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WHO LET YOU IN?

Gentiles and the Mission of God

PROFILE UPDATE: PETER
AND THE GENTILES

It would be rather odd to write a book all about Sinai for Christians if Sinai has nothing to do with us. I hope it has become clear how Jesus intentionally connects himself with the Sinai covenant—by fulfilling its laws and showing himself to be the lawgiver, by living out his vocation as a name bearer, and by commissioning his disciples to do the same. But as we’ve discussed the theme of God’s people bearing his name, our focus has been solely on the Jews as the name bearers. They’re the ones at Sinai. They’re even the ones chosen as Jesus’ disciples. Even Paul’s letter to the Galatians was aimed at those who were tempted to convert to Judaism and live as Jews. Obviously Sinai would have been of great interest to them. But what about the rest of us? Is Sinai for us, too?

Peter answers that question without much fanfare. If we’re just reading along, minding our own business, we might miss it entirely. What he does is audacious, but he is matter-of-fact about it. Writing to Gentile believers scattered throughout Asia Minor, he contrasts unbelievers with these non-Jewish followers of Jesus, saying “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s treasured possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). The language should, by now, be quite familiar.

Included in his list are covenant titles given to Israel at Sinai—royal priesthood, holy nation, treasured possession (Exodus 19:5-6). On top of that, he adds another—chosen people—that is also historically reserved for the Jewish nation. “Chosen people” (or “chosen race”) comes from Isaiah 43:20-21, which tells us the reason for their election, “that they may proclaim my praise.” Peter’s only acknowledgment that these titles did not formerly apply to Gentiles is the statement “once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God.” You were outsiders, unchosen, but now you’re in. Even this statement is remarkable. Peter is clearly alluding to the Old Testament prophet Hosea, whose children are given names to serve as prophetic words to the nation of Israel. He names a son Lo-Ammi (“not my people”) as an indication that God had rejected his own people (Hosea 1:9), later announcing that he would readopt Israel and renew the covenant (Hosea 2:23). Now Peter applies these same designations to the Gentiles. If God can restore his rebel children after all they’ve done, why not adopt Gentiles, too?

You were outsiders, unchosen, but now you’re in.

“Race” or “people” and “nation” are ironic ways to refer to Peter’s audience, made up of a variety of ethnic groups and scattered throughout an entire region. The gospel has made possible something impossible in the physical realm. It’s also audacious in another sense: Before Peter’s letter, the word “people” (‘am in Hebrew or laos in Greek) was used only to designate Jews.

Peter doesn’t just slap these titles on his audience without thinking about what they entail. He has a clear picture of the responsibilities of those who bear Yahweh’s name. He tells them, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (1 Peter 2:12). The job of covenant members is to live in a way that shows they belong to Yahweh. He warns them, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. . . . If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name” (1 Peter 4:14, 16).

Peter has a well-developed understanding of the roles and responsibilities of covenant members. When he applies the special titles from Sinai, he has the rest in mind as well. Believers, who are lavishly loved by their heavenly Father, have been given work to do—not so they can earn God’s favor, but so they can bring him glory among the nations. The Spirit’s presence in our lives is proof that we belong.

So if Gentiles are now covenant members, what about the Jews? Peter makes no move to reject the Jews or indicate that they’ve been replaced by Gentiles. Instead, by using these familiar titles with Gentiles in view, he indicates that he no longer sees any distinction between the two groups. Just as the nation of Israel was uniquely selected to bear Yahweh’s name among the nations, Gentiles have become name bearers too, through their belief in Christ.

