Did Jesus Do Away with the Law?

This is core Christianity, where answering your questions about the Christian life Monday through Friday. Your hosts are author and seminary professor Dr. Michael Horton and Pastor atrial Sanchez call right now with your question.

At 1833. The core that's 1-833-843-2673 and now here's atrial Sanchez. Welcome back to core Christianity with Prof. Michael Horton, I'm Pastor atrial Sanchez and together we answer your questions about the faith yet again.

Mike is always as always, is a joy that by 2066 of the countries with the top 10 largest Christian populations will be in Africa, up from three in 2015, according to a new pew research Center report the projections or in line with the gradual shift that is increasingly seen Christian populations live outside the historical cultural centers of the religion.

Pretty soon Mike I think they'd be sending missionaries our way yeah exactly one China, you know, it's amazing that projected to be largest Christian population in the world. Yet it's pretty mind blowing and I think something that may be years ago, we would've never expected, but it's a Sony to see how the Lord is building his church throughout the world. Wherever the gospel goes it just has so much power and and that's why we do core Christianity because we know that God uses his word to build the church and so we want to bring God's word to bear in your life today and let's begin with the Facebook question that we got from Jimmy. What did Jesus mean when in the sermon on the Mount. He said you have heard it said but I say to you is Jesus doing away with the law. Good question Jimmy will first for men to hear the sermon on the Mount with the echo of Moses delivering his sermon from Mount Sinai as he returned with God's law already. Even before Jesus opens his mouth. The setting is pretty clear. Jesus is the prophet greater than Moses.

Next we notice that while Moses simply passed on what he heard from God. On top of that mountain, Jesus addresses the crowd as the God who spoke to Moses on that mountain Sony's as you heard it said but I say he's actually quoting Leviticus and Deuteronomy. But what he's quoting are the ceremonial and civil laws of Israel and he's saying basically the old covenant is over. The covenant of which Moses was the mediator attached to Mount Sinai when he gave the law that covenant is gone. I am fulfilling the law. I am not only the prophet who delivers God's law. IAM God's word incarnate and so I'm telling you it's regime change I I am the mediator of this covenant, not Moses in the Old Testament the church was also a nation is a geopolitical state with a literal plot of land and a capital in Jerusalem. Now, as I say it's regime change. The kingdom is headquartered in heaven and is now present on earth in the person of Jesus himself.

He is the king.

He is the king of Israel that Israel reject, remember, Israel rejected having a king.

They wanted a king like the nations they rejected God as their king. They wanted a human king and now God becomes incarnate and says I am the king and to whomever receives them Jew or Gentile. He gives the right to become the children of God. The citizens of the kingdom. And so Jesus wasn't saying that the first half of the movie was all wrong.

The old covenant.

In other words he's saying that it was all long setting things up for the climax in the second half. Jesus is the prophet priest and king of Israel. He's the mighty warrior who trampled Satan and his minions underfoot.

He's the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. So he's greater than Moses. He is God voices you heard it said but I say he is the one who has the authority because in the first place. As I say he's the one who gave the law to Moses, he is God is so funny because symptoms you hear people say things like, well, you know, Jesus never claimed to be God, not not clearly now. Of course, actually all over the place.

He did make statements like, before Abraham was, I am John 858 and Paulino and in Romans nine Philo's and lately got you also have so many instances like this in the New Testament where Jesus asked in ways and says things that I am gonna make him very clearly out to be the Lord of his people. We conference capable.

I don't think that many people look at that phrase there that text of Scripture and so this is a great passage to go to for the deity of Christ, but really it really is and he doesn't say you've heard it said love your neighbor as yourself.

But I say don't and he doesn't cut the moral law, out of Torah and throw it away. What he is saying is all the other laws governing the the theocracy. The political theocracy are over instead of driving the Canaanites and the Hittites and the termites out of the land you are to just live alongside pagans and endure persecution pray for them it's regime change, it's different. It's this is space for God to have his word proclaimed to all nations so that people can come from the Gentile world swells the Jewish world to the foot of Jesus and receive mercy at his hand.

This is not the time of judgment. This is the time for mercy. Therefore, all of those commands in the old covenant to drive out the idolaters from the land are over.

There is no holy land. All land is common now the gospel goes to the end of the nations. But when Jesus returns to talk about a cleansing of the land when he returns. It will be the final and complete fulfillment of what was only a type and shadow under the law, thank you for that question, Jimmy. What happens when you die have ever wanted that. Well that's Robert Watson� And in his phone call Robert and we believe, never will question yes and one that I would say a lot of people are confused by today and as so many of us we we think. When I asked Jesus into my heart so that I can go to heaven when I die, and they just imagine that for for the rest of eternity. What they're going to be doing is floating around in heaven.

