The Christian and the Old Testament (Part 7) – Objections

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1. The sabbath was given in Exo 16:22-30 before it was given in the ten commandments in Exo 20:8-11.

2. This supposedly proves that it was not just given to Israel.
3. It was given to Israel in both places, and it was only ever given to Israel (Exo 31:12-18).

4. Jesus kept the sabbath.

5. Of course He did! Jesus was a Jew living under the law of Moses.
6. Jesus also went to the Jewish feasts and kept the rest of the law of Moses perfectly.
7. Jesus fulfilled and abolished the law of Moses (Mat 5:17; 2Co 3:6-7,11,13), including the sabbath which was a shadow of Him (Col 2:14-17).

8. Paul kept the sabbath.

9. Paul was a Jew and could still keep parts of the law of Moses.
10. See Section VI on the transitional period from 33-70AD.

11. A jot or a tittle would not pass from the law till heaven and earth pass away (Mat 5:18); therefore the ten commands are still in effect.

12. Jesus fulfilled and abolished the law, though the text of the law shall never pass away. (See Section V,7)
13. Nine of the ten commandments are repeated in the NT (except the sabbath commandment) and are therefore still in effect. (See Section VII,2,A-B)

14. “There are still things in the Tanakh (Old Covenant) that haven’t been fulfilled yet, and Jesus said nothing will pass away until all is fulfilled.” – Michael McCloud on YouTube

15. Jesus didn’t say that nothing will pass away until all be fulfilled, but rather that one jot or one tittle would not pass away till heaven and earth pass and all be fulfilled (Mat 5:18).
16. Jesus fulfilled and abolished the law, though the text of the law shall never pass away. (See Section V,7)
17. Parts of the Old Testament such as unfulfilled prophecies of the Second Coming, etc., historical accounts, much of the Psalms, and the Proverbs are not abolished (See Section VII,4), but the law of Moses most definitely is (2Co 3:6-7,11,13) (See Section V).

18. “I believe that there is a difference between the law of Moses found within the Pentateuch, and the entire 39 books of the Old Testament. You however have abolished it all. The Psalms are full of instructions on how we should praise and worship. It is full of depictions of the musical instruments that you have condemned as NON SCRIPTURAL. The wisdom offered in Proverbs would be unavailable by your rules.  Finally, prophecy is still being fulfilled is in the old testament and compliments the new.  Remember the questions I asked you in my first comment.  Now kindly look at the number of views your videos have received.  I respectfully submit that when Christians see your name in a video they are inclined to pass it by.  Your efforts to abolish the OT under the guise that it “is the law” constitutes another law of your own making. Again I say,  I believe that there is a difference between the law of Moses found within the Pentateuch, and the entire 39 books of the Old Testament.” – Samuel Rivera on YouTube

19. This man was correct that there is a difference between the entire 39 books of the OT and the law of Moses.
20. He was incorrect when he said that I have abolished parts of the OT such as unfulfilled prophecy, all that is in the Psalms, and the Proverbs.
21. The law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms all spoke of Christ, and He fulfilled all that was written of Him in them (Luk 24:25-27, 44).
22. Parts of the Old Testament such as unfulfilled prophecies of the Second Coming, etc., historical accounts, much of the Psalms, and the Proverbs are not abolished (See Section VII,4), but the law of Moses most definitely is (2Co 3:6-7,11,13) (See Section V).

23. The sabbath will be kept in the new heaven and the new earth (Isa 66:22-23).

24. Whether Isa 66:23 is speaking literally of sabbaths and new moons being kept in the new heaven and the new earth, or if it is merely using terminology familiar to the Jews to whom it was written is immaterial.
25. There will be many things in the new heaven and the new earth which are not true of life on this earth under the NT, such as:
26. Wolves and lambs feeding together and lions eating straw like bullocks (Isa 65:25).
27. No marriage (Luk 20:34-35).

iii.    No death, sorrow, crying, or pain (Rev 21:4).

1. No sun or moon (Rev 21:23) or night (which makes new moons unlikely) (Rev 22:5).
2. Furthermore, it is unlikely that there will be a sabbath every seven days in the new heaven and the new earth, in that there will be time no longer there (Rev 10:6).
3. But the fact remains that New Testament Christians on this earth living under the New Testament are NOT under law of Moses and its commandments concerning sabbaths and new moons (Col 2:14-17) because the law of Moses is abolished. (See Section V)

4. In an effort to prove that Christians must keep the sabbath and that church should be on the sabbath (Saturday), it is alleged that in Act 20:7, when Paul met for church with the church in Troas, they met on Saturday evening.

5. They say since the days in the Bible began at evening, and since they met on the first day of the week and Paul preached until midnight, that means they were meeting on Saturday evening.
6. This is nonsense for several reasons:
7. Regardless if it was in the evening or the morning, it was THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK (Act 20:7).
8. If it was on Saturday evening, then by the Jewish calendar it was the first day of the week (Sunday), not Saturday which was the Jewish sabbath.

iii.    The Jewish day began at evening, but the church at Troas was a Gentile church in a Gentile country (Asia).

