What if?

What if Christians and about 2000 years of Christian theology were wrong, and the Law hadn’t been ‘nailed to the cross’? 
What if God never changed the ‘rules’? 
What if the word in our Bibles most always translated as ‘Law’ was often better translated as ‘instruction’ or ‘teaching’? And believers were rightly taught to see it as good and not a burden? What if the Law was something to be thankful for and to praise God for, as Psalm 119 teaches us? 
What if all that the church has taught about the meaning of ‘grace’ and ‘freedom’ really meant something else? 

Imagine for a bit, some identifying marks of the ideal congregation of saints. 

They are joyful people, sharing freely with each other. You notice them! 
They are kind and gentle. 
They enthusiastically gather together many times during the week for study and prayer. 
They rest on the seventh day from their daily-provision work. They stay away from shopping or restaurants on that day. And they don't see that day and those choices as a burden, but as a delight! 
They gather together for feasts and fellowship 7 times a year, and not at all on christmas and easter. 
They don't eat pork or shellfish. 

Are those things hard to do? Impossible to accomplish? Of course not! Now suppose these people didn’t do these things because they were ‘rules’ or because they would get something out of it, but because they knew that their living this way brought delight to God? Suppose these people searched out the Scriptures (the Old Testament) and looked for and joyfully observed all that GOD had commanded, being willing to put aside all customs and traditions that didn’t fully uphold and agree with God’s instruction? 

If ‘love’ is defined from God’s perspective, instead of from a human emotional or legalistic (following the letter rather than obeying the spirit of the law - which is harder to do) viewpoint, things might look different in congregations today. 

The foundation of a believer’s faith has to be truth. And contrary to postmodern ideas, truth isn’t something individually determined. There is only ONE truth, and it exists regardless of people’s belief in or acceptance of it. 

Most people in churches today call themselves Christians. But in reality, it isn’t Christ they follow, but Paul. They are actually Paulians! 

Truth is…the ONE truth is…Christ never abolished God’s Law. Never, not the smallest bit. And He even taught that anyone who did teach that any part of it was abolished would be considered least in His Father’s kingdom. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in/by the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in/by the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19, ESV) 

Truth is…read in context, it is not clear that Paul ever taught that it was abolished either! Peter pointed out that some of the things Paul spoke of were being twisted by those who were ignorant of the truth, and that this twisting led to lawlessness. There are some things in (his letters) that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. (2 Peter 3:16b -17 ESV) 

Truth is…if God did not speak through the prophets beforehand, in the Scriptures (Old Testament, remember) that something was going to happen...it isn’t true. 

The Scripture is full of teaching of the Messiah; the gospel has been proclaimed from creation! The end has been told from the beginning! And God’s prophets never told us His Law would be ended, or be reserved for a select group of people, or be changed. His Law is forever. And one law was meant for one people. Older and younger brothers together, the same family. The Law was never meant to remain written on tablets of stone. It was always meant to be engraved on a willing, yielded heart.  

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Ezekiel 36:26-27 ESV) 

And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. (John 10:16 ESV) 

What if?