FIRST COVENANT DONE AWAY
If the Law is still in force one must have the priesthood and the Catholics will be found to be right in having a priesthood. If the Law is still in force, we must not eat catfish, or hog meat for both are forbidden under the Law. If the Law is still in force, a man must marry his brother's widow and raise up seed unto is brother (Deuteronomy 25:5-9). The burning of incense, the offering of animal sacrifices, and all the ceremonials are still upon us. If the Ten Commandments are in force we must keep the seventh-day-sabbath. There is no such thing as doing away with a part of the Law without doing away with all of it, for Jesus said "one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled," Thus we see it is all or none.
BETTER COVENANT ESTABLISHED
Have we lost anything by the passing of the Law? Certainly, we have lost nothing by the passing of the Law. The New Testament is our rule of faith and practice. The Bible distinctly says we have a "better covenant" and "better priesthood."
"But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises" (Heb 8:6).
Read, also, Hebrews 7:9-28. The Lord took away the Law and gave us something better in which is found all the moral precepts that were found in the Law wit none of its imperfections. The Bible distinctly declares that the old covenant was not perfect:
"For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second" (Heb 8:7).
New Testament Perfect
"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed" ( Jas 1:25).
We have lost nothing and have gained much. The rigid Law that demanded death by stoning for every violation for every violation is not over us:
"He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses" (Heb 10:28).
To so much as pick up sticks on the Sabbath Day (Saturday) was punished by a horrible death, caused by being beaten with rocks (Numbers 15). There are no such penalties in the New Testament. With Paul, I say "wherefore then serveth the law?"
Those who so persistently contend that we are under the Law, especially the Ten Commandments, need to learn just what it means to be under the Law. Under the Old Testament Law, it was sin and die, but the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2).
Psalms Still in Force
The Law has been done away, and the prophets have been done away as a rule of faith and practice, but nowhere are we told that the Psalms have been done away. Instead of the Psalms being done away, we are commanded to use them.
"Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" ( Eph 5:19).
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Col 3:16).
The Psalms is a book of worship and should be used in or worship today. The book of Psalms, in reality, is an inspired hymn book. The Psalms is no part of the law which was done away. Jesus distinctly shows that the law is one division of the Bible and the Psalm is another.
Some contend that the Psalms is a part of the Law because Jesus said in John 10:34-35: Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods." This statement is found in Psalm 82:6 and since Jesus said it was written in the Law, and it is found in the Psalms, therefore, reason some, the Psalms is a part of the Law. But such reasoning is erroneous because the Psalmist was quoting from the Law just as Jesus was. It is found in the Law. In Exodus 22:28, the statement is found, "Thou shalt not revile the gods," meaning the people to whom God had revealed His word. If indeed the Psalms is a part of the Law, then Jesus made a mistake in making it a distinct division of the Old Testament.
THE MEANING OF "THE LAW"
The expression, the law, means the five books of Moses. Here is the proof:
(1) Women are commanded to be in subjection as "also saith the law."
"Let your women keep silence in the churches... but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law" ( 1Co 14:34).
Where does the Bible say this? In Genesis 3:16, so Genesis is the Law.
"Unto the woman he said... and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee" ( Gen 3:16).
(2) Again, the Law has said, "Tho shalt not covet."
"Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet" (Romans 7:7).
Where does the Bible say this? Exodus 20:17.
"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's (Exodus 20:17).
Therefore, Exodus is the Law.
(3) A lawyer asked Jesus the question, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus answered:
"Thou salt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the fist and great commandment, And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40).
This is found in Deuteronomy 6:5, so Deuteronomy is the Law.
"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, ad with all thy might" Deuteronomy 6:5).
(4) It is also found in Leviticus 19:18, so Leviticus is the Law.
"...thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself..." Leviticus 19:18).
(5) Again, Jesus said:
"Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?" (Matthew 12:5).
Where is this found? In Numbers 28: 9, so Numbers is the Law.
