Christians and the Law

THE SINAITIC LAW AND THE GENTILE BELIEVER
How Many of the 613 Commandments Apply to Christians?
pdf
Dr. Paul Manuel—2007

This paper, because of its length, does not appear in its entirety in this post, but can be found, with footnotes and bibliography, here as a pdf.

Should you, as a believing gentile, keep the law God gave to Israel? Which of those many commandments apply to Christians? The short answer might be the one person gave when the Young Adult class began this study. She said, "all of them." I could leave it at that, except you would probably prefer a more substantial response, so we will approach this topic in three ways.

• First, we will deal with the issue broadly, by looking at some basic principles from scripture, which is our primary source of authority on such matters.

• Second, we will deal with the issue closely, by looking at specific precepts from scripture, a sampling of the many God gave through Moses at Sinai.

• Third, we will consider the issue again, by looking at where we are.

When we finish, you should be in a more informed position to answer the question and to decide what you should be doing. Let us begin by...

I. Looking Broadly at the Principles

A. God makes obedience to His law the standard for condemnation!

Rom 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

1. He holds gentiles responsible for natural law (the dictates of conscience)—that which He gave to all.

Rom 2:14 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.

2. He holds Jews responsible for revealed law (an expansion of natural law)—that which He gave to Israel.

Ps 147:19 He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. 20a He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws.

B. God does not make obedience to His law (of either kind) 

a requirement for salvation.

Gal 3:11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith."

• He has always provided redemption—for Jews and for gentiles—only by grace through faith.

Rom 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

C. God does make obedience to His law the requirement for sanctification.

Lev 20:7 Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. 8 Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.

Eph 4:24 ...put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (NB: Paul follows this general admonition with a list of specific commands.)

1. He gave natural law to gentiles as a general guide for their conduct.

Gal 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

a. He codified (some of) natural law in His covenant through Noah.

Gen 9:4 But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each man, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man. 6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.

b. He expects gentiles to keep natural law as a means of their (lesser) sanctification.

Eph 5:3 ...among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.

2. He gave revealed law to Jews as a special guide for their conduct.

Deut 5:33 Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.

a. He codified (most of) revealed law in His covenant through Moses.

Lev 26:46 These are the decrees, the laws and the regulations that the LORD established on Mount Sinai between himself and the Israelites through Moses.

b. He expects Jews to keep revealed law as a means of their (greater) sanctification, because they host His presence and model His character.

Deut 28:9 The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you.

D. God invites gentiles to keep the revealed law because 

they identify with (and even live among His people) Israel.

Isa 56:3a Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely exclude me from his people."

1. He encourages gentiles to keep the revealed law by offering incentives (temporal and eternal) for obedience.

Isa 56:6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve him, to love the name of the LORD, and to worship him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—7 these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joy in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.

2. He discourages gentiles from violating the revealed law by calling certain practices detestable.

Isa 66:17 "Those who...eat the flesh of pigs...and other abominable things—they will meet their end together," declares the LORD.

E. God gave the Ten Commandments as a summary 

of His revealed law for Israel.

Exod 34:27 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel." 28 Moses...wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

1. He gave several commands that are common to natural law (e.g., the murder prohibition)."

Gen 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man.

Exod 20:13 You shall not murder.

2. He gave several commands that are unique to revealed law (e.g., the Sabbath admonition).

Ezek 20:12 ...I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the LORD made them holy.

a. Gentiles who claim to obey the Ten Commandments but neglect the Sabbath are actually keeping natural law.

b. Gentiles who claim to obey the Ten Commandments and include the Sabbath (e.g., SDBs) are actually keeping revealed law.

F. God does not alter or abrogate His law (natural or revealed) as the standard for condemnation or as the requirement for sanctification.

Isa 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

1. He will keep it in effect even through the Messianic Age.

Matt 5:18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

2. He will make it the gauge of believers' (Jews' and gentiles') eternal reward.

Matt 5:19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will he called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Should you, as a believing gentile, keep the revealed law God gave to Israel? Does He order your obedience or simply invite it? Does He expect it or just encourage it? ...The answers to these questions may depend on how far ahead you want to plan.

• The answers do not effect your passage to the kingdom, because God's grace in response to your faith ensures your redemption.
• The answers do affect your position in the kingdom, because your obedience to God's commands determines your reward.

The remainder of the paper: How Many of the 613 Commandments Apply to Christians? pdf