New Chapter thanks so much for your insightful explanation - I don't really understand the bit though about 'Jesus fulfilling the law and so it ended'?
Lesson two: LOL
Okay--the law was meant to remind the israelites that they were in need of a messiah. the law was a 'tutor' teaching them about the christ. nobody was able to fullfill the law perfectly, and was meant to be a constant reminder of their sinful nature and need for a savior. it was also meant to separate them from the nations around them. the constant animal sacrifice was the reminder that they needed a superior sacrifice. because the animals were never enough, and had to be offered all the time. when jesus came, he fullfilled that law that had been pointed toward him. he also offered up the perfect sacrifice once for all time.
No longer did the people need to be reminded of their need for a savior, he had come. No longer did they need to offer animal sacrifice, the perfect one had been offered. The law was fullfilled. That is how JW"s see the law.
And they don't separate the 10 commandments from the rest of the law. Some religions do because they were written by the finger of god, and not through another person. But they insist that it was just part of the rest of the law. All the principles of the 10 commandments still hold though---except one. The sabbath. That passed away too---there are lots of articles written about the new spiritual sabbath, but I can't quite remember how that goes.
So now, they are to live according to principle, not law, which would seem to be a contradiction, because there are still laws--but they are to look to the principle BEHIND the law. For instance---don't murder. Not enough---the principle would say that one should not even become so angry as to WANT to murder. Don't fornicate---not enough. Then prinicple would compel one not to even THINK lingeringly on fornication---as this already causes one to sin.
Hope that helps. scuze the lower case, i'm tired.
NC
