Thursday, December 08, 2005

More on the Law

Okay, now that I've blogged on the "why" we obey. Now it's time for the "what" we obey.

I believe that God's law as stated in the Old Testament is still our standard for today. This includes the civil law and the moral law but not the laws of cleanliness, sacrifices, and diet. The latter were abrogated by Christ's sacrifice. In Him we have been made clean for He was our ultimate sacrifice. The dietary laws were clearly stricken in the New Testament.

As we live under Christ's grace, we must ask ourselves how we are to practically govern our everyday lives and our society. We must chose a standard of morality from which we derive our civil laws today. Where will we get that standard? We could try and make it up on our own, but that will invetiably be a flawed standard. Also, everyone will have different opinions on what said standard should be, so it will be difficult to come to a satisfactory conclusion. Why not, logically, chose God's standard set up for us in His Holy word? It is the only one that will be truly without sin.

I understand that for some of the laws, people may think the penalties too harsh. But we should not forget Who was the author of these laws in the first place. Could enforcing these penalties be sinful if it was God who set up the penalties in the first place? I think not.

We should not forsake the law of God solely in order to guard against the sin of pride. We should not teach moral standards to people to guard them from thinking we are prideful, nor to abstain from pride ourselves. Would it be better for a woman to go to church showing her cleavage and causing dozens of men to lust in their hearts, rather than to admonish her to dress modestly?Would it be better for parents to send their kids to school were lies about God were taught, rather than to teach them to homeschool their children. Having moral standards is not a sin, nor should it be treated as such when people are getting those standards from God's perfect law.

2 comments:

Kristen said...

Awesome post! :) I agree with you and am so happy to see another blogger with a proper love of and perspective on the Law.

Kelly said...

Emily-
I share your convictions. You don't hear women saying such things very often these days. It's a shame. I am glad to hear to say it and to know there is someone that thinks very much like I do.
God Bless
K