Originally posted by 667joe
Leviticus admonishes gays, however it also says people who work on the sabbeth and children who sass their parents should be stoned. How come Christians get to pick which parts of the bible to believe or not to believe? Eating pork is forbidden, but many Christians eat pork.
ah. Jo Jo, we meet again! consider this my friend!
(Colossians 2:13-14) . . .He kindly forgave us all our trespasses and blotted out the handwritten document against us, which consisted of decrees and which was in opposition to us; and He has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the torture stake. . .
there are some details worthy of note my son, for example, the handwritten document which has been blotted out and which consisted of decrees. This is a reference to the Mosaic law, of which Leviticus forms an integral part. Now what was to happen to this Law?
Very clearly the Scriptures state that God through Christ made an end to the Law.
(Romans 10:4) For Christ is the end of the Law, so that everyone exercising faith may have righteousness.
In further support of this, note the inspired words appearing at Romans 7:4-12. There we read that Christians “were made dead to the Law through the body of the Christ,” and, as a result, they “have been discharged from the Law.”
Now in the Christian Greek scriptures we have a contrast, Law versus undeserved kindness or grace as it is sometimes called.
Thus we read that “the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17, Authorized Version) Yes, “Christ is the end of the Law, so that everyone exercising faith may have righteousness.” By “end” is not meant merely the goal of the Law but its finish. Christians are therefore counseled: “Sin must not be master over you, seeing that you are not under law but under undeserved kindness.”—Rom. 10:4; 6:14.
how are we to understand this?
The Law served its purpose, preparing the Israelites for their Messiah, even as we read: “The Law has become our tutor leading to Christ, that we might be declared righteous due to faith. But now that the faith has arrived, we are no longer under a tutor.” (Gal. 3:24, 25) For whom was the Law a tutor? Only for the Jews. Thus when Paul preached to non-Jews in Athens, some of them became believers, Christians, although they had never been under the Mosaic law as a tutor.—Acts 17:22-34.
Does all this mean that, since Christians are not under the Law, they are free to do whatever they please?
Not at all. “You were, of course, called for freedom, brothers; only do not use this freedom as an inducement for the flesh, but through love slave for one another.
For the entire Law stands fulfilled in one saying, namely: ‘You must love your neighbour as yourself.’” (Gal. 5:13, 14)
clearly we are not free to act with disregard for others, for we are still obligated by the law of love.
Showing that such obligation to love takes the place of commandments found in the Decalogue (and not just of the so-called ceremonial law) are the words found at Romans 13:8-10: “Do not you people be owing anybody a single thing, except to love one another; for he that loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. For the law code, ‘You must not commit adultery, You must not murder, You must not steal, You must not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there is, is summed up in this word, namely, ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does not work evil to one’s neighbor,’ therefore love is the law’s fulfillment.” Because of the fundamental importance of love, Jesus did not refer to any of the Ten Commandments when asked what was the greatest one, but showed that the greatest commandment was to love God with one’s whole heart, soul, mind and strength.—Mark 12:29, 30.