Page:The Net of Faith.pdf/255

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The sense of this is2 that, even though faith is founded on every word of God, it is valid for us Christians only if it agrees with the original intention of Christ.Christian and Jewish Interpretation of the Law For the Jewish law has an insufficiency (when judged by) the law of Christ since it observes material sacrifices and other physical requirements which the old law showed them in material parables. And as these parables foreshadowed Christ, they became true in Christ.

Judging from this point of view we can understand that many divine words of the first law3 do not bind us (for instance) to follow the lambs4; but because lambs symbolized Christ the true sacrifice for sins, we must accept them as such, since Christ brought to us this more suitable faith.5 It is therefore right that faith comes from hearing the word of Jesus Christ and that the Scripture should be understood and obeyed in accordance with the words of Christ and his truth. His words are for our edification and they will confirm the infallibility of his teaching.

For Jewish as well as other human scriptures can be based pretentiously and falsely on Christ's words and his examples; these false scriptures are added to Christ and his words in order to lie more successfully and acceptably 'through Christ.'


2 literally, can be.

3 i.e., the Old Testament.

4 the translator took the liberty to paraphrase this sentence somewhat since the original displays a considerable circumlocution.