It’s worth lingering here to take a closer look at Peter’s masterful use of the Old Testament to help us with the mystery of how Peter arrived at this conclusion. I told you that he uses three titles from Sinai—royal priesthood, holy nation, treasured possession. The first two of these are taken verbatim. Peter’s Greek phrases match exactly the Greek translation of Exodus 19:5-6. Not so with “treasured possession.” Here we have a puzzling departure: Peter doesn’t use the Greek word that translates the Hebrew segullah in every other passage (periousios), which would highlight the uniqueness of the treasure itself. Instead, Peter emphasizes the process of becoming Yahweh’s possession by using a slightly different phrase (eis peripoiēsin) found only in Malachi 3:17. This slight shift in phrasing opens up a profound theological possibility.

Peter’s citation of Malachi is significant because it is the only Old Testament passage where the term segullah refers to a righteous remnant, rather than the entire nation of Israel. In light of Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness, the prophet Malachi had envisioned a future day when Yahweh would select a new segullah made up only of those who fear his name. Malachi had said, “‘They will become mine,’ says Yahweh of Armies, ‘On the day when I prepare a segullah’” (3:17, author’s translation). By quoting Malachi directly, Peter shows us that he sees this very promise as having been fulfilled in the believing community made up of both Jews and Gentiles.

Peter doesn’t directly defend his inclusion of Gentiles in this letter, so we’re left wondering what gave him the audacity to make such a move. To find answers, we need to look back at his own story.

ANATOMY OF A PARADIGM SHIFT: PETER’S VISION

Peter’s deviation from typical readings of the Old Testament in his own day is noteworthy. His application of Old Testament titles to a multiethnic church must reflect his perspective that the age of fulfillment has come, the time when Gentiles are on equal footing with Jews in the kingdom of God. Where, then, does this revelation come from? What is the basis for his confidence in proclaiming Gentile inclusion? It’s not the earthly ministry of Jesus. Jesus had very little interaction with Gentiles and very little to say about them.

If we take seriously the letter’s claim to be written by the apostle Peter, then we don’t have far to look for an explanation for his paradigm shift. Acts 10–11 recounts his startling vision in the port city of Joppa. While waiting for dinner, he sees a triple vision: A sheet filled with unclean animals is lowered from the sky three times, and a voice declares, “Dinner’s ready!”

Peter is as nauseated as he is confused, “No way! I wouldn’t dream of eating that for dinner!” Peter is a good, torah-abiding Jew. He’s lived his entire life according to the kosher food laws in Leviticus 11 that mark certain foods off-limits. The purpose of these laws is to set Israel apart as distinct from the nations (see Leviticus 20:25-26). When the vision returns a second and third time, Peter finally realizes that God is trying to get through to him: “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (Acts 10:15). Peter’s vision served as a divine object lesson: the Gentiles are no longer to be considered unclean. This is the first step in Peter’s paradigm shift.

While he’s upstairs dreaming, three men sent by a Gentile Centurion named Cornelius are on their way to see him. It’s a remarkable divine appointment. Cornelius’ vision tells him to seek a man named Peter who is staying in Joppa. Peter’s vision tells him to go with the men seeking him. When he arrives at Cornelius’ house, Peter dives right into a sermon: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right” (Acts 10:34-35). Peter wastes no time in sharing the good news of forgiveness for Gentiles on the basis of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

God has another surprise in store. As Peter is speaking, the Holy Spirit falls on his Gentile audience. Peter’s companions are astonished (Acts 10:44-46). The outpouring of the Spirit has always been a sign of God’s favor and of covenant renewal (see Isaiah 44:3). Since the Spirit has already fallen on them, Peter has them baptized in the name of Jesus. He later explained to the skeptics: “If God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?” (Acts 11:17).

We can speculate about how Peter envisions the relationship between Israel and the church, but the fact is that he leaves the question unaddressed in his first epistle. For Peter the decisive shift seems to have happened at Joppa, though he does not mention it in his letter. If the Holy Spirit is poured out on Gentiles, then they are the people of God. Period. There is no need to talk separately about the Jews, for there is no longer any distinction. The only distinction now is the one described in the verse following Malachi 3:17 regarding the segullah. Malachi 3:18 goes on to make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked. The segullah is no longer everyone in the community. God’s future segullah includes only the righteous. Peter shows evidence that he believes this to be true in 1 Peter 2:12 and 4:3, where he talks to his readers as if they are no longer Gentiles. A new distinction has been made, not on ethnic terms, but with regard to righteousness.

