Expert: Joe Norman - 8/27/2011

Question
Are the four gospels still under the mosaic law since Jesus didn't die till the end of each gospel? We live under grace which started when Jesus died for our sins, so do we still apply the teachings of the four gospels in our life?

Answer
Hi Josh,

There have been men debating for many years whether or not the four gospels belong in the Old Testament or New Testament. I have read things from great scholars on both sides of this topic. I have even read some debates on it. There is one minister in the church of Christ who has become very dogmatic about his belief that the four gospels are part of the Old Testament. His name is Dan Billingsly. I have communicated with him and some other ministers who have become convinced by him that he is right. He has a well done website which is dedicated to proving his belief that the gospels belong in the Old Testament. You can probably find it very easy if you do a google search for him.

I have carefully considered Dan's position seeking to study his material without letting prior teachings and my opinion to blind me from the possibility he might be correct. But after honestly studying his material I don't agree with him. I believe that the gospels belong in the New Testament for two main reasons. First, the gospels were written by men who became Christians on the day of Pentecost and two were apostles.  The other reason is that they are not bound only to the Law of Moses. Yes everything that took place in them occurred prior to the day of Pentecost and Jesus definitely lived His earthly life under the Law of Moses. But some teachings were specifically looking forward to the coming church even though most was just correcting the error of Pharisee teachings on the Law of Moses.

Some things Jesus taught are also what I call eternal truths which means they apply to all mankind in all covenant eras. So what we must do is determine the proper context of the passage we are studying. I personally view the gospels as a transition between the two Testaments. They were written to lead us into the coming New Testament which actually was established on the day of Pentecost and not before. I hope this makes sense to you. It makes the most sense to me. I do believe they are placed where they should be placed...the New Testament; but they are actually books which are between both Testaments and although most is correcting Pharisee error on the Law of Moses not all of it is limited to the Law of Moses. If you have further questions please feel free to ask me.

In Christian Love, Joe Norman