Wayne (and fellow blog readers),
I can give you some quick answers:
First, we should remember that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, thus we should read the Old Testament with Christ in view. Reading it this way will keep us from finding "contradictions" in the New Testament.
Second, when we interpret Scripture, we should make sure we glean the timeless principles. This becomes particularly challenging when we read historical narratives such as the OT, Gospels, and Acts. People can make the Bible say just about anything if they don’t interpret it as a whole, and with an accurate understanding of the context and genre.
Third, it is helpful to see the O.T. Law in 3 parts: Moral, Ceremonial, and Civil. These distinctions are very clear. Christ has fulfilled the Ceremonial Law. Because Israel is no longer a theocracy (nor is the church), the Civil Law no longer applies, although there are good principles found within. The Moral Law is timeless.
1) What Can I Eat: Dietary instructions were given to the Jews, as you note below. But in Acts 10:9-48, it was revealed to Peter (a Jew) that God no longer imposed dietary requirements. The ceremonial requirements that were originally designed to point people to Christ were no longer necessary, since He had come. Read further in Romans 14:1-18 and Colossians 2:16-17.
2) Abortion: While God’s Ceremonial Law was fulfilled in Christ, His Moral Law is timeless. What part of "Thou shalt not commit murder" do people not understand? Proverbs tells us that God hates "hands that shed innocent blood", and James 4:1-2 tells us that when we don’t get what we want, we kill. That’s the motive for abortion. By the way, we are completely consistent when we support a government-imposed death penalty for criminals (Romans 13:1-5). We are never to take the life of another PERSONALLY, but it is indeed the role of government to do so.
We covered this quite extensively in our study on the Sermon on the Mount last quarter. (Editorial comment to Wayne, maybe you should have showed up to class more often.)
Gotta run.
Steve Budd
