No longer will a man teach his neighbor

[Guest]

Jer. 31:31-34 is quoted in Hebrews 8:10-13, in part it says:

I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.

I have no trouble with the idea that the Israel spoken of here can be understood to be the church, however, I do have a hard time understanding the part of the passage quoted. Namely, it is written none shall teach his neighbor to know the Lord. Yet, it appears that at the present time some teachers do in fact attempt to do so. For example, didn't JI packer attempt to do so by writing a book (which I haven't read) called knowing God? I understand we now have the Holy Spirit to lead us, yet there remains a place for Christian teachers in the present era, so how then can this passage be about the present time?

Likewise, Christians have a number of different opinions about what the law is. If all know the law, how is it that so many Christians think differently about what that law is?

Thanks
Peter

[_Paidion]

Contextually, these things are to take place under the New Covenant, and so I would agree that the people of God referred to here, is the Assembly of God (or "Church of God" if you prefer).

Those who have been added to the Assembly are true disciples. All know God in the sense of being disciples who have left the self-life and are under God's authority. So all of them know God.

God's laws which he puts in their minds and writes in their hearts are His basic laws of righteousness, not the weak and codified laws of Moses, but the laws which form the basis of Mosaic law, but which are accoding to the spirit of righteousness, and not the letter (outward form). The truly regenerated person will fulfill these basic laws of God "naturally", that is they will become part of his new nature in Christ.

Nevertheless, if he is sometimes uncertain as to the right thing to do, he can consult the teaching of Christ in Matthew 5, 6, and 7 where our Lord explicitly states the laws of righteousness.

[Guest]

Thanks Paidion.

Peter

[Guest]

I would also suggest that this was written to people who were used to looking to their authority figures for what was right and wrong. So it is also a direct command not follow the old traditions of the Jews.