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"Rightly
Divided And Rightly Applied"
A
rich young ruler came to Jesus and asked Him,
"Good Teacher, what
shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?"
(Mark 10:17 NKJV). Convicted of the sin of crucifying the Son of God, many Jews
in Jerusalem asked Peter and the rest of the apostles,
"Men and brethren, what
shall we do?" (Acts 2:37).
These two questions are essentially the same;
both questions are asking the most important question
that could ever be asked:
What
must I do to be saved?
Now
note the answers given to these questions.
Jesus
answered the rich young ruler’s question saying, "You
know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do
not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false
witness,' 'Do not defraud,' 'Honor your father and
your mother'" (Mark 10:19).
On
the Day of Pentecost after the resurrection of Christ,
Peter answered the Jews’ question saying,
"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins;
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
If
the same question was asked, why were two different
answers given?
Jesus
directed the rich young ruler to the Ten Commandments
of the Law of Moses.
Peter told his audience to repent and be
baptized. Why
the difference?
To
properly understand and apply the teachings of
Scripture, one must observe the context.
The
context of Jesus’ answer to the rich young ruler was
when the Law of Moses was in effect.
Jesus lived and died under the Law of Moses. Thus, He directed the rich young ruler to obey the law of God
that was then in effect, which was the Law of Moses. But, when Jesus died, He "wiped out the handwriting of
requirements that was against us [i.e., the Law of
Moses], which was contrary to us. And He has taken it
out of the way, having nailed it to the cross"
(Colossians 2:14 NKJV).
After Jesus’ death, a new law came into
effect – the law of Christ.
It
is helpful to think of these concepts in terms of a
Last Will and Testament.
The Hebrew writer used this analogy in
discussing the difference between the old (the Law of
Moses) and the new covenants (the Law of Christ):
"For where there is a testament, there must also
of necessity be the death of the testator.
For a testament is in force after men are dead,
since it has no power at all while the testator
lives" (Hebrews 9:16-17).
When Jesus died, His “last will and
testament” – the New Testament – came into
effect.
Under
the “last will and testament” of Jesus Christ, the
law of pardon as given through His apostles is that one
must believe in Jesus (Acts 16:31), repent of
sins, and be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38) in order
to receive the salvation that Christ effected on the
cross.
To
properly understand God’s will for man today, one
must rightly divide the word of God (2 Timothy 2:15)
and then rightly apply it to his life.
God’s
word: rightly
divide it and rightly apply it!
God
bless you!
David A. Sargent,
Minister
Church of Christ at Creekwood
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
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