(June 14, 2013 at 9:53 am)Doubting Thomas Wrote: What I never understood* is why Christians claim that all the OT rules were the "old covenant" or "nailed to the cross with Jesus" so they don't have to be followed any more, but for some reason the ten commandments do. Or why are the ten commandments so important but the Levitical laws against eating shrimp or wearing clothes of mixed fibers discarded?Its real simple. The OT or old covenant was a contract God had between His people and Himself to establish the 'rules' needed to be found "right" or righteous before God. In the old covenant our works determined our fate.
*Actually I understand cherry-picking very well.
In mat 5 Christ extends the laws that define the old covenant to include thought, desire and internal feelings. (It is not only a sin to murder someone but it is the same sin if you just hate them. That sort of thing) after what was said there, now it is impossible to find right ness before God by our deeds especially if they are to include thought. (Remember murder and adultry was a death penalty crime under the mosaic law, and after what Christ said if we were under that covenant we could be put to death for our thoughts.)
This is what is meant by Christ completing the law. He extends the law to cover every facet in which it was originally intended then made a sacerfice so we are no longer bound by the law as our sole means to righteousness before God. After the death burial and resurrection of Christ, the law ceases to be the covenant or the measure of righteousness (because after what Christ said no one is able to measure up.) now the covenant becomes a matter of attonement, and whether or not your sins have been atoned for.