1. There is no way to prove that they didn’t begin the church meeting in the morning or the afternoon and continued until midnight (Act 20:7).
2. Paul was known to have preached from morning till evening (Act 28:23).
3. They say that if the sabbath was changed to Sunday, and Paul met with the disciples on Saturday night, then why would Paul take a long trip the next day on Sunday.
4. This is nonsense.
5. First of all, the sabbath was never changed to Sunday, it was abolished along with the rest of the Old Testament (2Co 3:13; Col 2:14-17). (See Section V)

iii.    Secondly, Paul met with them on “the first day of the week” (Sunday) and departed “on the morrow” (Act 20:7) which would have been the second day of the week (Monday).

1. Sunday – 1. a. The first day of the week…
2. Morrow – 2. The day next after the present; the day subsequent to any specified day. the morrow, frequently used advb. = on the following day.
3. The fact is that Paul held church in Troas on Sunday (the first day of the week) (Act 20:7), as did the other disciples (Joh 20:19).

4. It is alleged that Col 2:14-17 is speaking of the rest of the law of Moses (not the ten commandments) which was written on paper, not stone; written by man, not God; and which was stored in the side of the ark of the covenant (Deu 31:26), not inside it like the stone tables (Heb 9:4).

5. They say that the ten commandments written in stone couldn’t be nailed to the cross because it was written in stone.
6. This is nonsense; the Old Testament wasn’t literally nailed to the cross.
7. Therefore whether it was the part written on stone or paper is immaterial.
8. The handwriting of ordinances (Col 2:14) was the law of commandments contained in ordinances which Jesus abolished in His flesh (Eph 2:15).
9. Abolish – To put an end to, to do away with; to annul or make void; to demolish, destroy or annihilate. Its application to persons or concrete objects is nearly obsolete; it is usually said of institutions, customs or practices.
10. Therefore, Jesus put an end to, did away with, annulled, and made void the law of Moses when He died on the cross. (See Section V)

iii.    It was not just the law written by Moses that was abolished; the ten commandments written in stone by God which were part of the law of Moses were also abolished (2Co 3:6-13 c/w Exo 34:28-35).

10. It is alleged that Act 15:21 c/w Act 15:19-20 teaches that the Gentiles will come to learn the Torah as they attend services on the sabbath where they would learn to keep the rest of the law of Moses in time, but for the time being they were only given the four commandments in verse 20.

11. This is total nonsense and a wresting of the scriptures by Pharisees.
12. Pharisees had crept into the churches and had been teaching that the Gentiles needed to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses (Act 15:1-5).
13. The apostles and elders came together to determine if the Gentiles needed to keep the law of Moses (Act 15:6).
14. Peter declared that the yoke of the law of Moses should not be put on the Gentile disciples, which none of the Jews had even been able to bear (Act 15:7-10), and that salvation for both Jews and Gentiles is through the grace of Jesus Christ (Act 15:11), not by being circumcised and keeping the law of Moses (Act 15:1).
15. James’ sentence was that they would write to the Gentiles and tell them that they only needed to keep four commandments of the law of Moses: those being to “abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood” (Act 15:20).
16. The reason for sending letters to the Gentiles detailing exactly which commandments they needed to keep was that there were synagogues in every city where they lived where Jews were teaching the law of Moses every week and the Gentiles might conclude that they needed to submit to the law of Moses and be circumcised (Act 15:21).
17. Far from saying that the Gentiles would learn the rest of the law of Moses in due time by going to the synagogues, the apostles rather wrote to them telling them: “…we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: TO WHOM WE GAVE NO SUCH COMMANDMENT:…it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well….” (Act 15:24,28,29).
18. The purpose of the letter to the Gentiles was to tell them that concerning keeping the law (Act 21:24), “THAT THEY OBSERVE NO SUCH THING, SAVE ONLY THAT THEY keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.” (Act 21:25).

19. “The 7th day God rested and blessed it before the 10 commandments were given to Moses. Why wouldn’t all Christians want to remember God’s rest, the only day he blessed and hallowed. It doesn’t make any sense; why we wouldn’t remember this special day?” – Brian Gives Glory to Jesus on YouTube

20. We do remember the day on which God rested by believing the gospel, ceasing from our own works, and entering into rest (Heb 4:3-4,9-11).
21. When we come unto Jesus we enter into rest (Mat 11:28-29).
22. Jesus’ yoke is easy and light (Mat 11:30), unlike the law of Moses (including the sabbath commandment) which is hard and heavy (Act 15:10).

23. It is alleged that Heb 4:9 teaches that we are still under the sabbath command today.

24. See Objection #14.

25. Paul said that faith doesn’t make void the law, but establishes it (Rom 3:31).

26. This verse has nothing to do with us keeping the law.
27. The law declared that everyone who didn’t keep it in its entirety was cursed (Gal 3:10).
28. The law witnessed that the righteousness of God was without (outside) the law (Rom 3:21).
29. The righteousness of God is by the faith of Jesus Christ (Rom 3:22).
30. It was Jesus’ faith in flawlessly keeping the law, not us keeping the law, which justified us (Gal 2:16).
31. The fact that Jesus’ faith alone made us righteous establishes (to render stable or firm) the law which witnessed that it was impossible for righteousness to be attained by keeping it (Rom 3:21 c/w Gal 2:21 & Gal 3:21).