The Church Exercises Its Authority
In the New Testament we have an example where the leaders in the Church utilized their high authority that Christ had given them. Christ made a decision through them binding upon all Gentile Christians.
We read in Acts 15 that a misunderstanding came up between certain members in the Church in regard to circumcision. The matter concerned whether the Gentile Christians were required to be circumcised or not. Some of the Jews who had been converted thought that anyone in the faith should be circumcised, whether Jew or Gentile. (See verse 5) Others thought it not necessary to burden them with this physical rite. Peter mentioned that God had called the Gentiles into the Church without their being circumcised (verses 7-9). The testimony of Barnabas and Paul was that God had given the Gentiles His Spirit even in their physical uncircumcision (verse 12).
A decision had to be made in this case. And, since the Church had been given authority to bind or loose, a decision was made! Peter spoke the decision. The Headquarters Church issued the decision. Its chief minister was James, the physical half-brother of Christ (James was Joseph's first son, while Christ was the firstborn of God the Father). In explaining the decision, James appealed to the Scriptures, "Wherefore MY SENTENCE IS, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turning to God" (Acts 15:17-19).
And verse 28: "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things."
The Holy Spirit was guiding them into all truth as Christ had prophesied (John 16:13). So, by the authority given them by Christ, they bound only the NECESSARY things on the Gentiles. This was unlike the decisions of the scribes and Pharisees when they were sitting in Moses' Seat, for Christ said that they-bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders" (Matt. 23: 4). The apostles upon [them] no greater burden than these necessary things" (Acts 15:28).
God's Church today has divine authority to reveal the will of God in matters of Scripture too hard for the laymen to decide.
"Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 18:18).
Christ gave this authority to His true Church "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:12-15). Let us always be in obedience to God by keeping His commandments and acknowledging and heeding the decisions of God's Church.
Old Testament Not All of Scripture!
The Jews were authorized to guard the three sections of Holy Scripture that compose our Old Testament — the Law, the Prophets and the Writings. But the Holy Scripture was not completed with those three sections alone. Four more sections had to be added which would make seven complete sections in all. These four sections comprise the New Testament Scriptures. It was prophesied in the Old Testament that more Scriptures were to come when the Messiah made His appearance. Let us understand this clearly!
Moses Was Lawgiver and Type of Christ
Moses was a most extraordinary prophet of God. The task that God had given him to accomplish was so great, so important, that Moses received a designation from God that no other person — except One — has ever received. Even Aaron, being a type of High Priest, was of lower rank. Aaron was, in a sense, the prophet of Moses, and Moses was like God to the people (Ex. 7:1).
Why was Moses given such a high office? The reason is plain! God used him to accomplish something that had never been done before. Moses was commissioned to give the people the written and codified Law of God. The Law was known before (Gen. 26:5), but it was not completely written in a book and codified.
God spoke the Ten Commandments with His own mouth (Ex. 20:1). Never had God come to a people with such physical demonstrations of power and glory as when He revealed His Law.
The rest of the law God commanded Moses to write. God used only one man to reveal His civil Laws to the Israelites. That man was Moses. All subsequent Scripture is based on the laws revealed by God through Moses.
God told Moses to warn the Israelites that there was to come another person like Moses. Notice Deuteronomy 18:15, 18, 19.
Another Like Moses
Moses said, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, LIKE UNTO ME; unto him ye shall hearken." Then God says, "I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."
Notice! There was to be another prophet like Moses. In other words, another lawgiver was to arise. Why was this necessary? Because the people had not been given by Moses the complete spiritual revelation of God! Isaiah 42:21 prophesied there was One coming who would "MAGNIFY the Law and make it honorable."
By the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, that Prophet still had not come!
In New Testament times, the Jews were still looking for that prophet who was to be like a God to Israel and have the power of being lawgiver, as Moses had been! When John the Baptist appeared in Judea, he was questioned as to who he was. "And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And when they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou THAT PROPHET? And he answered, No" (John 1:19-21).
Who Was That Prophet?
There has been only One individual since the time of Moses to fulfill the role of Lawgiver and God. This One is Jesus Christ! He fulfilled the role of THAT PROPHET to the letter. Even many of the Jews themselves, after observing the mighty works done by Christ, recognized that He was the One like unto Moses. Notice. "Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth THAT PROPHET that should come into the world" (John 6:14).
And, by simply reviewing the "Sermon on the Mount" we can easily perceive that Jesus was the lawgiver that was to come. Notice the successive statements of Jesus: "Ye have heard that it hath been said . . . but I say unto you" (Matt. 5:21, 22, 27, 28, 31, 32, etc). Jesus gave the true spiritual meaning of the Law. He, in effect, was giving new commandments (e.g., John 13:34) — and commandments which magnified the ones given of old (Isa. 42:21).
The teaching of Jesus was also to complete the final written revelation of God — the Bible!
Isaiah 8:16 shows what Christ was to do. He was to "bind up the testimony," that is, He was to complete the witness of God — the Scriptures; and to "seal the law," or put His stamp of approval on the spiritual law of God — Hebrews 9:10. This binding and sealing was to be done "among His disciples" or by and through His disciples. This is exactly what Christ did! He gave us the complete Scriptures by the hand of His disciples. To the three sections already recognized by the Jews, He added, by His disciples, the remaining four sections: 1) the Gospels, 2) the Acts of the Apostles, 3) the Epistles, and 4) the book of Revelation. This makes seven complete sections in all. With these seven sections the Holy Scriptures were bound up — completed, from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22. No more were ever to be added for there was to be only one other prophet like Moses to arise, and that prophet — Jesus Christ — completed the Word of God through His disciples.
Conclusion
Is Judaism the religion of Moses? A simple comparison with the Scriptures and with the Judaism of Christ's day will show, without controversy, that it was not!
Judaism had its beginnings within the period of religious anarchy (301 B.C.-165 B.C.). It represents a combination of certain Scripture truths with many ideas and customs of the heathen and the varied opinions of men (Mark 7:7). Judaism represents an abandonment of the original Law of Moses, the Law they called "out-of-date," so they could do as they pleased. But Christ came to magnify it and make it honorable!
Let us all, Jew or Greek, Israelite or Gentile, get back to the Bible — the Word of God. Let us reject our human opinions and the pagan customs our society has inherited, and return to God and to His Word. Let us humbly bow before the God of the universe — the God of the Bible — and acknowledge our faults and ask Him for His mercy to bring us back to His precious truths.
"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose ye this day whom ye will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15).