Abrogation of Old Covenant laws

Last updated

In Christianity, the abrogation of Old Covenant laws is the belief that the entire Mosaic or Old Covenant as abrogated in that all of the Mosaic Laws are set aside for the Law of Christ. While most Christian theology reflects the view that at least some Mosaic Laws have been set aside (chiefly the moral law as contained in Ten Commandments) under the New Covenant, the belief in total abrogation of the Old Covenant is a minority belief.

Contents

Individuals who believe that Old Covenant laws have been completely abrogated are referred to as antinomians by various Christian traditions, such as the Methodist faith, which teaches that the moral law continues to be binding on the faithful. [1] [2]

New Covenant theology

New Covenant theology is a Christian theological system that shares similarities with and yet is distinct from dispensationalism and Covenant theology. [3] New Covenant theology sees all Old Covenant laws as "cancelled" [4] or "abrogated" [5] in favor of the Law of Christ or the New Testament. Douglas J. Moo has argued that 9 of the Ten Commandments have been renewed under the New Covenant. [6]

Dispensationalism

As a theological system, dispensationalism is rooted in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800–1882) and the Brethren Movement, but it has never been formally defined and incorporates several variants. Major dispensational views divide history into some seven dispensations or ages: [7]

  1. Innocence (Gen 1:1–3:7), prior to Adam's fall;
  2. Conscience (Gen 3:8–8:22), Adam to Noah;
  3. Government (Gen 9:1–11:32), Noah to Abraham;
  4. Patriarchal rule (Gen 12:1–Exod 19:25), Abraham to Moses;
  5. The Mosaic Law (Exod 20:1–Acts 2:4), Moses to Jesus;
  6. Grace (Acts 2:4–Rev 20:3), the current church age; and
  7. The Millennial Kingdom, a literal earthly 1000-year period that has yet to come (Rev 20:4–20:6).

Traditional dispensationalists believe only the New Testament applies to the church of today. They see the covenant of Sinai (dispensation #5) as having been replaced by the gospel (dispensation #6), but at least some dispensationalists believe that, although the time from Jesus' resurrection until his return (or the advent of the Millennium) is dominated by the proclamation of the gospel, the Sinai covenant is neither terminated nor replaced, rather it is "quiescent" awaiting a fulfillment at the Millennium.[ citation needed ][ clarification needed ] This time of Jewish restoration has an especially prominent place within dispensationalism.

Wayne G. Strickland, professor of theology at the Multnomah School of the Bible, claims that his dispensationalist view is that "the age of the church has rendered the law inoperative". [8]

History

Paul the Apostle

The relationship between Paul the Apostle and Judaism continues to be the subject of research, as it is thought that Paul played an important role in the relationship between Christianity and Judaism as a whole. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church states that Paul's influence on Christian thinking is more significant than any other New Testament author. [9]

Some scholars see Paul (or Saul) as completely in line with 1st-century Judaism (a "Pharisee" and student of Gamaliel or as part of Hellenistic Judaism), [10] others see him as opposed to 1st-century Judaism (see Pauline passages supporting antinomianism and Marcionism), while the majority see him as somewhere in between these extremes, opposed to "Ritual Laws" (see for example Circumcision controversy in early Christianity) but in full agreement on "Divine Law". These views of Paul are paralleled by Christian views of the Old Covenant. See also Antithesis in the Bible and Christianity in the 1st century.

See also

Related Research Articles

Christianity began as a movement within Second Temple Judaism, but the two religions gradually diverged over the first few centuries of the Christian era. Today, differences of opinion vary between denominations in both religions, but the most important distinction is Christian acceptance and Jewish non-acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah prophesied in the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition. Early Christianity distinguished itself by determining that observance of halakha was not necessary for non-Jewish converts to Christianity. Another major difference is the two religions' conceptions of God. Depending on the denomination followed, the Christian God is either believed to consist of three persons of one essence, with the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son in Jesus being of special importance, or like Judaism, believes in and emphasizes the Oneness of God. Judaism, however, rejects the Christian concept of God in human form. While Christianity recognizes the Hebrew Bible as part of its scriptural canon, Judaism does not recognize the Christian New Testament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supersessionism</span> Christian opinion concerning biblical covenants

Supersessionism, also called replacement theology and fulfillment theology by its proponents, is the Christian doctrine that the Christian Church has superseded the Jewish people, assuming their role as God's covenanted people, thus asserting that the New Covenant through Jesus Christ has superseded or replaced the Mosaic covenant. Supersessionists hold that the universal Church has become God's true Israel and so Christians, whether Jew or gentile, are the people of God.

Dispensationalism is a theological framework for interpreting the Bible which maintains that history is divided into multiple ages called "dispensations" in which God interacts with his chosen people in different ways. It is often distinguished from covenant theology. These are two competing frameworks of Biblical theology that attempt to explain overall continuity in the Bible. Coining of the term "dispensationalism" has been attributed to Philip Mauro, a critic of the system's teachings, in his 1928 book The Gospel of the Kingdom.

Antinomianism is any view which rejects laws or legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms, or is at least considered to do so. The term has both religious and secular meanings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauline Christianity</span> Form of Christianity developed from the doctrines of the Apostle Paul

Pauline Christianity or Pauline theology, otherwise referred to as Gentile Christianity, is the theology and form of Christianity which developed from the beliefs and doctrines espoused by the Hellenistic-Jewish Apostle Paul through his writings and those New Testament writings traditionally attributed to him. Paul's beliefs had some overlap with Jewish Christianity, but they deviated from this Jewish Christianity in their emphasis on inclusion of the Gentiles into God's New Covenant and in his rejection of circumcision as an unnecessary token of upholding the Mosaic Law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Covenant theology</span> Protestant biblical interpretive framework

Covenant theology is a biblical theology, a conceptual overview and interpretive framework for understanding the overall structure of the Bible. It is often distinguished from dispensational theology, a competing form of biblical theology. It uses the theological concept of a covenant as an organizing principle for Christian theology. The standard form of covenant theology views the history of God's dealings with mankind, from Creation to Fall to Redemption to Consummation, under the framework of three overarching theological covenants: those of redemption, of works, and of grace.

