Featured Under the Moral Law?

Of course, we should all know that as long as any person - regenerated or not - is living in these vile fleshly bodies, that we will sin - by nature, by practice, and by choice. It's why we can never produce a righteousness that is acceptable to God. It is a continual spiritual WAR for the Christian with own heart and fleshly body with its desires and lusts(see Romans chapter 7).

I would point to Samson and his "women" issues, and Solomon when he got old, and Gideon with his golden ephod.

 

This 19-minute audio is from the late Charles Stanley and talks about the important element of our dying to our natural selves, as Christians, and getting our natural heart out of the way, for the Spirit to guide us. And this quick description mentions the key for having the Bible direct us where we need to be and can die to ourselves and be enabled by the Spirit.

Over and over, Dr. Stanley has great information of the Christian life, through the Spirit (while crucifying our flesh). searches: charles stanley crisified life - Bing

charles stanley crisified life - Bing


Crucified with Christ

https://www.intouch.org/listen/radio/crucified-with-christ

"A GPS device can determine physical location almost anywhere on earth.

"The Bible tells us something even more important: our spiritual position.

"Our position in Christ makes all the difference for a victorious life.

"God has put you right where you need to be.

"The question is, do you know where you are?"

 

As far as the difference in the economies of laws and especially, the end or abrogation of the law, these topics are discussed, here,

Chapter 5: Of the Abrogation of the Old Covenant
Chapter 6: Of the Law of God
1. The ceremonial law
2. The judicial law
3. The moral law
Chapter 7: Of the Gospel

and these topics actually start back at day one emphasizing The Grace of God.

THE ACTS OF THE GRACE OF GOD
TOWARDS AND UPON HIS ELECT IN TIME

Chapter 1: Of the Manifestation and Administration of the Covenant
of Grace
Chapter 2: Of the Covenant of Grace in the Patriarchal State
Chapter 3: Of the Covenant of Grace under the Mosaic
Dispensation
Chapter 4: Of the Covenant of Grace in the Times of David
and the Prophets
Chapter 5: Of the Abrogation of the Old Covenant
Chapter 6: Of the Law of God
Chapter 7: Of the Gospel

 

Colossians 2:14-17, ". . . Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. . . ."

Hebrews 8:7-13, ". . . For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. . . ." Re: Jeremiah 31:31-34.

 

Response to OP post
I have heard in the past and seen lately where this is this idea that there is a Moral Law we are to follow, just not the ceremonial law.
The OT "Law" is obsolete, replaced by the Law of Christ.

The way I read Scripture, I do not see it in the New Testament ever differentiate between a ceremonial and moral Law. What I see it say is that:

Faith is the end of the works of the law, or any works at all, for righteousness, so that we are as though we had never sinned and have the very righteousness that Christ himself has.

Nonsense, the works of the law has application as a tutor to lead the lost to Christ.

2. The Holy Spirit in us teaches us and guides us to live according to God's will

Our indwelt "helper" leads us to engage in self examination, prayer, study of God's word, and striving to follow all Christ commanded.

What am I misunderstanding? I do not see anywhere that it says there is a Moral Law that we are supposed to follow.

We are to follow all Christ commanded, not only to learn all He commanded, but to learn to keep all He commanded.

How many can you recite from memory beyond "love God with all you have got" and "love your neighbor as you love yourself?"

 

What I try to keep in mind is that the commands, as Christ said(Mark 12:29-31), and as is also stated in the Old Testament(Micah 6:8), are to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.

Now I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I have never ever perfectly and completely loved God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and I have never ever perfectly and completely loved my neighbor as myself - not before God regenerated nor after God regenerated me. And God does not judge based on some made-up sliding scale of righteousness.

Thus, I absolutely must look to Christ alone for a perfect righteousness. My actions, my thoughts, can never ever produce a perfect righteousness with which I can stand before God without Him damning me to Hell.

So, yes, I can try to love God, I can try to be a kind person to others - as the Holy Spirit leads me. The problem is that my flesh fights against such efforts every microsecond of every minute of every hour of every day. And this results in a great deal of discomfort to me spiritually and at times an almost despairing over whether or not I am actually regenerated or not.

But, again, I look to the conclusion that the apostle Paul reached on the matter, and I again find hope in Christ's perfect righteousness - Romans 7:24-25 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

 

Is there marriage? Then there is law.

In understanding the distinction between the law and the Gospel, which work in harmony, ( Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.) It's best to observe the distinction illuminated by the Psalmist. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. Psalm 85:10-11

I found Martin Luther's comments helpful in understanding that.

