Laws and Christianity

Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, "Keep every command I am giving you today. At the time you cross the Jordan into the land The Lord  your God is givin you, you must set up large stones and cover them with plaster. Write all the words of this law on the stones after you cross to enter the land The Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as Yahweh, the God if your fathers, has promised you. Deuteronomy 27: 1-3

I have skipped many chapters in Deuteronomy as some are repetetitive and others hard to relate, some completely barbaric to my thinking. As I sat and pondered the last few chapters I wondered what parts of the Old Testament law the early Christians kept and went on a search.

The first place I  landed was Acts 15. New Gentile believers were being harassed by Jewish Christians to be circumcised. There was a council in Jerusalem and Peter stood up and said: 'guys God has clearly chosen to visit the Gentiles, why do we now proposed to inflict them with laws we struggle to keep?' (6-11)

Paul and Barnabas testify and then James gst up and says: "therefore in my judgement, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God, but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating anything strangled, and from blood." (19,20)

Jews had a real thing with food. Notice in the above verses all but one deals with eating.

Further investigation showed that Jews don't believe the Mosaic law applies to Christians. They believe that Nohaic law does. What on earth is that? Where dd they get that from? From early texts not included in the bible as we know it. These laws cover most moral law with one about not eating the flesh of a living animal. I don't have a problem with that, why would I want to eat a living creature?

The early church had to resolve a lot relating to law. Jesus did not give any except: 'loving The Lord your God with all you heart and loving your neighbour as yourself.' I think if I love God and my neighbour I won't want to kill, steal, covet, commit adultery, abuse my parents. 

The Golden Rule is also considered a part of Christian law: 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'

The funny thing is, there is a Silver law: 'don't do to others what you don't want done to you.' Now I think this would be a given don't you?

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