Many Christians claim that we should follow the Laws given to us in the Old Testament. Among the reasons given, these are the most prevalent:
– “Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.” (Deuteronomy 11:1)
– Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17)
– Jesus followed the Law perfectly, so as his followers we should follow his example
What follows is my attempt to show you that attempting to follow the Law is not only impossible, but even if it were possible, it would still be futile.
There Are a Lot of Laws
For a complete listing of all the commandments, or mitzvot, given to us, reference here, here, and here. While there is some debate about the exact number of commandments, all experts agree that it’s hundreds more than just the Ten Commandments. Can you honestly say that you are following all of the Laws that God has commanded you to follow? Do you wear clothes made of blended fabrics (Deuteronomy 22:11)? If you wear Under Armour® or pretty much any modern athletic gear, then yes. Men, have you shaved the hair off the sides of your head or shaved your beard with a razor (Leviticus 19:27)? Men, have you written a Torah scroll (Deuteronomy 31:19)? Women, have you had physical contact with anyone or been on the same piece of furniture as someone when you were on your period (Leviticus 15:19-33)? When was the last time you were in the Temple in Jerusalem to offer your sacrifices for atonement (Deuteronomy 12:26)? That’s a trick question…the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD and never rebuilt.
The point here is that God commanded an awful lot of his people and if you truly wish to follow his Laws, then you’ll need to study more than just the TL;DR Ten Commandments version. Which leads into my next point…
It’s All or Nothing
God’s Law is not a buffet; you cannot pick and choose which laws you will obey and which you will blissfully ignore. “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.” (Deuteronomy 4:2). God clearly tells us that we must keep ALL of his commandments in order to be obedient to him. If you were paying attention to the previous couple of paragraphs, then you know that this is an impossible task (after all, you can’t offer your blood sacrifices as atonement for your sins at the Temple if there is no Temple).
The Law Only Governs the Flesh
Let’s say that you could, actually, follow all the Laws (as in, the Temple is rebuilt, you’re able to travel to Jerusalem as often as required for your atonement sacrifices and festivals, etc.)…What’s in it for you?
“1 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. 2 All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:…5 Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed…7 The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you…8 The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to…11 The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you…13 The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.” (Deuteronomy 28:1-13, paraphrased).
What is missing from this is any mention of your soul or the afterlife. No amount of obedience to the Law will save you, because strict obedience to the Law does not solve the fundamental problem with sin, which is…
You Are Still Spiritually Dead
I’ve covered this previously, but in a nutshell, the fundamental problem with sin is that it caused the Holy Spirit to leave us, making us spiritually dead. You may live your entire life in full obedience to the Law, but this does nothing to restore the spiritual life lost in Adam and Eve’s original sin. On your death-bed, you may be full of righteous pride at having lived a sinless and holy life, but you will not have gained a spiritual life or relationship with your God. Thus, living a life of obeying the Law is ultimately futile.
But Jesus Said…
As to what Jesus said about not abolishing the Law, but fulfilling it, let’s consider this example. Let’s say there is a law that says, “Thou shalt not steal thy neighbor’s iPhone.” And one day, you decide that, despite what the law says, you’re going to go ahead and steal your neighbor’s iPhone, because it’s newer and bigger and more megapixely than yours. The Law generally also prescribes a penalty, so in our example let’s say the penalty is 30 days jail and replacement of the stolen property. Now, if Jesus had come to abolish the law, then what would happen is the law would be erased and you would get off scot-free, because what you did wasn’t wrong (there was no law against stealing the iPhone because it was erased). However, fulfillment of the law in this case would be for Jesus to step up and claim responsibility for the theft, pay for the replacement, and serve the jail time in your place. You still get off scot-free, not because what you did wasn’t against the law, but because you did something wrong and someone else paid the price for it. If Jesus had come to abolish the Law, it would, in effect, turn everything wrong and evil that we have all done into holy and righteous acts. If there is no Law to say that what you have done is wrong, then you have done nothing wrong. God would not contradict himself and say that Evil is Good, but instead, he paid a terrible price for all the wrong we have done. Fulfillment of the Law.
And this is true for every sin you ever have and ever will commit. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God…” (1 Peter 3:18). “The death he died, he died to sin once for all…” (Romans 6:10). “…so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many…” (Hebrews 9:28).
Following Jesus’s Example
Though it’s futile and impossible, should we at least try to follow Jesus’s example? Should we show the world that we are true believers and followers of Christ by setting an example of righteousness?
I say no.
What Jesus accomplished was impossible for us to copy. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say to try your best to follow his example. As another wise teacher once said, “Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.” (Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back). Either live a life of complete obedience to the Law, or don’t. But don’t just try.
What happens when we try to follow the Law and fail? We appear as hypocrites to the world. Instead of being an example of Christ, we become another example of everything the world hates about the Church. The world does not need an imperfect person telling everyone about their imperfections. What the world needs is a message of Love and Grace.
In Conclusion
So how should we live our lives then? If we don’t spend our lives trying to uphold the Law, what then do we do? This is where Grace comes in, and I’ll cover this in another blog…