A number of Christians today believe and teach that followers of Christ are bound by the laws of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). Often, it's argued that all of the laws, save for those pertaining to animal sacrifice, are fully applicable. However, the Torah does not seem to allow for this picking and choosing. The Law follows a complex code that includes sacrificial, ceremonial, civil, and moral laws. How do we determine which of the laws,if any, are to be followed by Christians? Or was the Law ever intended to be followed by non-Jews in the first place? Scripture itself will provide the best answer.
Fulfill But Not Abolish?
Matthew 5:17-19 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."KJV
During His earthly life, Jesus lived as a Torah-observant Jew. His earliest disciples, likewise, were Jews who faithfully followed the Law. Jesus' earthly mission was not to overturn or completely destroy the eternal covenant with the Jewish people. The Law was fully in effect, even for His followers, until all things were fulfilled by His death.
The Basis of the Law
Matthew 22:35-41 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." KJV
When examining the moral commandments of the Bible, all can be summed up under loving God or loving our neighbor. The greatest commandment of loving God is the one that all the other commandments flow from. Loving one's neighbor is the basis for the laws that govern how we relate to others.
Christians Are Not Obligated to the Law
Acts 15:23-29 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well."KJV
This was probably the first serious division faced by the early Church. Some from a Jewish background felt that Christian converts couldn't be saved without first converting to Jewish belief and practice. Yet, the apostles felt differently. They directed believers to abstain from meat that had been offered to idols; blood, which was associated with life; and strangled animals, probably an inhumane practice of some of the local pagan people. Fornication, which is sex outside of marriage, was also prohibited. There is no reason to assume that observance of the Law above and beyond these commandments were ever expected of Christians.
Following the Law Degrades Jesus' Sacrifice
Galatians 2:16-21 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. KJV
One nullifies the effects of grace by observing the Law. The grace of God, received by faith, is what justifies (makes us right) in the sight of God. Paul, in both his writings to the Romans and Galatians, treats the Law as being a means of showing our need for a Savior. Just as Christ's death established a new covenant with humanity, our acceptance of Christ places us under the law of His covenant-grace through faith. Paul is very clear: if we could be saved through following the Law, Christ's death occurred for no reason.
The Whole Law Must Be Followed
Galatians 5:2-5 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. KJV
Those who teach that Christians are obligated to the Law often say that Christ's death did away with the need for animal sacrifices, but all the other laws are to be followed. However, Scripture doesn't allow for such picking and choosing. You are either under the covenant of the Law and obligated to follow all of it, or under the law of grace.
Summary
The Law was given to the Jewish people to guide them in their relationship with God and others. Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, a new covenant for the Gentiles is pointed to. Jesus' first followers, being Jews, were only bound to the Law until His death on the cross. Christians are now only bound to some moral commandments that are restated in the New Testament. Those who would teach that Christians must be Torah-observant are denying God's grace and making Jesus' sacrifice somehow insufficient.
All citations are from the King James Version of the Bible (public domain)
