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
And Jesus answering said unto him, Permit it now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.
Think not that I am come to abrogate the law, or the prophets: I am not come to abolish, but to compleat them:
Think not that I am come to abrogate the law, or the prophets: I am not come to abolish, but to compleat them: for verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, not one jot nor one tittle shall pass from the law, till all be compleated.
for verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, not one jot nor one tittle shall pass from the law, till all be compleated.
for verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, not one jot nor one tittle shall pass from the law, till all be compleated. Whosoever therefore shall break one of the left of these commandments, and thereby teach men so to do, he shall be esteemed very little in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever shall do as well as teach them, he shall be accounted great in the kingdom of heaven. read more. For I tell you, that unless your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and pharisees, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Ye have heard, that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever committeth murder, shall be liable to the judgment: but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be liable to the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be obnoxious to the council; but whosoever shall say, "Thou fool," shall be in danger of hell-fire. Therefore, if thou bring thine offering to the altar, and there remembrest that thy brother hath any complaint against thee; leave thy gift there before the altar, and go and first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Be friends with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him; least the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison: verily, I say unto thee, thou shalt not come out from thence, till thou hast paid the very last farthing. Ye have heard, that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I tell you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, so as to lust after her, hath already debauched her in his heart. And therefore if thy right eye cause thee to offend, pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee that one part of thee perish, than that thy whole body should be cast into hell: and if thy right hand cause thee to offend, cut it off and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee that one of thy limbs should perish, than that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And it has been said, whosoever would put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce: but I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except on account of whoredom, tempteth her to commit adultery; and if any man marry her that is divorced, he committeth adultery. Again, ye have heard, that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: but I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King: neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair of it white or black: but let your conversation be yea, yea; no, no; for whatever is more than these, cometh from the evil one. Ye have heard, that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say unto you, Set not yourselves against him that injures you, but if any one smite thee on thy right cheek, rather turn to him the other also: and if any one would go to law with thee, to take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also, rather than strive with him: and if any one shall force thee one mile, go with him two. Give to him that asketh thee, and him, that would borrow of thee, turn not away. Ye have heard, that it has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy: but I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that abuse you and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your heavenly Father; for He causeth his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain upon the just and the unjust. For if ye love only them that love you, what reward do ye expect? do not even the publicans the same? and if ye embrace your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not the publicans so likewise? Be ye therefore perfect in love and goodness, as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
And when Jesus had ended these discourses, the people were amazed at his doctrine:
And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no one; but go, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift which Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.
what profane sort of work the priests do in the temple on the sabbath-days, and yet are blameless? But I tell you, that a greater than the temple is here:
But He said unto them, What man of you shall have one of his sheep fall into a pit on the sabbath-day, and will not lay hold of it and lift it out?
but if I by the Spirit of God cast out devils, then certainly the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or, how can any one enter into the house of a strong man, and take away his goods, unless he first overpower the strong man? and then indeed he may strip his house. read more. He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth.
The queen of the South too, shall rise up in the day of judgement against this generation, and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solomon is here.
But he answered and said, I am sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
but that we may not give them offence, go to the sea-side and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and open its mouth, and thou shalt find a piece of money: that take and give them for me and thee.
And the pharisees came to Him to ensnare Him, and asked Him, whether it was lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And He answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that He, who made them at first, made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, read more. and be joined to his wife, and they two shall be one flesh: so that they are no longer two, but one flesh. And therefore what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto Him, Why then did Moses order a bill of divorce to be given, and so to put her away? He answered them, Moses because of your hardheartedness, permitted you to put away your wives; but it was not so from the beginning: and I tell you, that whosoever putteth away his wife, except for whoredom, and marrieth another, committeth adultery; and he that marrieth her so put away committeth adultery.
as the Son of man came not to be ministred unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.