If the Holy Spirit is poured out on Gentiles, then they are the people of God. Period.

Are there broader implications for Peter’s application to the Gentiles of God’s promises to the Jews? Indeed, there are. His pattern of using the Old Testament suggests that not just the titles of Israel but also her vocation is true of the church. If Gentiles have been incorporated into the people of God, included in the righteous remnant without distinction, then our inheritance is one and the same. As we follow in the footsteps of Israel’s Messiah, we too take on the responsibilities of God’s “treasured possession.” This involves both proclamation of the gospel message and good deeds consistent with biblical expectations for those who bear his name. Peter does not leave to our imagination or creativity the task of figuring out what this entails. The rest of his letter makes clear what kind of behavior is required.

Peter opens his letter by saying that his readers are “chosen . . . to be obedient” (1 Peter 1:2). This obedience includes sober-mindedness (1:13; 4:7; 5:8), holiness (1:15), a deep love for others (1:22; 4:8), absence of malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander (2:1), self-denial of sinful desires (2:11), submission to authority (2:13-14; 3:1-6; 5:5), endurance of unjust suffering without retaliation (2:20-23), treatment of wives with respect (3:7), harmonious living that practices sympathy, love, compassion, and humility (3:8), repayment of evil with blessing (3:9), turning from evil to seek peace (3:11), answering with gentleness and respect (3:15), offering genuine hospitality (4:9), using one’s gifts to serve others (4:10-11; 5:2), rejoicing in suffering (4:12), humility (5:5-6), and resistance to the devil (5:9). Peter’s letter cannot be said to lack practical life application!

The moral conduct required of believers is grounded in our new identity as Yahweh’s treasured possession. We are not simply given a list of rules for godly living; we are invited to become part of his covenant community. He has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light, made us a people, his own treasured possession, and has given us a significant role in his kingdom as priests set apart for his purposes. In order for all he has planned for us to be realized, we must live like we truly are his treasured possession—like we belong to him.

TEAM MEETING: THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL

Peter’s paradigm shift gets him in trouble. Before too long, conflict erupts. Some Jewish Christians insist that Gentiles need to convert to Judaism first in order to follow Jesus. This would involve circumcision, a kosher diet, and obedience to the rest of the Torah. Others say Gentiles can follow Jesus as Gentiles, without converting first. Church leaders call for a meeting in Jerusalem in Acts 15, known as the Jerusalem Council. It’s difficult to overestimate the importance of this meeting for the church. These men are deciding the direction the entire church will go. No doubt, emotions run high.

Peter speaks first. For Peter, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Gentile believers at Cornelius’ house offered all the evidence needed to show that God had accepted them as members of the covenant community without circumcision. Peter cannot deny what he saw with his own eyes. He says,

Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are. (Acts 15:7-11, emphasis added)

James gets up next. His introduction is fascinating. Using Peter’s Aramaic name, he says: “Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles” (Acts 15:14, emphasis added). The phrase “a people . . . from the Gentiles” must have surprised his listeners. These terms are always contrasted in the Old Testament: One is either a part of Yahweh’s people or one of the Gentiles, and the two are never confused.1 Using such a thoroughly Jewish title as “people” for Gentiles was radical.2 In fact, Peter had said nothing about God’s name. He had simply pointed to the gift of the Spirit to Gentiles. However, for the apostles the Holy Spirit’s presence functioned as a seal, stamping believers with the name of Yahweh and showing that they belonged to his covenant people. James’ statement alludes to this. Then, lest he be accused of theological innovation, James appeals to the prophets to lend support to his idea.

