John Piper - Are Christians under the 10 Commandments?

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[brianhyde63]

So, for example, where the old covenant commandment states, “Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning” (Lev 19:13), believers will not even desire to defraud their neighbour and cause unnecessary suffering by withholding his wages due to him. In fact the very opposite is true; believers will always be showing their love for their neighbour by dealing justly with him in all things.

[brianhyde63]

Grace internalises God’s law and produces a change of heart or attitude whereby believers bear the fruits of righteousness which are not only in full harmony with the righteousness demanded by old covenant temporal law, such as the Mosaic Law, but exceeds it. Such believers do not have to try to obey law but are already doing so spontaneously by the inner power of the Holy Spirit as they submit to its leading.

[brianhyde63]

Now, if you hold to this latter view, as I do, then you can show from scripture that eternal universal law is a law of divine love, which is “the law of life for the universe”. That love is the most perfect and highest expression of law that rranscends any law ever given to man.

The NT reveals that all law is brought to perfect expression thro the life of Christ (the Head) and by extension His Body, the Church, It is brought to perfect expression through the agency of the Holy Spirit.

[brianhyde63]

So what law is He talking about? There are those who argue it is the Mosaic Law—either in whole or in part (the part including the so-called ‘ten commandments’). Now, if you hold to this view then you commit yourself to the letter of the Law and obligation to keep all the law to perfection which we simply cannot accomplish. On the other hand, there are those who will argue that it is not the Mosaic Law in whole or in part that is meant in Jeremiah 31 but eternal universal law. 

[brianhyde63]

After all, if Jeremiah 31 is indeed a prophecy of the new covenant, which I believe it is, then we see that the new covenant is still about law for God’s people. He promises that He will write His law in the mind and on the heart! The new covenant is essentially nomian in character; a fulfilling of law. But it is right here that confusion so often enters the picture, not least because of a misunderstanding of which law God is referring to in Jeremiah 31.

[brianhyde63]

After all, if Jeremiah 31 is indeed a prophecy of the new covenant, which I believe it is, then we see that the new covenant is still about law for God’s people. He promises that He will write His law in the mind and on the heart! The new covenant is essentially nomian in character; a fulfilling of law. But it is right here that confusion so often enters the picture, not least because of a misunderstanding of which law God is referring to in Jeremiah 31.

[brianhyde63]

or where it plainly states the opposite they will argue that such statements do not mean what they say or that the author was teaching another gospel.

Personally, I have found that teaches that believers are no longer under a covenant of law (which demands willing or loving obedience to an external written code) but a covenant of grace (in which it is the Spirit of Christ that produces willing and loving obedience in us). Ironically it is grace that brings about true obedience to law!

[brianhyde63]

But to be a universal package there must needs be explicit statements to that effect, not only in the Old Testament but in the New Testament.

There are none. They simply are not there.

Yet, there are those who will go to great lengths to try to make the scripture say otherwise and where it does not say anything they will assume that this means the covenant is still valid for believers today,

[brianhyde63]

The word 'package' can be used for the old covenant and its laws. It gives the sense of something that is complete and cannot be broken up; thus it is all or nothing. And it was, as you have indicated, given exclusively to the nation Israel. That is exactly the testimony of God. Yet, despite God’s plain testimony and repeated statements that it was a covenant between Him and the children of Israel only, there are those who will argue it is was a universal package and inherited by Christians.

[Darwinsman]

@t33loc No, he didn't die. Wasn't he supposed to have arisen from the dead after a very short time on the cross, when compared to most crucified people?

Even if he did die, that doesn't get away from Jesus saying that anyone who broke the old laws or encouraged someone else to break them was condemned.

That's the trouble with Christians, you pick and choose what you want to believe to suit yourself. Either the bible is totally true or isn't not true at all. My bet is on the latter.