But when the pharisees heard that He had silenced the sadducees, they gathered together again, and one of them, an interpreter of the law, propounded a question, to try Him, read more. and said, Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? And Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind: this is the first and great command. And the second is like it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two precepts depend all the law and the prophets.
for this is my blood, the blood of the new covenant, which is to be shed for many for the remission of sins:
And as He was going thro' the corn-fields on the sabbath-day, his disciples began as they went along to pluck the ears of corn. And the pharisees said to Him, See, why do they what is not lawful to be done on the sabbath-day? read more. And He said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, in his necessity, when he was hungry, himself and those that were with him? how he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar, who was afterwards the high priest, and did eat the shew-bread, which it is not lawful for any to eat, but the priests, and gave also to them that were with him! And He said moreover unto them, The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath:
And He said moreover unto them, The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath: and therefore the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath.
and they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the sabbath-day, that they might accuse Him.
and in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the injunctions of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye retain the tradition of men, as the washings of pots and cups, and many other such like things. read more. And ye expressly annul the commandment of God, that ye may retain your own tradition; for Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, He that revileth father or mother, let him be put to death: but ye say, If a man tell his father or mother, That which thou mightest be profited by from me is Corban, (that is, a gift to the temple) it sufficeth: and so ye allow him to do nothing more for his father or his mother: making void the word of God by your tradition,. And many such like things ye do. And calling all the people to Him, He said unto them, Hear me all of you, and understand, There is nothing without a man, which entring into him can defile him: but the things proceeding from him are those which defile a man. If any one hath ears to hear, let him hear. And when He was come into the house, away from the multitude, his disciples asked Him concerning the meaning of the parable. And He saith unto them, Are ye so void of understanding also? Do ye not know, that whatsoever from without entreth into a man cannot defile him? because it entreth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all his food.
because it entreth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all his food. But said He, What cometh out of a man, that defileth the man; read more. for out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murthers, thefts, avarice, malice, deceit, lasciviousness, envy, slander, pride, folly; all these evils come from within and defile the man.
but he held his peace, and made him no answer. So the high priest asked Him again, and saith to Him, Art thou the Messiah the Son of the blessed God?
And when eight days were fulfilled for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, having been so called by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
And there was delivered to Him the book of the prophet Esaias; and opening the book, He found the place where it was written, "The spirit of the Lord is upon me to the end, for which He hath anointed me: He hath sent me to publish good tidings to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to release them that are bruised, read more. and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." And He folded up the book, and gave it again to the minister, and sat down: and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed upon Him. And He said unto them, this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
And behold, a lawyer stood up to try Him, and said, Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life? He said to him, What is written in the law? How readest thou there? read more. And he answered, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbor as thyself. And He said unto him, Thou hast answered right; do this and thou shalt live. But he willing to justify himself said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor? And Jesus replying said, There was a certain man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among thieves, who after they had stripped and beaten him, went away, leaving him half dead. And by chance a certain priest came down that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place, went and looked at him, and then crossed the way and passed by. But a certain Samaritan, as he was travelling, came up to him, and when He saw him, he was moved with compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine; and setting him upon his own beast, brought him to an inn and took care of him. And on the morrow, when he went away he took out two denaries, and gave them to the inn-keeper, and said to him, Take care of him, and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again I will repay thee. Which now of these three dost thou think was neighbor to him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that took pity on him. Therefore said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou in like manner.
And as He spake, a certain pharisee asked Him to dine with him: and He went in and sat down at table. And when the pharisee saw it he wondered that He did not wash first, before dinner. read more. But the Lord said unto him, ye pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of rapine and wickedness. Senseless creatures! Did not He who made the outside, make also that which is within? give alms rather according to your ability: and behold all things are clean to you.
And might not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath-day? Upon his saying this, all his adversaries were ashamed: but the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.
The law and the prophets continued until John: from that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every one presseth into it.
for I tell you, that this which is written must yet be accomplished in me, "And He was numbered with transgressors," for the things foretold concerning me are near at an end.
And beginning from Moses, and all the prophets, He explained to them in all the scriptures the things that were spoken concerning Himself.
