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Dispensation of The Law
The responsibility of this time was keep the Law or be
judged and go into captivity! When Jesus came on the seen as before they were
under bondage and captivity.
Though at the Cross all was finished concerning our
salvation. The dispensation of the law did not officially end till the giving of
the Spirit in the book of Acts.
The Law’s Importance
No topic has been more
misunderstood among Christians than the Law of Moses and its application to
the NT believer today. To confuse the covenants of God is to misinterpret the
mind of God and miss the blessings of God, so the believer is wise to examine
the Word to determine the place and purpose of the whole Mosaic system.
Beginning with Ex.
19 and
continuing to the cross of Christ (Col.
2:14),
the people were under the Mosaic system. This is called “the Law of Moses,”
“the Law,” and sometimes “the Law of God.” For the sake of convenience, we
often speak of “the Moral Law” (referring to the Ten Commandments), “the
Ceremonial Law” (relating to the types and symbols found in the sacrificial
system), and “the Civil Law” (meaning the everyday laws that governed the
lives of the people). Actually, the Bible seems to make no distinction between
the “moral” and “ceremonial” laws, since the one was definitely a part of the
other. For example, the fourth commandment about the Sabbath Day is found in
the Moral Law yet is certainly a part of the ceremonial system of Jewish holy
days as well.
Purposes
To understand the Law, we
must remember that God had already made an everlasting covenant with the Jews
through their father Abraham (Gen.
15). He
promised them His blessing and gave them the ownership of the land of Canaan.
The Mosaic Law was “added” to the Abrahamic Covenant later, but it did not
disannul it (Gal.
3:13-18).
The law “entered in alongside” God’s previous covenant (Rom.
5:20)
and was but a temporary measure (Gal.
3:19)
on His part. It was given only to Israel to mark them as God’s chosen people
and His holy nation (Ex.
19:4-6; Ps.
147:19-20).
God did not give the Law to save anybody, because it is impossible to be saved
by the keeping of the Law (Gal.
3:11; Rom.
3:20).
He gave the Law to Israel for the following reasons:
B. To reveal man’s
sinfulness (Rom.
7:7, 13; 1
Tim. 1:9ff; James
1:22-25)
C. To mark Israel
as His chosen people, and to separate them from the other nations (Ps.
147:19-20; Eph.
2:11-17; Acts
15)
D. To give Israel a
standard for godly living so that they might inherit the land and enjoy its
blessings (Deut.
4:1ff; 5:29ff; Judges
2:19-21)
E. To prepare
Israel for the coming of Christ (Gal.
3:24)
The “schoolmaster” was a
trained slave whose task it was to prepare the child for adult living. When
the child matured and entered adulthood, he received his inheritance and no
longer needed the schoolmaster. Israel was in her “spiritual childhood” under
the Law, but this prepared her for the coming of Christ (Gal.
3:23-4:7).
F. To illustrate
in type and ceremony the Person and work of Christ (Heb.
8-10)
The Law is compared to a
mirror, because it reveals our sins (James
1:22-25);
a yoke, because it brings bondage (Acts
15:10; Gal.
5:1; Rom.
8:3); a
child-trainer, because it prepared Israel for the coming of Christ (Gal.
3:23-4:7);
letters written on stones (2
Cor. 3)
in contrast to the law of love written on our hearts by the Spirit; and a
shadow in contrast to the reality and fulfillment we have in Christ (Heb.
10:1; Col.
2:14-17).
Weakness
Christ and the Law
“The Law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John
1:17).
There is obviously a contrast between the legalistic system of Moses for
Israel and the gracious position the Christian has in the body of Christ.
Christ was made under the Law (Gal.
4:4-6)
and fulfilled the Law in every respect (Matt.
5:17).
His Person and work are seen in the Law (Luke
24:44-47).
He is the end of the Law for righteousness to the believer (Rom.
10:1-13).
He paid the penalty of the Law and bore the curse of the Law on the cross (Gal.
3:10-14, Col.
2:13-14).
The Law no longer separates Jew and Gentile, for in Christ we are one in the
church (Eph.
2:11-14).
The Christian and the
Law
The NT makes it very clear
that the Christian is not under the Law (Rom.
6:14 and Gal.
5:18)
but lives in the sphere of grace. In Christ, we died to the Law (Rom.
7:1-4)
and have been delivered from the Law (Rom.
7:5-6).
We must not become entangled again in the bondage of the Law (Gal.
5:1-4),
which means falling out of the sphere of grace and living like a servant, not
a son.
Does this mean that the
Christian is supposed to be lawless and ignore the holy demands of God? Of
course not! This is the accusation Paul’s enemies threw at him because he
emphasized the believer’s glorious position in Christ (Rom.
6:1). Second
Corinthians 3 makes
it clear that the glory of the Gospel of God’s grace far surpasses the
temporary glory of the OT Law, and that we Christians go “from glory to glory”
(3:18)
as we grow in grace. Actually, the NT Christian is under a more demanding way
of life than was the OT believer; for the OT Law dealt with outward acts,
while the NT law of love deals with inward attitudes. Being free from the Law
does not mean being free to sin—liberty is not license. We have been called to
liberty, and we must use that liberty for the good of others and the glory of
God (read Gal.
5:13-26).
We are under the higher law of love, the law of Christ (Gal.
6:2).