In Amos 9:12, Yahweh speaks of Israel’s future restoration, mentioning the role of “all the nations that bear my name.”3 James found it the ideal place to anchor his argument about Gentile inclusion in the covenant. The Old Testament had designated four entities as bearing Yahweh’s name: the high priest (on his forehead), the people of Israel (via the priestly blessing), Jerusalem (because Yahweh chose it as the site for the temple), and the temple or ark (because they signify Yahweh’s presence among his people). James quotes the single clear exception. Amos 9:12 is not the only text in the Old Testament that predicts Gentiles turning to Yahweh, but only here are they said to have had his name “invoked upon them” (author’s translation). This is the only Old Testament passage that suggests Gentile inclusion without prior conversion to Judaism.4

Together, Peter and James sound the death knell for the old way of thinking about who’s in and who’s out. The experience of the Holy Spirit along with the testimony of the Old Testament Scriptures make an insurmountable argument. The council agrees. Gentiles can follow the Jewish Messiah. Gentiles who follow Jesus bear Yahweh’s name. Note that they are not setting aside Sinai. They are simply setting aside laws whose purpose was to separate the Israelites ethnically from other nations so that those nations may join the covenant community.

When I applied for a faculty position at Prairie College in Alberta, Canada, I did so with a measure of hesitancy. At first, I figured there was no harm in applying because they would likely try to hire a Canadian, while I was born and raised in the United States. Within just a few weeks, Prairie invited me for a campus interview, the last step before a job offer. Danny and I wrestled over the decision, learning all we could about the school and its history. It seemed so random to move to the prairies of Canada—a place we had never lived nor dreamed of living! We agreed to fly up for the interview, but we took with us a long list of reasons why we didn’t think the position was a good fit. From the moment we landed, our resistance began to melt. One by one, the items on our list disappeared. We loved the town, found houses we could afford, enjoyed the faculty and staff, and figured out a budget that could work. Still, the move felt random, until the last morning of our visit, when God gave us a completely unexpected surprise: We found out that I was already a citizen of Canada.

How could I be a Canadian citizen without knowing it? My dad was born in Canada to Dutch immigrants. He later immigrated to the States, where he met and married my mom. I was born two years later. As it turns out, the Canadian government is very generous with its citizenship. Whether I claimed it or not, I’d been a citizen all along. Suddenly a move to Canada did not feel so random. It was as if God handed me a gift he’d had wrapped and ready for forty years, just waiting for the moment I needed it. We felt it was his way of saying, “You think this is random? I’ve had it in the works for a long, long time.” It’s hard to describe the feeling evoked by this news. For weeks, I kept shaking my head, treasuring the gift of this discovery.

My surprise Canadian citizenship gave me a glimpse of how Gentile believers in the early church must have felt when they heard the result of the Jerusalem Council. You’re invited! You can follow Jesus just as you are. We discovered that hundreds of years ago the prophets looked ahead to this day, speaking of you who bear Yahweh’s name—Gentiles who belong. Welcome to the family!

With this major paradigm shift in mind, it’s easier to see the myriad ways that God prepared his people for this. His promise to bless the nations through the line of Abraham was not meant to be patronizing. Gentiles were included in the lineage of Jesus, hinting at the possibility of a future full-scale incorporation (Matthew 1:5-6). Gentiles were to be part of the family. When Jesus sent out his disciples he said they would testify before Gentiles (Matthew 10:18). The risen Christ announced that “repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations” (Luke 24:47; cf. Acts 1:18). I wonder if his disciples had any idea the surprises God had in store!

PLAYING AN OLD SONG: PAUL AND THE SONG OF MOSES

Paul is solidly on board with Peter’s bold new initiative to take the gospel to Gentiles. In his letter to the Romans, he zeroes in on the idea that believers in Jesus, even Gentile believers, are ushered into the new covenant because of their faith in the faithfulness of Jesus. Reading Romans is like driving down the road and suddenly hearing a childhood favorite on the radio. Even when he is not quoting Moses directly, Paul is wrestling with the very heart of Moses’ teaching. Paul’s application of these truths in his own day is surprising at times, even shocking, but we cannot escape the fact that Moses provides the grid through which Paul seeks to understand the gospel.

