In Matthew 22:36–40, a Pharisee lawyer asked Jeusus “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Christians are not released from obligation to strive to obey the Ten Commandments. As Jesus pointed out, the other eight are predicated on the first two. If we love God, we will not blaspheme, we will love ourselves and our fellow human beings as beloved children of God. We will not murder our brothers and sisters, steal from them, tell lies about them, etc. These and many more things we will not do, and there are many we will do if we love God. True, we are not perfect and fall short of the mark every single day. We fail to refrain from doing and saying unloving things, and we fail to do and say all the loving things we should and fail to do all such good works as God has put in our paths.
As Mom MD pointed out, Christians are not required to follow the Levitical dietary laws. The revelation granted to Peter in a vision in Acts is one proof. The words of Jesus Himself as recorded in the Book of Mark, Chapter 7, is another:
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“Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [16] [f]
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. 21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
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Gentiles were never under the Law of Moses, only Jews were, so it is not a special dispensation that applies only to Christians. Jesus was and is the Fulfilment of the Law, and it is through Him that we Gentiles were and are welcomed into God’s family under the New Covenant.
Under the Old Covenant, inclusion in God’s family of Chosen people was through blood (being born a Jew and therefore obligated to follow Mosaic Law) and Law (convert formally accepting obligation to follow it). Jews who lived before Christ and Jews who are not Christians are still bound to follow all the laws, including the dietary laws. To keep these dietary laws is to keep the old God-given wall between Jew and Gentile. Jesus broke that wall.
Oh no. 2 intelligent women, one frail me. I need to turn myself into a victim. 😆
I already wrote my reply but deleted it. This is a second attempt. I can’t seem to figure out how to reply without being long and influenced by steroids and pain narcs. LOL I might be scattered.
Gentiles must be under the Law of Moses, otherwise why is Adultery wrong? Why is stealing, murder, coveting wrong and sinful?
I regret using Dietary Laws in my example. The reason being is that there are many interpretations and much debate on that issue.
I let go of myself for a moment and commented when I shouldn’t have.
My own practices are as unusual as I live.
Raised very Conservative Catholic, I married a Jewish woman who was raised very Conservative Jewish. They kept the Sabbath and kept Kosher in her home.
Don’t ask me how we even dated. A girl like my wife shouldn’t have even spoken to me. It would be a made for T.V. Special.
So I blend Jewish Laws and Tradition into my Christian beliefs. After all, Jesus is Jewish and he practiced Judaism. The first Christians were mostly Jews.
So I view a “merger” as the right thing to do.
I realize this really bothers my Jewish in-laws and Catholic Family.
In our early years of marriage, my wife and I were really enlighten to our perspectives coming from our different up bringing.
I learned that there are far more Laws that can be applied to me as a Christian than just the Big 10.
I also learned that both Jews and Catholics are allowed to drink wine. Lots of wine. 😆
Yes, Jesus did say it’s not what goes in but what comes out as being more important. But Jesus still kept Kosher and obeyed the Laws.
He covered His head ,along with other traditions.
The Last Supper was a Seder meal for Passover.
That’s why using the dietary Laws as I did was not a good choice as that has a lot of room for discussion.
So what Laws should Christians follow or not?
“Six days shall thou labor…” “Remember the Sabbath and keep it Holy.”
Living rabbits are ok for pets perhaps, not to eat and unclean to touch when dead. So fur coats made of rabbits is out.
It’s a huge list. In many ways I do find comfort in knowing what God expects from us.
Even in that last sentence I failed as we’re not suppose to write G-d’s name on just anything and if we do, it must be kept properly or destroyed properly. That’s why you’ll see Jews write G-d instead. Not fully writing it.
As a Strict Conservative Catholic our teachings really didn’t cover any Laws except the 10 Commandments.
I shouldn’t have commented as my situation is unique and my practices probably bizarre to both Christian and Jew.
We pray the Sabbath prayers every Friday at sundown.
I avoid pork and many other foods not Kosher, shell fish, fish without scales, predators (bears, hawks, etc.) reptiles and much more. Bovines must have a split hoof and chew their cud. Dairy with meat is forbidden.
But……but but……I don’t kill some of the meat I eat according to Law either.
Deer for example. They are allowed for food, but I shoot them and don’t cut their throat and let the blood gush out.
Same with Turkey.
It’s a real personal battle.
According to Jewish Law my daughters are Jewish and every kid they have or will pop out is considered Jewish. You are what your Mother is. The Jewish line goes to the Mother.
Now if I was the Jew and my wife was not, our children would be ethnic Jews but would actually have to convert to the Jewish Religion.
I should write a Dear Abby letter and sign it “Conflicted and confused from Michigan”.
Ok. Gonna hit Post and not delete it.