Not bound by old testament

[magisterfaust]

Catholics are not bound by New Testament law because Christ abolished the Old Testament law in His Death and Resurrection.
This was a response to a post of mine on another thread regarding tattoos. If that is true, then does this mean that the ten commandments are also no longer applicable, as with many other texts. I am always being told to not take passages out of context, but when a passage is VERY clear then surely, it cannot be taken out of context. It appears to be a case of picking and choosing what suits.

 

[1ke]

Catholics are not bound by New Testament law because Christ abolished the Old Testament law in His Death and Resurrection.

Catholics are not bound by the Old Testament ceremonial law of the Jews.

This was a response to a post of mine on another thread regarding tattoos. If that is true, then does this mean that the ten commandments are also no longer applicable, as with many other texts.

No, it does not mean that the Ten Commandments are no longer applicable.

The Ten Commandments are divine law, not ceremonial law. And, Jesus reaffirmed the Ten Commandments in his own teachings of the New Testament.

I am always being told to not take passages out of context, but when a passage is VERY clear then surely, it cannot be taken out of context.

Not sure what you are referring to here.

It appears to be a case of picking and choosing what suits.

No, it is not. Jesus was clear that he came to fulfill the law. We are no longer bound to the 613 ceremonial laws of the Jews. The Law of God (Ten Commandments) cannot be abolished because divine law is eternal.

If you are confused on these issues, I recommend reading the Catechism which will give you guidance regarding what the Church teaches.

 

[jprioli]

While I agree with the bulk of what 1ke wrote, I would add a subtle distinction, thus:

We are not bound by the Ten Commandments per se, as a corpus of Laws.

We are bound by the morality they express.

Most of the “Words” of the Decalogue (Ten Words) are general enough to serve as Law for the Old Covenant and the New.

But consider the commandment to “Keep holy the Sabbath.”

"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.

We are not bound to the seventh day; neither are we bound to the strict observance of shabbat that our Jewish friends follow. For example, if I wish to light a campfire on (Saturday or) Sunday evening so that my kids and I can toast marshmallows, there is no sin in that.

The Shabbat is abrogated. The moral imperative embodied in the the commandment, ie, to set aside adequate time for rest and worship, is as valid as ever, since it is part of the Eternal Law or Moral Law.

Regards,
Joe

 

[Christy_Beth]

I have come across those who believe that the saturday sabbath should still be adhered to. And, no, she isn’t jewish. Jesus didn’t do away with the law, He fulfilled it. Whatever that may mean to you. I think He basically put it all into two commandments. “Love God with all your mind, body, soul and strength.” And the second one was, “Love your neighbors as yourself.” I guess you could say that these are the condensed version of the ten commandments.

 

[Cari]

I have relatives who are part of Protestant communities that teach that anything from the Old Testament not specifically restated in the New Testament are done away with.

Isn’t there a term for Christians who suppose that we’re “excused” from everything in the Old Testament? And a theological term, I’m not talking about “silly” or anything like that.

 

[jprioli]

Cari:

You may be thinking of dispensationalism – the idea that God deals with humans in entirely different ways in different eras.

You may also be thinking of antinomianism – the idea that there is no valid Law (or at least, there is no valid Law anymore). This term is more valent, because it can be used to refer not only to the Mosaic Law, or to Divine Law, but to any body of law, civil or religious.

More likely, you are thinking of the first, dispensationalism.

Regards,
Joe

 

[jprioli]

Christy Beth:

I guess you could say that these are the condensed version of the ten commandments.

You could say that these are the condensed version of the Ten Commandments. In fact, that is what Jesus said himself. (Matt 22, Mark 12, Luke 10)

Jesus didn’t do away with the law, He fulfilled it. Whatever that may mean to you.

I’m not trying to be confrontational, but the more important issue isn’t “Whatever that may mean to you,” but “Whatever that means.”

Jesus meant something particular by what he said. He wasn’t presenting a koan… he was communicating very directly.

I have come across those who believe that the saturday sabbath should still be adhered to. And, no, she isn’t jewish.

Yes. They are called sabbatarians. Seventh-Day Adventists are the best-known of this group.

Regards,
Joe