Do Christians Have to Follow the Old Testament Law of Moses?
Why Return to Bondage?
January 1, 1863, saw the Emancipation of enslaved people in the South. According to the historian Eugene Genovese, about fifteen percent of enslaved people stayed with their enslavers. After God had released the children of Israel from their bondage in Egypt through the miraculous intervention at the Sea of Reeds, many longed for Egypt.
And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.
–Numbers 11:4-6
My point is that some people long more for the bondage of their past than they do the freedom of their future. Longing for this bondage is where some of the members of the church in Galatia where. Their pastor Paul was not happy about it.
So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.
-Galatians 5:1
Paul says to them that they have been set free in Christ and warns them not to get tied up again in slavery. Even today, we sing and celebrate our freedom in Christ with great enthusiasm. So why do I see so many Christians leading by (and attempting to lead others with) the law of Moses?
Blessings and Curses
Blessed by ALL
There’s a song that we sing in black churches. The song is so impactful, that all I have to do is say, “We’re blessed in the city…” and most of us can keep on singing. At one point in our church, we sang the song every single Sunday. But unlike most songs that we sing on repeat, I’ve never tired of this one. “Blessed” by Fred Hammond is a lovely song of encouragement and it’s based on the Word! But have you ever actually read the verse that it comes from?
“Blessed” is based on Deuteronomy 28:3-6. This chapter lists all of the blessings that are going to overtake us!
Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
But here’s the thing: you don’t automatically get these blessings because you are a Christian. You don’t automatically get them because you pray for them. You aren’t even automatically guaranteed these blessings if you give for them (check on my article “Should Christians Tithe?”). There’s only one way that all of these blessings are going to come upon you and it’s found in verses 1 & 2 of Deuteronomy 28:
If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth; all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the Lord your God
The only way to partake in the blessings outlined in Deuteronomy 28 is to follow ALL of the laws of Moses. There are 613 in total. Everything from how to deal with murderers to how to deal with women on their menstrual cycle.
Cursed by ONE
Not only that, when we’re singing “Blessed”, we are leaving out the latter part of Deuteronomy 28 starting at verse 15:
But if you will not obey the Lord your God by diligently observing all his commandments and decrees, which I am commanding you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you: Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field…
You see, we cannot claim the blessings of the Law without also acknowledging the potential for curses. He says if you don’t obey ALL of the commandments, then you’re gonna have to change the words of Fred Hammond’s song to “We’re cursed in the city…”
Why is this significant? Because James 2:10 says
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
So, if you desire to follow the Law of Moses and you keep 612 of the laws, but mess up on 1. You are therefore guilty of all 613 and the curses are yours!
Behavior vs Heart
It’s a Gift
A lot of Christians understand this basic concept, but end up missing the bigger picture. The Law of Moses attempts to deliver salvation based on the behavior of the people. As long as you behave a certain way, then you can experience the joy, presence, and salvation of the Lord. But Ephesians 2:8-9 says
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
There’s nothing that you can do to experience the salvation of the Lord. It’s God’s gift to us. All we have to do is receive it because it is a gift!
Laws Don’t Change Lives
Jesus understood this. He understood that attempting to adjust behavior was insufficient. He recognized a very important truth: Laws Don’t Change Lives! God seems less interested in behavior changes than in changes of the heart.
In “The Christian Response to Injustice”, we examined Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. Jesus made it clear that the laws attempt to change behavior was unimpressive to God. The thing that God cares about is the heart.
Jesus would say, “You have heard it said…” then give some direct quote from the Law of Moses. Then, he would say that just thinking about doing that thing is just as bad as actually doing it. Matthew 5:27-28
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
He was saying that if the only reason why you’re not doing something is because of some law, then you’ve basically already done it. The Law is insufficient. Jesus is basically saying, I’m not worried about your behavior, I’m worried about your heart.
So What Does This Mean for the Church?
If laws don’t change lives and behavior doesn’t move God’s emotional needly, then why do so many churches and Christians spend so much time trying to change behavior?
I wonder when the church got into the business of trying to change behavior? When we do, we push the false idea that there is something we can do to earn God’s salvation, favor, grace, and mercy.
The church should not be in the business of attempting to change behavior. The truth is, only God can do that. The only thing the church must do is push Jesus. When we push Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, then the Lord will adjust the behavior to His liking (not to ours).
What About Sin?
I was having this conversation with a friend of mine and he asked, “So why don’t you go cheat on your wife? Since the “Law” says that we shouldn’t commit adultery and we don’t have to follow the “Law”, go cheat!”
