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Scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, lawyers, and others literally and personally argued with Jesus on various occasions. They lost every time (never learning!). Evidence, Moses’ law, the prophets, and sheer logic all combined in Jesus’ words, exposing the errors, hypocrisies, and prejudices of His detractors. Their only hope of triumph was to silence Him (or so they imagined). So they nailed Him to a cross.
Very many in our time have as little respect for evidence and facts in politics, science, morals, the courts—and in religion. Closed minds despise evidence, logic, and truth. They seek victory at all costs for their personal, ideological, or theological causes. Unable to prevail with their words and ideas, they often, when they have power to do so, resort to legislation or to force.
Those who nowadays “argue” with Jesus and the other inspired men do so by ignoring Holy Writ and/or by openly expressing disdain for it in word and/or deed. A major dispute so many have with the doctrine of Jesus and the apostles relates to the authority of the Old Testament. Are those living today accountable to that portion of the Bible? Most who accept the Bible as God’s Word would answer this question, “Yes.” How-ever, this response argues with writers in both testaments. Let us consider this question.
God gave the law of Moses only to the descendants of Jacob (i.e., Israelites, Jews); Gentiles were never under it (Exo. 19: 3; Deu. 4:1). Jesus said He came not to destroy, but to fulfill the types and prophecies of Moses’ law, and that the smallest particle of it would not “pass away” until He did so (Mat. 5:17–18). He did not come to demolish it, but his fulfillment of it would in some sense cause it to “pass away” (i.e., perish).
The inspiration of the Old Testament is not in question, only its authority. Its authority perished when it was figuratively “nailed to the cross” with Jesus (Eph. 2:14–16; Col. 2:14). When He died, His will became effective, obviating all previous wills (the Old Testament), even as with human wills.
God once spoke through the law and the prophets, but “at the end of these days” (i.e., the beginning of the Christian Age) His Son became His authoritative Spokesman (i.e., through His New Testament [Heb. 1:1–2; cf. Mat. 17:5; John 12:48]).
If one seeks to establish even one religious practice by the Old Testament, he obligates himself to all of it (Gal. 5:3). To dispute the above (and there is much more) is to argue with Jesus and His apostles.
[Note: I wrote this article for and it appeared in the Denton Record-Chronicle, Denton, TX, August 9, 2013]
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
