It Shouldn't be a Surprise

John 4:21-24
    One of the basic tenants of Christianity is that Jesus came to fulfill the word of the prophets (Matt. 5:17). However, each time I teach someone that we no longer follow the old law they seem baffled (Rom. 7:1-7). This should not be a surprise to us! When teaching the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus informed her that things were about to change. “Woman, believe Me, and hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.” (John 4:21) When the Pharisees brought the woman caught in the act of adultery, they were wishing to obey the Law of Moses. Lev. 20:10 states plainly that those caught in adultery were to be put to death. Was Jesus telling this woman to go and “sin no more” a precursor towards the law being abolished? It is without a doubt, taught throughout the New Testament scriptures that we, Christians, no long live under or obey the Old Law. When the pharisees who had been converted to Christianity (Acts 15:4-5) wished to bind the Law of Moses upon gentile converts, Peter, a Jew, stood and said, “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10). Peter’s point is that no one was able to keep the old law perfectly and that is lacked sufficient grace to achieve salvation (Acts 15:11). The Old Law ended when Jesus died on the cross (Heb. 9:15-17; Col. 2:13-14). Surely we can learn from the Old Testament (Rom. 15:4), but Paul tells us that we are committing grave error and have fallen from grace when trying to justify ourselves by the old law (Gal. 5:2-4). For more study please see Rom. 7:1-7 & 10:1-4; Gal. 3:23-29; Acts 10:9-16;  The entire book of Hebrews but also see Heb. 1:1-4; 8:1-7; & 9:1-22. I love you all!
In His service,
Steven Hugley