This is a subject that seems to be coming up more often these days. Many say we no longer need to keep the Law because we are under grace. I admit I’m a bit confused by this notion. I’m told it’s because the “Old” Testament is no longer relevant and was only for the Jews. The New Testament is for the “church” and therefore is the new covenant of grace. Most go on to say that Yahweh tried to give the Jews a chance but they blew it so instead He turned to the church instead. Some say the Jews will come back to Yahweh at the end of time when He takes the blindness away from them.
Oh dear. Where do I begin with all of that nonsense? And yes, it is complete nonsense. I apologize in advance if the way I’m talking gets you riled up. My intention is to “wake” people up and sometimes a person needs to get riled up in order to be woken up. The church of today is fast asleep. Bigly. They are missing out on some of the greatest blessings from Yahweh all because they believe a false teaching from the pulpit. A false teaching that is straight from the pit of hell and one meant to make them all nice and cozy sleeping their life away here on earth. Asleep and doing nothing at all for the Kingdom.
Let’s take this a bit at a time and go through the first paragraph, shall we?
Law vs. grace. Let me tell you a little story to help you understand law and grace.
Pulled Over
I was driving down the highway one day and was pulled over by a policeman. I was confused at why he pulled me over as that particular highway had no speed limit. There was no law. He came up to the window and asked me if I knew how fast I was driving. I said yes but wondered why he stopped me since there was no posted speed limit sign. He said he wanted to give me some grace on how fast I was driving. I asked him why I needed grace if there was no posted law on speed limits? He told me that he just wanted to stop me and give me grace and that I had broken no law. He just wanted to give grace to me because he was being nice.
In this case there was no need for grace because no law was broken. The grace meant nothing. In fact, it actually stopped me from doing what I was supposed to be doing and instead I sat there trying to understand why the police officer stopped me. I ended up late to my appointment for no reason. The grace served no purpose whatsoever.
That story may seem very elementary but that is how law and grace work. Without the law, there is no need for grace. For speeding down a highway or living our lives for Yahweh. The only way grace even matters if a law is broken first. No broken law, no need for grace. Thinking I need or have grace without any law actually keeps me from doing the things I’m supposed to be doing. Hmmm…
Let me take this up a notch, which I’m sure will rile some feathers. If there is no Law there was no need for Yahshua (Jesus) to have shed His blood. No grace needed. No blood needed. Well, you say, it’s because He died and shed His blood that we have grace. Again, if there is no law, then no law has been broken, so no grace is necessary.
What did Yahshua have to say about it?
Then there is that little scripture in Matthew 5:17 – 19: Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter shall pass from the Law, until all is accomplished! Therefore, whoever nullifies one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
That seems pretty clear to me. Most Christians I know pick one word out of those three verses and throw the rest out. The word fulfill. Some Bibles may have the word complete.
There are four parts to the Law
Did you know the Law has four parts? Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t. Most don’t. I didn’t before I began studying it.
1. The Law
2. The Statutes – governance
3. The ordinances – regulations
4. The Sacrificial System for atonement
Yahshua came to fulfill or complete the Sacrifice. At that moment of His death there was no longer a necessity to kill an animal as atonement for sin. He was our precious Lamb.
The entirety of the rest of the Law is still in full force. He died for us. So that if/when we sin – against the Law – we have atonement. Without the Law there is no broken Law and no need for His blood.
Saying that we are under grace and no longer need the Law is reckless and makes what He did for us of no consequence. That is exactly what Satan wants.
Is the “Old” Testament no longer relevant as some would teach?
Now let’s talk about how the “Old Testament” is no longer relevant because it was for the Jews. I just wrote a lengthy post on the subject of the Jews and the Israelites of ancient times and of current times. I recommend spending a few minutes reading here to understand in great depth who is who in our Bibles and today. Esua vs. Jacob – Why It Matters Today
To throw out the Old Testament means throwing out all of the prophecies meant for the Day of Yahweh and End Times. Since they no longer matter we should just ignore them, right? How about the prophecies that tell us where the Israelites are living today, right now? Or all of the wisdom of the Psalms and Proverbs. Should we ignore that many letters and books of the New Testament begin with “to the twelve tribes in the dispersion”? Or the fact that in the book of Revelation it talks of the Israel and Judah being back together – all twelve tribes? Those are New Testament books.
