After Moses led the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt in accordance with God’s will, God gave Moses laws to govern them. The first ten laws are referred to as “The Ten Commandments.” (Exodus 20:1-17) Then follow many others. (Exodus 20-23) Together, they’re known as the “Mosaic laws.”
The Mosaic laws include many of the rules for religious observance that were practiced before Christ. I read there are 613 such laws in the first five books of the Bible’s Old Testament alone.
Christian scholars do not always agree on the role the Mosaic laws should play in Christianity. It can be a divisive issue. There are those who say the Mosaic laws are as binding on Christians today as they were on the early Hebrews. There are those who say they are not. There are others who pick and choose from among them.
Jesus is a game changer.
Jesus simplified the path to God.
Jesus offers the way to forgiveness and eternal life with God based on His mercy and love for us, not because we deserve it.
Jesus is the embodiment of love.
“A lawyer once asked Jesus, ‘Sir, which is the most important command in the laws of Moses?’ Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second most important commandment is similar: ‘Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself.’ All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets stem from these two laws and are fulfilled if you obey them. Keep only these and you will find you are obeying all others.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
These are the two commands that I try to live by. As for the other commandments, they are a measure of how well I’m succeeding.
I do not judge Christians who’ve reached a different conclusion than I. I respect them for following their conscience.
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