Old Testament Law

(The Old Testament summary in this section is presented to explain the transition from the covenant of salvation in the Old Testament which is now moot, to the New Testament covenant of salvation which is valid for all mankind until the Lord returns or the end of time comes.  Thus, some of the following explanation of the Old Testament and the Law, as well as the encapsulated summary of how the New Covenant written in the New Testament came about by need that follows, will most likely draw the ire of the die hard Old Covenant fans and some Jews.   To all, please understand there is no ill will or malice intended.)

 By the transgression of God’s Word/will by Adam in disobedience (unbelief),  all of mankind was disconnected from the will of God and “lost.”  See, Romans 5:14-17.  This “lost” condition continued for all until the “Law” was given to Moses for the “Jews”–often called the initial “chosen” people.  At that time, “non-Jews” were referred to by many names including Gentiles, Romans, Greeks, etc.  More specifically, the Jews were a nation of people determined by lineage (ancestry) only.  To be a Jew, a person had to born a bloodline descendant from (grand)parent stock who also descended from the Jewish patriarch named Abram (Abraham). Thus, any non-Jew trying to become a Jew by adopting Jewish religious beliefs or practices was treated by the Jews as someone having a law/religion unto themselves. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Romans 2:14. 

With respect to the “Law”, it was given to the Jews and included the “Ten Commandments” (e.g., Exodus 20:12-17) which partially comprises the first five (5) books of the Old Testament of the Bible.  But note, human history suggests the “eye for an eye” Code of Hammurabi and perhaps other forms of man’s law, are more ancient and predate the Ten Commandments. Even so, no authority can trump the force of the Law and the Ten Commandments as statements of the Father’s supreme will which makes Him God for all mankind.

Adherence to the Law given to the Jews was the means of reconciliation to God needed for “salvation” in Old Testament times, and any violation of the letter of the Law was/is a sin and a transgression of God’s will.  At that time salvation was only available for the Jews as a group to whom the Law was given.  During the time the Law was given to the Jews, non-Jews had no hope of salvation as...being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: Ephesians 2:12.  Speaking in the context of salvation, Jesus said to a non-Jew: Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. John 4:22.   (“Salvation” means the saving of the soul (life) from the lake of fire commonly called “hell” as a form of “second death” of the soul after the flesh dies. Revelation 21:8 and 20:14.)

As strict observance (adherence) to the letter of the Law was required, the administration of a number of ceremonial practices and “sacrifices” for a variety of different purposes was also required.  Hence, the Old Covenant for salvation was, by definition, a doctrine of works–most of which were performed by the priests for the benefit of all Jews as a nation. 

The highest order of the sacrificial works was the annual sin forgiving “atonement” sacrifice of a special animal during the “Passover Ceremony” (the “Passover’).  The “Passover” commemorated the use of animal blood as a sign of obedience and allegiance to God in early Old Testament times. See, Exodus Chapter 12 of the Old Testament. 

The Passover atonement ceremony was conducted inside the Jewish temple, and only the highest of priesthood performed.  The sacrifice itself was for the sins of all Jews.  More specifically, the sins of all the Jewish people were deemed to be “placed on” the sacrificial “sinless animal” prior to slaughter.  The Passover animal was the surrogate for sinful man before it was killed. The blood of the sacrificial animal was then let and some collected before the animal bled to death.  (No doubt, the most important factor of the atonement sacrifice was the blood.  Blood gives life to the physical body of all creatures (i.e., living souls), because every body cannot live without blood, and yet blood can live without the body.  Today, we know this to be true as human blood donations frequently give life to others even though the heart of the donor may have stopped and they died.)   

The High Priest alone would then carry the collected animal blood past a huge “veil” (i.e., a curtain) separating the “Most Holy Place” or “Holy of Holies” and the High Priest from the rest of the temple. When inside the Most Holy Place, the High Priest placed the collected blood on the sacred sacrificial altar. According to the Law as per and will of God, the blood was an acceptable offering for the sins and transgressions of all Jews as a nation of people to whom salvation was promised. 

However, animals can only follow the will of their flesh and are incapable of choosing to live by the will of God because they lack a will of man.  Thus, using an animal as the surrogate for man during the Old Testament atonement could not “take away” sins to render someone sinless.  For these reasons, and considering only the Jews could be saved by the Old Covenant Law during Old Testament times, the Old Covenant was “faulty” as to all of mankind when considered as a whole. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. Hebrews 8:7.  As a consequence, the Old Testament atonement sacrifice was done year to calendar year continually without a foreseeable end. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Hebrews 10:3-4.  (Here we begin to see a place where man can be considered sinless, but this must occur after some blood sacrifice in order to uphold the Law, and yet because man retains his flesh there must also be a life after the forgiveness and this “life” is of the Spirit as explained in detail below.)

What about the supreme law–God’s will?  Of course, the performance of the sacrifices was also supposed to evidence the Jews’ remorse for their sins.  Still, over time the Jews grew less “sorry” for their sins and justifying the flesh, even as all people do today if we continue in their repeated conduct.  Some say the Jews treated the atonement sacrifice as a form of “license payment” made annually for the “right” to sin, albeit contrary to the “spirit” of the Law as the will of God on which the Law was based.  Nevertheless, the letter of the Law as the Word of God that established the provision for the atonement sacrifice, and forgiveness of sins, was no less forceful under any circumstance. 

For example, contrary to the original will of God, and yet not contrary to the letter of the Law as written which lacked a prohibition against it, the Jews created additional laws of their own. They did so not to be more restrictive of themselves, but to loosen up God’s Law (and preferably His will) in order to live more freely by the will of the flesh and more loosely govern themselves.  This is a good example of man’s desire for self-governance by enacting any number of laws to govern himself, and yet he cannot alter the will of God.  In short, while the “additional” laws were not forbidden by the letter of the Law, man’s desire to justify his flesh and live by the will thereof jump started man’s “interpretations” of God’s Word contrary to the spirit (original intent) of His will. (See, Matthew 19:6-8 as an example of where we find transgression of the will of God without sin by violating a written commandment of God.) 

At the same time the Jews were becoming less than sincere in the context of remorse for the sins, and considering the nature of the Old Covenant as a “doctrine of works” (mentioned previously), the Jewish prophets and holy men were moved by the Holy Ghost to foretell of the coming of the Christ–the Messiah as their deliverer under a New Covenant.  Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter 1:20-21.  As proven below in the next section, Jesus was/is that Messiah–the Christ.  (Please note, the Holy Ghost did not indwell (i.e., dwell within) the bodies of the holy men as “making an abode” in them. The Holy Ghost was not given to man (other than Jesus) until after the glorification (resurrection) of Jesus which had not yet occurred. See, John 7:39 as discussed in detail below.)

As the Messiah for the Jews, then and now, Jesus would bring the spirit of the Law to prominence as the New Testament covenant.  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.  2 Corinthians 3:5-6.  (Nevertheless, even today many Jews continue to reject the Word prophesying Jesus, and the New Covenant of the spirit as the will of God for salvation. In fact, one Jew I know of in particular referred to Him as: “A loud mouthed Jew who caused a lot of trouble”. Considering that assessment of Jesus today, one can only imagine the hostility and disdain the High Priest named Caiaphas beheld toward Jesus when he wanted Him dead for the good of the people.  Now Caiaphas was he, which gave counsel to the Jews, that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. John 18:14.