Megachurch Pastor Says Christians Are Not Required to Obey Old Testament Commands

In a recent commentary for Relevant, Andy Stanley sparked controversy when he said that Christians have no obligation to obey commands found in the Old Testament. 

Stanley, a pastor at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, opened the commentary discussing the controversies over public displays of the Ten Commandments. He said, “But how many times have you seen Christians trying to post the text of the sermon on the mount in a public place? Or the all-encompassing command Jesus gave us? “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” –John 13:34.”

This brought Stanley into the controversial section of his remarks. He said, “Doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it? But if we’re going to create a monument to stand as a testament to our faith, shouldn’t it at least be a monument of something that actually applies to us?”

Stanley then argued that Jesus issued his one command to replace all the Old Testament commands. “Participants in the new covenant (that’s Christians) are not required to obey any of the commandments found in the first part of their Bibles.” He continued, “Participants in the new covenant are expected to obey the single command Jesus issued as part of his new covenant: as I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Stanley provoked strong…