We do not try to obey God in the energy of the flesh because this is
impossible (Rom.
7:14);
the flesh is sinful and weak and cannot submit to the law. But as we reckon
ourselves dead to sin (Rom.
6) and
yield to the Holy Spirit (Rom.
8), the
Spirit fulfills the law in us and through us (Rom.
8:1-4).
To go back to the Law is to
exchange reality for shadows and liberty for bondage. It is to forfeit the
high calling we have in grace. Law means that we must do something to please
God; grace means that God works in us to fulfill His perfect will.
The Ten Commandments
Today
All of the OT Law is but an
amplification and application of the Ten Commandments. Nine of the Ten
Commandments are repeated in the NT for believers today:
B. Make no idols or
images (Acts
17:29; Rom.
1:22-23; 1
John 5:21; 1
Cor. 10:7, 14)
C. Do not take His
name in vain (James
5:12; Matt.
5:33-37 and 6:5-9)
D. Remember the
Sabbath Day
This is not repeated anywhere
in the NT for the church to obey today. Keeping the Sabbath is mentioned in Matt.
12, Mark
2, Luke
6, and John
5; but
these all refer to the people of Israel and not to the church. Colossians
2 and Rom.
14-15 teach
that believers should not judge one another with reference to holy days or
Sabbaths. To say that a person is lost or unspiritual for not keeping the
Sabbath is to go beyond the bounds of Scripture.
F. Do not murder (1
John 3:15; Matt.
5:21-22)
G. Do not commit
adultery (Matt.
5:27-28; 1
Cor. 5:1-13, 6:9-20; Heb.
13:4)
H. Do not steal (Eph.
4:28; 2
Thes. 3:10-12; James
5:1-4)
I. Do not bear
false witness (Col.
3:9; Eph.
4:25)
J. Do not covet (Eph.
5:3; Luke
12:15-21)
Note these “summaries of the
Law” in the NT; not one of them mentions the Sabbath: Matt.
19:16-20; Mark
10:17-20; Luke
18:18-21; Rom.
13:8-10.
Of course, the “New Commandment” of love is the basic motivation for the
Christian today (John
13:34-35; Rom.
13:9-10).
This love is shed abroad from our hearts by the Spirit (Rom.
5:5),
so that we love God and others, and therefore should need no external law to
control our lives. The old nature knows no law, and the new nature needs no
law. The Sabbath was God’s special day for the Jews under the Old Covenant;
the Lord’s Day is God’s special day for the church under the New. The Sabbath
symbolizes salvation by works: six days of labor, then rest; the Lord’s Day
symbolizes salvation by grace: first rest, and then the works follow. The
Sabbath, the sacrifices, the dietary laws, the priesthood, and the tabernacle
services were all done away in Christ.
Overview of This Period
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Persons
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Periods and Events
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Contemporary Cultures
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Old
Testament Books Written
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Moses
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WILDERNESS WANDERING
c. 1445–1405
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Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
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Joshua,
Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson
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CONQUEST AND JUDGES
c. 1405–1050
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Palestine occupied, various nations oppress Israel
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Joshua,
Judges
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Samuel,
Saul, David, Solomon
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UNITED MONARCHY
Established 1050
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Surrounding nations defeated by Israel
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Ruth,
Samuel, Psalms, Song of Solomon, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes
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DIVIDED MONARCHY
931–722 Divided 931
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SOUTH:
Rehoboam
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NORTH:
Jeroboam I
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Aramean Kingdom
931–732
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Jehoshaphat
Uzziah
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Ahab
Jeroboam II
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Obadiah,
Joel Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah
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Hezekiah
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Fall of Aram c. 732
Assyrian domination of Palestine 745–650
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Nahum,
Zephaniah
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Fall of
Samaria c. 722
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Josiah
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JUDAH
ALONE 722–586
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Jeremiah, Lamentations, Habakkuk, Kings, Daniel, Ezekiel
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Daniel’s
Captivity
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Ezekiel’s Captivity
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Jeremiah
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Fall of
Jerusalem c. 586
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Babylonian Supremacy
625–539
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Haggai,
Zechariah
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Zerubbabel
Haggai
Zechariah
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RESTORATION
538–c. 400
Second Temple
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Medo-Persian Rule
539–331
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Ezra’s
Return c. 458
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Chronicles, Ezra, Esther
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Malachi
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Nehemiah’s Return c. 444
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Nehemiah, Malachi
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NT Overview through
the Eyes of Luke ending this period.
Luke at a Glance
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FOCUS
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INTRODUCTION OF THE
SON OF MAN
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MINISTRY OF THE SON
OF MAN
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REJECTION OF THE SON
OF MAN
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CRUCIFIXION AND
RESURRECTION OF THE SON OF MAN
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REFERENCE
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LK 1:1 ——————
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LK 4:14 ————
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LK 9:51 —————
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LK 19:28 — 24:53
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DIVISION
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ADVENT
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ACTIVITIES
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ANTAGONISM AND
ADMONITION
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APPLICATION AND
AUTHENTICATION
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TOPIC
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SEEKING THE LOST
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SAVING THE LOST
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MIRACLES PROMINENT
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TEACHING PROMINEN
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LOCATION
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ISRAEL
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GALILEE
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ISRAEL
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JERUSALEM
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TIME
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c. 4
b.c.–a.d.
33
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