Have you ever read this statement by Jesus?
Matthew 5:17-19 (KJV)
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 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.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
I observe the Sabbath on Saturday and I also follow the Dietary Laws because Jesus clearly said to in Matthew 5:17-19. Lately, I have viewed videos put on YouTube by DTBM, a Baptist Ministry, until last evening. I have now stopped listening to that “Teacher” because he was teaching that we Christians are not bound by the Commandment to observe the Sabbath, nor are we expected to follow the God’s Dietary Laws, because according to him, those laws only apply to Jews and not saved Christians. That is untrue.
Who was the first Christian? It was none other than Jesus Christ, and we are his Christian followers. When Jesus stated that until Heaven and Earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled, I believed him. All was not fulfilled when Jesus was resurrected, and will not be fulfilled until the end of the 1,000 year Millenium when the Great White Throne Judgment takes place. Until then, we Christians are still fully expected by God to follow God’s Laws to the best of our ability.
That’s the problem with too many alleged Christian pastors today: Apparently, they don’t believe Jesus own words! In fact, the Baptist Church I attended for awhile (not related to DTBM) added to God’s Laws by claiming Christians are not to drink alcohol. That is also strictly prohibited by God. We are warned not to become drunkards and that drunkards will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven, so if a person has a problem controlling his/her consumption of alcohol to the point they become alcoholics, then they need to stop drinking, because that excess has become sin to them.
To paraphrase what these errant pastors are doing would best be described as, “Are you going to believe your “lying” Jesus, or are you going to believe what I tell you”? Suit yourselves, but I am going to believe what Jesus taught.
To avoid confusion, God gave the Jews Statutes and Ordinances, many of which are no longer in force on Christians, particularly the Blood Ordinances involving animal sacrifices. Jesus is our fulfilled blood sacrifice, so once he was resurrected, we no longer engage in animal sacrifices, but anything under title of “Law” is to be strictly observed by believing Christians.
Carl F. Worden