{"id":53,"date":"2008-08-27T05:36:08","date_gmt":"2008-08-27T05:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/returningking.com\/?p=53"},"modified":"2008-08-27T05:36:08","modified_gmt":"2008-08-27T05:36:08","slug":"divisions-of-the-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/returningking.com\/?p=53","title":{"rendered":"Divisions of The Law"},"content":{"rendered":"
This entry is part 3 of 8 in the series The Law and The Believer<\/a><\/div>

Divisions of The Law<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n

Being that it is impossible for modern day believers to adhere to certain parts of the law, such as the legal portions, which cannot be enforced, then if one attempts to render the law operational today, one must divide the law into the part(s) which are obeyed by believers and the part(s) which are not.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ten Commandment Division<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

Some have concluded that only the ten commandments are to be upheld by believers today, while the other 603 commands of the law are canceled by the rule of Grace through faith.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are at least two difficult issues with this position, however.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, there is the issue of scriptural authority.\u00a0 <\/span>New Testament believers do not simply “decide” a practice and call it biblical.\u00a0 <\/span>For a practice to be “biblical,” it must be prescribed by the Bible as a practice.\u00a0 <\/span>No biblical text defines the practice of keeping the ten commandments while omitting the other 603 commands of the Law.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second, there is an issue of the fourth commandment; to honor the Sabbath.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Exodus 20:10 (NIV) <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong>
\n10 <\/sup>but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. <\/span><\/em><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

Very few modern Christians practice the fourth commandment.\u00a0 <\/span>One issue with the fourth commandment, is that the modern day “convocation to the Lord” is held on Sundays, rather than Saturdays (the Jewish Sabbath) for most.\u00a0 <\/span>As this practice was begun by the early church, and is recorded in scripture, some accept this Sabbath “switch” to Sunday without issue.\u00a0 <\/span>Yet, the biblical practice of honoring the Sabbath is more than which day of the week one worships on.\u00a0 <\/span>It is also to be a day of rest, with a prohibition of work.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

God defines the practice of a Sabbath in Exodus 16:23<\/span><\/p>\n

Exodus 16:23 (NIV) <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/strong>
\n23 <\/sup>He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.'” <\/span><\/em><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

A holy Sabbath to the Lord was a day of complete rest.\u00a0 <\/span>This rest was so thorough that one could not even cook. \u00a0<\/span>Perhaps some believers today choose not to cook on the Sabbath, but as a normative practice, abstention from cooking has never been creedalized in any modern Christian group to the author’s knowledge.\u00a0 <\/span>What’s more, for most, whether they cook or not, the Sabbath is not a day of rest.\u00a0 <\/span>Some work in the yard.\u00a0 <\/span>Some play tag football.\u00a0 <\/span>Some go to the golf course or gym to work up a sweat.\u00a0 <\/span>Customary modern practice has no similarity in appearance to the biblical practice of Sabbath rest, where one does not even leave their home but for so many steps.<\/span><\/p>\n

Clearly the Sabbath is another issue with the Ten Commandment theory of Law division.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Divisional Theory<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

Some theorize that the law is divided into several categories; usually three.\u00a0 <\/span>Once categorized, the assertion is that only certain “categories” of the complete law are subject to obedience by modern believers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The three usual categories are:<\/span><\/p>\n