HAYS ESSAY

Anthony B
OBST 591
Dr. Steven Guest
September 6, 2012
 Reflections

J. Daniel Hays presents a thoughtful approach that believers today can use to rightly

apply the Old Testament law.1 The approach is called “principlism,” and asks the Christian

reader to consider the initial audience of the text, the difference between the initial audience and

believers today, the universal principle found in the text, and the New Testament teaching on the

principle.2

The approach taken by Hays is a strong one. Believers must always be weary of letting

modern culture dictate adherence to the Scriptures. Another strong point of Hays’ approach is

the consistency to which it relates to the whole of Scripture. Context is an important part of

interpreting Scripture elsewhere in the Bible. It would follow that the context should be

scrutinized in these passages as well.3

A word of caution regarding Hays’ method is in order, however. As one of the principles

of Hays’ suggested approach, the reader is to “determine the differences between the initial

audience and believers today.” The believer must be careful not to determine what is Christian

today is not so because culturally we have stopped adhering to a particular principle in scripture.

This article contributed greatly to my understanding of this issue. I admit that the

traditional approach is the only method I have applied when deciding how to adhere to the Old

Testament law. I greatly look forward to reading the Old Testament law again with fresh eyes,

looking to apply what I have learned from Hays’ article.

1
J. Daniel Hays, “Applying the Old Testament Law Today,” in Bibliotheca Sacra, 158, No. 629 (2001): 21-
35.
2

Ibid., 30-35.
3

Ibid., 26-27.
 Reconciling the Two New Testament Teachings

Two Biblical teachings, one found in Matthew 5:17 and the other in Romans 7:1-6 and

Galatians 3-4, appear to be irreconcilable at first glace. This is not the case, however. When

Jesus says that the Old Testament law will not pass away, he also states in Matthew 5:18 that this

will not happen “until everything is accomplished.” Jesus is speaking of his own fulfillment of

the righteous demands of the law. He is not talking about the observance of the law.4

Application

In Exodus 22:25-27, God had just delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians. The

Israelites were camping in front of Mount Sinai when God gave a series of laws to Moses. These

laws described how God wanted Israel to relate to him as his covenant people.

Including the two verses that precede Exodus 22:25-27, God’s concern for taking

advantage of the lowly (the widow, the fatherless, the needy) is conveyed. The situation is

different today than the one found in this text: I am a gentile believer under a secular government

in the New Covenant instead of an Israelite under a theocracy, falling under the Mosaic

covenant. This text is similar to Acts 6:1 and Matthew 25:35-40 in the New Testament.

Therefore the broad principle that may be applied today is God’s desire for us to show

compassion to the lowly. This passage can be applied in my own life. My wife and I live in a

refugee community in Dallas. There is one specific Congolese family that we have a close

relationship with. Their children cannot afford to attend a private Christian school, yet their kids

want to learn about the Lord in this way. We have opportunity to help them financially, and

advocate for them to receive scholarships to the school. Their children do not have
4
Ibid., 29.
transportation to school as their parents cannot afford to do it themselves. We can help them

without expecting to receive anything in return and instead giving all the glory to God.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hays, J. Daniel. “Applying the Old Testament Law Today,” in Bibliotheca Sacra, 158, No. 629
(2001): 21-35.