Understanding the Bible

I remember speaking to a well meaning Christian once who told me that she was going to give up eating pork because the Old Testament said so. I felt sorry for her because it meant if she was going to keep one Law, she would need to keep all the other 612 Laws mentioned in the Old Testament. We had a chance to speak about this and I shared some truths with her which I want to share with you. Many people, and sometimes even well-meaning Christians, often complain that the Bible is out of date. They say it is not relevant because it is full or harsh rules and regulations which are impossible to keep i.e. keeping the Sabbath, stoning sinners, not eating pork, ritual washing etc etc.

But did you know that it’s not the Bible that is the problem, but the way you understand it. The most common error made by people is that they have not understood how to read the Bible. They often read a portion of scriptures, completely misunderstand it and then complain and say the Bible is irrelevant. But it ought not to be like this because the Bible is the most relevant book ever written. The primary reason many folk fall into this common mistake is because they haven’t studied the contents of the Bible in its proper context. Consequently their conduct is often left a bit confused and they end up making lists of do’s and don’ts. But if you would take the time out to really understand the meaning of the Bible and how to study it, I can assure you that you will find the truth and relevance of God’s Word. The term used for this type of study is called Biblical exegesis. The goal of Biblical exegesis is to explore the meaning of the text which then leads to discovering its meaning, significance and relevance. From this you will also learn how to live in accordance to the scriptures. But it is also very important to remember that even with good Bible interpretation skills the Holy Spirit’s role in revealing truth to you is very important.

Another big mistake made by people is to confuse the issue of Law and Grace. If you begin to grasp the difference between Law and Grace, I am pretty certain the Bible will also begin making much more sense to you and you will begin to walk in liberty and joy. The Bible tells us the difference between Law and Grace “The Law came by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)

Explaining the Law of Moses
What is the Law of Moses? The Law of Moses is found in the Old Testament section of the Bible. It is categorised into three parts. The first part is known as the Moral Law, better known to many as the Ten Commandments. The second part is the Civil Law which is a thorough judicial and legal system given by God for Israel’s court system. The third part is the Ceremonial Law which was the Law for ceremonial worship. All in all, the Law had 613 precepts of do’s and don’ts.

Male circumcision, not eating pork, Sabbath worship etc etc was given by God to Israel under the ceremonial Law. Capital punishment for murder, idolatry, blasphemy was given by God to Israel under the civil Law. However, it is vital to remember that God gave them to Israel. God did not give them to you or me in matters or civil and ceremonial law. He gave them to Israel as their Law. We are under no obligation to keep Israel’s dietary, civil and ceremonial Law which God gave to Israel thousands of years ago. Naturally some would say ‘why then is it in the Bible?’ Well, that’s easy, because the Bible as well as being a book of instruction and teaching, also happens to be a book of history.

However – and this is where it gets really exciting – you may remember I said the Law of Moses is made of three parts; the Moral Law, the Civil Law and the Ceremonial Law. We’ve covered the other two, but what about the Moral Law? We are under obligation by God to keep the Moral Law. It was given by God to Israel but its purpose is to make the entire world guilty before God (Romans 3:19-20). The Moral Law has been written on the heart of every human. When you lie, steal, lust, murder, hate, and commit adultery our conscience tells us that this is wrong. This is the Moral Law of God written on the hearts of every human. It is a universal and worldwide Law which applies to everyone.

It was the Moral Law of God which showed me as a young man how sinful I was. When God’s Moral Law showed me that I had sinned and transgressed, I knew I was guilty before Him. I had violated the Ten Commandments and was in need of forgiveness and mercy (Grace). It was this Grace that came through Jesus Christ. Jesus died for sinners like you and me. He paid the fine for my sins and for my breaking of God’s Law. Grace is unmerited favor and forgiveness given to those who are deserving of punishment. That is why today I can sing ‘amazing grace, how sweet the sound.’

Click here to see if you are good enough to go to heaven.

That I May Know Him 2010

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Tags: Exegesis, Grace, Law

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