“You also died to the law through the body of Christ.... By dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (Rom. 7:4, 6).

Which Old Testament Laws Apply to Christians Today?

When Christians read the Old Testament, they are often puzzled. They find many laws that seem to be part of Christianity, and yet they also find many laws that no one obeys. Laws of sacrifice, rituals and civil laws are all mixed in together with laws that tell people how to get along with others.

How can a Christian know which laws to keep? Does the Bible tell us? This Bible study course explores this topic in detail. You will need to look up each of the scriptures you find listed, because we have not taken the space to quote them. But it is worth the time to learn about how we ought to obey our Creator and Savior.

We'll begin with some general principles so that we lay a good foundation for discussing specific laws later in this study. First, we will establish from Scripture that Christians are expected to obey God. Then we will look at God's laws — starting in the time before Moses, then a closer look at the covenant made at Mt. Sinai. We will see how Jesus, Paul and the early church deal with the difference between old and new, then explore that difference with a few examples of laws that almost all Christians agree are obsolete.

We then apply those principles to the seven annual Sabbaths,  dietary laws, and the weekly Sabbath. We close by noting some of the commands the New Testament gives us, and end by emphasizing that, although Christians should obey God, our salvation is received on the basis of faith, not on the basis of our obedience.

• Introduction from Joseph Tkach, Executive Editor 

• 1. Christians Obey God

• 2. Old Testament Laws Before Moses

• 3. Moses and the Old Covenant

• 4. Jesus and the New Covenant

• 5. The Early Church and the Law of Moses

• 6. Paul and the Old Covenant

• 7. A Few Examples of Obsolete Laws

• 8. Seven Annual Sabbaths

• 9. Dietary Laws and Uncleanness

• 10. Jesus and the Old Covenant Laws

• 11. The Weekly Sabbath — Jesus' Example

• 12. The Sabbath in Acts and the Epistles

• 13. New Covenant Commands

• 14. Salvation by Faith
  

THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD BIBLE STUDY COURSE
Publisher: Worldwide Church of God
Executive Editors: Joseph Tkach and J. Michael Feazell
Written by Michael Morrison, copyright © 1997 by the author.
Unless noted otherwise, scriptures are quoted from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

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