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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Old Testament relevance	George	Monday, November 7, 2011
Question: Brother, What do I say to those who use the justification that we don't follow all the rules in the Old Testament like not eating pork or how to treat a slave and such, so why do we still hold to others like the rules against homosexuality? I always understood that later in the New Testament the apostles met and decided to curb some Jewish traditions as to not be a burden the conversion with the Gentiles. Basically they reduced most of them to obstain from eating strangled meat with blood still in it and immoral behaviors. Of course I am not quoting the text exactly but it went something like that :). Other thoughts I had were the Jewish traditions were based on Mosaic Law and Jesus brought a better understanding of what God wanted. Almost like Moses took a little poetic license. For instance, when Jesus described marriage and said divorce wasn't allowed in the beginning. Now as far as I know Jesus really only greatly clarified a few things mainly what one could eat and divorce being unacceptable among others. It seems other things He clarified but didn't really change anything. Or at least the behavior or thought process was only modified such as what he talked about with the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. Is this why we still obey all the laws in regards to sexual morality and not other rules in the Old Testament? I appreciate your thoughts thank you.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r) Dear George: Sorry for the delay in answering your question. Jesus fulfilled the law and brought a new commandment to love God, and to love our neighbor. There are five covenants in the Old Testament. Each covenant had its own regulations. Those regulations had meaning for the time they were in place. When Jesus brought the New Covenant, a new set of rules was established. The Ten Commandments is still in force. Moral issues are still in force. It is only the extraneous rules and regulations that no longer apply after Jesus. Liturgical practices of the Old Testament, like ritual cleansing, also was replaced with a new liturgy for the New Covenant. We still have remnants of the ritual cleansing in our Mass — when the priest washes his hands. The Old Testament dietary rules also came to an end with Jesus and the New Covenant, but we do have remnants that we practice today, such as fasts and abstinance. We need to remember that we are not under Mosaic Law. Mosaic Law was just an archetype, and image, of the coming of the Law of Christ. Christ completed and fulfilled Mosaic Law and brought about a new law for the New Covenant — Law of Christ, which is love. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Old Testament relevance

George

Monday, November 7, 2011

Question:

Brother,

What do I say to those who use the justification that we don't follow all the rules in the Old Testament like not eating pork or how to treat a slave and such, so why do we still hold to others like the rules against homosexuality?

I always understood that later in the New Testament the apostles met and decided to curb some Jewish traditions as to not be a burden the conversion with the Gentiles. Basically they reduced most of them to obstain from eating strangled meat with blood still in it and immoral behaviors. Of course I am not quoting the text exactly but it went something like that :).

Other thoughts I had were the Jewish traditions were based on Mosaic Law and Jesus brought a better understanding of what God wanted. Almost like Moses took a little poetic license. For instance, when Jesus described marriage and said divorce wasn't allowed in the beginning. Now as far as I know Jesus really only greatly clarified a few things mainly what one could eat and divorce being unacceptable among others. It seems other things He clarified but didn't really change anything. Or at least the behavior or thought process was only modified such as what he talked about with the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. Is this why we still obey all the laws in regards to sexual morality and not other rules in the Old Testament?

I appreciate your thoughts thank you.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)

Dear George:

Sorry for the delay in answering your question.

Jesus fulfilled the law and brought a new commandment to love God, and to love our neighbor.

There are five covenants in the Old Testament. Each covenant had its own regulations. Those regulations had meaning for the time they were in place. When Jesus brought the New Covenant, a new set of rules was established.

The Ten Commandments is still in force. Moral issues are still in force. It is only the extraneous rules and regulations that no longer apply after Jesus. Liturgical practices of the Old Testament, like ritual cleansing, also was replaced with a new liturgy for the New Covenant. We still have remnants of the ritual cleansing in our Mass — when the priest washes his hands.

The Old Testament dietary rules also came to an end with Jesus and the New Covenant, but we do have remnants that we practice today, such as fasts and abstinance.

We need to remember that we are not under Mosaic Law. Mosaic Law was just an archetype, and image, of the coming of the Law of Christ. Christ completed and fulfilled Mosaic Law and brought about a new law for the New Covenant — Law of Christ, which is love.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary