I know as believers under the New Covenant that we are no longer bound by the law.  But, besides making disciples of all the nations, I think our Jesus-given mission is to live a holy life… obeying, as well as we can, the law out of love and appreciation for our salvation and to generally set the example of a life given to Christ.  With that said, Jesus told us that the greatest command was to love God with all we have and to love others as ourselves.  That command given by Jesus would closely fulfill the Ten Commandments.  But what about Levitical laws?  What commands outside of the Ten do we need to observe?  Where is the line if there is one?  And, for that matter, is any command in the Old Testament outside of the Ten important?  Please don't get me wrong, I know we are saved by grace, and no matter how many laws we obey, we could never work our way to salvation.  I am not trying to save myself; I just want to know what commands we are advised to obey in the Old Testament.  I just want to give my entire life to God, but I don't know where to start.  What commands does God still like to see from us under the New Covenant?

Sincerely,
A New Believer

Dear A New Believer,

We don’t need to obey any of the Old Testament laws unless they are repeated in the New Testament.  Even the Ten Commandments no longer apply… except for the fact that nine out of the ten are repeated in the New Testament (the only one left out is to “keep the Sabbath holy” – see “The Nine Commandments” post for further details).

The Old Testament was a law given to the nation of Israel (Lev 26:46).  Though many of those laws were appropriate to reiterate in the New Testament (i.e. laws against murder, idolatry, etc.), the Old Testament has been put away by the blood of Christ (Col 2:14).  Today, we look to the Old Testament for examples of godly (and ungodly) people.  Paul says that the books of the Old Testament are written down as examples for us (1 Cor 10:6-11).  We don’t follow the same rules as David, Isaiah, Daniel, etc., but we can learn from their lives and follow their examples.

Can a preacher be an elder?  Specifically, can he be an elder in a very small congregation where there are only two elders (one being the preacher)?  Seems like a conflict of interest if 50% of the leadership of the church is also employed by the church to preach.

Sincerely,
Second Thoughts

Dear Second Thoughts,

Yes, a preacher can be an elder… even if he and only one other man are the eldership.  Any man can be an elder if he meets the qualifications of 1 Tim 3:1-7 and Tit 1:5-9.  If a man meets those qualifications, you don’t need to have any worries about a conflict of interest… his interests will be godly because he has proven himself to be a godly man.  An elder must not be greedy (1 Tim 3:3); he must be selfless (Tit 1:7), and he must be humble (1 Tim 3:6).  If a man has these character traits, there is no worry of him abusing the power of the position.  Many men have abused the power of the eldership, but that just shows that many men lack the qualities necessary to be an elder – this is true of preachers and non-preachers.  Congregations must be careful to choose wise and godly men who will not lord their authority over the flock (1 Pet 5:2-3).  When looking for elders, don’t ask whether or not the man is a preacher… ask whether or not he is qualified.

My wife feels God is God, not Jesus is God.  She prays to God, not Jesus ands needs clarity on 3-is-1 and 1-is-3.  She feels Jesus is God's Son, not God.  She feels He came out of Mary's womb, was a baby in need of food, water, etc., and wasn't God.  Are there different beliefs among christians on this?

Sincerely,
Head Count

Dear Head Count,

There are different views on this topic – but only one correct Bible answer.  The Father is God… and Jesus is God, too.  There are three parts to the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  This is most easily seen in Matt 3:16-17.  When Jesus was baptized, the Father spoke from heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended as a dove.  Each of them is eternal (they were all at the creation – Gen. 1:1, Gen. 1:2, Col 1:15-17).  John 1:1 specifically says that Jesus is Deity.  Jesus is different than the Father, but He is part of the Godhead.  Jesus even said that He had always existed (Jhn 8:58).  The apostles worshipped Jesus as God (Jhn 20:28).

Jesus was God in the flesh (1 Tim 3:16).  In Jesus, we can see all the fullness of the Godhead (Col 2:9).  Jesus cried to the Father when He was on the cross because the Father was in heaven while Jesus was here suffering on earth (Mk 15:34).  The Scriptures clearly back up that Jesus is deity.

5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom

5 minutes a day 5 days a week - a year of Bible Wisdom