Have you ever purchased a new piece of furniture and attempted to assemble it without reading the instructions? Then, by doing so, you assembled it incorrectly and created a mess. On a larger scale, have you ever attempted to live life according to your own wisdom (instead of God’s) and suffered the consequences? Like Christians today, God knew that the Old Testament Hebrews needed guidance to properly reflect His holiness and to live in a peaceful and orderly society; thus, in Exodus (chapters 20,21, 22 and 23), He provided them with rules about worship, justice and how to peacefully interact with one another. In summary, he wanted them to build lives that reflected His design and not their guesswork. This manual, called The Law, is divided into three sections: Ceremonial (customs, celebrations, sacrifices, etc), Civil (laws governing daily life) and Moral (how we should live in response to God’s character). So, does this Law that God gave the Hebrews approximately 3,500 years ago still apply to believers today? The answer is yes and no. The Civil law does not apply because we no longer live under the same theocracy that governed Israel when this law was given. Ceremonial laws do not apply because Christ, through his death, burial and resurrection fulfilled the law. However, because God’s Holy character is unchanging, the moral law absolutely still applies to us today as He also wants us to build lives that reflect His design. To state it succinctly, today’s New Covenant Christians should be living out the Old Covenant principles of God’s moral law.
So, what proof do we have that this moral law applies to us today? We know it does because many New Testament scriptures affirm that we, just like the Old Testament saints were, are called to be holy. One such time occurs when the Apostle Peter refers to Leviticus 11:44 by stating “Since it is written ‘You shall be Holy because I am Holy’ ” (1 Peter 5:16). And, just as God provided the needed instructions to the Old Testament Hebrews in the form of the Law, He also provides us with the needed guidance to be holy through His word, the Holy Bible. Undoubtedly, to be holy as God has called us to be, there are some behaviors and activities that should have no place in our lives. The best example of these are found in the Ten Commandments where many behaviors (murder, adultery, theft, etc) are strictly forbidden. However, we must also maintain a gracious posture and should always guard against a legalistic, grace-killing spirit that looks to squash the joyful freedom of Christ. Furthermore, because God is merciful, His people, the church, must also show mercy to both fellow believers and unbelievers. Let us look together at the following two examples from scripture. What drew the prodigal son back to His father? The obvious answer is the father’s gracious heart. What is it that both repelled the self-righteous from and attracted the sinful to Jesus? It was the grace that He displayed toward sinners. Brothers and sisters, it is this practice of grace with one another that reflects the heart of our Lord. Are you reflecting the heart of our Lord by sharing the message of grace and mercy (the gospel) to unbelievers? Likewise, do you reflect the heart of our Lord by showing grace and mercy when interacting with both believers and unbelievers? If not, begin doing so by following the written guidance that our Lord has provided….
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