Reference: Law
Hastings
1. That the 'law was given by Moses' (Joh 1:17) represents the unanimous belief both of the early Christians and of the Chosen Nation. He was their first as well as their greatest law-giver; and in this matter religious tradition is supported by all the historical probabilities of the case. The Exodus and the subsequent wanderings constitute the formative epoch of Israel's career: it was the period of combination and adjustment between the various tribes towards effecting a national unity. Such periods necessitate social experiments, for no society can hold together without some basis of permanent security; no nation could be welded together, least of all a nation in ancient times, without some strong sense of corporate responsibilities and corporate religion. It therefore naturally devolved upon Moses to establish a central authority for the administration of justice, which should be universally accessible and universally recognized. There was only one method by which any such universal recognition could be attained; and that was by placing the legal and judicial system upon the basis of an appeal to that religion, which had already been successful in rousing the twelve tribes to a sense of their unity, and which, moreover, was the one force which could and did effectually prevent the disintegration of the heterogeneous elements of which the nation was composed.
2. We see the beginning and character of these legislative functions in Ex 18:16, where Moses explains how 'the people come unto me to inquire of God: when they have a matter they come unto me; and I judge between a man and his neighbour, and make them know the statutes of God, and his laws (t
See Verses Found in Dictionary
"Let it be so on this occasion," Jesus replied; "for so we ought to fulfil every religious duty." Then he consented;
"Do not for a moment suppose that I have come to abrogate the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abrogate them but to give them their completion.
"Do not for a moment suppose that I have come to abrogate the Law or the Prophets: I have not come to abrogate them but to give them their completion. Solemnly I tell you that until Heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or smallest detail will pass away from the Law until all has taken place.
Solemnly I tell you that until Heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or smallest detail will pass away from the Law until all has taken place.
Solemnly I tell you that until Heaven and earth pass away, not one iota or smallest detail will pass away from the Law until all has taken place. Whoever therefore breaks one of these least commandments and teaches others to break them, will be called the least in the Kingdom of the Heavens; but whoever practises them and teaches them, he will be acknowledged as great in the Kingdom of the Heavens. read more. For I assure you that unless your righteousness greatly surpasses that of the Scribes and the Pharisees, you will certainly not find entrance into the Kingdom of the Heavens. "You have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'Thou shalt not commit murder', and whoever commits murder will be answerable to the magistrate. But I say to you that every one who becomes angry with his brother shall be answerable to the magistrate; that whoever says to his brother 'Raca,' shall be answerable to the Sanhedrin; and that whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the Gehenna of Fire. If therefore when you are offering your gift upon the altar, you remember that your brother has a grievance against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go and make friends with your brother first, and then return and proceed to offer your gift. Come to terms without delay with your opponent while you are yet with him on the way to the court; for fear he should obtain judgement from the magistrate against you, and the magistrate should give you in custody to the officer and you be thrown into prison. I solemnly tell you that you will certainly not be released till you have paid the very last farthing. "You have heard that it was said, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.' But I tell you that whoever looks at a woman and cherishes lustful thoughts has already in his heart become guilty with regard to her. If therefore your eye, even the right eye, is a snare to you, tear it out and away with it; it is better for you that one member should be destroyed rather than that your whole body should be thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand is a snare to you, cut it off and away with it; it is better for you that one member should be destroyed rather than that your whole body should go into Gehenna. "It was also said, 'If any man puts away his wife, let him give her a written notice of divorce.' But I tell you that every man who puts away his wife except on the ground of unfaithfulness causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries her when so divorced commits adultery. "Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, 'Thou shalt not swear falsely, but shalt perform thy vows to the Lord.' But I tell you not to swear at all; neither by Heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is the footstool under His feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the City of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your language be, 'Yes, yes,' or 'No, no.' Anything in excess of this comes from the Evil one. "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.' But I tell you not to resist a wicked man, but if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. If any one wishes to go to law with you and to deprive you of your under garment, let him take your outer one also. And whoever shall compel you to convey his goods one mile, go with him two. To him who asks, give: from him who would borrow, turn not away. "You have heard that it was said, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour and hate thine enemy.' But I command you all, love your enemies, and pray for your persecutors; that so you may become true sons of your Father in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the wicked as well as the good, and sends rain upon those who do right and those who do wrong. For if you love only those who love you, what reward have you earned? Do not even the tax-gatherers do that? And if you salute only your near relatives, what praise is due to you? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You however are to be complete in goodness, as your Heavenly Father is complete.
When Jesus had concluded this discourse, the crowds were filled with amazement at His teaching,
and Jesus said to him, "Be careful to tell no one, but go and show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses appointed as evidence for them."
