Sabbath and the New Covenant

[Hobie]

I came across a study by Roy Gane, one of the authors of books I have who is very in depth. Here are some excerpts on this issue..

Is the seventh day Sabbath a universal institution, or was it only for the literal Israelites?
My short answer to this question is: The seventh day Sabbath is universal because it was instituted at Creation for the benefit of all human beings, before the nation of Israel existed. This answer is based upon exegesis of Genesis 2:2-3, which reads:
2:2 And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.2:3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
God rested, i.e. ceased,(1) his work at the end of the Creation week because his work was done, not because he was tired (cp. Isa 40:28; Ps. 121:3-4).(2) On the seventh day he stopped to celebrate what could be regarded as the "birthday" of the world.
There is evidence that God intended not only to celebrate, but also to provide an example for human beings.

Exodus 31:17 refers to God being "refreshed" as a result of his rest on the seventh day of Creation. The verb translated "refreshed" here, i.e. npsh is used only three times in the Hebrew Bible (all Niphal stem): Exod 31:17; 2 Sam 16:14; and Exod 23:12. In 2 Samuel 16:14, the verb npsh describes David and his people recovering from fatigue induced by their flight from Absalom (2 Sam 16:14). Exodus 23:12 reiterates the Sabbath command given in the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:8-11):
23:12 Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.

In this context, rest (verb nwh) on the seventh day Sabbath clearly relieves the fatigue of human beings and animals (cp. Deut 5:14) and refreshes (verb npsh) them. Now the question arises: If the verb npsh describes relief from fatigue in Exodus 23:12 and 2 Samuel 16:14, why does Exodus 31:17 use the same word with reference to God being "refreshed"? The answer lies in the purpose of Exodus 31:12-17, which is to have God's people follow his example by resting on the seventh day of the week (Cassuto: 1967: 245,404; Sailhamer 1992: 309). Even though God did not need rest from fatigue, the Bible here speaks of him anthropomorphically(3) as receiving some kind of refreshing benefit (Sarna 1991: 202) in order to show people how to rest on the seventh day, as a result of which they would gain relief from fatigue (Exod 23:12).

Lest it should seem strange that God would do something as an example for human beings, consider two similar cases:

1. In the Israelite ritual system, the blood of a sacrificial animal was drained out and applied to the outside or horns of the altar in the courtyard (see e.g. Lev 1:5; 4:25) or to the area of the outer sanctum and the horns of the incense altar (Lev 4:6,7) with the remainder disposed of by pouring it out at the base of the outer altar (Lev 4:7). The blood did not go up to God in smoke along with the meat as a "pleasing aroma" (see e.g. Lev 1:9). Why not? Because the meat constituted a "food gift" to God (cp. Num 28:2)(4) and God had commanded the Israelites not to eat meat without draining out the blood because the blood represents the life (Lev 17:10-12; cp. Gen 9:4). By not eating blood with their meat, the Israelites acknowledged that they did not have ultimate control over life. But God did have such control. So why didn't he show it by accepting blood with his meat? Apparently because he wanted to be an example to his people, thereby practicing what he preached.

2. Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize him, but John recognized that Jesus did not need baptism (Matt 3:13-14). Baptism symbolizes purification from sin (Rom 6:1-5), but Jesus was sinless (Heb 4:15). Nevertheless, Jesus insisted that John baptize him, saying to him:
"Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt 3:15).
So Jesus went through the motions of baptism because it is part of a righteous human life, even though the righteousness which he already possessed transcended the fallen state and did not require baptism.

Thus far, we have found that God's rest served as an example for human Sabbath observance. But did this example begin to operate thousands of years after Creation, or did God intend for human beings to follow his example from the beginning? Jesus succinctly answered the question by declaring that "the Sabbath was made for humankind . . ." (Mk 2:27). He viewed the original purpose of the Sabbath as providing benefit to human beings. This means that when God rested on the seventh day of Creation, he did not simply intend to benefit himself.
It is true that there is nothing in the text of Genesis 2 which explicitly tells us that the Sabbath was made for human beings as Jesus later declared. Nor does Genesis state that the Sabbath is to be an on-going, cyclical event, occurring on each seventh day. However, Genesis did not need to explicitly state these things because the context makes them clear....

