Why don't Christians follow the Old Testament Laws?

[Shams al-Ma'rifa]

This is an honest question for the christians on these forums because i really don't know the answer to this.

as some of you know, pork is forbidden in the bible: http://www.bible-topics.com/Swine.html

however, whenever i mention these verses to christians, they all keep telling me that they do not have to observe this prohibition because jesus made a new covenant with god or something like that. actually, the same argument applies in regards to the sabaath and all other old testament laws that (the majority of) christians no longer follow.

i just want someone to quote me the exact verses in the bible that states that old testament laws no longer need be followed.

[MaximiIian]

Cultural and historical contexts change. Your religion begins to cover a wider range of people? You're going to shift away from petty things like dietary laws, which were relevant only to Jewish people and other tribes in the desert where the environment necessitated such things.
It shows that Christianity has been able to change, grow, and adapt in response to its surroundings and the trends of the day. Hence why it has been so successful.

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

Simple: because they are outdated compared to the teachings of Jesus, i.e. the law of love.

[Visna]

Luke 22:20; 2Cor 2–3; Heb 8–9

You can find lots more info here, both regarding various views within different Christian denomination and a short history of the OT, some of which Jesus disputed.

Click me!

[ivan_the_terrible]

Click me!

Do it. It's great fun.

Early christians were jews by ethnicity, but once they became Christian, the new (universal) laws applied to them, which also means their ethnicity is irrelevant. What's so difficult for you to understand in that statement?

A more accurate way of putting it would be early christians were Hebrews, as a Jew is a follower of Judaism (which means he can't be a Christian in principle).

[MehemtAli_Pasha]

is it me, or did some posts been thrown off? i am sure this thread is missing a lot of things!

[Shams al-Ma'rifa]

so the general consensus so far ( i will comment on visna's verses soon) is that people just decided that it was ok to not observe these laws anymore just because they thought it was outdated or irrelevant? jesus didn't tell you to stop observing those laws, people just stopped on their own because they felt like it? or was it necessary to drop these laws to get other people to convert, and then the people decided to drop those laws?

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

so you're saying that people just decided that it was ok to not observe these laws anymore just because they thought it was outdated or irrelevant? jesus didn't tell you to stop observing those laws, people just stopped on their own because they felt like it?

Jesus' Law of Love was explained in Matthew 22:35-40, and should govern every aspect of a Christian's life.

35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

[Shams al-Ma'rifa]

Jesus' Law of Love was explained in Matthew 22:35-40, and should govern every aspect of a Christian's life.

35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

yes, but jesus never told people to stop following old laws. if the court makes a new law, that doesn't mean you get to ignore all the old ones.

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

yes, but jesus never told people to stop following old laws. if the court makes a new law, that doesn't mean you get to ignore all the old ones.

Read up on it. The Old Testament lays the foundation for, and was meant to prepare the Israelites for, the coming of the Messiah who would sacrifice Himself for the sins of the whole world. The Old Testament law was given to a specific group of people, the Jews, and was never said to have been given to anyone else, Christians included. The Old Testament law was only temporary and was, consequently, to come to an end.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.

32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,"
declares the LORD.

33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.

Furthermore, Paul declared that Christians are "dead to the law by the body of Christ" and that this law was the law which said, "Thou shalt not covet", i.e. the ten commandments law (Romans 7:4,7). As a result, the Old Testament as a law for God's people was removed by the death of Christ. Christians, therefore, are not to observe the Old Testament as the law for God's service today.

Read more here: http://www.scripturessay.com/article.php?cat=&id=615

I hope this answers your question.

[Shams al-Ma'rifa]

The Old Testament law was given to a specific group of people, the Jews, and was never said to have been given to anyone else, Christians included.

but weren't the first christians also jews by ethnicity?

The Old Testament law was only temporary and was, consequently, to come to an end.

but didn't jesus say:

(Matthew 5:17-19) 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

[Dracula]

yes, but jesus never told people to stop following old laws. if the court makes a new law, that doesn't mean you get to ignore all the old ones.

In law it is exactly the opposite -the new law on the same subject always derrogates the old one. That's why I think the Church speaks of testaments. A new testament of somebody who chooses a heir nullifies the old testament, by law, obligatory and in all cases. The analogy is evident and self-explanatory.

St. John Chrysostom, IVth century speaks: "It is ridiculous for christians to abide orders of the old, given to the ancient jews temporarily/untill the coming of the Saviour/, due to their inperfection and heavy hearts"..

And in NT there is somewhere from Jesus himself : "A New Law I hereby command you: love each other, as I beloved you""I came not to break but to fulfill the laws/the temporary jewish laws/" and st.Paul comments that he has freed the christians from them after God himself fulfilled them and as god wishes to command new laws.

And then everything else comes from analogy: if you love your brother as yourself/as is the new law/ -you won't want any more to stone him to death or anything of the kind. It simply contradicts the common spirit of the new law. It is not necessary to be explicitly written down in NT. You have to think and follow the logic of Jesus's commandments -and still it won't be human made.

[MaximiIian]

so the general consensus so far ( i will comment on visna's verses soon) is that people just decided that it was ok to not observe these laws anymore just because they thought it was outdated or irrelevant? jesus didn't tell you to stop observing those laws, people just stopped on their own because they felt like it? or was it necessary to drop these laws to get other people to convert, and then the people decided to drop those laws?

Probably a combination of the three. Sharp change is rarely due to only one acting pressure.

[Claudius Gothicus]

Because most Christians(catholics at least) tend to be quite pragmatic and some of them hipocrits...

You can live in the 21st century by 2000 years old laws.

Some basic ones are still followed though but some of the rules in the Talmud etc. are very outdated.

Catholics(at least in Argentina) don't even follow everything that pope says, so it's been becoming a more liberal religion over the last years even if the ecclesiastic hierarchy tries to stop it.

[Dr. Croccer]

Because they're thousands of year old Jewish laws that were never adopted by most Christians, who lived in Romance/Germanic countries with their own, frankly better laws.

[Justinian]

Let's not be insulting of the followers of religions, guys. Deleted a post.

[C-Rob]

they're outdated, and to separate us from the dirty jew.

I use Dirty for context.

[Aldgarkalaughskel]

Early christians were jews by ethnicity, but once they became Christian, the new (universal) laws applied to them, which also means their ethnicity is irrelevant. What's so difficult for you to understand in that statement?

[Shams al-Ma'rifa]

Early christians were jews by ethnicity, but once they became Christian, the new (universal) laws applied to them, which also means their ethnicity is irrelevant. What's so difficult for you to understand in that statement?

see the edited post. there we go with the universal laws argument again and how i stated how jesus didnt abolish the old laws. address matthew plz.

They have been not. Since the day of Pentecost, the apostles started to preach to everybody, and there were quite many foreigners in Jerusalem at that time. And Pentecost is before even Jesus was dead.

ok fine, will i be correct in saying that the majority of early christians were of hebrew ethnicity?

Jesus did not want this and it is not proven by the quote. He merely said that he was not against the old laws THAT WERE PROPER FOR THEIR TIME. And to "fullfill the law" generally means to be done with it.

read the 18th and 19th verses plz

[Dracula]

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ok fine, will i be correct in saying that the majority of early christians were of hebrew ethnicity?

No it won't be correct again, cause untill the 300s AD christianity became an apparent phenomenon in the entire Roman empire, and the jews/the majority of whom remained at the old views/ were only a small percentage of the population and the christian folk. And what is more early than those times ?