And have you not read in the Law how on the Sabbath the priests in the Temple break the Sabbath without incurring guilt? But I tell you that there is here that which is greater than the Temple.
"Which of you is there," He replied, "who, if he has but a single sheep and it falls into a hole on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out?
But if it is by the power of the Spirit of God that I expel the demons, it is evident that the Kingdom of God has come upon you. Again, how can any one enter the house of a strong man and carry off his goods, unless first of all he masters and secures the strong man: then he will ransack his house. read more. "The man who is not with me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me is scattering abroad.
The Queen of the south will awake at the Judgement together with the present generation, and will condemn it; because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and mark! there is One greater than Solomon here.
"I have only been sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," He replied.
"However, lest we cause them to sin, go and throw a hook into the Lake, and take the first fish that comes up. When you open its mouth, you will find a shekel in it: bring that coin and give it to them for yourself and me."
Then came some of the Pharisees to Him to put Him to the proof by the question, "Has a man a right to divorce his wife whenever he chooses?" "Have you not read," He replied, "that He who made them 'made them' from the beginning 'male and female, read more. and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall be one'? Thus they are no longer two, but 'one'! What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate." "Why then," said they, "did Moses command the husband to give her 'a written notice of divorce,' and so put her away?" "Moses," He replied, "in consideration of the hardness of your nature permitted you to put away your wives, but it has not been so from the beginning. And I tell you that whoever divorces his wife for any reason except her unfaithfulness, and marries another woman, commits adultery."
just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as the redemption-price for many."
Now the Pharisees came up when they heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, and one of them, an expounder of the Law, asked Him as a test question, read more. "Teacher, which is the greatest Commandment in the Law?" "'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,'" He answered, "'with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole mind.' This is the greatest and foremost Commandment. And the second is similar to it: 'Thou shalt love thy fellow man as much as thyself.' The whole of the Law and the Prophets is summed up in these two Commandments."
for this is my blood which is to be poured out for many for the remission of sins--the blood which ratifies the Covenant.
One Sabbath He was walking through the wheatfields when His disciples began to pluck the ears of wheat as they went. So the Pharisees said to Him, "Look! why are they doing what on the Sabbath is unlawful?" read more. "Have you never read," Jesus replied, "what David did when the necessity arose and he and his men were hungry: how he entered the house of God in the High-priesthood of Abiathar, and ate the Presented Loaves--which none but the priests are allowed to eat--and gave some to his men also?" And Jesus said to them: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath;
And Jesus said to them: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath; so that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
They closely watched Him to see whether He would cure him on the Sabbath--so as to have a charge to bring against Him.
But idle is their devotion while they lay down precepts which are mere human rules.' "You neglect God's Commandment: you hold fast to men's traditions." read more. "Praiseworthy indeed!" He added, "to set at nought God's Commandment in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, 'Honour thy father and thy mother' and again, 'He who curses father or mother, let him die the death.' But *you* say, 'If a man says to his father or mother, It is a Korban (that is, a thing devoted to God) And so you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or mother, thus nullifying God's precept by your tradition which you have handed down. And many things of that kind you do." Then Jesus called the people to Him again. "Listen to me, all of you," He said, "and understand. There is nothing outside a man which entering him can make him unclean; but it is the things which come out of a man that make him unclean." No translation After He had left the crowd and gone indoors, His disciples began to ask Him about this figure of speech. "Have *you* also so little understanding?" He replied; "do you not understand that anything whatever that enters a man from outside cannot make him unclean, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and passes away ejected from him?" By these words Jesus pronounced all kinds of food clean.
because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and passes away ejected from him?" By these words Jesus pronounced all kinds of food clean. "What comes out of a man," He added, "that it is which makes him unclean. read more. For from within, out of men's hearts, their evil purposes proceed--fornication, theft, murder, adultery, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, reviling, pride, reckless folly: all these wicked things come out from within and make a man unclean."
But He remained silent, and gave no reply. A second time the High Priest questioned Him. "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" he said.
When eight days had passed and the time for circumcising Him had come, He was called JESUS, the name given Him by the angel before His conception in the womb.
And there was handed to Him the book of the Prophet Isaiah, and, opening the book, He found the place where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim Good News to the poor; He has sent me to announce release to the prisoners of war and recovery of sight to the blind: to send away free those whom tyranny has crushed, read more. to proclaim the year of acceptance with the Lord." And rolling up the book, He returned it to the attendant, and sat down--to speak. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He proceeded to say to them, "To-day is this Scripture fulfilled in your hearing."