"And on the sabbath day two lambs of the first year without spot, and two tenth deals of flour for a meat offering mingled with oil, and the drink offering thereof" (Numbers 28:9).
Thus, each book in the Pentateuch is called the Law and we see that the term Law covers more than the mere commandments. It covers what is something designated as the historical books. But Jesus calls all of it the Law.
THE MEANING OF "THE PSALMS"
The Psalms, as used by Jesus, means all of the Poetical books; Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. The prophets are easily distinguished embracing the prophetical books. So, the Lord's division of the Old Testament is unmistakable, the Law, the prophets and the Psalms.
When the question, "Where is the authority for using instruments of music in worship?" is asked, the answer is in Psalm 150:
"Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD."
If opposers of instrumental music should reply by saying that we are going back to the Law to get our authority for instruments of music, the answer is sufficient when we show that the Psalms are not part of the Law and cannot be unless Jesus made a mistake n making the Psalms a distinct division of the Old Testament. Besides that, we are commanded to use the Psalms:
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Col 3:16).
PRACTICAL BENEFIT OF KNOWING THE RIGHT DIVISION OF THE BIBLE
Many think that if they find a verse of Scripture which sounds like what they want to prove, they can use it, but many times the passage does not apply, because it is addressed to some particular person, or institution, foreign to what the passage is used for. Or instance, a person wanting to prove sprinkling and pouring for baptism will turn to the Old Testament and read of the ceremonial sprinkling and pouring and assert that he has found sprinkling and pouring for baptism.
The answer to such an argument is that te part of the Bible he is reading from has been done away as a rule of faith and practice.
Besides that, in the same place where he reads of sprinkling and pouring, he will find that a man must marry his brother's widow and raise up seed unto his brother.
"If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her. And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel. And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother. Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her; Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house" ( Deu 25:5-9)
He will find where a man must have "fringes" on the borders of is garment:
"Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quarters of thy vesture, wherewith thou coverest thyself" ( Deu 22:12).
He sill find that banisters must be built on the roof of his house:
"When thou buildest a new house, then thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence" (Deu 22:8).
He will find that he must not eat hog meat or catfish:
"And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you" (Lev 11:7).
If we are under one part of e law, we must be under all of it, for the smallest part of the Law shall not pass away until all be fulfilled:
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Mat 5:18).
THE OLD TESTAMENT NOT FOR OUR RULE OF FAITH AND PRACTICE
Sabbath Day
When Seventh Day Adventists quote the command to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy, they should be shown that the Law containing the Sabbath command has been done away:
"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." (Col. 2:14-17).
Musical Instruments
When we quote the Psalms to show that musical instruments may be used in worship and the answer is made that we are gong back under the Law for authority to use instruments of music, we should show how Jesus made the Psalms a distinct division of the Old Testament and that we are commanded in the New Testament to see the Psalms (Colosians 3:16).
Tithing
The same thing applies to the tithing of our incomes. Tithing was part of the Law and was done away when the Law was done away and is not legally binding now. If one wants to tithe voluntarily, he may do so but not because it was binding under the Law. So it is with all of the rest of the Law.
THE NEW TESTAMENT AND PSALMS OUR RULE OF FAITH AND PRACTICE
We have all that we need to observe as our rule of faith and practice in the Psalms and the New Testament.All we need to practice is found in the Psalm and in the New Testament. If someone should suggest that in the Psalms we find expressions about the Law, as for instance, "O how love I thy law," just remember that the Psalms is a book of worship and applies to all dispensations and David loved the Law he was under. We should love the Law we are under. We can sing, "O how love I thy Law," and in the Millennial Dispensation, whatever the Law is in the Millennium, we can still sing," O how love I thy Law." In Heaven itself we can still sing," O how love I thy Law." The ideas expressed in the Psalms apply to all dispensations.
We need to enrich our lives by reading the Psalms. The Psalms should be sung in our church services instead of the light jazz that is sometimes used.
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| First President Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church Little Rock, Arkansas |
