Proverbs 3:1, 2: "My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments; For length of days, and long life, and PEACE, shall they add to thee."
Men, all the laws and commandments of God promoted by Jesus Christ and the apostles to be applicable to Gentile Christians bring peace when we obey them. Many Old Testament laws applying to the Old Testament temple sacrifices obviously cannot apply to New Testament believers. However, many Old Testament laws and commandments are promoted and taught in the New Testaments. These laws and commandants, taken from the Old Covenant and added to the New Testament (covenant), if loved and obeyed will bring peace to those who apply them.
As to how much importance New Testament Christians should place on the Old Testament laws is briefly and simply answered in Acts 15:19-32. The apostles and elders ended their letter to the Gentile Christians with these words in verses 28 and 29: "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well." As fathers, we will do well to make this passage of Scripture the rule for our families.
It seems to me that the commandment against fornication is largely ignored by modern day Christians, to our peril. Sexual promiscuity is not being addressed by the leaders of our churches as a primary sin of which we must repent and put away from our families and churches. Fornication is running rampart in our nation in all institutions of government, education, and media. Churches everywhere, small and large, are infected.
Fathers, we must take responsibility now, right now! Do not leave it to the church leaders to address this subject, but faithfully address it in your family. As fathers, we cannot ignore this admonition from the leaders of the early church, which also seemed good doctrine of the Holy Ghost.
Psalm 119:165: "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them."
Be encouraged.
Colin Campbell