 

[Hobie]

Consider the following contextual factors:
1. According to Genesis 2:3, God blessed the seventh day and made it holy (Gen 2:3). Thus, God must have endowed this day with a special relationship to himself, who alone is intrinsically holy (1 Sam. 2:2). But how can a day be holy? A day is a unit of time, which is not a material substance, so it cannot be made holy by application of a holy substance, such as anointing oil (Lev 8:10-12). It must be consecrated in relation to beings who are affected by it. The only way for intelligent beings to make/treat time as holy is by altering their behavior. Thus, God altered his behavior on the seventh day of Creation, the archetype of the weekly Sabbath (cp. Hasel 1982: 23), and proclaimed the day holy. Skinner points out regarding the Sabbath in Genesis 2:1-3:
. . . it is not an institution which exists or ceases with its observance by man; the divine rest is a fact as much as the divine working, and so the sanctity of the day is a fact whether man secures the benefit or not (1930: 35).

But what sense would it make to say that God blessed the day if he intended this unit of holy time to benefit only himself? Elsewhere in the Creation story, God's blessings were outgoing, for the benefit of his creatures (Gen 1:22,28). So could we imagine that on the seventh day God rested and admired his handiwork while man toiled in the garden (cp. Gen 2:15)? The blessing must be for created beings living in the world where the seventh day operated (see Skinner 1930: 35). In order to receive the blessing, these beings would consecrate the day as God did, by altering their behavior (see Doukhan 1991: 156). The blessing results from activity which acknowledges the consecration. As Skinner put it:
. . . the Sabbath is a constant source of well-being to the man who recognizes its true nature and purpose (1930: 38).

2. God made human beings in his image (Gen 1:26-27) and commissioned them to continue the work of creation by being fruitful and multiplying (vs. 28). He also gave them the work of having dominion/responsibility over the earth (verses. 26-28; 2:15). If human beings are made in God's image and are to emulate God by working on their level as God worked on his (cp. Lev 19:2), it would stand to reason that they should also emulate God by resting from their work as God rested from his (cp. Sailhamer 1992: 96-97).

3. On each of the first six days of creation, God did something which had on-going results for our world. Thus, we expect that what he did on the seventh day would also have earthly on-going results.

4. God set up cyclical time even before man was created (Gen 1:3-5, 14-18). According to Genesis 1:14, God made heavenly luminaries, chiefly the sun and moon (vs. 16), to mark earthly time as "signs," "seasons," i.e. appointed times, days and years. So when Genesis 2:3 says that God blessed and hallowed the seventh day, this blessing and consecration could be on-going in a cyclical sense, applying to each subsequent seventh day. In fact, the seventh day Sabbath provides a plausible explanation for the origin of the week, which is not defined by the movement of heavenly bodies (cp. Cassuto 1967: 244).(5)

The Creation story does not contain a command for human beings to observe the Sabbath. But neither does it contain commands to abstain from idolatry, adultery, murder, or any of the other Ten Commandments (cp. Exod 20). In Genesis 1-2, God was concerned with setting up the ideal order of relationships rather than commanding protection of existing relationships. For human beings, he instituted the Sabbath, marriage, and work (Robertson 1980: 68-81). These three institutions embody principles which were later expressed in the Ten Commandments (cp. Exod 20:3-17).

According to Genesis 3, when Adam and Eve showed disrespect for God's lordship by eating the fruit of a forbidden tree (Gen 3:6), their marriage and work suffered as a result of the Curse of sin (Gen 3:16-19). But there is an important omission in Genesis 3: the Sabbath is not affected by any curse resulting from the Fall. Unlike the other two Creation institutions, the Sabbath remains a little piece of Paradise. As such, its value is enhanced by the deterioration around it. Now that work is exhausting, ceasing from labor on the Sabbath provides needed rest. More importantly, now that human beings are cut off from direct access to God, they need a reminder of his lordship even more than they did before the Fall.