In Deuteronomy, Moses calls the people of Israel to renew the covenant with the Lord before they enter the land he had promised. Moses reminds them of the law and then spells out the blessings for those who obey and the curses for those who disobey. Interestingly, Moses leaves no doubt in his listeners’ minds: they will disobey and be cursed. Their track record has proved them faithless. In the final chapters of the book, Moses explains that after judgment, restoration would be possible, if they listened and obeyed (Deuteronomy 30:1-10).

Moses insists that God’s law is accessible to them, a point which Paul picks up and applies creatively to the accessibility of Christ’s righteousness to those who believe (Deuteronomy 30:11-14; cf. Romans 10:5-10). Then Moses presents Israel with a choice: if they love and obey God, they will experience life and blessing; if they fail to listen and instead worship other gods, they will be cursed and die (Deuteronomy 30:16-20). God gives Moses a prophetic song to sing publicly before his death. Deuteronomy 32 records that song, which bears remarkable parallels to the book of Romans.5 Here we will discover a key feature of Paul’s theology. Let’s work our way through the song to see how.

Moses’ song in Deuteronomy 32 develops as follows:6 Yahweh’s righteousness and faithfulness are the starting point (vv. 3-4), in contrast to Israel’s sin (v. 5). Moses recites a narrative of God’s election, care and provision for Israel (vv. 6-14), which is followed by idolatry and ungratefulness (vv. 15-18), provoking punishment (vv. 19-27). Divine wrath is only checked by the pride of Israel’s enemies, who lack understanding (vv. 28-34). Yahweh’s judgment is based on his character (vv. 35-42) and will conclude with a celebration when he gets the final word and destroys his enemies (v. 43). With this the song is ended, but not the chapter. Not incidentally, the chapter closes with Yahweh’s explanation to Moses of why he will not enter the land with his people: “Because you did not uphold my holiness among the Israelites” (Deuteronomy 32:51). Even Moses himself has failed to fully honor Yahweh’s character—to represent him well—and he forfeits entrance into the promised land.

A striking contrast emerges in Deuteronomy between Yahweh and his people. God is described this way: “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4). The next verse describes Israel: “They are corrupt and not his children; to their shame they are a warped and crooked generation” (32:5). So we see the contrast: while God is faithful, Israel is faithless. Moses has already made clear in Deuteronomy 30:15-20 what the end result of such faithlessness will be, namely, death. The life that was to be marked by the blessing of God and long life in the land of promise is forfeited for the folly of idolatry. With this contrast in mind, we turn to Paul’s letter to the Romans.

Paul unveils the goal of his ministry in the first few verses of Romans, “to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for [Jesus Christ’s] name’s sake” (Romans 1:5). He writes to Christians in Rome who “also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ” and “called to be his holy people” (Romans 1:6-7). So many Old Testament echoes reverberate in these verses! For Paul, Gentiles who believe are Gentiles who belong. They are part of the “holy people” who were set apart at Sinai to enter into covenant with Yahweh, so that their faith enhances God’s reputation. It’s all “for his name’s sake.”

The phrase “obedience that comes from faith” has been a matter of debate. The Greek reads simply “obedience of faith.” What does this mean? Is the act of faith the obedience that God requires? Or is it faith that results in obedience? If we keep in mind the message of Deuteronomy and the theme of name-bearing that we’ve explored throughout this book, the relationship between the two is not so mysterious. For Moses, those who obey God’s commands and worship him alone are considered “faith-full,” those who do not are “faith-less.” Obedience and faith could almost be considered synonyms. To claim belief in God without obeying him—to bear his name in vain—would be an unthinkable contradiction for Moses.

