Theological question posited on FB: “If the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses our sins then why do many people still live under the law of Moses?”
Christian response,
1) This theological conundrum is far too often seen in the lives of Messianic Jewish converts from Judaism who struggle with reconciling the demands of the Tanakh (Torah) with grace through faith as articulated in the Gospel of Yeshua. Not completely convinced that Yeshua’s atonement is sufficient, the Messianic Jew feels a need to obey the Law and ordinances of the Torah as a safety net to ensure salvation and to be pleasing to God…just in case faith alone is insufficient (Galatians-Romans). For some Messianic Jews, a desire to remember their roots in Judaism is extremely important; therefore, they practice the traditions for posterity sake – this is perfectly acceptable as long as one understands that obedience to the Law via the observance of ceremonies does not impute righteousness (Colossians 2:16-17).
2) People continue to seek righteousness through the Law of Moses because they do NOT understand that the Mosaic Law was given SPECIFICALLY to the children of Israel as were the Commandments as the Hebrew Tribes were to be holy as God is Holy and God set them apart for His purposes and as a people group through whom He would bring forth His Messiah and establish His Covenants (1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 19:2; Leviticus 20:7; Leviticus 20:26; Leviticus 21:8; Genesis 12:3).
3) People fail to understand that in the Covenant of Grace through Messiah we’re now under the Law of Conscience through the Spirit (Romans 2:15) NOT under the Law of Moses; again, the Christian is under grace not the Levitical Law (Romans 6:14).
4) People continue to live under the Levitical Law because they believe that God’s grace through faith in Christ is simply insufficient to save and that Jesus’ blood atonement must be supplemented with human works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Far too many believe that God’s grace freely given in Christ is too simplistic and therefore human effort is necessitated.
Discussion,
Those who have placed them self under Law believe that obedience to the Law brings righteousness (a right standing) with God the Father as they misinterpret Jesus’ words concerning the Commandments during His ministry that was under Law and the truism that we’re all sinners (Romans 3:23) and unable to keep the Law perfectly (James 2:10) as perfection is mandated if righteousness is to be attained through the Law; therefore, the Law only brings death (Romans 3:20) while LIFE and Peace are found ONLY in the indwelling Holy Spirit who is given as the Seal and Guarantor of relationship with God the Father by grace through faith in Jesus, alone (2 Corinthians 3:4-6; Ephesians 1:13-14).
Jesus entered the Realm of Time during the dispensation of Law through the womb of a virgin woman (Genesis 3:15; Galatians 4:4) to redeem those under a Covenant of Law that could NOT provide righteousness as Jesus via the virgin birth circumvented the sin-nature of our father Adam and lived a perfect, holy, sinless, life and fulfilled the Law of Moses for us (Matthew 5:17); therefore, we can receive the righteousness of the Law and apart from the Law via the imputation via Messiah’s obedience/fulfillment of the Law IF we will repent of our own sin and sincerely believe in our heart, confess with our mouth that Jesus is God who died to pay our sin-debt and believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead for our justification leading to eternal life (Romans 10:9-10; John 3:16; John 14:6).
God the Father made Jesus to be sin for you and me so that we could receive the perfection of Jesus imputed over our lives IF we will humble our self and trust in Jesus, alone, for the forgiveness of our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21); in other words, Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves and by trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord, God the Father declares us “NOT GUILTY” in the Throne Room of Heaven (Colossians 2:13).
Works as validation of faith,
It is true that obedience to the Law of Conscience through the Spirit is relevant SUBSEQUENT to believing and confessing Jesus as Lord as the faithful are guided along the path of sanctification via the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:16; 1 John 2:27; Galatians 5:16); in fact, it is the obedience of the faithful that validates and substantiates their salvation subsequent to confessing Messiah as Lord (James 2:18), but our works have absolutely NOTHING to do with atonement and forgiveness of sin (Ephesians 2:8-9), forgiveness of sin which can only be realized by grace (unmerited favor) through faith (trusting in – believing in) in Jesus as our God who died to pay our sin-debt (John 14:6)…a debt we could not pay through obedience to the Law of Moses.
"RickeyD" Holtsclaw 