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ:
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up:
And immediately the man was cured: and he took up his bed and walked. Now this was the sabbath-day, therefore the Jews said to him that was cured, It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. read more. He answered them, He, that made me well, said unto me, Take up thy bed and walk. Therefore they asked him, Who is the man that said to thee, Take up thy bed and walk? but he, that was healed, did not know who it was: for Jesus had withdrawn himself, there being many people in the place. Afterwards Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said to him, Behold, thou art healed; sin no more, least something worse befal thee. And the man went away, and told the Jews, that it was Jesus who had healed him. And for this did the Jews persecute Jesus, and endeavoured to put Him to death; because He had done these things on the sabbath-day. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh without intermission, and so do I. For this therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He had not only broken the sabbath, but had also called God his own Father, making Himself equal with God. Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for whatsoever He doth, these also the Son doth in like manner. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth Him all things, which He Himself doth: and He will shew Him greater than these, that ye may wonder.
It is written in the prophets, "And they shall all be taught of God." Every one therefore that hath heard and learned from the Father, cometh unto me.
I am the living bread, which came down from heaven: if any one eat of this bread, he shall live for ever. And the bread, that I will give, is my flesh, which I will give up for the life of the world.
Then said some of the pharisees, This man is not of God, because He doth not keep the sabbath: but others said, How can a wicked man do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
Then they called a second time for the man that had been blind, and said to him, Give glory to God: for we know that this man is a great sinner.
But Caiaphas who was one of them, being high-priest that year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all;
Though I tell you indeed and in truth, Except a grain of wheat fall into the ground and die, it remaineth alone; but if it die, it produceth much fruit.
The people answered Him, We have heard out of the law, that the Messiah abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, the Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man?
But thus it is that the word might be fulfilled, which is written in their law, they hated me without a cause.
The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law He ought to die, because He made himself the Son of God.
Be it known therefore unto you, brethren, that through Him is preached unto you the remission of sins:
What shall we say then that Abraham our father obtained according to the flesh? for if Abraham were justified by works, he hath something to boast of; but this he hath not before God: read more. for what saith the scripture? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." Now to him that worketh the reward is not reckoned as a favor, but as a debt: but to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him who justifieth the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
Now the law made some entrance, that the offence might appear to abound; but where sin abounded, grace hath superabounded; that as sin had reigned in death,
What shall we say then? is the law sin? God forbid! Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust to be sinful, if the law had not said, "Thou shalt not covet." But sin taking occasion by the commandment wrought in me all manner of concupiscence: for without the law sin was dead. read more. And I was heretofore alive without the law: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died: and the commandment which was intended to life, I found to be unto death. For sin taking occasion by the commandment deceived me, and by it slew me. So that the law is holy; and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
So that the law is holy; and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid! But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good: that sin might be shewn by the commandment to be exceeding sinful.
Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid! But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good: that sin might be shewn by the commandment to be exceeding sinful. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. read more. For that which I do, I allow not: for I do not that which I would; but what I hate, this I do. And if I do that which I would not, I consent to the law that it is good: but now I am no more the doer of it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwelleth no good: for to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not. For I do not the good that I would; but the evil which I would not, this I do. Now if I do that which I would not, I am no more the doer of it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a kind of law, that when I would do good, evil besets me. For I delight in the law of God, as to the inward man: but I perceive another law in my body warring against the law of my mind, and captivating me to the law of sin, which is in my body. Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from this body of death?
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath set me free from the law of sin and death. For that which was impossible for the law to do, and in which it was weak through the corruption of the flesh, God by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sacrifice for sin, hath done; that is, hath condemned sin in the flesh:
but Israel, who followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness: why?
For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves to the righteousness which is of God.
But those that are married, not I command, but the Lord, that the wife be not separated from her husband;
but have rejected shameful disguises, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth, recommending ourselves to every man's conscience, in the sight of God.
that I might live unto God.
Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? not at all: for if a law had been given, which could have confered life, certainly righteousness would have been by the law.
So that the law was our guide to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Now as long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a servant, though he is to be lord of all: but is under guardians and managers till the time appointed by the father. read more. So we when we were children, were in servitude under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son born of a woman made under the law,
but when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth his Son born of a woman made under the law, that He might redeem those that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is by the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know Him,
not having my own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is by the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: that I may know Him,
Let no one deprive you of your reward by an affected humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into what he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his carnal mind;
Now Moses was indeed faithful in all his house as a servant, for a testimony of the things which were to be spoken:
Which figure remains to the present time, wherein gifts and sacrifices are offered, that cannot perfect the worshipper as to his conscience,