In Romans 5:10, as he works out the implications of his bold claims in chapter one, Paul drops a bomb. Echoing Deuteronomy 32:41, he says, “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”7 Paul includes himself and his readers in the category of “enemies” once destined to receive the judgment of God.

Against that backdrop he introduces his readers to Jesus. Jesus, who is repeatedly called God’s Son, has done what Israel (God’s “firstborn son” in Exodus 4:22) could not do—namely, maintain faithful obedience to God. By taking upon himself the death penalty promised in Deuteronomy to those who disobey, he cancels death and ushers us into life if we have faith in his faithfulness, even if we are Gentiles.

Christ is the faithful son standing in for faithless Israel. His obedience in life and in death provides a way from death to life for those who believe. He is the covenant keeper who ushers in the new covenant!

YOUR INVISIBLE TATTOO

It should be obvious by now that you have a tattoo.

If you follow Jesus, you’ve been marked with his name.

Remember Jesus’ words in John 6:27, saying that he wore God’s “seal of approval”? In what was likely Paul’s earliest letter, he describes himself as carrying Jesus’ marks or brand (stigmata) on his body (Galatians 6:17).8 The Greek word stigmata is used outside the Bible to refer to the brands of slaves as well as religious tattoos.9 Paul declares that God “anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come” (2 Corinthians 1:21-22). Spirit-filling is the evidence that believers belong to God and bear the stamp of his name. Paul reiterates this truth in Ephesians 1:13: “When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”

This spiritual tattoo becomes visible in John’s visions in the book of Revelation. In John’s vision, the seal is carried by an angel who has been commissioned to mark the foreheads of “the servants,” that is, the redeemed community, to protect them from God’s judgment (Revelation 7:2-3).10 What follows is a parade of tribes, reminding us of the book of Numbers. Twelve thousand from each tribe are sealed (Revelation 7:4-8). Because the name inscribed on the high priestly headdress was Yahweh, to say that the name belonging to Jesus is written on their foreheads signals that Jesus shares the divine identity. Furthermore, the designation of God as “Father” in this passage echoes the Lord’s Prayer (“our Father, who is in heaven”) and signifies the fulfillment of Jesus’ plea that God’s name be made holy (Matthew 6:9).

Invisible no more, this spiritual tattoo of the divine name is also manifest in a later vision: “Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads” (Revelation 14:1). The vision draws on both Old and New Testaments for its imagery, depicting the name that belongs to both Jesus and his Father inscribed on believers’ foreheads, that is, the name Yahweh.11 The symbolic branding of the Israelites at Sinai becomes legible on Mount Zion. How appropriate!

Those who are not part of the redeemed community still have a tattoo, but it bears a different name. John’s vision depicts a beast that spoke blasphemy, bearing blasphemous names on its heads (13:1, 6; cf. 17:3). A second beast marked the hands and foreheads of the non-elect with his name, persecuting all those who refused the brand (13:16-17; cf. 17:5). Like the beast, those branded by the beast cursed God’s name (16:9, 11, 21). In so doing they violated the first two commandments of the covenant—worshiping one other than Yahweh and receiving another name. An angel describes these enemies of God as “those who worship the beast and its image,” or “anyone who receives the mark of its name”; such a person will have “no rest day or night” (Revelation 14:11). The allusions to the Ten Commandments are unmistakable: apostate worship of other images, and bearing another name, resulting in a lack of rest. Those so marked were eventually judged along with the beast (15:2; 16:2; 19:20).

Thus the vision of Revelation presents vivid, concrete images of election. No one is neutral; people either bear the divine name or the name of the beast on their foreheads, indicating the object of their worship and allegiance. When Christ is ultimately victorious, only those who did not receive the mark of the beast will reign with him and behold his face (20:4; 22:4). The vision issues an urgent warning to those who have yet to submit to God’s rule. The choice is ours. Surrender before it’s too late! We have a standing invitation to join the covenant family. The Father waits with arms wide open. Because of the faithfulness of Jesus, we can be marked with God’s name and participate in his mission to bring blessing to all nations.

