Skip to content
Testing alert banner

About

Why is it important to understand the “Law” in the Bible?

Biblical Law is worthy of study as a reflection of God. As one learns more of the Law, one can learn more of God.
One can better parse the difficulties of why some Biblical Laws seem incredibly important (e.g., “Thou shalt not kill”) while others decry common sense (“You shall not wear a cloth made of two kinds of material”).
Why have people historically erred by either imposing a rigid “legalism” (a view that certain laws must be adhered to in order to walk in God’s grace) or a free “antinomianism” (a view that one can live with no regard to any law).

From a Christian perspective, this bears tremendously on issues that seem to place the Christian teachings in conflict with certain teachings found in the Old Testament.  For example:

One also has a basis to understand why Biblical Law seems to change over the course of the Bible. (Is “Do not eat pork” in Deuteronomy 14:8 altered when, in Acts 10, God seems to instruct Peter that unclean food is fine to eat?)
This study properly addresses the effect that Jesus and the advent of post-resurrection life has upon following the law. In other words, does Paul teach that the believer is not bound by the law, and if so, why not?
Similarly, why did the disciples of Jesus not always follow the law, even though Jesus said he didn’t come to destroy the law?

All of these considerations are worthy of study.  A good study of Biblical Law should not only shed light on those questions, but it should also result in many positive side effects.  As the Psalmist noted in the very first Psalm, the person who delights in God’s Law and meditates on it night and day will be,

“like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.  In all that he does, he prospers (Ps. 1:3).

The goal of this work is to provide the reader the blessings of better knowing God, as well as having a fuller grasp on having a successful life.

Soli Deo Gratia

Lessons

Showing 1 - 12 of 12 Lessons
  • Old Testament Laws That Speak To Us Today

    Mark continues with A Trial Lawyer’s Brief on Biblical Law: A Reflection of God’s Character with Chapter 7, Old Testament Laws That Speak To Us Today. In this lesson Mark discusses some of the known Laws people ask about in daily life, i.e., foods that should not be eaten, wearing clothing with mixed fibers. These […]
  • The Ten Commandments – Part 6

    Mark continues with A Trial Lawyer’s Brief on Biblical Law: A Reflection of God’s Character with Chapter 6, The Atonement and the Meaning of Christmas. As Mark has been teaching about the Law, in this lesson he discusses “Atonement”, an especially important word when we look at the Laws of Israel. Only Israel’s Laws had […]
  • The Ten Commandments – Part 5

    Mark continues with A Trial Lawyer’s Brief on Biblical Law: A Reflection of God’s Character with the seventh commandment: You shall not steal (Exodus 20:15). The word steal in Hebrew is “ganav”, which means to steal or take by stealth, wrongfully or in trickery. Mark looks at this commandment from three perspectives; 1) face value, […]
  • The Ten Commandments – Part 4

    Mark continues with A Trial Lawyer’s Brief on Biblical Law: A Reflection of God’s Character with a focus on the fifth and sixth of the Ten Commandments. Mark dives deep into the fifth Commandment: Honor your Father and your Mother (Ex. 20:12), and the sixth Commandment: You shall not murder (Ex. 20:13). Mark looks at […]
  • The Ten Commandments – Part 3

    Mark continues with A Trial Lawyer’s Brief on Biblical Law: A Reflection of God’s Character with a focus on the fifth and sixth of the Ten Commandments. Mark dives deep into the fifth Commandment: Honor your Father and your Mother (Ex. 20:12), and the sixth Commandment: You shall not murder (Ex. 20:13). Mark looks at […]
  • The Ten Commandments – Part 2

    Mark continues with A Trial Lawyer’s Brief on Biblical Law: A Reflection of God’s Character with a focus on the third of the Ten Commandments. Mark looks in depth at the third commandment “Thou shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his […]
  • The Ten Commandments – Part 1

    Mark continued with Lesson 5 in A Trial Lawyer’s Brief on Biblical Law: AReflection of God’s Character with a focus on the first 2 of the Ten Commandments. Mark explained in referencing documented laws from the ages how law has always been a reflection of its author(s), and the Ten Commandments area reflection of God’s […]
  • What Use is the Law – Part 2

    Mark continued with Lesson 4, How Does the Law of God Reflect God’s Character, in the Series: A Trial Lawyer’s Brief on Biblical Law: A Reflection of God’s Character. Law is a system of principles which are ordained or established rules of conduct as regulating the actions of its member and enforced by penalties. God gave […]
  • What Use is the Law – Part 1

    Mark continued with Lesson 3, How Does the Law of God Reflect God’s Character, in the Series: A Trial Lawyer’s Brief on Biblical Law: A Reflection of God’s Character. God gave Israel signs to show they were separate from the nations. This showed the national identity of Gods people. Common questions arise: 1) Is the Old Testament […]
  • Biblical Law in Cultural Context

    Mark taught week two in the new series, “A Trial Lawyer’s Brief on Biblical Law: A Reflection of God’s Character,” focused on Biblical Law in Cultural Context. Was anything unique about Biblical Law? Mark used the following process to compare and contrast legal codes from that era and area: Define the approach: How the question will be […]
  • A Trial Lawyer’s Brief on Biblical Law: A Reflection of God’s Character

    Mark introduced a new series that focuses on the law as found in the Torah. After giving an overview of different types of law, Mark explained that Biblical law is more than a rule of conduct or action prescribed by a controlling authority; God reveals Himself through the law. By the time of Jesus, the […]

Expand your Biblical Study, at the Lanier Theological Library