Monthly Archives: February 2012
God’s Law: Case Laws
Some of God’s laws are given as general principles such as, “You shall not steal. You shall not murder.” And then we can apply these general principles in specific situations. We know that it is wrong to steal a particular thing from a specific person because in general it is wrong to steal. However, some of God’s laws are just the opposite. They give a specific example, from which we are supposed to derive the general principle. These are called “case laws.” Let’s look at some examples.
God’s Law: Established in Christ
Jesus did many things in His earthly ministry. But one thing He did not do was set aside the moral law of God. The Pharisees and scribes had set aside God’s law (in favor of their own traditions), thereby “emptying” the law of any value (Matthew 15:3–6). And Jesus rebuked them for it (Matthew 15:7–9). It is ironic that some Christians think that Jesus came to abolish (abrogate, set aside, or do away with) the law, when Jesus specifically said that He did not come to abolish the law. This statement is given in reference to God’s law, in the beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-8:29), where Christ described the standards for appropriate behavior and attitude of the heart (i.e. morality). In Matthew 5:17, Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”