From time to time people ask me what to do with the Old Testament law. That question is easier to answer now that we’ve taken this journey through Scripture together. Rather than asking if we have to obey Old Testament law, we need to ask what our relationship is to Israel’s covenant. Our answer to this question will determine the way in which we appropriate all the instructions of the Old Testament.

Because of the faithfulness of Jesus, we can be marked with God’s name and participate in his mission to bring blessing to all nations.

Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, Israel’s Messiah, we have been granted membership in the covenant. We have been incorporated into his renewed covenant community. His sacrifice ushered in a new era. That reality, paired with our changed cultural situation, means that many of the Old Testament laws no longer function for us as they did for Israel. Obeying them by the letter would not uphold the purpose for which they were given.

The need for a temple has disappeared, fulfilled in Christ, and therefore sacrifices are no longer necessary. Still, the laws of sacrifice teach us about how seriously God takes sin and the thoughtfulness with which we must honor him by admitting our failures and trusting in his mercy.

Laws that were designed to keep Israel separate as an ethnic group have also been set aside. This includes laws relating to ritual purity, diet, and clothing. Other categories of laws will need to be thoughtfully considered in relation to Israel’s cultural context and our own. Like Israel, we are to express the character of Christ by the way we live. We get to obey his commands.

As members of his new covenant community, we have the privilege—the grace—of living as his treasured people. James insists that our faith must be a faith that works, a faith that sets us apart from those who have not experienced deliverance in Christ. Our faith is proved genuine by our obedience—expressed in love for the God who rescued us from sin and death and in love for others. Love for God and love for neighbor embody everything the law requires. The fact that God has revealed to us what pleases him is one of his most gracious gifts—it’s an invitation to know him, to become like him, and therefore to be part of his mission.

OLD TESTAMENT LAWS TODAY

Here’s an example of how a Christian might use the Old Testament law as the basis for ethical reflection. In Deuteronomy 22:8, Moses instructs the people, “When you build a new house, make a parapet around your roof so that you may not bring the guilt of bloodshed on your house if someone falls from the roof.” A parapet is an extension of the exterior wall above roof level, resulting in a solid protective wall for anyone standing on the roof. In ancient Israel the typical home had a flat roof on which lots of living took place. Occupants might sleep on the roof during the summer months, worship there, separate grain from chaff, or socialize.12 The practical function of a parapet is obvious, given the architecture and lifestyle of the Israelites.

In North America, we typically do not hang out on the rooftops. Most homes do not have flat roofs, and the only occasions on which we climb our peaked roofs are to clean out the gutters (or eaves troughs, for my Canadian readers), or to replace the shingles, in which cases a parapet would merely get in the way. However, the principle of God’s instruction is clear: the safety of the family and visitors to the home is the responsibility of a homeowner. Modern-day equivalents might include railings for our staircases, covers for our electrical outlets (if we have small children), and bracing for furniture such as dressers or bookcases so that they do not tip over. We could even extend our application of this command to clearing snow from our sidewalks so that passersby do not slip and fall on the ice. The point is that as members of the covenant community, it is our duty to look out for the well-being of those around us.

DIGGING DEEPER

Richard Bauckham. “James and the Gentiles (Acts 15:13-21).” Pages 154-84 in History, Literature, and Society in the Book of Acts. Edited by Ben Witherington. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

*Roy Gane. Old Testament Law for Christians: Original Context and Enduring Application. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2017.

Carmen Joy Imes. “‘Treasured Possession’: Peter’s Use of the Old Testament in 1 Peter 2:9–10.” MA Thesis, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2011.

*N. T. Wright. Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009.

 

Related videos from The Bible Project: “Acts 8–12,” “Gospel of the Kingdom,” and “Son of Man.”