His argument was basically, what about sin? To this, I say: Matthew 22:36-39
One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
I don’t cheat on my wife. Not because I’m afraid of offending the Law of Moses. I don’t because it would not be an expression of loving my wife (my neighbor) as myself. To preach that committing adultery would offend God and make the Lord upset with me because I violated the Torah’s command against adultery is fear-based pandering. I choose not to commit adultery because of the love I have for my wife, not because of the fear I have of God.
So What Do You Think?
Should the church and Christians be trying to get people to change their behavior?
Should we be lobbying for laws to get people to stop doing certain things?
If someone has a desire to sin but they don’t actually do it, are they safe?
Are Christians required to follow The Old Testament Law of Moses?
Sound off in the comments below.
Man, you pose such thought-provoking content in these blog posts! There is so much to unpack here- (certainly glad there’s no word count restriction for responses).
The first scripture that came to mind after reading this post was Matthew 5… the scriptures where Jesus was speaking to the disciples and the masses about the beatitudes and right behavior for those who would follow him. He went on to speak of God’s law…
5:17 “Do not think that I came to do away with or undo the Law [of Moses] or the [writings of the] Prophets; I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke [of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished. So whoever breaks one of the least [important] of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least [important] in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them, he will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. “For I say to you that unless your righteousness (uprightness, moral essence) is more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:17-20 AMP
https://www.bible.com/1588/mat.5.17-20.amp
In this, I think Jesus was pointing to the fact that the law was just the foundation or a guide, if you will, to the beginning of right behavior. However, man in all of his fallacy kept failing because they only used the law to SEEM right instead of actually changing their ways to be right.
You are correct in stating…”The law does not change behavior.” They (Pharisees, Sadducees & other “keepers of the law”) were overthinking and rationalizing the law to conform to their behaviors, untoward action that will always lead to injustice, self-sufficiency and other sins of the flesh.
Right behavior is a matter of the heart, and Jesus took it a step further to explain that it’s ALL about love. He fulfilled the law because of his love and compassion for man. He always did the RIGHT THING—not because of the law, but because it was the RIGHT THING to do. His example suggests… Yes, regard the law, but make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Build upon what God has commanded you to do, but do it out of love and a sincere heart.
In and of ourselves, we are not able to keep the law because of our fleshly desires. Which is why Christ came to fulfill the law on our behalf. We are indeed under grace and mercy, and we are made righteous through faith in him. We fulfill all the requirements of the law when we accept him and allow him to change our behavior.
“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
Romans 8:3-4 NKJV
https://www.bible.com/114/rom.8.3-4.nkjv
C.C. Harrison! You are indeed a theologian’s theologian.
Let’s keep the conversation going…
In your opinion of the Scriptures, what changed with the death, burial, and (most importantly) resurrection of Jesus?
From my perspective, once he was raised, it changed everything. His resurrection confirmed for us what Paul wrote in Romans 10:4 (NLT)
“For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.”
We are also agreed in that the challenge with the law is that humanity used it to seem right instead of actually being right. But our behavior doesn’t make us right either. The only thing that can is the blood of Jesus.
So our efforts should not be to change behavior, our efforts should go towards pointing people to Jesus, making them disciples, and seeing them filled with his Spirit.
OMG! Two true Bible scholars with clear understanding of God’s word. This should free every person who reads Pastor Torrey and CC’s posts, with understanding, that to try and keep the Ten Commandments and the law, as we have so often been taught to do, is not what God intended for us to do during this dispensation in time. He just wants us to do whatever we do out of love. If we change our hearts and simply obey the commandment of love, all the things that are desired of Godly living falls in place. People who love God love him in spirit and in truth. Love is the greatest commandment of all. Love transcends any emotion, notion, act and our sinful nature to the extent that anything we may attempt to do that does not please God will invade our conscience and help us turn our actions into how God expects us to apply His love. It doesn’t mean we won’t miss the mark sometimes, but when we walk in His love, our desires to miss the mark will soon diminish. In the past I always felt guilty about so may things that I am no longer held hostage to. I have moved on and I have no desire to do them again. My love of and for God constantly reminds me to walk in love and so many of the things I thought I needed and I did are not priorities anymore. I have been forgiven and moved on, and I am grateful for God’s grace and mercy. Thank you Pastor Torrey and CC for a great love revelation commentary. Love you both.
Excellent read.