There is a lot of talk about whether we are still under the old testament law, were Gentiles ever ever under the law, and even what parts of the law we were under. Did God change the rules between the new testament and the old testament?
The law is what defines sin. Plain and simple, there is no getting around this.
Rom 7:7; What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."
Rom 7:12; So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Rom 7:13; Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
Is it the law that kills us? Yes and no. The law is Holy, but we were unable to keep it. This not keeping it is known as "sin". Sin is what kills us, not the law directly.
Rom 6:23; For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In Exodus 20 we are given the 10 commandments. These were a part of the law, but they weren't the whole law. Were Gentiles expected to follow the ten commandments?
Josh 8:30; Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal,
Josh 8:31; just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded an iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
Josh 8:32; He wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel.
Josh 8:33; All Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the stranger as well as the native. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had given command at first to bless the people of Israel.
Josh 8:34; Then afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
Josh 8:35; There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.
Notice that it says here "the strangers as well as the native". It also says " the strangers who were living among them". The israelites had just finished wandering around the desert for 40 years. There were no non-Jews living among them at that time. However when they entered Canaan and started conquering the cities there, some of the Gentiles that lived there came to be with them. This would include Rahab the Harlot who was Boaz's matriarch. Interesting to know the lineage of Jesus had Gentiles in His bloodline.
The point here was, even the Gentiles that came to live with the Jews were told the law and expected to follow it. Without the law, there can be no sin.
Gal 3:24; Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
Without the law showing us what sin is, there is no reason to come to Jesus. Without sin, there would be no death and no reason to come to Jesus. Have you ever sinned? How did you know you sinned? Can you name an example of a sin that isn't in the Bible?
(New Living Translation)
Rom 2:12; When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it.
Rom 2:13; For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.
Rom 2:14; Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.
Rom 2:15; They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.
When the Gentiles sin... what? Gentiles can sin? It says they can here. If they didn't have the law how did they know they were sinning? How can they be judged by the law if it wasn't given to them?
It says here that they instinctively know His laws, it says it's written on their hearts. It says their own conscience accuses them when they do right or wrong.
The plain and simple fact is, Gentiles were always under the law even in the old testament.
Here is the same passage in King James.
Rom 2:12; For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Rom 2:13; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Rom 2:14; For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15; Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
Even those who sinned "without" the law, will "perish" without the law. The bottom line is, they still die.
.... all of that, and I haven't gotten to the new commandment yet.
The law is what defines sin. Plain and simple, there is no getting around this.
Rom 7:7; What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."
Rom 7:12; So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
Rom 7:13; Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.
Is it the law that kills us? Yes and no. The law is Holy, but we were unable to keep it. This not keeping it is known as "sin". Sin is what kills us, not the law directly.
Rom 6:23; For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In Exodus 20 we are given the 10 commandments. These were a part of the law, but they weren't the whole law. Were Gentiles expected to follow the ten commandments?
Josh 8:30; Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal,
Josh 8:31; just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded an iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
Josh 8:32; He wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel.
Josh 8:33; All Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the stranger as well as the native. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had given command at first to bless the people of Israel.
Josh 8:34; Then afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law.
Josh 8:35; There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.
Notice that it says here "the strangers as well as the native". It also says " the strangers who were living among them". The israelites had just finished wandering around the desert for 40 years. There were no non-Jews living among them at that time. However when they entered Canaan and started conquering the cities there, some of the Gentiles that lived there came to be with them. This would include Rahab the Harlot who was Boaz's matriarch. Interesting to know the lineage of Jesus had Gentiles in His bloodline.
The point here was, even the Gentiles that came to live with the Jews were told the law and expected to follow it. Without the law, there can be no sin.
Gal 3:24; Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
Without the law showing us what sin is, there is no reason to come to Jesus. Without sin, there would be no death and no reason to come to Jesus. Have you ever sinned? How did you know you sinned? Can you name an example of a sin that isn't in the Bible?
(New Living Translation)
Rom 2:12; When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it.
Rom 2:13; For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.
Rom 2:14; Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.
Rom 2:15; They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.
When the Gentiles sin... what? Gentiles can sin? It says they can here. If they didn't have the law how did they know they were sinning? How can they be judged by the law if it wasn't given to them?
It says here that they instinctively know His laws, it says it's written on their hearts. It says their own conscience accuses them when they do right or wrong.
The plain and simple fact is, Gentiles were always under the law even in the old testament.
Here is the same passage in King James.
Rom 2:12; For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Rom 2:13; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Rom 2:14; For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15; Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another
Even those who sinned "without" the law, will "perish" without the law. The bottom line is, they still die.
.... all of that, and I haven't gotten to the new commandment yet.