Unit 3 Chapter 8
Lesson 8.1 Salvation Under the Old Covenant and the New
Lesson 8.2 Three Types of Old Testament Laws
Salvation Under the Old Covenant and the New
Also called the Pentateuch
The “Laws” were Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
and Deuteronomy
Revelation is called
Apocalyptic Literature
8.1
The Covenant
•Gen 12 God’s covenant with Abraham
•The Covenant renewed/passed on to Isaac and Jacob
•400 years later –it was renewed and passed on to the Jews through Moses
•Like a road map: stay on the road and be blessed; off the road –face
consequences
•Remember that (between Ex 20 –Deuteronomy 33) it is about a covenant
between God and the Jews, based on the Law of Moses.
The New Covenant explained in Hebrews:
“By calling this covenant “new,” He has made the first one obsolete;
and what is obsolete (not work) and aging will soon disappear. (Hebrews
8:7–13; compare Jeremiah 31:31–34) Christians are not under the old
covenant based on Law.”
Christians are not under the old covenant based on Law:
•For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law,but under grace.
(Romans 6:14)
•Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live
by faith.” (Galatians 3:11)
Salvation by Faith in God, through the Sacrifice He
Accepts
Moses and the Law: Ex 12+
“For the life of a creature is in
the blood, and I have given it to
you to make atonement for
yourselves on the altar; it is the
blood that makes atonement for
one’s life” (Leviticus 17:11)
Adam and Eve: Gen 2 –3
Cain and Abel: Gen 4
Noah (after the flood): Gen 8
Abraham: Gen 12 –22
Job: Job 1
Always
thru
blood
Saving Faith Through Good Works and the Spirit
of the Law
•Faith without works is as dead as the body without the spirit
(James 2:14–26).
Balance needed
•For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is
not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2: 8
How do Christians fulfill the OT Law?
•In the Old Testament, there are 248 positive (you shall) laws and 365
negative (you shall not) laws (Ryken and Longman 1993, 130). Jesus
said that we keep all of His moral laws if we live by one: the law of
love.
•“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus
replied: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest
commandment. And the second is like it; ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments.” (Matthew 22:36–40)
Matthew 5: 17 - 20
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I
have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth,
until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least
stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until
everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of
these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called
least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches
these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I
tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees
and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom
of heaven.”
Jesus taught that both the fruit (actions we see) and the root
of sin (in the heart) are wrong.
Matthew 5
Fruit of Sin
Root of sin
5: 21
–22
Murder
Anger
5: 27
–28
Adultery
Lust
5: 31
–32
Divorce
Selfishness
5: 33
–34 & 37
Breaking oaths
Being dishonest
5: 38
–39
Revenge
Unforgiveness
5: 43
–48
Hating enemies
Lack of love
Jesus emphasized the principles, the spirit of the Law, rather than the
commandments, the letter of the law.
Three Types of Laws in the Old Testament:
Ceremonial, Civil, and Moral
Type of Law
Examples
Length of Time
Purpose
1. Ceremonial
Laws about
religious rites (vertical
in nature)
Laws about sacrifices,
priests, the tabernacle,
holy days, feasts,
fasts, cleansing, and
circumcision
Temporary
To prepare people
for Christ’s coming
To give us illustrations
of spiritual truths
2. Civil
A. Laws against
practices of unholy,
pagan neighbors:
Canaanites
B. Laws about
relating to holy,
Jewish neighbors
(horizontal nature)
Laws about food and
Farming
Laws about penalties,
slavery, marriage, war,
judges, and courts
Temporary
To keep God’s
people separate
from pagan worship
and customs
To explain what God
said was just and
fair. These illustrate
moral truths
8.2
Type of Law
Length of
Time
Purpose
3. Moral (Ethical)
Laws about right
and wrong (vertical in
nature)
Eternal
To give us eternal,
moral laws that do
not change. The NT
repeats moral laws
of the OT
Look beneath the OT principle to find
current application:
“If a man borrows an animal from his neighbor and
it is injured or dies while the owner is not present,
he must make restitution.”
(Exodus 22:14)
If you borrow something and it breaks
–
you are responsible to replace it at the
same value
When you build a new house, make a parapet
around your roof so that you may not bring
the guilt of bloodshed on your house if
someone falls from the roof. (Deuteronomy
22:8)
A parapet = railing
Principle of doing everything you can to
keep your home as safe as possible