Should Jewish Christians still follow all of the customs and “laws” in the Bible? What about the modern Church? Should I be following them? I know that we live under grace and not the Law, but what does that mean exactly?
Listen: 100 Question 1
In this day of grace that we live in, the Lord no longer makes a distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Galatians 3:28 tells us, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” All the offerings and sacrifices that were given to those under that law, were types of Christ, Himself.
Let’s read Hebrews 10:1-10, “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” The reason for the continual sacrifices under the law was because these sacrifices could not take away sin. If they could have, they would have ceased when sin was taken away. However, we are made perfect through the offering of the Lord Jesus for our sins. The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:11, “…but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” It is through faith in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross that we are saved, washed, sanctified and justified. Keeping the law could never save anyone and now that Christ has come, the One of whom the sacrifices pointed, there is absolutely no need for sacrifices today. As we read in Hebrews 10:14, “For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”
What about the traditions of the modern church? We need to be sure that we are obedient to the Word of God, no matter what men teach or what certain customs are. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 15:9, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” It is so easy to become accustomed to traditions without challenging these traditions to see if they are based on the Bible. We should question all things by the Word.
In the institution of the Passover, the Lord said in Exodus 12:26-27, “And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped.” It is so important that when our children, or anyone else, ask us why we have certain customs that we be able to answer them from the Bible. (100.1)