No — Christians today are not under the Old Testament religious system; that system of law, temple worship, and sacrifices was set aside when grace came in through the cross.
Les Feldick teaches that the Old Testament practices—priesthood, temple worship, and sacrifices—were part of the legalistic system given to Israel. The age of grace replaced the age of law, and the temple was destroyed as evidence that the old economy had faded. Believers are now 'not under the law, but under grace,' and the ordinances have been nailed to the cross.
Hebrews 9:1 — This verse directly identifies the Old Testament religious practices as 'ordinances of divine service' belonging to the first covenant.
Romans 6:14 — It states plainly that believers are no longer under the law—the legal system that required those practices—but under grace.
Colossians 2:14 — It shows that the ordinances of the law were taken out of the way when Christ was crucified.
Hebrews 11:6 — It highlights that faith, not ritual observance, is what pleased God even in the Old Testament.
The Bible explicitly attaches the Old Testament religious practices to the first covenant. Hebrews 9:1 says, 'Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.' The same passage is the starting point for understanding that these practices were regulated, prescribed rituals. Paul states plainly to believers, 'For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace' (Romans 6:14). He also describes what happened to the ordinances: 'Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross' (Colossians 2:14). Finally, Hebrews 11:6 shows the principle of faith: 'But without faith it is impossible to please him.' So Scripture presents the old ordinances as part of a covenant that has been removed for those who are under grace.
Les Feldick explains that the Old Testament religious practices—temple worship, the priesthood, and the sacrificial system—were all part of the economy of law given to the nation of Israel (Clip 7). He notes that before Exodus 20 there was no organized system of worship and no written list of do's and don'ts; the law introduced a prescribed ritual under the first covenant (Clips 3, 5). Under that law, if a person tried to keep any part of it, he was obligated to keep all of it—which meant maintaining a temple, a priesthood, an altar, and a flock of sacrificial animals (Clip 2). Les stresses that this legalistic system is not the pattern for the age of grace. When grace arrived, God sovereignly had the temple in Jerusalem destroyed by the Roman armies because the age of law had faded off the scene (Clip 2). Paul's language in Romans, Les says, is about how believers are not under that whole legalistic system; grace is as different from law as daylight is from dark (Clip 4). A Jew does not have to give up his Jewishness, Les adds, but he must separate from the Old Testament economy because that was all settled at the cross (Clip 6). At the same time, Les shows that the Old Testament rituals were never meant to function without faith. Israel kept the feast days, offered the sacrifices, and followed the law to the letter, but without faith it is impossible to please God; Christ was the object of faith they were expected to embrace (Clip 1). For believers today, the old economy has slipped off the scene, and the mystery now revealed through Paul tells us we have nothing to do with law (Clips 6, 7).
The Old Testament system was the prescribed ritual of the first covenant. Les explains that when people came to the temple, they knew exactly what to do, how to do it, and when (Clip 3). It included temple worship, a priesthood, and sacrifices, and it was the economy of law under which Israel lived (Clip 7). Les points out that this organized worship did not exist from Genesis 1 to Exodus 20; it began with the giving of the law at Sinai (Clip 5).
Les teaches that the age of grace changed everything. When grace came, God caused the temple to be destroyed, because the age of law had faded off the scene (Clip 2). Paul makes clear that believers are 'not under the law, but under grace' (Romans 6:14), and Christ nailed the ordinances of the law to the cross (Colossians 2:14; Clip 6). The old economy had to slip off the scene when God turned to the Gentile world, and we now have something totally different (Clip 7).
Les uses Israel's history to show that ritual observance alone never pleased God. Israel kept the feast days and followed the law and the sacrifices to the letter, but without faith they could not please God (Clip 1). Even in the Old Testament economy, Christ was the object of faith they were expected to embrace (Clip 1). For believers under grace, the response to God is not the legalistic system but faith in what Christ accomplished at the cross (Clips 4 and 6).
The Service of God Explained: What Israel's Worship Meant — Romans 9:4
in the little book form. They should be throwing them on the screen here in a minute. And they're all available in video. And in order to keep the costs down where almost anybody can afford them, we put 12 half-hour programs on one 6-hour video, and we can send them anywhere for $30.
Faith More Important Than Ritual
Les shows that Israel could keep every feast day and sacrifice and still not please God, because faith in Christ was the missing element. This underscores that the Old Testament rituals were never an end in themselves.
Law Requires Everything; Grace Replaces It
Les explains that keeping the law means keeping all of it, including the temple, priesthood, altar, and sacrifices, and that God destroyed the temple when grace came, showing the law's age was over.
Ordinances of Divine Service
Les reads Hebrews 9:1 and explains that the first covenant contained prescribed ordinances of divine service, so the Old Testament worship was a law-based ritual system.
Under Grace, Not the Legalistic System
Les says Paul's point is that we are not under Israel's legalistic priesthood and sacrificial system; we are under grace, which is entirely different.
Worship System Began at Sinai
Les notes that from Genesis 1 to Exodus 20 there was no organized, God-instituted worship; the law at Sinai began the structured religious system.
Old Testament Economy Set Aside
Les teaches that a Jew does not have to stop being Jewish, but must separate from the Old Testament economy, because the law and its ordinances were settled at the cross.
Old Economy Slipped Off the Scene
Les explains that since God turned to the Gentiles, the Old Testament economy of temple worship, priesthood, and sacrifices has been replaced by something totally different under grace.
Hebrews 9:1: Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
This verse explicitly names the Old Testament worship practices as 'ordinances of divine service' that belonged to the first covenant.
Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Paul's direct statement that believers are no longer under the law, which is the basis for not following the old religious system.
Colossians 2:14: Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
Shows that the ordinances of the law were removed and nailed to the cross, so they no longer bind the believer.
Hebrews 11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Establishes that faith, not ritual performance, is what pleased God even in the Old Testament economy.
No. Les Feldick teaches that the feasts and sacrifices were part of the legalistic system given to Israel under the law. Since the age of grace has come, believers are not under that system, and the old economy has been set aside at the cross.
It means the legalistic system of temple worship, priesthood, and sacrifices is no longer the pattern for believers. Les explains that grace is totally different from law in our response to God, and that the law was settled at the cross.
Les says the temple was destroyed by the Roman armies because the age of law had faded off the scene and grace had come in. The destruction showed that the Old Testament religious system was no longer in effect.
No. Israel kept the law and its rituals without faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God. If you try to keep part of the law, you must keep all of it, which would also require a temple, priesthood, altar, and sacrifices—yet salvation was never by works but by faith in Christ.
Watch the Teaching: The Service of God Explained: What Israel's Worship Meant — Romans 9:4