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Bahnsen’s view is radical but noble; however, it’s unlikely to happen in our lifetime. Bahnsen’s view suggests that Christian should live by
Old Testament Law—moral and civil—in home, society, and country. Again, it seems unlikely that
church would be willing to stone to death a man or woman caught in
act of adultery. America doesn’t prosecute fornication or adultery because in a promiscuous society, such as ours, too many would take
fall.
Strickland’s Dispensational view concludes on this note. “Nonetheless, as has been discovered, there is an aspect of
law that has ceased in its validity and applicability. The regulatory purpose recognizes that
Mosaic law was given specifically to
nation Israel in order to provide guidelines for their relationship to God. This regulatory purpose provided
requirement and means of fellowship, including
provision for
worship of God. The Mosaic law also served to govern Israel as a theocracy with a unique relationship to God. However, when Israel failed in its stewardship responsibilities under
Mosaic dispensation,
law in its regulatory function ceased in validity. Paul is equally clear that
law functioned in a temporary fashion as a tutor until
advent of Christ (Gal. 3:24), whereupon it ceased as a means of righteousness (Rom. 10:4). The Mosaic law, described as a ministry of death (2Cor. 3:7), faded and no longer remains (v. 11), leaving
hope that is found in
person of Jesus Christ. Instead,
New Testament believer is governed by
law of Christ, a law that is fulfilled by loving one’s neighbor (Gal. 5:14; 6:2).”
The point Strickland seems to make is this. The moral law or
Ten Commandments is no longer an external thing to which a Christian tries to align his or her conduct before God. The moral law or
law of Christ is now written on
heart of
believer. By
power of
Holy Spirit,
believer is helped to overcome lust, greed, licentiousness, and other works of
flesh that lead to overt acts of breaking God’s commandments. In doing so,
believer now lives by
power of
spirit, not by
works of
flesh.
And then there is scholar Walter C. Kaiser Jr. who asserts
following. It is
moral law of God found in
Decalogue and
Holiness Code of Leviticus 18-19 that must act as
absolute norms against which all other commands in God’s law are judged, interpreted, and applied to today. The hunger for someone to give
believing community instruction in
proper use of law is so great that one popular seminar since 1986, focusing on Proverbs (a veritable republication of
law of God in proverbial form, as can be seen from
marginal references to Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), has literally had tens of thousands of people swarming to its sessions in every major city in North America and now all over
world. This is an indictment on
church and its reticence to preach
moral law of God and to apply it to all aspects of life as indicated in Scripture.”
Here again,
emphasis is upon
moral law’s use in
sanctification of
believer. John Calvin spoke in this regard during
Reformation period of Church history. (It sounds logical to me, but not without some concerns.)
And last, Douglas J. Moo states this, “…I have stressed, to say that
Mosaic law in itself is no longer binding on
Christian is not to say that individual commandments within that law may not be. In fact, as we have seen, New Testament authors explicitly ‘reapply’ several Mosaic commandments to
Christian…The content of all but one of
Ten Commandments is taken up into ‘the law of Christ,’ for which we are responsible. I am not, then, suggesting that
essential ‘moral’ content of
Mosaic law is not applicable to believers. On
‘bottom line’ question of what Christians are actually to do, I could well find myself in complete agreement with, say, a colleague who takes a traditional Reformed approach to
Mosaic law. The difference would lie not in what Christians are to do but in how it is to be discovered. While my Reformed colleague might argue that we are bound to whatever in Mosaic law has not been clearly overturned by New Testament teaching, I argue that we are bound only to that which is clearly repeated within New Testament teaching.”
Bringing it all together, hopefully.
The views have been briefly stated in conclusion. Overall what seems to ring true in every view is this. Justification for all believers, past and present, has been by faith in God through Jesus Christ. The Mosaic Law was uniquely given to a covenant people (already justified) who heralded God as their King. The law was for
sanctifying purpose of
covenant people, while maintaining civil order through God’s civil and moral laws. The ceremonial laws were to tutor
nation of Israel to
coming Messiah, Jesus Christ.
The new covenant with its focus on grace does not abolish all elements of
Mosaic law because
Church must progress along, being sanctified by
Holy Spirit to overcome
sin of
world. Grace for
church age does not mean freedom FROM law, but it means freedom from sin’s breach of God’s moral law. Sin no longer has a dominate hold on
believer once she is born again and living in
power of
Holy Spirit. I believe it all comes down to this. There has always been, and will always be, a need to live a balanced Christian life. The balance is grace on
one hand and God’s law on
other, a picture of
perfect scales of justice.
Keep
faith. Stay
course. Jesus is coming again.
Pastor T.

Pastors a small church in Broken Arrow, OK. U.S. Navy veteran, retired police officer, and proud father of three grown children and one grandchild.