Are the Ten Commandments still in force?

by wannabe 26 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  wannabe

  Are the Ten Commandments still in force?

  Many today believe they should still follow the Ten Commandments. But are they correct in believing that?

  Were the Gentile Nations even under the old Law Covenant to begin with? Perhaps these ones, are not aware that the Gentile Nations were not even considered under the old Law. Then too, there were not only Ten Commandments; there were over 600 Laws embodied within the Ten. Paul indicated that if anyone even applied one of those Laws he was under obligation to perform the entire Law; when not even the Jews under it, could do that.

  3"Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law." {Galatians 5:3 NIV}

  4 "For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace." {Galatians 5:4 NLT}

  Even more, apply even one of those Laws, you are cut off from Christ. Fallen away from God's Grace. Even so! Why would someone who was never under that Law to begin with, even want to risk, being cut off from the Christ? Certainly the Gentile Nations were never under that Old Law. Why risk that, that being the case? Perhaps because of Bible ignorance? They don't know they were never under that old Law? Which of course they were not. That is fully supported by the Bible. As I'll show:

  1"Listen to this message which I, the Lord, have spoken against you Israelites, against your whole family that I brought out of Egypt. 2 Out of all the families on earth, I have known no one else but you.That is why I am going to punish you for all your sins. 3 Do two people ever walk together without meeting first?" {Amos 3:1-3 GWT} Obviously he never met with other Nations.

  19 "He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the LORD."{Psalm 147:19,20 NIV}

  1"What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision Much in every way! First of all, they have been entrusted with the very words of God." {Romans 3:1,2 NIV}

  At 2 Corinthians 13:1 paul tells us to establish every matter at the mouth of two or three witnesses; and I've supplied my three witnesses telling you that the Gentile Nations were never under that Old Law not in the first Century, not now either. The Gentile Nations were taken into the New Covenant, so that is the only Law to be applied now. Any application of that Old Law now, is a flat-out rejection of the New Covenant established on the Blood of the Christ. In point of fact a rejection of the Christ, and his sacrifice. The Nations were not considered until after the ascension of the Christ. To follow:

  18" And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." {Matthew 28:18-20 ASV}

  Some might be wondering just how do we learn these New Laws under the New Covenant? Note the words of Jesus. The fact that he has all authority ... on earth... Recall after he ascended he was given the promised Holy Spirit. That Holy Spirit is the true teaching instrument, by which he does all of the teaching of the New Covenant, as a result, consider Jeremiah's words on this:

  31 "Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32 not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith Jehovah. 33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith Jehovah: I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: 34 and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more." {Jeremiah 31:31-34 ASV} Of course the Israel now is spiritual Israel made up of both Jews and Gentiles together. }Galations 6:16} {Romans 2:29}

  A consideration of the following scriptures will show you how Jesus gets all of his teaching done now, and remember he is in control of the Holy Spirit now, since his ascension. {Acts 2:33} {John 14:26;15:26,27;16:13} {1John 2:27} {Galatians 1:11,12} {Ephesians 3:3} {Revelation 1:1,2} "{REVELATIONS}"

  Back up to Matthew 28:18-20} An interesting side-point here in case you didn't notice it yourself. Jesus words: "I am with you always, even unto the end of the World." Think the Governing Bodies idea about the Christ's invisible presence being in 1914 - What do those words of Jesus do to that idea? Wannabeabout
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  Black Sheep

  What song #?
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  Jim_TX

  Too many words - not enough pictures.
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  Terry

  As tribal nomads became numerous and conflicts arose among them the leaders sought some means of adjudicating disputes.

  Hammurabi codifed practical laws and posted them in Babylonian territories.

  There were practical laws mixed in with religious rituals in every civilized society throughout the world.

  As the decendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob grew into a nation their judicial and religious practices became codified as well.

  Stories were associated with the origin of the Jewish laws which were said to go all the way back to the sons of Noah.

  The Seven Noahide Laws (Hebrew: ??? ????? ??? ?? "Šba? miswot bne-No?"), also called the Brit Noah ("Covenant of Noah") mitzvothalakhot (laws) that are morally binding on non-Jews.
  
  They are listed in the Talmud and elaborated on by post-Talmudic authorities. Opinions differ on the reach of these commandments and the laws derived from them, but all contemporary authorities agree that there are seven commandments. These commandments and laws are based on oral traditions as well as scriptural exegesis of Genesis 2:16 and 9:4-6. (commandments) ( Wikipedia )

  The more sophisticated a society becomes the more formal the laws.

  Efforts to explain why any law code should be obeyed usually prompts a mythos of Divien Origins to create an aura of Supernatural power.

  The Law of Moses has transformed over time for both the Jews and the the judeo-chrisitans who came later.

  Protestant		Catholic		Hebrew
  1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.		1. I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.		1. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
  2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.		2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.		2. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; Thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; And showing mercy unto the thousandth generation of them that love Me and keep My commandments.
  3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.		3. Remember thou keep the Sabbath Day.		3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
  4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.		4. Honor thy Father and thy Mother.		4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work. But the seventh day is the Sabbath in honour of the Lord thy God; on it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
  5. Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.		5. Thou shalt not kill.		5. Honour thy father and thy mother; in order that thy days may be prolonged upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
  6. Thou shalt not kill.		6. Thou shalt not commit adultery.		6. Thou shalt not kill.
  7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.		7. Thou shalt not steal.		7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
  8. Thou shalt not steal.		8. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.		8. Thou shalt not steal.
  9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.		9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife.		9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
  10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.		10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's goods.		10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
  King James Bible, issued by the American Bible Society.		Catholic Catechism by Peter Cardinal Gasparri, "published with Ecclesiastical approval" and bearing the imprimatur of Patrick Cardinal Hayes, Archbishop, New York. P. J. Kenedy & Sons, 1932.		Bloch Publishing Company, New York, 1922.