Then an expounder of the Law stood up to test Him with a question. "Rabbi," he asked, "what shall I do to inherit the Life of the Ages?" "Go to the Law," said Jesus; "what is written there? how does it read?" read more. "'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,'" he replied, "'with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole strength, and thy whole mind; and thy fellow man as much as thyself.'" "A right answer," said Jesus; "do that, and you shall live." But he, desiring to justify himself, said, "But what is meant by my 'fellow man'?" Jesus replied, "A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell among robbers, who after both stripping and beating him went away, leaving him half dead. Now a priest happened to be going down that way, and on seeing him passed by on the other side. In like manner a Levite also came to the place, and seeing him passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, being on a journey, came where he lay, and seeing him was moved with pity. He went to him, and dressed his wounds with oil and wine and bound them up. Then placing him on his own mule he brought him to an inn, where he bestowed every care on him. The next day he took out two shillings and gave them to the innkeeper. "'Take care of him,' he said, 'and whatever further expense you are put to, I will repay it you at my next visit.' "Which of those three seems to you to have acted like a fellow man to him who fell among the robbers?" "The one who showed him pity," he replied. "Go," said Jesus, "and act in the same way."
When He had thus spoken, a Pharisee invited Him to breakfast at his house; so He entered and took His place at table. Now the Pharisee saw to his surprise that He did not wash His hands before breakfasting. read more. The Master however said to him, "Here we see how you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup or plate, while your secret hearts are full of greed and selfishness. Foolish men! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But as to what is within, give alms, and instantly all is clean in you.
And this woman, daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan had bound for no less than eighteen years, was she not to be loosed from this chain because it is the Sabbath day?" When He had said this, all His opponents were ashamed, while the whole multitude was delighted at the many glorious things continually done by Him.
The Law and the Prophets continued until John came: from that time the Good News of the Kingdom of God has been spreading, and all classes have been forcing their way into it.
For I tell you that those words of Scripture must yet find their fulfilment in me: 'And He was reckoned among the lawless'; for indeed that saying about me has its accomplishment."
And, beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them the passages in Scripture which refer to Himself.
For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
And just as Moses lifted high the serpent in the Desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
Instantly the man was restored to perfect health, and he took up his mat and began to walk. That day was a Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, "It is the Sabbath: you must not carry your mat." read more. "He who cured me," he replied, "said to me, 'Take up your mat and walk.'" "Who is it," they asked, "that said to you, 'Take up your mat and walk'?" But the man who had been cured did not know who it was; for Jesus had passed out unnoticed, there being a crowd in the place. Afterwards Jesus found him in the Temple and said to him, "You are now restored to health. Do not sin any more, or a worse thing may befall you." The man went and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had restored him to health; and on this account the Jews began to persecute Jesus--because He did these things on the Sabbath. His reply to their accusation was, "My Father works unceasingly, and so do I." On this account then the Jews were all the more eager to put Him to death--because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also spoke of God as being in a special sense His Father, thus putting Himself on a level with God. "In most solemn truth I tell you," replied Jesus, "that the Son can do nothing of Himself--He can only do what He sees the Father doing; for whatever He does, that the Son does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son and reveals to Him all that He Himself is doing. And greater deeds than these will He reveal to Him, in order that you may wonder.
It stands written in the Prophets, 'And they shall all of them be taught by God'. Every one who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me.
I am the living bread come down out of Heaven. If a man eats this bread, he shall live for ever. Moreover the bread which I will give is my flesh given for the life of the world."
Are you really greater than our forefather Abraham? For he died. And the prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?"
This led some of the Pharisees to say, "That man has not come from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath." "How is it possible for a bad man to do such miracles?" argued others.
A second time therefore they called the man who had been blind, and said, "Give God the praise: we know that that man is a sinner."
But one of them, named Caiaphas, being High Priest that year, said, "You know nothing about it.
In most solemn truth I tell you that unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains what it was--a single grain; but that if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.
The crowd answered Him, "We have heard out of the Law that the Christ remains for ever. In what sense do you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is that Son of Man?"
But this has been so, in order that the saying may be fulfilled which stands written in their Law, 'They have hated me without any reason.'
"We," replied the Jews, "have a Law, and in accordance with that Law he ought to die, for having claimed to be the Son of God."
"Understand therefore, brethren, that through this Jesus forgiveness of sins is announced to you;
What then shall we say that Abraham, our earthly forefather, has gained? For if he was held to be righteous on the ground of his actions, he has something to boast of; but not in the presence of God. read more. For what says the Scripture? "And Abraham believed God, and this was placed to his credit as righteousness." But in the case of a man who works, pay is not reckoned a favour but a debt; whereas in the case of a man who pleads no actions of his own, but simply believes in Him who declares the ungodly free from guilt, his faith is placed to his credit as righteousness.
