User:Vassyana/Sanboxen/The Law (Christianity)
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Biblical law, commonly called Mosaic Law or Divine Law, refers to the statements or principles of law and ethics contained in the Five Books of Moses (the Pentateuch or Torah in Hebrew: תּוֹרָה [1], see Strong's H8451), the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, which is incorporated into the Christian Bible, where it is called the Old Testament.
Biblical law in Christianity generally refers to a discussion as to what and how the biblical law applies in a Christian context. There are diverse views of the issues involved.
Rabbinic Judaism[2] asserts that the Laws of the Jewish Bible were presented to the Jewish people and converts to Judaism and do not apply to gentiles, including Christians, with the exception of the Seven Laws of Noah which apply to all people. Rabbi Emden of the 18th century was of the opinion that Jesus' original objective, and especially Paul's, was only to convert Gentiles to Noahide Law while allowing Jews to follow full Mosaic Law.
Although Christianity by tradition affirms that the Five Books of Moses are the inspired word of God, Christian tradition, like Jewish tradition, denies that all biblical law (Mosaic Law) applies directly to Christians, but different arguments are used to reach that conclusion and there are differences of opinion within Christianity as to which laws, if any, apply.
The predominant Christian view is that Jesus Christ established a new covenant relationship between God and his followers, as testified in the New Testament. (Jeremiah 31:31–34; 1 Cor 11:23–25; 2 Cor 2–3; Luke 22:20; Heb 8–9) Christianity, almost without exception, teaches that this new covenant is the instrument through which God offers mercy and atonement to mankind. However, there are differences of opinion as to how the new covenant affects the validity of biblical law. The differences are mainly as a result of attempts to harmonize biblical statements to the effect that the biblical law is eternal (for example Exodus 31:16–17, 12:14–17) with New Testament statements that suggest that it does not now apply at all, or at least does not fully apply. Most biblical scholars admit the issue of the Law can be confusing and the topic of Paul and the Law is still frequently debated among New Testament scholars[3] (for example, see New Perspective on Paul, Pauline Christianity); hence the various views.
Some conclude that none is applicable, some conclude that only parts are applicable, and some conclude that all is still applicable to believers in Jesus.
All or virtually all Christian denominations attempt to avoid the extremes of antinomianism (being against the law) or legalism (attempting to earn God's favor by doing good deeds or emphasizing the letter of law over the spirit).
Although F. F. Bruce was fairly representative of an earlier epoch of biblical scholarship, there has been a general scholarly shift since the work of E. P. Sanders. The views of earlier Protestant Reformers such as Martin Luther and John Calvin have had lasting influence.