While the Fall made marriage and labor difficult and reduced their joy, it did not take away human responsibility with regard to any of the Creation institutions or the principles which they embody. When Cain murdered Abel, showing disrespect for the life which had been given by God through the marriage of Adam and Eve, God held him accountable (Gen 4:9-15). Genesis does not say that the sixth commandment was formulated as such before Cain killed Abel, but Cain was a murderer anyway because he violated the order which God had set up. Just as we cannot say that the obligation to abstain from murder could not exist before the sixth of the Ten Commandments was given to Israel, so we cannot say that the Sabbath could not exist as a human responsibility before the fourth commandment was given.

It is true that the Pentateuchal narratives do not mention the seventh day as a day of ceasing from work between the time God rested on the seventh day of Creation (Gen 2:2-3) and the time he commanded the Israelites to observe Sabbath in the wilderness on the way to Mt. Sinai (Exod 16:23-30). But neither do the early Pentateuchal narratives record the specific obligation to refrain from taking God's name in vain. This is stated in the third of the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:7) and illustrated in a later narrative (Lev 24:11-16,23). The early silence does not constitute evidence that God did not expect people to do these things which were implied by the Creation order....

 

[Hobie]

Then he goes into the New Testament..
The Sabbath and God's "rest" are not mutually exclusive, but rather, they are complementary. Insofar as keeping the seventh day Sabbath expresses and helps maintain belief in God (see below), it contributes to the experience of entering God's rest. Therefore, when God offered his "rest" to the Israelites, he offered the Sabbath along with it. The Sabbath was supposed to be part of God's "rest" and there is no indication in the Bible that this has changed.
At first glance, Colossians 2:16-17 could appear to contradict the conclusion which I reached from exegesis of Hebrews 4. Colossians 2:16-17 reads:
2:16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.
2:17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

In verse 17, "shadow" means "temporary type." So does this mean that the "sabbaths" mentioned in verse 16 functioned as temporary types?

The issue here is ritual observance of special holy days. "Festivals, new moons, or sabbaths" inverts the order found in Numbers 28-29, where the calendar of ritual offerings on holy days includes offerings on Sabbaths (Num 28:9-10), new moons (Num 28:11-15) and festivals (Num 28:16-29:40). These offerings were part of the Israelite worship system. But it was the rituals performed on the days, not the days themselves, which functioned as the types. Notice that in Colossians 2:17, the pronoun "These" identifies the shadowy things as the list in verse 16: "food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths" in verse 16. Along with food and drink, which in this context must be religious in nature because they have typological significance, it is ritual observance(10) of the festivals, new moons, and Sabbaths which constitutes the "shadow"/type; it is not the days themselves. There is no evidence that new moon days, for example, had typological significance of their own; it was the special sacrifices offered on new moon days (Num 28:11-15) which served as a "shadow."

In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul affirms the same basic message which was decided at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15): People do not need to practice the Jewish rituals in order to be Christians. The rituals were historical types pointing forward to the better, truly efficacious ministry of Jesus Christ, which has already begun and to which our focus should be directed....As a sign of the on-going dependence of human beings upon their Creator and his work, the seventh day Sabbath continues to have significance for the "new covenant." The fact that the Sabbath functioned during the "old covenant" period does not mean that the Sabbath became obsolete with that covenant. Rather, there is a sense in which the significance of the Sabbath is restored under the "new covenant."

When God reaffirmed the Sabbath for Israel, the Sabbath was more than a commandment; according to Exodus 31:13,17 (cp. Ezek 20:12), the Sabbath functioned as a sign of the covenant relationship by which he sanctified the Israelites. This function applied to Israel a principle which had been inherent in the Sabbath since Creation. On the seventh day of Creation, God sanctified the Sabbath (Gen 2:2-3), a unit of time. Why? In order to affect those who observe this special time. How would they be affected? They would emulate their holy Creator and acknowledge their on-going connection with him. Because they would belong to God, who is intrinsically holy, they would gain holiness from him. In other words, the Sabbath would be a sign that God makes people holy, just as God explicitly said in Exodus 31:13 with particular reference to the Israelites. From the beginning, his desire has been for all people to enjoy a holy relationship with him.