Now Law was brought in later on, so that transgression might increase. But where sin increased, grace has overflowed;
What follows? Is the Law itself a sinful thing? No, indeed; on the contrary, unless I had been taught by the Law, I should have known nothing of sin as sin. For instance, I should not have known what covetousness is, if the Law had not repeatedly said, "Thou shalt not covet." Sin took advantage of this, and by means of the Commandment stirred up within me every kind of coveting; for apart from Law sin would be dead. read more. Once, apart from Law, I was alive, but when the Commandment came, sin sprang into life, and I died; and, as it turned out, the very Commandment which was to bring me life, brought me death. For sin seized the advantage, and by means of the Commandment it completely deceived me, and also put me to death. So that the Law itself is holy, and the Commandment is holy, just and good.
So that the Law itself is holy, and the Commandment is holy, just and good. Did then a thing which is good become death to me? No, indeed, but sin did; so that through its bringing about death by means of what was good, it might be seen in its true light as sin, in order that by means of the Commandment the unspeakable sinfulness of sin might be plainly shown.
Did then a thing which is good become death to me? No, indeed, but sin did; so that through its bringing about death by means of what was good, it might be seen in its true light as sin, in order that by means of the Commandment the unspeakable sinfulness of sin might be plainly shown. For we know that the Law is a spiritual thing; but I am unspiritual--the slave, bought and sold, of sin. read more. For what I do, I do not recognize as my own action. What I desire to do is not what I do, but what I am averse to is what I do. But if I do that which I do not desire to do, I admit the excellence of the Law, and now it is no longer I that do these things, but the sin which has its home within me does them. For I know that in me, that is, in my lower self, nothing good has its home; for while the will to do right is present with me, the power to carry it out is not. For what I do is not the good thing that I desire to do; but the evil thing that I desire not to do, is what I constantly do. But if I do that which I desire not to do, it can no longer be said that it is I who do it, but the sin which has its home within me does it. I find therefore the law of my nature to be that when I desire to do what is right, evil is lying in ambush for me. For in my inmost self all my sympathy is with the Law of God; but I discover within me a different Law at war with the Law of my understanding, and leading me captive to the Law which is everywhere at work in my body--the Law of sin. (Unhappy man that I am! who will rescue me from this death-burdened body?
for the Spirit's Law-- telling of Life in Christ Jesus--has set me free from the Law that deals only with sin and death. For what was impossible to the Law--powerless as it was because it acted through frail humanity--God effected. Sending His own Son in a body like that of sinful human nature and as a sacrifice for sin, He pronounced sentence upon sin in human nature;
while the descendants of Israel, who were in pursuit of a Law that could give righteousness, have not arrived at one.
Ignorant of the righteousness which God provides and building their hopes upon a righteousness of their own, they have refused submission to God's righteousness.
But to those already married my instructions are--yet not mine, but the Lord's--that a wife is not to leave her husband;
Nay, we have renounced the secrecy which marks a feeling of shame. We practice no cunning tricks, nor do we adulterate God's Message. But by a full clear statement of the truth we strive to commend ourselves in the presence of God to every human conscience.
for it is by the Law that I have died to the Law, in order that I may live to God.
God, however, is only one. Is the Law then opposed to the promises of God? No, indeed; for if a Law had been given which could have conferred Life, righteousness would certainly have come by the Law.
So that the Law has acted the part of a tutor-slave to lead us to Christ, in order that through faith we may be declared to be free from guilt.
Now I say that so long as an heir is a child, he in no respect differs from a slave, although he is the owner of everything, but he is under the control of guardians and trustees until the time his father has appointed. read more. So we also, when spiritually we were children, were subject to the world's rudimentary notions, and were enslaved. But, when the time was fully come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born subject to Law,
But, when the time was fully come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born subject to Law, in order to purchase the freedom of all who were subject to Law, so that we might receive recognition as sons.
Always carry one another's burdens, and so obey the whole of Christ's Law.
not having a righteousness of my own, derived from the Law, but that which arises from faith in Christ--the righteousness which comes from God through faith.
not having a righteousness of my own, derived from the Law, but that which arises from faith in Christ--the righteousness which comes from God through faith.
Let no one defraud you of your prize, priding himself on his humility and on his worship of the angels, and taking his stand on the visions he has seen, and idly puffed up with his unspiritual thoughts.
Moreover, Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant in delivering the message given him to speak;
And this is a figure--for the time now present--answering to which both gifts and sacrifices are offered, unable though they are to give complete freedom from sin to him who ministers.