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VIII. The Law Of God
Chapter 89
:
What was Abolished by Christ
1. HOW did Christ's
death on the cross affect the whole sacrificial
system?
"After threescore and two weeks shall
Messiah be cut off. . . . And He shall confirm
the covenant with many for one week: and in
the midst of the week He shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease." Dan.
9:26,27.
2. What did Christ nail
to His cross?
"Blotting out the handwriting of
ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the way,
nailing it to His cross." Col. 2:14.
3. What did He thus
abolish?
"Having abolished in His flesh the
enmity, even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances; for to make in
Himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
and that He might reconcile both unto God in one
body by the cross, having slain the enmity
thereby." Eph. 2:15,16.
4. To what did the
ordinances pertain that were thus abolished?
"Let no man therefore judge you in
meat, or in drink, or in respect of
an holy day, or of the new moon,
or of the sabbath days: which are a shadow of
things to come; but the body is of Christ."
Col. 2:16,17.
5. From what statement
do we learn that these ordinances related to the
sacrificial system?
"For the law having a shadow of
good things to come, and not the very image
of the things, can never with those sacrifices
which they offered year by year continually make
the comers thereunto perfect." Heb. 10:1.
6. What occurred at the
time of the crucifixion which indicated that the
typical system had been taken away by Christ?
"And, behold, the veil of the
temple was rent in twain from the top to the
bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks
rent." Matt. 27:51.
7. In what language is
this clearly stated?
"Then said He, Lo, I come to do Thy
will, O God, He taketh away the first, that
He may establish the second." Heb. 10:9.
8. What is the first
which He took away?
"Above when He said, Sacrifice
and offering and burnt offerings
and offering for sin thou wouldest not,
neither hadst pleasure therein; which are
offered by the law," Verse 8.
NOTES.-"He taketh away the first." The
connection plainly indicates that what
Christ took away was ceremonialism as
expressed in the typical service of
sacrifices and offerings, and that what He
established, by giving Himself to do the
will of God, was the experience of doing the
will of God on the part of the believer.
Thus He made possible the answer to the
petition which He taught His disciples, "Thy
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
Instead of abolishing the moral law, Christ
made such provision that every believer in
Him may become a doer of that law.
"The word first here refers to
sacrifices and offerings, He takes them
away; that is, He shows that they are of no
value in removing sin. He states their
inefficacy, and declares His purpose to
abolish them. 'That He may establish the
second'- to wit, the doing of the will
of God. . .
If they had been efficacious, there would
have been no need of His coming to make an
atonement."-Dr. Albert Barnes, on Heb,
10:9.
9. In what statement to
the woman at Jacob's well did Jesus intimate
that the ceremonial system of worship would be
abolished?
"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe
Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in
this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the
Father." John 4:21.
NOTE.-The worship of the Jews centered in
the typical system, or ritual service, of
the temple, "at Jerusalem," while the
Samaritans had instituted a rival service
"in this mountain," Mt. Gerizim. In His
statement to the woman of Samaria, Jesus
therefore indicated that the time was at
hand when the whole typical system would be
done away.
10. What test cast
arose in the time of the apostles over this
question?
"And certain men which came down from Judea
taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be
circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot
be saved." Acts 15:1.
11. What requirement
was made by these teachers from Judea concerning
the ceremonial law?
"Forasmuch as we have heard, that
certain which went out from us have troubled you
with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye
must be circumcised, and keep the law: to
whom we gave no such commandment." Verse 24.
12. After conferring
over this matter, what decision was reached by
the apostles?
"For it seemed good to the Holy
Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater
burden than these necessary things; that ye
abstain from meats offered to idols, and from
blood, and from things strangled, and from
fornication: from which if ye keep
yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well."
Verses 28,29.
13. What charge was
made against Stephen concerning his attitude
toward the ceremonial law?
"And set up false witnesses, which
said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous
words against this holy place, and the
law: for we have heard him say, that this
Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and
shall change the customs which Moses
delivered us." Acts 6:13,14.
14. What similar charge
was brought against the apostle Paul?
"This fellow persuadeth men to
worship God contrary to the law." Acts
18:13.
15. What statement did
Paul make concerning his faith and manner of
worship?
"But this I confess unto thee, that
after the way which they call heresy, so
worship I the God of my fathers, believing
all things which are written in the law and in
the prophets." Acts 24:14.
NOTE.-The charge against Stephen and Paul
was not based upon any violation of the
moral law, but upon their teaching
concerning the ceremonial law; and Paul's
admission that he was guilty of what they
called heresy meant simply that he differed
from them as to the obligation to observe
any longer the precepts of the law which was
imposed upon them "until the time of
reformation." The simple fact that such
charges were preferred against these able
exponents and teachers of the gospel shows
that in their view the ceremonial law had
been abolished by the death of Christ, and
that like the giving of the moral law at
Sinai it was designed to lead men to Christ.
16. What is one of the
offices of the moral law? "Wherefore
the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto
Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
Gal. 3:24.
17. How is this same
teaching expressed in another place?
"For Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to every one that
believeth." Rom. 10:4.
NOTE.-Murdock's translation of the Syriac
New Testament renders this passage: "For
Messiah is the aim of the law, for
righteousness, unto everyone that believeth
in Him."
18. In what statement
is there a similar use of the word end?
"Receiving the end of your faith,
even the salvation of your souls." 1 Peter 1:9.
See also 1 Tim. 1:5; James 5:11.
NOTE.-In the ceremonial law there was "a
shadow of good things to come," a type of
the mediatorial work of Christ, our great
High Priest. The moral law makes known sin,
places the sinner under condemnation, and
forces him to Christ for pardon and
cleansing. The ceremonial law was abolished
by the work of Christ, but the moral law was
established by both His life and death.
19. What testimony did
Christ bear concerning His relation to the law
and the prophets?
"Think not that I am come to destroy
the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfil." Matt. 5:17.
NOTE.-"Christ kept the law. If He had ever
broken it, He would have had to die for
Himself; but because He was a Lamb without
spot or blemish, His atoning death is
efficacious for you and me. He had no sin of
His own to atone for, and so God accepted
His sacrifice. Christ is the end of the law
for righteousness to everyone that
believeth. We are righteous in God's sight
because the righteousness of God which is by
faith in Jesus Christ is unto all and upon
all them that believe."- "Weighed and
Wanting," by D. L. Moody, pages 123,124.
See also notes in Chapters 82., 83. and 86.
of this book.
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