[soc.religion.christian] Nuances of the Law in the New Testament

davidbu@tekigm2.men.tek.com (David Buxton) (11/20/89)

Taken from the SDA Bible Commentary on the Law:

     In the NT the term "the law" is used with various shades  of  meaning,
     and  unless these different aspects of the "law" are kept in mind, and
     the context examined to ascertain which shade of meaning the writer is
     alluding  to, the modern reader of the NT is almost certain, at times,
     to misconstrue what is said about the "law."  To a Jewish reader or to
     one  familiar  with the Jewish religious system, the different nuances
     of the word "law" were clear, and a  speaker  or  writer  could  shift
     rapidly  from  one  to  another without being misunderstood, since the
     context of his remarks would be sufficient to make his meaning clear.

I can provide more information on how the various nuances of the law can be
understood.

Certainly it is tempting, in our modern context, to throw up our  hands  in
dispair  and exclaim that it is too difficult to differentiate what is spo-
ken of when 'law' and/or 'commandments' are mentioned in the Bible.

Some texts in the NT clearly uphold the law and we must ask  what  portions
of  the  law these texts are speaking of so highly?  Other texts set asside
certain portions of the law and we must ask what 'nuance' of  the  law  are
these dealing with?

Which nuance of 'law' do each of these texts speak of?

     "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy,  and  just,  and
     good."  (Rom. 7:12)

     "But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives  free-
     dom,  and  continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but
     doing it -- he will be blessed in what he does."  (James 1:25)

     "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his  commandments.
     He  that  saith,  I  know  him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a
     liar, and the truth is not in him."  (1 John 2:3,4)

     "And when the days of her purification according to the law  of  Moses
     were  accomplished,  they  brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to
     the Lord;"  (Luke 2:22)

     "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you  hypocrites!   You
     give  a  tenth  of  your  spices--mint, dill and cummin.  But you have
     neglected the more important matters of the  law--justice,  mercy  and
     faithfulness.   You  should  have  practiced  the  latter,  whithouout
     neglecting the former."  (Matt. 23:23)

     "Blotting out the handwriting  of  ordinances  that  was  against  us,
     which  was  contrary  to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to
     his cross"  (Col. 2:14)(See also Deut 31:24-27 & 2 Kings 22:8)

     "It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear, than  for  the  least
     stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law."  (Luke 16:17)

     Old Testament - "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with  all  thine
     heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul, and with all thy might.  (Deut 6:5)
     Love your neighbor as yourself.  (Lev. 19:18)

 Clearly the 'law' cannot be treated as a homogeneous inseparable whole
 that must be kept totally intact or disposed of in its entirety.  From
 the above texts it should be obvious that such a claim  would  condemn
 the  Bible  to  be contradictory.  We need to study to understand what
 portion of the law is being spoken of in  each  passage  of  scripture
 that  deals  with  the law.  Don't give up just because its not always
 easy.

 Yesterday I reviewed what the 'Jewish Encyclopedia' had to  say  about
 the  law.  The law to the Jew, at the time of Christ, was an extremely
 complex and conflicting spread.  It was clear to the Jew that a lot of
 it  could not be of God.  Clearly those laws and ordinances associated
 with the sacrifice of animals  were  done  away  with  at  the  cross.
 Clearly  there  is  also law that the New Testament writers uphold and
 that Jesus said would never be done away with or even tinkered with by
 God.   Daniel  7:25 says that man will 'think' to change God's law but
 Jesus clearly stated that it would not change.   These  texts  do  not
 deal with the ceremonial laws, or Moses' camp ordinances that included
 death penalties.  These texts that say that Jesus did not  change  the
 law  are clearly dealing with the Law of God and of all the Bible only
 the Decalogue was written by the hand of God.  And we  are  told  that
 God's hand does not change.

 "To the law and to the testimony, if they speak not according to  this
 word,  it  is  because  there  is  no light in them."  (Isa. 8:20)  To
 insist that Jesus did away with the Law would make Jesus out to  be  a
 false prophet.

Dave (David E. Buxton)

davidbu@tekigm2.MEN.TEK.COM

harry@atmos.washington.edu (Harry Edmon) (11/24/89)

I think it would be very enlightening to explore the different
definitions of law that denominations have.  In Lutheran theology you
usually talk about the law and Gospel together. In the Lutheran
Cyclopedia (Concordia Publishing, St. Louis, 1975) there is no listing
for Law by itself (or Gospel for that matter).  Here is part of the
entry labeled "Law and Gospel": 

"The law is a divine doctrine which reveals the righteousness and
immutable will of God, show how man ought to be disposed in his
nature, thoughts, words and deeds in order to be pleasing and
acceptable to God, and threatens the transgressors of the law with
God's wrath and temporal and eternal punishment.  For, as Luther says
against the nomoclasts, 'Everything that rebukes sin is and belongs to
the law, the proper function of which is to condemn sin and to lead to
a knowledge of sin' (Rom. 3:20; 7:7).  Since unbelief is a root and
fountainhead of all culpable sin, the law reproves unbelief also."
(Formula of Concord, Solida Declaratio V 17)

"The Gospel, strictly speaking, is the kind of doctrine that teaches
what a man who has not kept the law and is condemned by it should
believe, namely, that Christ has satisfied and paid for all guilt and
without man's merit has obtained and won for him forgiveness of sins,
the 'righteousness that avails before God' (Rom 1:17; 2 Cor 5:21), and
eternal life." (Formula of Concord, Epitome V 4)

...

Law and Gospel do not differ if Law is taken in a broad sense, as in
Is 2:3, or if Gospel is taken in a broad sense as in Mark 1:1.  They
do not contradict each other.  Both are God's Word; both are in the OT
and NT; both are to be applied to people everywhere, including
Christians.

The fact that Law and Gospel differ in their narrow sense is suggested
or indicated, e.g., Zch 11:7; Mt 13:52; Lk 12:42; Ro 10:4; Gl 3:24.
The difference was used, e.g., 2 Sam 12:1-14; Lk 7:36-50; Acts
2:27-39; 16:27-31; 1 Co 5:1-5; 2 Co 2:6-8.

Differences: (a) The Law was written into man's heart; the Gospel is
not known by nature, but was revealed through Jesus and the Word of
God. (b) The Law contains commandments of what we are to do and not to
do and how we are to be; the Gospel reveals what God has done and
still does for our salvation. (c) The Law promises eternal life
conditionally; the Gospel promises it freely. (d)  The Law demands
perfect fulfillment and pronounces curses and threats if there is no
perfect fulfillment; the Gospel has only promises and comforting
assurrances. (e) The purpose of the Law is to serve as a curb, mirror
and rule; the purpose of the Gospel is to forgive sins and give heaven
and salvation as a free gift.

Law and Gospel are both operative in conversion.  But the very nature
of justification excludes the Law and leaves the Gospel as the only
means whereby God justifies the sinner.  The incentive power of the
Gospel and the criterion of the Law are operative in sanctification.

P.S. Concordia Publishing is owned by the Lutheran Church - Missouri
     Synod.  The Formula of Concord date from 1576-1580 and is part
     of the Lutheran Confessions, which are accepted by all major
     Lutheran bodies in the U.S.
--
Harry Edmon		INTERNET: harry@atmos.washington.edu
(206) 543-0547		UUCP:	  uw-beaver!atmos.washington.edu!harry
Dept of Atmospheric Sciences, AK-40
University of Washington