Does the Old Testament Law Apply to Christians?
February 21, 2022
Jai Paul
The OT Law has puzzled many Christians. Some commands are kept while others are omitted. For example, consider Lev 19:11 – “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.” Christians still consider this as a binding command. However, Christians hardly follow Lev 19:27 – “You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard.” We all trim our sideburns and men trim their beards. Also, we do not put to death those who disrespect their parents (Lev 20:9) or those who sleep with another man’s wife (Lev 20:10). So, why this discrepancy and how do we justify this?
There have been various responses to the OT Law from Christians. Some view following the OT Law as legalistic. Others have said that the OT Law only applied to Israelites and is not applicable to Christians. Still others have conveniently edited out portions of the OT, either consciously (look up Marcion) or subconsciously.
What is more puzzling is that the New Testament appeals to many portions of the OT Law as expected behavior for Christians. The appeal to the Ten Commandments is rather obvious (Matt 5:21, 27; James 2:11, Eph 6:1-2). However, the NT also appeals to other commands in the OT. For example, Jesus appealed to divorce laws in Matt 5:31, laws concerning oaths in Matt 5:33 and laws concerning personal injury in Matt 5:38, 43. Moreover, Paul appealed to animal husbandry laws in 1 Cor 9:9 as authoritative to instruct Christians to support ministry workers.
So, how should we, as Christians, view the OT Law?
A Classical Protestant Approach
One of the creeds that resulted from the Reformation is the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) in 1647 AD. This Confession is typically used by Presbyterians today as their official statement of faith. Chapter 19 of the Confession deals with the Law of God. In this chapter, the OT Law is divided into three categories: the moral laws, the ceremonial laws, and the judicial (civil) laws.
The moral laws are typically those associated with the Ten Commandments and those that are purely ethical in nature including prohibitions against murder, theft, adultery, etc. Ceremonial laws are concerned with temple worship including sacrifices, holy days (Day of Atonement, etc.), and other rituals. The judicial or civil laws are given for the political, judicial, and social governing of the Israelite society and the nation as a whole (for eg: cities of refuge in Num 35:9-29).
According to the WCF, the moral laws are binding on all humans – both Christians and non-Christians. However, the ceremonial and civil laws are not binding on anyone currently. This is due to the fact that the moral laws reflect the character of God and His standards for holiness. The ceremonial laws were given for the purification of sins; however, they are now obsolete because the eternal Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, was sacrificed once and for all time (Heb 9:12, 10:10) and there is no other sacrifice that is needed. Finally, the judicial or civil laws were only applicable for the governing of the Israelites. It is not relevant now since Israel is not a (theocratic) state as it was when the Law was given.
This interpretation seems to handle the OT Law appropriately, and has an attractive appeal to it since it gives a clear distinction between what parts of the Law are applicable and those that are not. Moreover, it also provides what seems like a valid explanation to know how a Christian is to understand and follow the OT Law. However, there are significant drawbacks with this methodology.
Although the approach in the WCF seems appealing, it is not a viable option.
And we are again left trying to figure out if the Law is applicable to Christians.
The Answer is Always Jesus!
We have to remember that, as Christians, we are now living in the New Covenant and not in the Old Covenant. Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, followed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost inaugurated the new covenant (Luke 22:20, Acts 2:16, 33). And, the author of Hebrews writes that because of the new covenant, the old covenant is obsolete (Heb 8:13). That is, the old covenant has ceased because of the finished work of Jesus Christ. And this was God’s purpose – that the Law would be valid until the seed (Jesus) comes (Gal 3:19).
Jesus fulfilled the Law
However, the end of the Law does not imply that God’s standards were abruptly suspended. No! Rather, the whole Law found its fulfillment in Christ! Jesus is the true Adam (Rom 5:14,19), He is the true seed of Abraham (Gal 3:16), He is the true Israel (Matt 2:15, 4:1-11), the true tabernacle (John 1:14), the true temple (John 2:21), and He is the true Passover Lamb (1 Cor 5:7). Jesus was the teacher and the mediator of the new covenant just as Moses was the mediator of the old covenant (John 1:17). In this sense, Jesus is the greater prophet that Moses prophesied (Deut. 18:15). Jesus is the fulfillment of the requirements of the Law (Matt 5:17).
Righteousness Apart From the Law
The Law was never intended to be the means of righteousness. Paul explains in Rom 3:20 that no one will be justified by the works of the Law. In fact, Moses knew that the Israelites would not keep the Law (Deut 31:27-29). And if one breaks even one part of the Law, one is guilty of all of it (James 2:10, also see Gal 3:10). Therefore, the Law only showed what sin was… but could never take it away (Rom 7:7).
And what the law could not do for us, because of our weakness of the flesh, God did. He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in Christ’s body, God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us (Rom 8:3-4).
Therefore, those of us who have put our faith in Christ alone, are released from the Law (Rom 7:6); we are dead to it (Rom 7:4); and we are not under the Law anymore (Gal 5:18).
No portion of the OT Law is legally binding on a Christian for the sake of righteousness; that is, we are not judged by the legal demands of the Law. We are set free from the penalty of its condemnation.
This is great news for every Christian! And for the non-Christian, this is a great call to turn to Jesus today!
What about the Law, then?
The fact that we are not under the Law does not mean we live a lawless life! When faced with a similar question, Paul said, in Rom 3:31, that we, in fact, uphold the Law! Moreover, doesn’t the NT say that all of OT was written for our instruction (2 Tim 3:16-17; Rom 15:4)?
We will consider how then the OT Law applies to Christians in Part 2 (see here).
Further Reading: