Command 5: Honor God’s Law
Study Question
Q: Since the Law cannot save anyone, why did Abraham, the “father of faith,” tell the rich man his brothers would not be saved from hell unless they heeded Moses and the prophets?
A: Jesus gave the significant account of Lazarus and the rich man when He explained the important place of the Law of Moses and the prophets. In the parable, Abraham told the rich man that if his brothers did not heed Moses and the prophets, “neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.” (See Luke 16:31.)
How could it be that a person who rejects Moses and the prophets would not “be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31). The answer is that Christ’s redemption is what the Old Testament is all about. Jesus emphasized this when He said to the Pharisees, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).
Scripture makes it abundantly clear that no one can be saved by the works of the Law, because we cannot keep the Law to the level of perfection that a holy God demands. (See Galatians 2:16.) Therefore, we are to see those words in the light of New Testament truth in order to understand how the kingdom of God functions and how we must relate to it.
To focus on the works of the Law will bring discouragement or false pride, but to focus on the words of the Law and the prophets will reveal a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who said, “Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me” (John 5:46–47).
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This study question and answer is adapted from the Commands of Christ, Series 1, book. For further study, this book may be purchased from our Online Store.