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| Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
I have gained perfect freedom
by following your teachings,
Psalm 119:45
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
The Bible--especially the first books of the Old Testament--are filled with laws, rules, and guidelines to follow. As we read through these, it seems that God has set out a pretty confining existence for us. There seems to be plenty that we can't do and a lot of obligations that can make life a big hassle. Of course Christians know that Jesus came to change the system set out for the Israelites. We have been told by Christ that He did not come to get rid of the law, yet there are a lot of those old rules we no longer are required to heed.
Though Jesus came to free us from the law in one sense, we might want to consider the merit of some of these old laws. There must have been a reason for God to have laid these rules out for His children and as we study them we can often understand the logic. There are health benefits to many of the dietary laws. There are positive psychological and societal benefits to some of those rules pertaining to our behavior. There is a purpose to everything mentioned in the Bible.
We may have been set free in one sense by the atonement of sins provided by Christ, but perhaps there is a more perfect freedom to be found when we consider the teachings of old.
“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.
1 Corinthians 10:23
New International Version (NIV)
A great post to read Lee. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
I agree Lee! We can indeed learn from the old. If they were only meant to serve the people of Israel back then there would be no need for God to mention that they are also for our teaching and learning.
ReplyDelete