The divine-human relationship signified by the Sabbath is one in which human beings are dependent upon God and his work. Thus, those who rest on the Sabbath acknowledge ". . . that I, the LORD, sanctify you . . ." (Exod 31:13) and "that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth" (vs. 17). The Sabbath is not simply the immovable "birthday of the world"; it recognizes the dependence of the world, and more particularly the human beings who have dominion over the world, on God who created the world....

 

[BlessedPeace]

I came across a study by Roy Gane, one of the authors of books I have who is very in depth. Here are some excerpts on this issue..

Is the seventh day Sabbath a universal institution, or was it only for the literal Israelites?
My short answer to this question is: The seventh day Sabbath is universal because it was instituted at Creation for the benefit of all human beings, before the nation of Israel existed. This answer is based upon exegesis of Genesis 2:2-3, which reads:
2:2 And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done.2:3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
God rested, i.e. ceased,(1) his work at the end of the Creation week because his work was done, not because he was tired (cp. Isa 40:28; Ps. 121:3-4).(2) On the seventh day he stopped to celebrate what could be regarded as the "birthday" of the world.
There is evidence that God intended not only to celebrate, but also to provide an example for human beings.

Exodus 31:17 refers to God being "refreshed" as a result of his rest on the seventh day of Creation. The verb translated "refreshed" here, i.e. npsh is used only three times in the Hebrew Bible (all Niphal stem): Exod 31:17; 2 Sam 16:14; and Exod 23:12. In 2 Samuel 16:14, the verb npsh describes David and his people recovering from fatigue induced by their flight from Absalom (2 Sam 16:14). Exodus 23:12 reiterates the Sabbath command given in the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:8-11):
23:12 Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed.

In this context, rest (verb nwh) on the seventh day Sabbath clearly relieves the fatigue of human beings and animals (cp. Deut 5:14) and refreshes (verb npsh) them. Now the question arises: If the verb npsh describes relief from fatigue in Exodus 23:12 and 2 Samuel 16:14, why does Exodus 31:17 use the same word with reference to God being "refreshed"? The answer lies in the purpose of Exodus 31:12-17, which is to have God's people follow his example by resting on the seventh day of the week (Cassuto: 1967: 245,404; Sailhamer 1992: 309). Even though God did not need rest from fatigue, the Bible here speaks of him anthropomorphically(3) as receiving some kind of refreshing benefit (Sarna 1991: 202) in order to show people how to rest on the seventh day, as a result of which they would gain relief from fatigue (Exod 23:12).

Lest it should seem strange that God would do something as an example for human beings, consider two similar cases:

1. In the Israelite ritual system, the blood of a sacrificial animal was drained out and applied to the outside or horns of the altar in the courtyard (see e.g. Lev 1:5; 4:25) or to the area of the outer sanctum and the horns of the incense altar (Lev 4:6,7) with the remainder disposed of by pouring it out at the base of the outer altar (Lev 4:7). The blood did not go up to God in smoke along with the meat as a "pleasing aroma" (see e.g. Lev 1:9). Why not? Because the meat constituted a "food gift" to God (cp. Num 28:2)(4) and God had commanded the Israelites not to eat meat without draining out the blood because the blood represents the life (Lev 17:10-12; cp. Gen 9:4). By not eating blood with their meat, the Israelites acknowledged that they did not have ultimate control over life. But God did have such control. So why didn't he show it by accepting blood with his meat? Apparently because he wanted to be an example to his people, thereby practicing what he preached.

2. Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize him, but John recognized that Jesus did not need baptism (Matt 3:13-14). Baptism symbolizes purification from sin (Rom 6:1-5), but Jesus was sinless (Heb 4:15). Nevertheless, Jesus insisted that John baptize him, saying to him:
"Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt 3:15).
So Jesus went through the motions of baptism because it is part of a righteous human life, even though the righteousness which he already possessed transcended the fallen state and did not require baptism.

