WHAT laws does Jehovah God want us to obey? Must we keep what the Bible calls ' the law of Moses' or, sometimes, 'the Law.'(1 Ki 2:3; 3:9) This is called 'the law of Jehovah,' because he is the One who gave it. (1 Chron. 16:40) Moses merely delivered the Law to the people.

The law of Moses consists of more than 600 individual laws, or commandments, including the ten main ones. As Moses said: 'He (Jehovah) commanded you to perform, even ten commandments, and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.' (Deut 4:13; Exo 31:18 KJV) But to whom did Jehovah give the Law, including the Ten Commandments? Did He give it to all humankind? What was the purpose of the Law?

TO ISRAEL FOR A SPECIAL PURPOSE

The Law was not given to all humankind. Jehovah made a covenant, or an agreement, with the descendants of Jacob, who became the nation of Israel. Jehovah gave his laws to this nation only. The Bible makes this clear at Deutoronomy 5:1-3 and Psalm 147:19,20.

Deut. 5:1-3: And Moses proceeded to call all Israel and to say to them: 'Hear, O, Israel, the regulations and the judicial decisions that I am speaking in your ears today, and you must learn them and be careful to do them. Jehovah our God concluded a covenant with us in b. It was not with our forefathers that Jehovah concluded this covenant, but with us, all those of us alive today.'

Psalm 147:19,20:He is telling his word to Jacob, His regulations and his judicial decisions to Israel. He has not done that way to any other nation. And as for his judicial decisions, they have not known them.

Why was the Law given to the nation of Israel?

The apostle Paul asked the question: 'Why, then, the Law?' Yes, for what purpose did Jehovah give his law to Israel? Paul answered: 'To make transgressions manifest, until the seed should arrive to whom the promise had been made... Consequently, the Law has become our tutor leading to Christ.'(Gal. 3:19-24)The special purpose of the Law was to protect and guide the nation of Israel so that they might be ready to accept the Christ when he arrived. The many sacrifices required by the Law reminded the Israelites that they were sinners who needed a Saviour. _Heb. 10:1-4

CHRIST IS THE END OF THE LAW

Jesus Christ, of course, was that promised Savior, even as the angel proclaimed at his birth.(Lu 2:8-14) So when Christ came and gave his perfect life as a sacrifice, what happened to the Law? It was removed. 'We are no longer under the tutor,' Paul explained.(Gal. 3:25) The removal of the Law was a relief to the Israelites. It had shown them up as sinners, for all of them fell short of keeping the Law perfectly. 'Christ by purchase released us from the curse of the Law,' Paul said.(Gal. 3:10-14) So the Bible also says: 'Christ is the end of the Law.' _Rom. 10:4; 6:14.

The Law actually served as a barrier or 'wall' between the Israelites and other peoples who were not under it. By the sacrifice of his life, however, Christ, 'abolished... The Law of commandments consisting in decrees, that he might create the two peoples (Israelite and non-Israelite) in union with himself into one new man.' (Ephesians 2:11-18) Concerning the action that Jehovah God himself took toward the law of Moses, we read: He kindly forgave us all our trespasses and blotted out the handwritten document against us, which consisted of decrees (including the Ten Commandments) and which was in oppositon to us(because of condemning the Israelites as sinners) and He has taken it out of the way by nailing it to the torture stake.' (cross) (Col. 2:13, 14) So, with the perfect sacrifice of Christ, the Law was brought to and end.

Some persons, however, say that the Law is divided into two parts: (1)The Ten Commandments, and (2) the rest of the laws.

The rest of the laws, they say, are what ended, but the Ten Commandments remain. Yet this is not true. In his sermon on the mount, Jesus quoted from the Ten Commandments as well as other parts of the Law and made no distinction between them. Jesus thus showed that the law of Moses was not divided into two parts.

