[Thought questions for Laws in Christ’s Day April 2, 2014]

Image © Frank Gampel from GoodSalt.com

1. The law offends the evil one. What is there about the divine law that Satan hates so much? Since he can’t do away with it, how does he treat God’s law? How far into our daily lives does the law of God extend? Is everything that is sinful defined in God’s law? Everything? Why can’t God’s law exist without love?

2. The instinctive law. Do the words of Romans 2:14 bring joy to your heart? Without them, how would we feel about people who did not have access to the law of God? The lesson’s introduction states that we must understand context to know which of several divine laws is being used in Scripture. What does that mean? Do you agree? How do you feel when a fellow Christian doesn’t “get” the same context that you believe is present and so reaches a different conclusion about the law? How do you express your feelings? Or do you?

4. Roman Law. How important was the Roman law in Jesus’ day? What do you think made the Roman law so effective in governing a diverse nation of people? How much should you and I understand about Roman law to more fully appreciate the times when Jesus lived on earth? Why did Joseph and Mary obey the law about registering in Bethlehem? Considering how far Mary was in her pregnancy, shouldn’t she and her husband have requested absence? Why didn’t they?

5. Mosaic Law. Why did the Roman government allow the Jewish people of the New Testament to follow the laws and customs of their native culture? What was the source of these laws? How important was the Sanhedrin in upholding them? Why are the Mosaic laws considered to be civic laws? Was there a strong religious component in them as well? What are some areas of life where Mosaic law was applied?

6. Ceremonial law. What was the center of attention for the ceremonial laws of the Jewish people? What was the central purpose of the sanctuary services and related ceremonies? Does the ceremonial law relate in any way to our salvation? Explain. Why don’t we follow the procedures of the ceremonial law today? Since we don’t observe ceremonial law, why should we spend time studying it?

7. Rabbinic law. What law did the rabbis of the Jewish faith in Jesus’ time discuss and try to enforce? Why? What problems were proliferated by rabbinic laws? Does rabbinic law apply to us today in any way? Should it? Why did Jesus on occasion speak in opposition to rabbinic laws as applied to the people? Why didn’t He just go along with the Sabbath rules as carried out by the Rabbis?

8. Moral law. Why are the Ten Commandments known as “the moral law”? Were any moral issues that we face today omitted from these ten standards of living? How well known were the Ten Commandments throughout history? How important are they today even by Christians with a different interpretation of the 4th (Sabbath) commandment? Do you think more people will understand the moral fabric of all of the Ten Commandments as we move into the last days of earth? What is our role in supporting the moral law of God?

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