The person who can rightly divide Law and Gospel has reason to thank God. He is a true theologian. I must confess that in times of temptation I do not always know how to do it. To divide Law and Gospel means to place the Gospel in heaven, and to keep the Law on earth; to call the righteousness of the Gospel heavenly, and the righteousness of the Law earthly; to put as much difference between the righteousness of the Gospel and that of the Law, as there is difference between day and night. If it is a question of faith or conscience, ignore the Law entirely. If it is a question of works, then lift high the lantern of works and the righteousness of the Law. If your conscience is oppressed with a sense of sin, talk to your conscience. Say: "You are now groveling in the dirt. You are now a laboring ass. Go ahead, and carry your burden. But why don't you mount up to heaven? There the Law cannot follow you!" Leave the ass burdened with laws behind in the valley. But your conscience, let it ascend with Isaac into the mountain.

In civil life obedience to the law is severely required. In civil life Gospel, conscience, grace, remission of sins, Christ Himself, do not count, but only Moses with the lawbooks. If we bear in mind this distinction, neither Gospel nor Law shall trespass upon each other. The moment Law and sin cross into heaven, i.e., your conscience, kick them out. On the other hand, when grace wanders unto the earth, i.e., into the body, tell grace: "You have no business to be around the dreg and dung of this bodily life. You belong in heaven."

Galatians Commentary (2:14-16) - Martin Luther​

 

1) You said faith is the end of the works of the Law. That is a material false statement. The New Covenant is the end of the Old Covenant is a valid statement.

2) When someone is kind enough to help you find the light, you should not be disheartened.

3) God deals with all of those actually born anew with unconditional love, and never injustice.

4) All scripture is relevant, 2 Timothy 3:16

5) God's ministry makes "cultural accommodations" i.e. we become all things so that we might gain some. When we study scripture, first we try to discern what was the least God was saying to the audience at that time. Then we try to find the timeless principles that would be applicable today. Lastly we figure out how to apply these principles to our lives.

6) Why ask about Old Testament commands, why not ask which commands found in the OT that Christ endorsed or restated as His Law of Liberty? What did Jesus say about the Sabbath? Do you know how to find out? Are we not to be perfect as God is perfect? Would this have no application to how we conduct our service to Christ?

7) You mention the book of Galatians, but do not reference the passage. If you have a question you should not make the responders guess as to its content.

8) Obviously believers do not all come to the same conclusion as to the meaning of vague, obscure and ambiguous passages. I believe we can have greater unity using careful and prayerful study.

 

I think it might be helpful to you to read Chapter 19 of the Baptist Confession of Faith, published in 1689. Here it is in modernized English courtesy of Founders Ministries.

Chapter 19 – The Law of God

1. God gave Adam a law of comprehensive obedience written in his heart and a specific precept not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.[1] By these God obligated him and all his descendants to personal, total, exact, and perpetual obedience.[2] God promised life if Adam fulfilled it and threatened death if he broke it, and he gave Adam the power and ability to keep it.[3]

1Genesis 1:27; Ecclesiastes 7:29. 2Romans 10:5. 3Galatians 3:10, 12.

2. The same law that was first written in the human heart continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness after the fall.[4] It was delivered by God on Mount Sinai in ten commandments and was written in two tables. The first four commandments contain our duty to God and the other six our duty to humanity.[5]

4Romans 2:14, 15. 5Deuteronomy 10:4.



3. In addition to this law—usually called the moral law—God was pleased to give the people of Israel ceremonial laws, containing several typological ordinances. In some ways these concerned worship, by prefiguring Christ, his graces, actions, sufferings, and benefits.[6] In other ways they revealed various instructions about moral duties.[7] Since all of these ceremonial laws were appointed only until the new ordera arrived, they are now abolished and taken away by Jesus Christ. As the true Messiah and the only law-giver, he was empowered by the Father to do this.[8]

6Hebrews 10:1; Colossians 2:17. 71 Corinthians 5:7. 8Colossians 2:14, 16, 17; Ephesians 2:14, 16.



4. To Israel he also gave various judicial laws, which ceased at the same time their nation ended. These laws no longer obligate anyone as part of that institution. Only their general principles of justice continue to have moral value.[9]

91 Corinthians 9:8–10.

5. The moral law forever requires obedience of everyone, both those who are justified as well as others.[10] This obligation arises not only because of its content but also because of the authority of God the Creator who gave it.[11] Nor does Christ in any way dissolve this obligation in the Gospel; instead he greatly strengthens it.[12]

10Romans 13:8–10; James 2:8, 10–12. 11James 2:10, 11. 12Matthew 5:17–19; Romans 3:31.



