling, but a change. The Sabbath ordinance was changed from Saturday (actually Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset) to Sunday; in honor of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. We call it the Lords day.