Thus far, we have found that God's rest served as an example for human Sabbath observance. But did this example begin to operate thousands of years after Creation, or did God intend for human beings to follow his example from the beginning? Jesus succinctly answered the question by declaring that "the Sabbath was made for humankind . . ." (Mk 2:27). He viewed the original purpose of the Sabbath as providing benefit to human beings. This means that when God rested on the seventh day of Creation, he did not simply intend to benefit himself.
It is true that there is nothing in the text of Genesis 2 which explicitly tells us that the Sabbath was made for human beings as Jesus later declared. Nor does Genesis state that the Sabbath is to be an on-going, cyclical event, occurring on each seventh day. However, Genesis did not need to explicitly state these things because the context makes them clear....

Precisely so!

God established his day of rest after creating all things. Before humans knew ritual or worship.

Then in Sinai he told Moses to remind people to keep his Sabbath holy.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.
He is God who created the Sabbath. He gave the Sabbath to us. The Sabbath was made,created,for us.

Now,certain ones of us insist the Sabbath was made only for the Jews. Which is false. Because the Sabbath pre-existed the Jews.

Think about it. Those who insist the Sabbath does not apply to Christians are saying they deny God's gift. And prefer the Roman emperor's rite of the Sun , Sun-day.

 

[Hobie]

Precisely so!

God established his day of rest after creating all things. Before humans knew ritual or worship.

Then in Sinai he told Moses to remind people to keep his Sabbath holy.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.
He is God who created the Sabbath. He gave the Sabbath to us. The Sabbath was made,created,for us.

Now,certain ones of us insist the Sabbath was made only for the Jews. Which is false. Because the Sabbath pre-existed the Jews.

Think about it. Those who insist the Sabbath does not apply to Christians are saying they deny God's gift. And prefer the Roman emperor's rite of the Sun , Sun-day.

Well, peoples eyes are being opened and seeing how they were deceived, and beginning to understand the truth of the Sabbath, we can only pray and allow God to work on their hearts and mind...

 

[mailmandan]

People's eyes need to be opened about the truth of the gospel. (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 4:3,4) Sabbath keeping is not the gospel and it's also not binding on Christians under the new covenant. (Colossians 2:16-17)

Don't make the same error that the Israelites made by trying to establish their own righteousness. (Romans 10:1-4)

 

[Jack]

The Sabbath preachers don't obey the Sabbath COMMANDS!

 

[BlessedPeace]

People's eyes need to be opened about the truth of the gospel. (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; 2 Corinthians 4:3,4) Sabbath keeping is not the gospel and it's also not binding on Christians under the new covenant. (Colossians 2:16-17)

Don't make the same error that the Israelites made by trying to establish their own righteousness. (Romans 10:1-4)

That's pathetic. No matter how many verses,even links,that prove none of what is regurgitated there by anti-Sabbath proponents is true,it doesn't sink in.

They just repeat the same false affirmation . Unlearnable. As God intends.

 

[Jack]

Nobody obeys the Sabbath COMMANDS!

 

[BlessedPeace]

Nobody obeys the Sabbath COMMANDS!

Case in point.

Thank you.

 

[mailmandan]

That's pathetic. No matter how many verses,even links,that prove none of what is regurgitated there by anti-Sabbath proponents is true,it doesn't sink in.

They just repeat the same false affirmation . Unlearnable. As God intends.

If the truth is what people are sincerely looking for then they will ultimately find it in God's word. If accommodating a biased church doctrine at all costs is the only thing people are interested in then they will not find the truth no matter how many times that you explain it to them from God's word.

 

[BlessedPeace]

If the truth is what people are sincerely looking for then they will ultimately find it in God's word. If accommodating a biased church doctrine at all costs is the only thing people are interested in then they will not find the truth no matter how many times that you explain it to them from God's word.

An honest response.

Here's hoping God opens your eyes.

 

[mailmandan]

An honest response.

