© 17 Colin Melbourne
Reviser or Saviour?
Q: I have read, in your answers to other questions, that there is no such thing as a contradiction in the Bible. I accept that. But what about revisions?
In Matthew 12:1-8, disciples of Jesus take corn from the field on the Sabbath. The Pharisees condemn them, but Jesus says, But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.
But in the Old Testament, there are numerous passages, such as Exodus 31:14, which say that one who breaks the Sabbath must be put to death: You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.
Can then, parts of the Old Testament be considered to have been revised by the teachings of Christ? Chris
A: Thank you Chris for a thoughtful question.
The answer is an unequivocal no, Christ neither revised the Old Covenant, nor the Old Testament (OT). To use His emphatic word, Mtt. 5:17-18 KJV;
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
God in the Flesh said, not the least written fragment of any letter of God’s word will be removed, or changed, until Heaven and Earth have passed.
No revision.
Out with the Old: In with the New
Christ operated under the Old Covenant, keeping and fulfilling it completely, whilst ushering in the entirely New Covenant in His Blood.
The New Covenant is shadowed, pre-figured, and typified in the Old Covenant, and has replaced the Old, now rendered obsolete by the Sacrifice of Christ.
Obsolete: The same, unchanged, but no longer used.
The sacrifice of the Lamb of God trumps all prior sacrifices doesn’t it?
To put that another way, once the reality has come, there’s no further need of the “type”.
That is why the Temple veil was torn asunder, the Holy of Holies flung open, and the Temple destroyed (in 70 AD): Jewish Temple worship, including animal sacrifices, was abolished by Christ’s sacrifice at Calvary.
Praise Him!
You ask, “Did Christ revise the law?”
That kind of thinking never comes from God.
Stick to what the Holy Bible says, and listen to the Holy Spirit as you do. Those Two Witnesses will keep you on the glorious narrow way.
No, He didn’t change the Law or the law… He kept it perfectly, and then replaced it by the Sacrifice of Himself for the sins of the world.
God can now legally forgive whosoever believes in The LORD Jesus Christ, and what He’s done for them in His death and resurrection.
That is what He meant by desiring mercy rather than sacrifice.
Allow me to paraphrase the thought like this;
You can all quit burning cattle and sheep in sacrifice to God, I’m the Lamb of God who has taken away the sins of the world. Just believe in me, trust in my faith, in my Sacrifice, in my Name, and you will receive God’s mercy, forgiveness, righteousness, peace, healing, and eternal life.
The Purpose of The Law
Keep in mind, the Old Covenant was always powerless to save anybody, no man ever kept it, except Christ; as martyr, John Bradford, eloquently explained, why the Mosaic Law was introduced.
Man fell at the first hurdle, nobody ever loved God with all his heart, or his neighbour as himself. That was not possible for sinful man to accomplish. (So why were the Ten Commandments given? Read what John Bradford wrote and you’ll comprehend.)
However, The sinless Man, kept God’s law flawlessly, and has established a new way to come to God through simple heart faith in The LORD Jesus Christ.
The Faith of Christ
Trust in Him, and what He’s done: Not in what you’ve done. Read more about The Faith of Christ.
The Old Covenant was between God and Abraham (and his Seed. See Gen. 17:9 and Gal. 3:16).
The Mosaic Law was added 430 years later, to make it obvious to the Jews that they were constantly breaking their Covenant, and therefore a Saviour from God was needed to save them from condemnation: The Messiah.
The New Covenant is between God and all mankind: Christ is the Messiah, trust in Him and in His faith walk, and you are accepted into God’s family, and become His covenant child by faith.
The Curse of the Law is Done Away
Chris, you ask has Christ revised the Old Testament teachings in any way.
To revise means to; modify, alter, update, reconsider, or change. If it had been revised it’d still be in force, though changed in parts.
I trust you can see from Christ’s words about it, that He upheld the Law, and met every condition of the Old Covenant His Father made with Abraham.
Jesus didn’t, and won’t ever, change the tiniest letter of God’s word. That is why you can depend on the word of God.
Everyone outside of Christ is still under the curse of the Old Covenant: Jew and Gentile alike.
They will each receive what is legally due to them, under the terms of the Covenant.
God is perfectly just, and righteous: So all the cursed will get what they deserve, and remain eternally separated from God.
Praise God, the Law is done away for those in Christ (2 Co. Ch.3), who has made a better Covenant, based on better promises, and in Him that curse has been lifted, Gal. 3:13-14 KJV;
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Christ has fixed the sin problem once and for all, Heb. 9:24-28 KJV;
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
One Mission
That is what keeps believers busy, proclaiming salvation until He comes for us.
And the LORD has poured out the power we need to fulfil His command.
The best of Kenneth Hagin’s teaching on tongues: Tongues: All You Need to Know. Scriptural answers to questions on this topic.
© 17 Colin Melbourne