Hello friendly friends,
I am working my way through Day 356 of the timeline, chronological study plan and in this set of unbelievable Scripture, arises this matter of the Levitical Law and its expiration date.
Hebrews 8:13 KJV - 13 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.
Hebrews 8:13 NLT - 13 When God speaks of a "new" covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.
There is plenty of Scripture to demonstrate that the Law has been removed as of the Resurrection of Christ.
I, at this time, believe that the Law has been extinct for a couple thousand years, but I need to make sure that I am, gulp, "right" about this belief.
Thank you to all who participate with the maturity that only comes from the same Love that the Father has for His Holy Son (should the Lord have placed it within you).
I've only read two pages so far so please excuse me if you already went over this.
My time is limited right now so I'll just hit the highlights the Lord opened up to me .
Most people I have talked to think that the law brings life. They believe that they keep the law good enough to be right/ righteous with God, so He will hopefully let them into Heaven on that day.
I used to think this as well.
My particular view was that if my good outweighed my bad, then I'd be ok. However, if I did one of the BIG sins, like a crime, then I might go to hell instead.
The OT and the New tell us that there is None righteous, no not one. For ALL have sinned and come short of the the glory of God.
Romans 3:10, 23
There is not a just man upon the earth that sineth not.
The wages of sin is death....
Romans 6:23
Death and Hell were cast into the Lake of fire.
This is the second death.
Revelation 20
That was bad enough. I had to realize that no matter how hard I tried, I was already condemned.
Then you posed the question about that passage in Hebrews. I love that book. I used to be Roman Catholic and even though it references the Jews, there were a lot of things that I could apply to my own misunderstanding. I don't mind changing my mind when I'm wrong and the Bible points it out. Since I was under the impression that keeping the law/ turning from all sins/ obeying the 10 commandments, etc could save me, I think that others likewise are under that misunderstanding.
We were looking to the law to provide life, eternal life. So, some of us were taught that if we turn from disobedience to the law to obedience to the law, we will be rewarded with everlasting life.
Satan does things like take that which is in the Bible and sounds reasonable and then misapplies the truth in a deception. He did that with Eve who was deceived and has done it with us too. He used this method to send countless souls to hell.
There is a purpose for the law, but it never gave life. That's where most priests/ pastors have been deceived and do unwittingly mislead others.
I read the chapters in Hebrews you pointed to and found that II Corinthians applied in chapter 3.
It states that the law doesn't provide life, but death.
7But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
11For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
We also see that it was replaced with an even more glorious, described in I Corinthians 15.
1Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
But God commendeth His love toward us, in that ,while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.