Here's hoping God opens your eyes.

My eyes were opened by God several years ago. No biased church doctrine for me. Praise the Lord!

 

[Hobie]

If the truth is what people are sincerely looking for then they will ultimately find it in God's word. If accommodating a biased church doctrine at all costs is the only thing people are interested in then they will not find the truth no matter how many times that you explain it to them from God's word.

If they truly believe what God's Word says, then following His Law is a natural result as we see over and over, this is what God wants. Not to transgress it, as Paul says 'God Forbid'..

 

[Grailhunter]

When you get down to it, it is more that just the Law.
It is the culture that the Law created that was hard hearted and cruel. A culture that made it right to have multiple wives and fathers could sell their daughters as sex slaves. And kill women that were raped because they were damaged goods.
It was the spirit of the Law that made it a curse on the Israelite culture and ultimately damned their souls.
There is no part of that culture and no part of that spirit and no part of that religious outlook that we want in Christianity.
It was the Law that had no spiritual connection because the Law separate humans from God….one of the reasons that the veil ripped in two when Yeshua died on the cross…..Christ brought us together.
Christianity….the New Covenant was the first Covenant that brought humans and God together as adopted sons and daughters of God, the family of God and provided salvation.
Galatians 4:21 “Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?”

 

[Hobie]

When you get down to it is more that just the Law.
It is the culture that the Law created that was hard hearted and cruel. A culture that made it right to have multiple wives and fathers could sell their daughters as sex slaves. And kill women that were raped because they were damaged goods.
It was the spirit of the Law that made it a curse on the Israelite culture and ultimately damned their souls.
There is no part of that culture and no part of that spirit and no part of that religious outlook that we want in Christianity.
It was the Law that had no spiritual connection because the Law separate humans from God….one of the reasons that the veil ripped in two when Yeshua died on the cross…..Christ brought us together.
Christianity….the New Covenant was the first Covenant that brought humans and God together as adopted sons and daughters of God, the family of God and provided salvation.
Galatians 4:21 “Tell me, you who want to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?”

Love for God and love for one another was twisted and corrupted to what we see today, thus we need to restore what God intended..

 

[Jack]

Love for God and love for one another was twisted and corrupted to what we see today, thus we need to restore what God intended..

Ain't gonna happen til Jesus returns.

 

[rwb]

If they truly believe what God's Word says, then following His Law is a natural result as we see over and over, this is what God wants. Not to transgress it, as Paul says 'God Forbid'..

Since believers are commanded not to transgress the Law of God, why mention only the Law that pertains to keeping of the Sabbath day? Isn't ALL of God's Law equally important and not to be transgressed? If we're going to argue the faithful MUST be obedient to the Old Law of God (before Christ), should we not also argue for all the Levitical Laws that God has commanded? Why is our focus only on one Law, and ignore the FACT that Christ came and fulfilled ALL the Law of God commanded?

The Old Covenant Law keepers did not enter into the REST of Christ because they kept the Law of God in unbelief. But in Christ we do enter into rest (Sabbath) when we are of faith through Him. And we rest (keep sabbath) with Him every day of the week. Those who seek to be in Christ through the Levitical Law by resting only one day of the week (Saturday or Sunday) in Him, have not entered into REST with Him.

Truth is that now Christ is our Sabbath and we REST in Him, knowing that one day is NOT better than another, and we should rest in Christ EVERYDAY, and not only one day of the week. Every day we rest equally through the finished work of Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

Hebrews 4:8-11 (KJV) For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest (sabbatism) to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

If we think being obedient to the Law of God one day of the week is entering into the Kingdom of God through Christ and how we shall be saved, then we have not entered into the finished work of Christ, and we're still in unbelief.

 

[Jack]

Galatians 3:10-11
10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, ...

 

[mailmandan]

If they truly believe what God's Word says, then following His Law is a natural result as we see over and over, this is what God wants. Not to transgress it, as Paul says 'God Forbid'..

Galatians 2:16 - knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

Philippians 3:9 - and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

LET THAT SINK IN.