The New Covenant is a biblical interpretation which was originally derived from a phrase which is contained in the Book of Jeremiah, in the Hebrew Bible. Generally, Christians believe that the promised New Covenant—new relationship with God—was instituted at the Last Supper as part of the Eucharist, which, in the Gospel of John, includes the New Commandment.

The Hebrew Bible makes reference to a number of covenants with God (YHWH). These include the Noahic Covenant set out in Genesis 9, which is decreed between God and all living creatures, as well as a number of more specific covenants with Abraham, the whole Israelite people, the Israelite priesthood, and the Davidic lineage of kings. In form and terminology, these covenants echo the kinds of treaty agreements existing in the surrounding ancient world.

"The law of Christ" is a New Testament phrase. The related Bible verses are in the Pauline epistles at Galatians 6:2 and parenthetically at 1 Corinthians 9:21.

Hyperdispensationalism, also referred to as Mid-Acts Dispensationalism, is a Protestant conservative evangelical movement that values biblical inerrancy and a literal hermeneutic. It holds that there was a Church during the period of the Acts that is not the Church today, and that today's Church began when the book of Acts was closed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dual-covenant theology</span> School of thought in Christianity

Dual-covenant or two-covenant theology is a school of thought in Christian theology regarding the relevance of the Hebrew Bible, which Christians call the Old Testament.

In Evangelical Christian theology, progressive dispensationalism is a variation of traditional dispensationalism. All dispensationalists view the dispensations as chronologically successive. Progressive dispensationalists, in addition to viewing the dispensations as chronologically successive, also view the dispensations as progressive stages in salvation history. The term "progressive" comes from the concept of an interrelationship or progression between the dispensations. Progressive dispensationalism is not related to any social or political use of the term progressive, such as progressive Christianity.

Biblical law is the legal aspects of the Bible, the holy scriptures of Christianity and Judaism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian views on the Old Covenant</span>

The Mosaic covenant or Law of Moses – which Christians generally call the "Old Covenant" – played an important role in the origins of Christianity and has occasioned serious dispute and controversy since the beginnings of Christianity: note for example Jesus' teaching of the Law during his Sermon on the Mount and the circumcision controversy in early Christianity.

Interpretations of the law in the Bible within the Seventh-day Adventist Church form a part of the broader debate regarding biblical law in Christianity. Adventists believe in a greater continuation of laws such as the law given to Moses in the present day than do most other Christians. In particular, they believe the 10 Commandments still apply to today, including the Sabbath in particular.

This is a glossary of terms used in Christianity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul the Apostle and Jewish Christianity</span>

Since the 1970s, scholars have sought to place Paul the Apostle within his historical context in Second Temple Judaism. Paul's relationship to Judaism involves topics including the status of Israel's covenant with God and the role of works as a means to either gain or keep the covenant.

New Covenant theology is a Christian theological position teaching that the person and work of Jesus Christ is the central focus of the Bible. One distinctive assertion of this school of thought is that Old Testament Laws have been abrogated or cancelled with Jesus's crucifixion, and replaced with the Law of Christ of the New Covenant. It shares similarities with, and yet is distinct from, dispensationalism and Covenant theology.

References

  1. ↑ McPherson, Joseph D. (2016). "In Defense of Ten Commandments: The Perpetual Mandate of Sabbath Observance". The Arminian Magazine. 34 (1). Fundamental Wesleyan Society.
  2. ↑ Knight, Hal (22 November 2017). "Cheap Grace". The Missouri Conference of The United Methodist Church. In John Wesley's day "cheap grace" went by the fancier name "antinomianism," which literally means "against the law." Antinomianism insists that if you are saved by faith and not by works, then works are irrelevant. We do not need to be righteous ourselves because we are covered by Christ's righteousness. Our hearts and lives do not need to be changed as long as we have faith in Christ. "The imagination that faith supersedes holiness," Wesley wrote, "is the marrow of antinomianism." ("On the Wedding Garment," 18).
  3. ↑ "TMS.EDU: TMSJ 18/1 (Fall 2007) 149-163: Introduction to New Covenant Theology" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-02-17. Retrieved 2010-12-17.
  4. ↑ ALL Old Testament Laws Cancelled: 24 Reasons Why All Old Testament Laws Are Cancelled and All New Testament Laws Are for Our Obedience, Greg Gibson, 2008, page 7: "New Covenant Theology ...[has]... a better priest, better sacrifice, and better covenant (containing a better law)."
  5. ↑ Moo Archived August 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , page 375; Gibson, ALL Old Testament Laws Cancelled, pages 48, 143, 144
  6. ↑ The Law, the Gospel, and the Modern Christian: Five Views Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993. ISBN   978-0-310-53321-4, also republished as Five Views on Law and Gospel, page 376: "The content of all but one of the Ten Commandments is taken up into "the law of Christ", for which we are responsible. (The exception is the Sabbath commandment, one that Heb. 3-4 suggests is fulfilled in the new age as a whole.)"
  7. ↑ Scofield Reference Bible
  8. ↑ Five Views on Law and Gospel, Gundry editor, Chapter 4: The Inauguration of the Law of Christ with the Gospel of Christ: A Dispensational View by Wayne G. Strickland, Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993, page 259
  9. ↑ Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church ed. F.L. Lucas (Oxford) entry on Paul
  10. ↑ The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), Volume 4, page 2276 edited by James Orr
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.