Skip to main content

Rehash

           All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. (Psalm 119:160)

 

            Let’s apply just a little logic here. All of God’s righteous laws are eternal. Are there laws that are not eternal? Before the universe was created, the law e=mc2 was not true because there was no matter. If and when the universe ends, it may not be true. So while it is (probably[1]) true now it is not eternal. That suggests that it is not a “righteous” law. And contrary to those who cling to an episode of West Wing[2], the New Testament makes clear that there are commands given in the Old Testament to which Christians are not subject, meaning that they aren’t eternally required for a relationship with God. By that definition, they aren’t righteous laws, either.

            Now, this is not to say that God is not righteous, or that all that He does is not righteous. It is merely to point out that there are different kinds of laws. Some are natural, some are cultural, and some are righteous, eternal laws (AKA truths) that stand the test of time throughout all time. We need to avoid mixing these up.

            But here’s the hard part for us. If His Word is true, and if His righteous laws are eternal, then why don’t we live by them? This is rehashing the rehashed hash, but would we not be wise to learn as much about His words, and His righteous laws, and natural laws, and cultural laws as we can, and understand the differences between them?


[1] Just me hedging

[2] (33) West Wing - Bartlet & the Bible - YouTube Keep in mind that this was scripted – there is a good answer to Bartlet’s list of questions – beginning with precisely what is said above. Christians are not subject to all Old Testament Laws. They are subject to the righteous, eternal ones.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more