The Law of Moses vs. the Law of Christ

With all of the requirements of what a World Mission Society Church of God member must do in order to get to heaven, you might ask them why they are so busy following the law.

The answer I got was that they do not follow the Law of Moses, but the Law of Christ. From 1 Corinthians 9:21 (NIV), "though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law." So when the New Testament talks about us not being justified by observing the law, they say it means the Law of Moses (which was given in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). They will agree that they are not bound by the Law of Moses anymore, but they must follow the Law of Christ.

They use verses like these:

1 Corinthians 9:21 (again), "to those who are without law, as without law (not being without law toward God, but under law toward Christ), that I might win those who are without law" --Paul is under the Law of Christ!

1 Corinthians 11:1, "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ." --We must do everything as Jesus did, follow His example in everything, like when he went to the Temple on the Sabbath (Saturday)!

James 2:14, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?" --See you can't get to heaven by just believing! (so they say...)

What do they say is the Law of Christ? I haven't gotten that complete list, but they do say the Law of Christ includes...
*keep the Saturday Sabbath, NOT Sunday
*keep ALL the Feasts of God, especially Passover
*keep them on the exact right day, in the exact right manner
*be baptized in the new name
*women must wear veils in church or praying
*DON'T celebrate Christmas, Easter, or any other manmade traditions like these
*pay your tithe to the church
*do anything else that God commanded, no matter how small it seems (except things that Jesus changed, such as dietary laws, circumcision, and animal sacrifices)
*and don't forget, you must worship the "Mother God"

Those I've asked say it's not hard, just a day--Passover--oh and Saturdays, the Sabbath. But question them further, and they admit that it is more than that, really.
And if it is ALL that God commanded, then it must also include those commands that I wrote about yesterday.

If that's true, it's a very heavy yoke to bear. Who can manage to keep ALL those commandments ALL of the time?

But what if we look to see if the Bible tells us more specifically what the Law of Christ is? Do a search for "Law of Christ" in the Bible (BibleGateway.com is useful for this), and here's what you'll find:
Galatians 6:2
"Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

That's it--carry each other's burdens. It's about love.

Now I'm going to search for "command" in the Gospels and see if there is any other specific command...
John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another."
John 15:12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
John 15:17 "These things I command you, that you love one another."
--It's about love.

Mark 12:30-31 (This is in Matthew 22 also)
"And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these.”
--It's about love.

Mark 10:19 (This story is repeated in Matthew 18 and Luke 18)
"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.’"
--When Jesus talked about the laws (of Moses), this is what He mentioned. Nothing about Feasts or Sabbath. It's about love.

Jesus did not tell us all about how important it was to keep the Sabbath and Feasts faithfully. He told us how important it was to love and have a right heart. Loving others is even harder than loving God. Especially when those others are enemies or otherwise...unpleasant.
It's relatively easy to go to church on special days, pay your tithe, and wear a veil. It is NOT easy to love! Who can do this perfectly?

The WMSCOG says that if you keep the Sabbath and the Feasts, then you will also be keeping all the other commandments, including loving God and others. But this is not true. Our actions do not always match our heart. Have you ever known anyone who could go through the actions of love, but not actually love in their heart? I have.

That was exactly what the Pharisees were doing--all the actions of following the law, but without a heart of love.

Praise God, He saves us by His grace, and not according to how well we keep His commandments--including loving others!
More about grace next time...