Notice, too, what the apostle Paul was inspired by God to write: 'Now we have been discharged from the Law.' Was it only the laws other than the Ten Commandments that the Jews were discharged from? No, for Paul goes on to say: 'Really I would not have come to know sin if it had not been for the Law; and, for example, I would not have known covetousness if the Law had not said: 'You must not covet.' (Romans 7:6,7; Exo. 20:17) Since, 'You must not covet' is the last one of the Ten Commandments, it follows that the Israelites were discharged from the Ten Commandments also.

Does this mean that the law to keep a weekly Sabbath, which is the 4th of the Ten Commandments, was also REMOVED?

YES, it does. What the Bible says at Galatians 4:8-11 and Colossians 2:16, 17 shows that Christians are not under the God's law given to the Israelites, with its requirement to keep the weekly Sabbath and to observe other special days in the year. That keeping a weekly Sabbath is not a Christian requirement can also be seen from Romans 14:5

Galatians 4:8-11: 'Nevertheless, when you did not know God, then it was that you slaved for those who by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather now that you have come to be known by God, how is it that you are turning back again to the weak and beggarly elementary things and want to slave for them over again? You scrupulously observing days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you that somehow I have toiled to no purpose respecting you.

coolit how does the Bible define sin? And dont delete the question as you did the other one

BTW coolit - it is always best to introduce/explain something by using what people already know... Which explains why Jesus quoted and referenced not only Moses but also other prophets. Quoting Moses and the 10 commandments does not tie the two together... Try harder, I am not buying that one - I sure hope you see my point! read Matthew 5:17 and believe it with all your heart!

Thanks for poppin in. But this is not yet done, pls let me continue.

LAWS THAT APPLY TO CHRISTIANS

Does this mean that, since Christians are not under the Law, they do not need to observe any laws? Not at all!

Jesus introduced a 'new covenant' based on the better sacrifice of his own perfect human life. Christians come under this new covenant and are subject to Christian laws. (Heb. 8:7-13; luke 22:20) Many of these laws have been taken from the law of Moses. This is not unexpected or unusual. A similar thing often happens when a new government takes over the rule of a country. The constitution under the old government might be cancelled or replaced, but the new constitution may keep many of the laws of the old one. In a similar way, the Law covenant came to an end, but many of its basic laws and principles were adopted into Christianity.

Consider some of these CHRISTIAN LAWS. They were derived from the MOSAIC LAW.

It is Jehovah your God, you must worship (Matt. 4:10, 1Co 10:20-22)

Guard yourselves from idols.(1 John 5:21; 1Co 10:14)

Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified.(notreated in worthless way) (Matt. 6:9)

These are some examples of the Christian laws that was derived from the Mosaic Law.

Christians are not commanded to keep a weekly Sabbath,but we learn something from that arrangement. The Israel rested in a literal way, but Christians must rest in a spiritual way. How?

Because of faith and obedience true Christians leave off doing selfish works. These selfish works include efforts to establish their own righteousness. (Heb. 4:10) This spiritual rest is observed not only one day a week but for all seven days. The requirement of the literal Sabbath law to set aside one day for spiritual interests protected the Israelites from selfishly using all their time to seek their own material advantage. Applying this principle every day in a spiritual way is an even more effective guard against materialism.

So Christians are urged to 'fulfill the law of Christ' rather than the law of Moses.(Galatians 6:2) Jesus gave many commands and instructions, and by obeying them we are keeping and fulfilling his law. In particular, Jesus stressed the importance of love. Yes, to love others is a Christian law. It is the basis of the entire law of Moses, as the Bible says: 'The entire law stands fulfilled in one saying, namely: 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.'

Please answer - YES or NO... Are the 10 commandments the Law of Moses?

Yes. They are included in the Law of Covenant between Jehovah and the Israelites. Moses was the mediator of this covenant. This is the 'old covenant'. As said at Hebrews 8, Jehovah God made a 'new covenant' with the spiritual israelites. (christians). Jesus is the mediator of the 'new covenant'. So, my answer is... yes.