  

  Which Ten Commandments?

  First Tables of Stone (Exodus 20)("which Moses didst break")		Second Tables of Stone (Exodus 34)("the words that were on the first")
  1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me.		1. Thou shalt worship no other god (For the Lord is a jealous god).
  2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image. You shall not bow down to them or serve them.		2. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
  3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.		3. The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep in the month when the ear is on the corn.
  4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.		4. All the first-born are mine.
  5. Honor your father and your mother.		5. Six days shalt thou work, but on the seventh thou shalt rest.
  6. You shall not kill.		6. Thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, even of the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.
  7. You shall not commit adultery.		7. Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leavened bread.
  8. You shall not steal.		8. The fat of my feast shall not remain all night until the morning.
  9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.		9. The first of the first fruits of thy ground thou shalt bring unto the house of the Lord thy God.
  10. You shall not covet.		10. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother's milk.
  Adapted from Microsoft Bookshelf 98		K. Budde, History of Ancient Hebrew Literature
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  GromitSK

  This may help..why stop at 10?

  Dear Dr. Laura (Schlessinger),

  Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and I try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind him that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

  I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the specific laws and how to best follow them.

  a) When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord (Lev 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

  b) I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

  c) I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev 15:19-24). The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

  d) Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

  e) I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

  f) A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an Abomination (Lev 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

  g) Lev 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

  h) Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev 19:27. How should they die?

  i) I know from Lev 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

  j) My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? (Lev 24:10-16) Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

  I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.

  Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

  Your devoted disciple and adoring fan.
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  freydo

  Without law there is no sin because sin is transgression of the law. Without sin there is no need to sacrifice.

  Hebrews 10:26-29 (New International Version) - "If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God......."
  

  "Galatians proves that we should observe the Torah " - http://www.eliyah.com/galatianskjv.html
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  beksbks

  Gromit!!
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  Inkie

  Well . . . let’s put it this way. Whom did Jah choose to be His special people, His special property, His special possession? Was it not Israel? And why did he choose them? Do you know? Regardless of why, however, He did choose them, yes? Now, if he chose one people OUT OF all other peoples, then answer me this: Were/are the “other” peoples obligated to obey a law that was never given to them? Were/are “other” peoples going to receive the blessings and/or the penalties of obeying or disobeying a law that was never theirs to begin with, that was never binding on them? What person would obey a law that he was never under? What person would obey a law of a foreign nation? While two or more nations may have the same or similar laws, an individual would obey the law ONLY of the nation that he was living in. And when traveling, you had better obey the laws of that nation through which you were traveling, yes? The Bible specifically states that Jah gave His law ONLY to the nation of Israel and to the alien resident who was residing in Israel. That said, are YOU obligated to obey that law? Were you ever obligated to obey that law? Are you obligated now to obey that law? Why would you put yourself under that law? That smacks of sheer stupidity to me.

  The law of Jah was binding ONLY upon the nation of Israel (and those that went with them). Get a clue here, people. If you “went with them (Israel),” if you “go with them (Israel),” then, yes, you, like the vast mixed company that “went with them (Israel)” on the exodus out of Egypt, have obligated yourself to be under that law with its blessings and its maledictions. But that was your choice, just as it was Israel’s choice to accept or reject Jah’s covenant/law.

  Now that there is a new covenant instituted by Christ, individuals out of Israel can accept the new covenant and in so doing the old law/covenant has been done away with for them—individually. The nation of Israel that rejects the Christ is still under that old law/covenant whether they realize it or not and will remain so until they accept the Christ. The old law/covenant was done away with by Christ for Christians.

  The gentiles, who were never a part of Israel, were never under the old law or old covenant. But, individually, could enter into the new covenant by their choice once it is/was presented to them by the Christ. They have/had no need of ever having to be under the old law/covenant. They can bypass the old law/covenant and go directly into the new covenant.

  So when asked: Do we have to obey the 10 commandments? What do you think is the answer for YOU?
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  freydo

  let’s put it this way.....do you think Sodom and Gomorrah would have been wiped out had they been observing the Law?

  And another thing, the Law wasn't a covenant. Torah means instruction.
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  Inkie

  Freydo,

  Since you proffered the question, What do you think? The Law was not given until hundreds of years later. It wasn’t given to Sodom and Gomorrah (or any of the surrounding cities), it was given to Israel. Your question is anachronistic. Sodom and Gomorrah would have fallen under the category and statement that the apostle Paul made at Romans 2:14: “Whenever the people of the nations (such as Sodom and Gomorrah) that do not have law do by nature the things of the law, these people, although not having law, are a law to themselves.” Elsewhere in the biblical text it is stated what kind of people the people of Sodom and Gomorrah were like. I doubt seriously if you would have like them—then again—maybe you would have. Only you know.

  Torah means instruction

  And your point is?

  [T]he Law wasn’t a covenant.

  Are you sure? You might want to read: Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; Exodus 24:6-8. Let me know what you think afterward.