Let’s look at some examples.
Psalms 135:4 – For Yah has chosen Jacob for Himself, Israel for a treasured possession.
Psalms 136 – The entire chapter is one verse after another telling us that “His loving-commitment is everlasting!” (That means forever without end.)
James 1:1 – James, a servant of God and of the Master Yahshua Messiah, to the twelve tribes who are in the dispersion: Greetings. (The dispersion is where the twelve tribes were sent by Yahweh for their disobedience to His Laws.)
Revelation 7:5-8 is a passage describing the sealing of the twelve tribes.
Revelation 21:12 – and having a great and high wall, having twelve gates, and at the gates twelve messengers, and the names written on them, which are those of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Since this last verse is speaking about the setting up of the Kingdom and the twelve tribes are front and center and in His own words Yahweh said that His commitment to Israel was for everlasting and Yahshua’s brother James in the first verse of his book wrote to the twelve tribes in the dispersion or exile there is no way the church has replaced Israel. Somewhere Israel is on this earth today – all twelve tribes – right where Yahweh put them.
Plan B? Or an afterthought?
And do we think that the Creator of the Universe, Yahweh Almighty, Maker of the heavens and the earth, the One who knows all from all time, would set up a plan that He knew would fail? And that He would have to go to Plan B? Ridiculous. That is what is meant by the saying we are adopted in or grafted in. Second choice. Plan B. An afterthought.
I am not, nor have I ever been, Yahweh’s Plan B. If that’s how you think of yourself, so be it. Sad to say you’ve bought into the lie from the very ones who have done their best to steal your birthright. And instead of standing up to them you’ve handed it right over. That and your prayers and your money. And they laugh at you.
Did Yahweh change His mind?
Let’s just say Yahweh did change His mind and replace the Israelites with the church. What does that say about His integrity and faithfulness. What does it say about future promises? If He would go back on one promise what is stopping Him from going back on all of them?
Yahshua was God in the flesh. When He was walking the earth He had this to say about this subject in Matthew.
Matthew 10:5-6 – Yahshua sent these twelve out, having commanded them, saying, “Do not go into the way of the gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritan’s, but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Mathew 15:22-24 – And see, a woman of Canaan came from those borders and cried out to Him, saying, “Have compassion on me, O Master, Son of David! My daughter is badly demon-possessed.” But He did not answer her a word. And His taught ones came and asked Him, saying, “Send her away, because she cries after us.” And He answering, said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
It doesn’t sound like Yahweh changed His mind at all. It seems that the Israelites in the Old Testament are still the Israelites in the New.
In 2 Timothy 3:16 it states, ALL SCRIPTURE is inspired by Yahweh and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man or woman of Yahweh may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.
Did you know there was no New Testament when that was written? Nope. Nada. None. Just a few random letters floating around and they were not considered Holy Scripture. That’s right. The only Holy Scripture, the only Scripture period, was the Old Testament. Let your head wrap around that for a moment. I hope that puts the Old Testament into a whole new light for you. Maybe, just maybe, it has a lot more worth than what preachers of today give it. Maybe the truth has been hiding there all along, right in plain sight.
The Old Testament is crucial to our understanding
Did you know there are approximately 250 Old Testament verses quoted in the New and if you take into consideration of partial or indirect quotes that number jumps to over 1,000? Did you know that 25 out of 27 books of the New Testament quote or allude to the Old Testament. It seems to me that if the writers of the books of the New Testament thought so highly of the Old Testament that they continually quoted from it, even after Yahshua’s death on the cross, it should mean a lot more to Christian’s today than it does.
Did you know that the apostle’s, after the death of Yahshua, still kept all of the Feast Days and Times? No they never exchanged them for pagan festivals like Easter and Christmas. Even though some Bibles use the name Easter in place of Passover that is only in later publications and was changed by publishers. The apostles and early followers of Christianity would no more have kept a pagan festival than Yahshua Himself would have. It would have been an abomination.
Bottom line is that the Old Testament is still very relevant today and has information in it that is essential to us as followers of Yahweh. The Law given in the Old Testament is also still valid and without it we have no need of grace. Christian’s need to wake up and learn the Law of Yahweh.
Simply My Opinion,
Kathe