moses, mildew and me: how do I understand the old testament law?

Taught by Susie Leafe at UCCF South West Team Days, May 2009.

A very helpful book on this subject: ‘OT Ethics for the people of God’ by Christopher Wright.

Most of us have a bible that is dirty and well leafed in the New Testament; the Psalms are quite dirty, and maybe the beginning of Genesis.  But not the bits we try to avoid, like Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  Yet that’s where our mates often go first in grilling a Christian!
How are we meant to understand the Old Testament law?  How does it relate to the New Testament and the overall biblical gospel of grace?
Problems start when we zoom in on the little verses and forgo the bigger picture.  See Leviticus 19:19ff – how do you deal with that?
One approach is to consider the different types of law.  The classic division of the law is between the Ceremonial (relating to sacrifices and the temple), the Civil (relating to the Israelite state), and the Moral (the only bit left).  The problem with this division is that nowhere in the Bible suggests this approach!  Yet when we look at the law, we see there are different types – but we need to let the bible explain what those types are, rather than imposing them on the bible.
Two different ways of looking at the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament:
(1) They are the old and new covenants, and a completely different world.  This is called dispensationalism.  The blank page in the middle of the Bible, separating Old Testament from New, is very important.
(2) Rip the middle page out – the bible is the same all the way.  This is called theonism, when taken to an extreme.  There is no change.  An extreme theonist might say that all the sexually immoral should be killed, because it says so in the Old Testament; it’s all one book and although we’re saved by grace, we should still consider the Old Testament law for our lives.  Some cults would embrace and exemplify a type of this.

The reality may be that we probably have bits of both in our understanding.  Many people are happily both, for example on their stance on the Sabbath.

How should we approach it?  Christopher Wright argues that as Christians, we tend to approach the Law totally differently to the rest of the bible; but we need to remember, it was given to a people, and that Jews in referring to the Law mean the first 5 books – it is not separate to the exodus etc.  So:

the original jesus

‘The Original Jesus, or How the New Testament bears witness to him’

A Christological Survey & Summary of the New Testament, taught by John Stott at The London Lectures in Contemporary Christianity, 2000

Regardless of whatever people may think of him, Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominant figure in Western culture for almost 20 centuries. 3 particular ways we can notice his dominance:

(i) He is the centre of human history.  One third of world claims to be Christian, split history into BC/AD

(ii) He is the focus of Scripture.  Jerome: “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ, because the Scriptures are full of Christ.”

(iii) He is the heart of mission.  Why do Christians cross continents and cultures as missionaries?  To commend a person, Jesus Christ.

In this lecture, Stott considers the New Testament evidence for the Original Jesus, in general, except for the book of Revelation which he considers in a later lecture.  He summarises each New Testament book and in particular considers their teaching on Jesus Christ.  He proposes that the lecture series is appropriately called ‘The Incomparable Christ’, for there is nobody – past, present, or future – like Jesus. 

the doctrine of revelation

Part 2 of 3 on the Doctrine of Revelation, taught by Mike Reeves on UCCF Summer School with the South massive.  Listen to it here.

 

In particular, a doctrine of Scripture, but not just about Scripture!

 

Often this is seen as a prologue to real theology.  However, this attitude leads to treating it in a non-Christian way.  So in the last 200 years it has been seen as a theistic and not a Christian theology.  Abstractly, the classic question has been: is it possible for God to make himself known?  That depends on the God!  Instead, the better question to ask is: how has God revealed himself? 

calvin’s institutes, book 1, chapter 9

 

 

 

Chapter 9: The subverted piety of replacing Scripture with revelations

(follows from previous post)

 

A fantastic chapter on the divine marriage of Word and Spirit, where Calvin tackles a heresy of his day in the teaching of the Libertines.  

calvin’s institutes, book 1, chapter 8

 

 

Chapter 8 The credibility of Scripture

(follows from previous post)

 

We need our assurance of the truth of Scripture to come from an authority higher than our own judgement; nonetheless, there are proofs to its truth and trustworthiness:

calvin’s institutes, book 1, chapter 7

 

 

Ch 7: The Spirit and the Church in relation to Scripture

(follows from previous post)

 

How can we know that the Word of God is the Word of God?

calvin’s institutes: book 1, chapter 6

 

Ch 6: The need of Scripture, as a guide and teacher, of God as Creator.  

(follows from previous post)

 

We need more than the heavens and earth to guide us properly to God.  So, to this God added the light of his Word, to make himself known unto salvation.  

He bestowed this privilege on the elect.  “For, seeing how the minds of men were carried to and fro and found no resting place, he chose the Jews for a peculiar people, and then hedged them in that they might not, like others, go astray.”  In the same way he retains us in his knowledge – if he didn’t, even those who appear the strongest among us might fall away.  

 

The Scriptures work like spectacles.

calvin’s institutes: book 1, chapter 5

 

Ch 5: Knowledge of God – in creation and governance of the world.

(follows from previous post)

 

True blessedness is found in knowing God.  So, that none may be excluded, God has been pleased “to daily place himself in our view, that we cannot open our eyes without being compelled to behold him.”

“His essence indeed is incomprehensible, utterly transcending all human thought; but on each of his works his glory is engraven in characters so bright, distinct, and illustrious that none, however dull & illiterate, can plead ignorance as their excuse.”  (see Romans 1:20).  The heavens and the earth (and the human body, as a “miniature world” in this respect) give innumerable proofs for even “the most illiterate peasant”, indeed for anyone with the gift of sight!  

But if, in order to apprehend God, we need not look further than even our own human bodies, “what excuse can there be for the sloth of any man who will not take the trouble of descending into himself that he may find him?”

calvin’s institutes: book 1, chapter 4

Bk 1, Ch 4: The knowledge of God stifled by men

(follows from previous post)

 

Calvin argues here that even “though experience testifies that a seed of religion is divinely sown in all, scarcely one in a hundred is found who cherishes it in his heart.  Some lose themselves in superstitious observances, and others, of set purpose, wickedly revolt from God.”  In other words, as a pastor recently pointed out , sinful people always tend towards one of two things: either being a Pharisee, or a rebel.  

calvin’s institutes, book 1, chapters 1-3

Book 1, Ch 1: Knowledge of God and ourselves is mutually connected

Wisdom, in its entirity = knowledge of God + knowledge of ourselves.  

Which comes first?