Kind of in this disembodied state. It is important that we understand what the Bible actually teaches related to death and the resurrection of the body. The time that you're referring to. After you die, we enter into what we sometimes call the intermediate state because it's in between our death and the resurrection of the body when we die.

Our spirits are separated from our bodies and they enter into the presence of the Lord, our bodies go down into the ground, they experience corruption and decay.

For a time. We know according to first Corinthians 15 and other passages that God is going to raise our bodies up again incorruptible. You and I you have glorified perfect bodies. Sometimes in the New Testament the intermediate state is described as a time of sleep. First Thessalonians 414 first Corinthians 1518 use that language. That word sleep falling asleep, but I don't think this means were unconscious until the time of the resurrection, because Paul said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord second previous 58 and then in the book of Philippians.

Listen to what he said for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to live on in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me yet which I shall choose I cannot tell I'm hard-pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and to be with Christ, for that is far better not think about that. Philippians 121 to 23 in Paul's mind. His death meant going to be with Jesus and whatever that looked like he knew that it was infinitely better than his earthly experience saw me break down one more time for you when we die our spirits and our bodies are separated for time our bodies going to the ground. Our spirits go to be with the Lord in paradise, think about what Jesus told the thief on the cross. That's not the final state of affairs.

Though the whole creation is looking forward to the last day. Even our bodies are reunited with our spirits and raised again.

And so the passages that I would go to her or just as clear passages, especially in Paul where he says look weird in coping with the Lord and that's can be limited to be better than anything we know that's why in Philippians 1. Paul says I don't know what to choose. I know that going to be with Jesus is way better than this, but he wanted to also encourage the Philippian church and so that that was why he was struggling with that question and Jesus to told the thief on the cross. That's right, today you will be with me in paradise. Not just when you're raised bodily in the future, but today you will be with me in paradise so he can point to the soul that will be with him as you. That's the real you.

It's your identity, but it's interesting that the sleep metaphor which is just a metaphor look at a dead body and it looks like they're sleeping why so many references to that will because our body is also the real us. And when people say at a graveside. That's not real grandma yeah real grandma is is with the Lord know the body is also real grandma that body is gonna be race she's going to be reanimated by the spirit of God and the soul will be forever united intrinsically to the body that is grandma as much as the sole but the soul goes to be with the Lord and the body will be raised that identification of death with sleep I think is such a wonderful affirmation that that really that body. There lying there looking like it sleeping that body is just sleeping. It will be raised a manual cynical Christianity and were answering your questions about the faith. If you have a question give us a call at 1-833-843-2673.

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It's called nine frequently asked questions about angels and demons and it's free. When you sign up for our weekly newsletter. This is one of our most popular resources because I think in unfortunately there's a lot of bad teaching when it comes to angels and demons download and share this resource that focuses on what the Bible actually teaches head on over to court, Christianity.com/offers to download nine frequently asked questions about angels and demons or give us a call at 1-833-843-2673 go to another question now highlighted real bread wouldn't remainder the Bible is the word of God yet-well, it means very simply with the Bible while being written by human authors is also a fully reliable inerrant expression of God's word. God's law and his gospel. Paul tells us in second Timothy 316 and 17 all Scripture is breathed out by God to much wisdom about inspiration, but it's really expiration. God didn't breathe into the apostles and the prophets didn't breathe into the Scriptures. Rather, Scripture is God's word breathed out and therefore he says profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness, the man of God may be completely equipped for every good work.

So we often call this verbal, plenary inspiration, that simply means it's not just the ideas that are inspired by God. It's the words we don't believe the apostles were inspired. We don't believe that the prophets were inspired as persons suffer they went around entrance or every now and again you know they they had this mystical experience. Sometimes, in the case of Luke. For example, he just went around interviewing people who were eyewitnesses of Jesus life and times put together a gospel that sort of thing that a reporter would do. That's not exactly sitting in a in a monastery lotus position. Waiting. Waiting for some it is helpful because you know I think people sometimes think about the inspiration of Scripture and they imagine John sitting there. You know on a rock with the pen and paper and got my booming voice from heaven saying in the beginning was the word and then John, you know, writing, and so it is helpful to see is the sort of natural gas that God is overseeing. Yeah, this is not like the Islamic belief that Mohammed had the Quran dictated to him by the angel Gabriel.

This is a book that has all sorts of different genres see how God stooped and condescends and accommodates to speak baby talk to us because we can't rise to him so he descends to our ability and what an encouragement just to open up the Scriptures and if this is God's word to us for his baby talk is stooping down to us than boy let's open up the wound is a link to again go cynical Christianity.

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The question react when folks use first Peter 31 as an example that Christianity has helped spread misogyny and how can we help set the record straight. Yeah well the passage is first Peter 31. Likewise wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be one without a word by the conduct of your life first fall. I think we need to acknowledge that it will never be able to satisfy some critics. Many of our neighbors have reacted sharply against any concept of male leadership in the family and in the church and often what they've reacted against is worth rejecting but they've gone to the other extreme, rejecting God's good order. God created male and female equal but as different human beings, price, Lord, that women are different for men and women have different bodies. They have different desires have different ways of looking at things. I'm always trying to fix things.

