Jordan Mancl is on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ with me in Central WI.  He has some great insight into the various categories of the Old Testament Law and how we, as Christians, should relate to it now that Christ has come.  I hope his insight can edify you as it has me.

I would like to thank Mitch for allowing me the opportunity to post on his blog.  We’ve had a few small conversations recently about this topic and he invited me to write more about it, which I am more than happy to do.

“The Law” and How Christians Should Relate to It

An issue that seems to confuse and frustrate Christians is our relationship to the Law.  As Christians, we believe that we have all broken the Law and need to be saved from the impending judgment/wrath that the Law demands, death.  Jesus Christ saved us from sin and death and brought us into that right relationship with God.

If Jesus is our Savior, what is our relationship to the Law supposed to look like?  If we cannot be saved by the Law, are we as Christians just supposed to ignore it?  Do we ignore the Old Testament and just focus on the New Testament?  These are legitimate questions.  On the one hand, we have verses like Galatians 3:25 which states “Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.”  On the other hand, we have Jesus declaring in Matthew 5:17 “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”.  To a believer who is growing in their faith, this can be a tough and confusing topic.

I would like to offer a solution as to how Christians should biblically implement the Law into their lives.  Upon review of the many chapters and books in the early Old Testament which pertain to the Law, I believe that the Law can be summed up in three different categories:

Moral Law

This is the law that refers to principles or rules of personal right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong.  The clearest examples of this type of law are many of the Ten Commandments preventing humanity from stealing, committing adultery, murder, worshiping other gods, etc.

Ceremonial Law

This is the law that refers to the proper procedures that the Israelites were to perform to worship God as a result of their sin.  Examples of these types of laws include the Israelite requirement to bring offerings and sacrifices to the Temple or the Tent of Meeting.  Another example are the Celebrations the Israelites were commanded to perform annually to worship or revere God, such as Passover, Feast of Weeks, etc.

Civil Law

These are the laws that refer to how the nation of Israel is governed.  An example of these types of laws is the requirement that the Israelites eat certain types of foods.  Another example is God’s command that the Israelites not intermarry with other nations.

All of these laws in the Old Testament have their significance and purpose.  The Moral Law was given to show the perfection of God and how we cannot live up to that perfection.  Romans 3:20 says “through the law we become conscious of sin.”  Ceremonial Laws were given to remind the Israelites of their sin.  Hebrews 10:3 states “But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins”.  Civil Law was given to govern the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people to carry his name throughout the world.  Exodus 19:6 says “For all the earth is mine, and you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.”  Since God had not poured his Spirit upon every believer yet, in order for the nation of Israel to be a holy nation in the world, strict laws were given by God to set them apart from the world.

Here is how our relationship to the Law changed when Christ came.  When Christ came to earth, he did two things, he died for our sins to cancel the penalty of death due to us.  He also changed our relationship to the Law.  He didn’t cancel it, nor did he require the same act of obedience to the Law for those who believe in Christ.  Jesus explains it well in Matthew 5:17 “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”.  Jesus describes the Old Testament with the Law and the Prophets as being completely valid and necessary where he does not desire to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

I would make the biblical argument that Jesus Christ fulfilled two out of the three types of Law (Ceremonial and Civil) making them no longer necessary while upholding the necessity of the third (Moral Law).  I will go through each of the three types of laws individually to show how Christ either fulfilled them or upheld the same relationship to them.

Moral Law

I believe biblically that Christ upheld our mandate to follow Moral Laws outlined in the Old Testament.  We are not to seek salvation from Moral Laws, but yet as Christians, we are to strive to live holy lives as we grow closer to Christ.  One example of Christ upholding our relationship to Moral Laws is from his sermon on the mount.  He not only shows us how many of the Ten Commandments we have broken, but he shows us how we break them in our hearts on a regular basis.  Never once does Christ break a moral law or condone breaking moral law in the New Testament.  He does condone breaking other laws, but those are explained in different categories below.

Ceremonial Law

When Christ came, our conduct toward ceremonial laws changed.  Going back to Matthew 5:17, Christ said “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 believe ceremonial laws were fulfilled by Christ.  One example is Hebrews 9 which paints a beautiful picture of how Christ changed the mandate for ceremonial laws.  Yom Kippur, described in Hebrews 9, is the annual Day of Atonement in Jewish culture.  This was the one day per year that the Most Holy Place in the temple was to be entered by the High Priest.  He entered the Most Holy Place with blood to make atonement for his sin and the sin of Israel.  Christ fulfilled this as Hebrews 9:12 tells us “He [Jesus] did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.”  Jesus negated the need for presenting the annual blood reminder for our sin by paying it by his own blood once and for all.  By paying the sacrifice on the cross for our sin, we may now enter into the Most Holy Place, the most intimate presence with God.  Passover is another example of Christ fulfilling the Law for us.  While in Egyptian captivity, the Israelites were required to kill a lamb and spread the blood of the lamb on their doorframes, which would cause the wrath of God (death) to “pass over” their household.  The Israelites were required to hold an annual week of remembrance called Passover in the generations that followed.  When Jesus came and died for our sins, he showed us how his blood being shed meant that God’s wrath (death) would “pass over” those who believe in him, ultimately fulfilling the ceremony of Passover.

Civil Law

In relation to Civil Law, I believe that Christ also fulfilled the need to follow the strict civil law guidelines of the Old Testament.  The reason for this is that something changed when Christ came.  Now that our sin is paid for, we can be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.  Paul mentions now in 1 Corinthians 3:16 that as Christians our bodies are now a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.  Because we have the Holy Spirit and are led by God, we no longer need strict civil guidelines that the nation of Israel had.  Because the Israelites were not indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but only saw glimpses of the Spirit here and there, they were prone to wander as a nation.  Even with strict guidelines, they found several ways to wander from God.  Deuteronomy 14:2 says “for you are a people holy to the Lord your God.  Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession”.  The people of Israel were God’s holy nation on earth and sin could not be tolerated as God’s holy nation.  Christ confirms for us the change in Civil Law and how he fulfilled it.  One example is that Jesus declared in Mark 7:14-23 that there is not a need to abide by the strict Old Testament food regulations and that what makes a man unclean is not food that he eats, rather it’s what comes out of a man that makes him unclean.  Another example is that Jesus showed us the change in Sabbath regulations.  He heals many people on the Sabbath and picks grain with his disciples, both types of work required death by Old Testament Civil Law according to Exodus 35:2.  A third example is found in John 8 when Jesus was seen forgiving a woman who had committed adultery and stood up against the throngs that wished to stone her, as required by Old Testament Civil Law.  Not only does Jesus stand up against her stoning, but he declares her forgiven of her sin.  Jesus Christ’s numerous occurrences of treating Civil Law differently show that by his death on the cross and allowing a way for the Holy Spirit to indwell us, we no longer need the strict Civil Law to guide our daily lives, for we are led by the Holy Spirit.

I hope that this explanation of Old Testament Law and how Christians relate to it was helpful to some.  I especially hope that I can spur and encourage Christians to see that we should not abandon the Law, but recognize how Christ fulfilled the Law and what that means for our lives.  The Law is something that we as Christians should recognize are God’s holy standards that we cannot live up to due to our sinful ways, yet through Jesus Christ death and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us, we are declared righteous in God’s eyes.

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