Standing out in a different way

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 5:17-20 (NIV)

One of the main reasons often used in not wanting to believe in Christ and follow any of the moral laws on sex, life and other areas listed in the Bible is that they don't want to selectively choose which of the Old Testament laws to follow. Often when a moral law is cited, the response may be "Then why do you still eat pork?" (Leviticus 11:7) or "Do you still wear clothes of mixed fabrics?" (Deuteronomy 22:11)

However, there are differences between the dietary and ceremonial laws laid out for the Israelites in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and the moral laws that are exhibited in places such as the Ten Commandments. God laid out the law to Moses to present to the Israelites because, after the exodus out of slavery in Egypt, they were moving into a land that was possessed by people who defamed God by worshipping other gods, some sacrificing their children to the god Molech, which God condemned. He wanted His people, the Israelites to stand out, and be a holy people amongst the evil that was in the world by the world (see Exodus 19:5-6).

When Jesus came into the world, He brought with Him a new covenant with the Hebrews and the rest of the world. He came to save the world because under the Law, all people are sinners (see Romans 3:23). As the Savior of the nations, Jesus fulfilled the Law to the point where the old ceremonial laws did not apply anymore, which we see in his rebuke of the Pharisees who had condemned His followers for picking grain on the Sabbath, which was against the Law (see Mark 2:23-27). The old dietary laws also did not apply anymore, as was revealed to the Apostle Peter, as recorded in Acts 10.

In short, while still considering the Hebrews His People, He has opened the umbrella to all peoples, as referenced by John 3:16-17:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (NIV)