Some who claim to be disciples of Jesus will seek to justify their doctrinal positions by an appeal to the Old Testament. For example, why do people advocate tithing, or Sabbath keeping, or the use of instruments to accompany the hymns they sing in congregational worship? The only appeal that can be made is to the Old Law. “David did it!”
In Galatians 4:21, Paul wrote, “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?” His point was that the law spoke of its own end, and that the children of promise would be free through faith in Christ Jesus. As Paul concluded, “So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free” (Galatians 4:31). By extension, one can’t argue from the Law to justify his practice as a Christian.
Consider these truths as examples:
- Christians don’t tithe, they give as prospered (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2)
- Christians don’t keep the Sabbath, they worship on the first day of the week (Sunday) (cf. Acts 20:7)
- Christians don’t worship with instruments, they sing songs (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16)
The warning is severe: “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have follen from grace” (Galatians 5:4).
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