My wife's always reminding me of being patient and actually listening before I go out and do something impulsively. We need each other and we need to learn to be different. Women are equal in creation. Remember, Eve was taken from Adam's side, not from his feet and you can contrast that with Plato, or even the Jewish philosopher Philo they had a very derogatory view of women in all cultures but the biblical one is really remarkable women are equal before the law. Jesus talked about why God allowed divorce.

He hates divorce, but why he tolerated, namely so that women could have a legal standing in society because they're just being cast away without any legal protection.

Women are equal in the family of God. Galatians 328 there is neither male nor female but all are one in Christ. But when there are different and that again, pitting battle of the sexes.

We need to affirm the difference. Just as the body of Christ needs different members to fulfill different functions, so we need differences that men and women bring to the family and the church now this passage that you cite second Peter 31 is a continuation of the ending from the previous chapter in that chapter versus 13 to 25 immediate the preceding verses.

Peter has warned Christians to submit to secular authority. Here's what he says. First, the Emperor, so that there will be no cause of slander against the gospel next to Masters. If you're a slave and now to an unbelieving husband so that he might be one by your conduct.

He's not talking about good relations between Christian husband and wife but what you do when you are a white you could reverse this tube, you're a Christian wife, married to a non-Christian husband and so what's the common thread here. Well, so that he might be one buyer conduct the common thread is the spread of the gospel. That's the goal of the gospel might spread.

Now we live in a different context. Of course while we can insert president for Emperor Shirley Peter would've tailored his expectation to us a little differently where we elect our presidents all you have in his exhortation then is obey and honor the emperor because that's what you do with emperors. What would you tell slaves today. He wouldn't tell slaves to obey their masters. Although in his day that had been a major institution, especially for those who were working their way out of bankruptcy or were prisoners of war.

Totally different from the European and American slave trade and then same with his expectation to Christian wives, but women had few rights and in the Greco-Roman world.

In fact daughters were at the mercy of their brother for an inheritance. When mom and dad died, and men could divorce women without any legal reason or any ongoing support to just throw away as we know it was a common practice for men to marry, to continue the family line, but then to take a young man as their genuine lover. All of this is being turned upside down in the church, but we have to realize that there's no command anywhere from Jesus or the apostles to transform Roman society. In these respects, or any other they are exiles there foreigners there aliens awaiting the return of the Lord to make all things new.

There will be an end to injustice, but for now Christians are to conduct themselves neither as revolutionaries who seek to impose their moral convictions on society, nor as those who merely go along with the flow and so the church is really became this this alien society within the culture so the advice we get in. In passages like these is always about how the godly are to conduct themselves in an evil age not know how to make an evil age more godly. And we know the results of this churches were on average light in darkness. It made a real difference. This certainly does not justify in any sense. Women suffering abuse from their husbands. The passage says absolutely nothing about that.

It simply talks about you, what you do when your wife married to a non-Christian what you do in a situation like that and then the answer is live a godly life.

Buyer conduct. Be humble and don't try to shove the gospel down his throat don't badger him but in humility, love and serve him and he will see a difference. The Lord is made in your life and that is just as true today as it's ever been. It's really remarkable. The role that women played in the spread of the cosplay good in the first century, catch me thought out way to Paul.

That's right yeah you think of Jesus you and by name I mean there mentioned his co-laborers in the whole side-by-side with the apostle Paul, or others, and so you know, the Christianity really elevated women in the society that that you typically didn't. You don't get that at all in the rabbis. One of things about rebate reading about the rabbis during Jesus day is, they must've really been shocked when Jesus talked to a woman and adulterous for that matter. At the well. A rabbi would never have done that they must've been shocked when he sitting down at meals not only with women but sometimes with with women of ill repute alongside tax collectors and thieves and silver that women were as you say identified as his disciples that women were the first to discover Jesus resurrection that women continued to be part of the apostolic circle and then were very important for the apostle Paul. In fact, sometimes even in correcting a male pastor, as in the case of the cylinder still in acquittal. Priscilla was willing to do that yes absolutely. But in the home and in the church. The Scriptures say that women are not to hold the office of pastor and teacher. They are not to hold the office of head of the home. If you have husband and wife and and you know that these this is tough stuff for us to recognize in our day as really important our society, our culture, we have to realize this.

Our culture categorizes us every day immerses us in the idea that if you really believe that that will lead to a fatal subversion of the rights of women will historically actually is done the office. Thanks for listening to core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us@corechristianity.com and click on offers in the menu for or call us at 1-833-843-2673 that's a 33, the court when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this podcast and be sure to join us next time.

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