6. True believers are not under the law as a covenant of works, to be justified or condemned by it.[13] Yet it is very useful to them and to others as a rule of life that informs them of the will of God and their duty. It directs and obligates them to live according to its precepts. It also exposes the sinful corruptions of their natures, hearts, and lives. As they examine themselves in light of the law, they come to further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred of sin,[14] along with a clearer view of their need for Christ and the perfection of his obedience. The law is also useful to the regenerate to restrain their corruptions because it forbids sin. The punishment threatened by the law shows them what even their sins deserve and what troubles they may expect in this life due to their sin, even though they are freed from the curse and undiminished severity of it. The promises of the law likewise show them God’s approval of obedience and the blessings they may expect when they keep it, even though these blessings are not owed to them by the law as a covenant of works. If people do good and refrain from evil because the law encourages good and discourages evil, that does not indicate that they are under the law and not under grace.[15]

13Romans 6:14; Galatians 2:16; Romans 8:1; 10:4. 14Romans 3:20; 7:7, etc; 15Romans 6:12–14; 1 Peter 3:8–13.



7. These uses of the law are not contrary to the grace of the Gospel but are in sweet harmony with it,[16] for the Spirit of Christ subdues and enables the human will to do freely and cheerfully what the will of God as revealed in the law requires.[17]

16Galatians 3:21. 17Ezekiel 36:27.

 

5) God's ministry makes "cultural accommodations" i.e. we become all things so that we might gain some. When we study scripture, first we try to discern what was the least God was saying to the audience at that time. Then we try to find the timeless principles that would be applicable today. Lastly we figure out how to apply these principles to our lives.

Questions that aid in our effort to apply the timeless principles to our lives:
1) Is there an example for me to follow?
2) Is there a sin to avoid?
3) Is there a promise to claim?
4) Is there a prayer to emulate?
5) Is there a command to keep?
6) Is there a condition to meet?
7) Is there an error to avoid?
8) Is there a challenge to face?

The questions are from a Sunday school handout found tucked in one of my older Bibles. I do not know who authored this helpful guide, but it was not me.

 

That it’s not complicated:

12 All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets. Mt 7

8 Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love therefore is the fulfilment of the law. Ro 13

8 Howbeit if ye fulfil the royal law, according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well: Ja 2

 

Concerning my failures to totally wipe out the sin that inhabits and rampages through my vile body, I find this hymn written by Joseph Irons, based on Joshua 17:12, to fit my case quite well, in part it says,

Jehovah's tribes, redeem'd by might,
In cov'nant with Him stand,
But still, the cursed Canaanite,
Will dwell within their land.

What comfort, confidence, delights,
Would Christians daily share;
But for their inbred Canaanites,
Alas! they still are there.

Where'er they turn within the land,
They meet the Canaanite;
But still, led on by Jesus' hand,
With sin and hell they fight.

Almighty Joshua, make me strong,
My Canaanites destroy;
Give vict'ry, and the victor's song
Shall endless years employ.

 

One reason to use the scripture and the moral law as a rule of life is that you will find that often the tendency to put more and more rules on someone is due to going beyond what the scripture really says. I mean, what moral teaching do you find in scripture that you would like to be able to do away with as a Christian? Most of the burdensome rules clergy put on people are due to things not actually found in scripture. Your best defense against that is to know scripture well and know what it does not say as well. I have seen a lot of manipulation by various churches in my time and in my opinion one of the best setups for such nonsense is to first get people "free" of using scripture as a rule of life but oh yeah, we have a complete agenda for you to follow which will cover how you dress, think, and even cut your hair. A good church and a good pastor will be encouraging you to study scripture and develop an active walk with God by the Holy Spirit's influence.

Notice how in Galatians the people were being told they had to be circumcised so the leaders could glory in what they had got them to do in the flesh. Paul rebukes that but then goes on in chapter 6 especially to lay out what we were talking about as far as living a life pleasing to God. If you take the time to look that over he covers most of what's in the 10 commandments and also much more. There is no way to read on to chapter 6 and not see that this is not intended as a way out of the warnings about living after the flesh.

Also, I notice that people say you can't separate moral from ceremonial law but yet the arguments Paul uses were always what you eat and circumcision. In Galatians Paul does not say that these people came along and insisted you avoid fornication - that's what Paul insisted on. They insisted on circumcision. I do think you can separate them in the context of Paul's arguments in Galatians and in Philippians Chapter 3.