How do Old Testament laws apply to us today?

One issue that Christians are confused about today is the place of Old Testament law in the life of the Christian. It seems quite obvious that the Jewish sacrificial system is no longer applicable. And many of the other laws regarding Jewish festivals, restrictions on unclean food, as well as circumcision no longer apply (Col 2:16). So how are we to understand the relevance and purpose of Old Testament laws today?

This is a complex question and will require careful thought and study. But a useful way to understand which Old Testament laws apply to us today is to consider the Reformed ‘three-fold division of the law’. Traditional Reformed theology has distinguished the law into three parts, moral, ceremonial, and civil. (While there are some problems with this division, I will highlight the benefits of this approach).

The ‘moral law’ are those laws which are universal and permanent in nature reflecting God’s unchanging moral character. This moral law is summarised in the Ten Commandments and is applicable to all people and at all times. For example even before the Ten Commandments were given, God had already told Noah he would hold people accountable for the life of their fellow human being (Gen 9:6). This is reflected in the commandment, ‘You shall not murder’. This command is again reapplied by Jesus and Paul in the New Testament (Matt 19:18, Rom 13:9). The ‘moral law’ contained in the Old Testament are always applicable.

The ‘ceremonial law’ are those laws which are symbolic in nature. These include the food laws, the temple sacrifices, circumcision and the festivals. These laws symbolically pointed to the holiness demanded of God’s people and reminded them they belonged to him. The book of Hebrews tells us that these ‘ceremonial laws’ ended with the coming of Christ (Heb 10:1). Jesus perfectly fulfilled what these laws symbolised. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice, he is our high priest, and by his Spirit we have received a circumcision of the heart (Col 2:11, Deut 30:6). The ceremonial laws are applicable to us today only in the way they continually point to the holiness and righteousness fulfilled in Christ (Col 2:17).

The ‘civil’ (or judicial law) are those Old Testament laws that governed Israel as a nation state. These laws included Israel’s stewardship of the land, property laws, family laws, and the punishment for idolatry. While the moral principles contained in these laws continue to be relevant, the detailed application of these laws is no longer applicable. The reason Israel’s ‘civil law’ no longer applies to us directly is that we no longer live under a nation state under God. The gospel has now been preached to all nations. Jews and Gentiles have now been brought together as ‘one new man’ in Christ (Eph 2:11-12).

In summary, the three-fold division of the law helps us see which aspects of the law continue to apply to us. The Traditional Reformed approach says that it is only the ‘moral law’ that continues to apply to us. However, I would add that we should study and learn from the underlying ethical requirements contained in all three elements of the law – moral, ceremonial and civil. We need to study how all three aspects of the law point to Christ, are fulfilled in him and are taught by him. In particular we should learn how Jesus teaches us a new obedience that comes not from the ‘written code’, but from the heart (Matt 5:17-48, Heb 8:10). All this must always be grounded in the perfect righteousness he has already achieved for us at the cross (1Pet 3:18, 2Tim 1:9).

Pastor Owen Seto.