The Law Of Moses: Still Relevant Today?

The Law of Moses, also called the Mosaic Law, is the law said to have been revealed to Moses by God. The term primarily refers to the Torah or the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The law is spread across Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, and includes the Ten Commandments.

The law is divided into three parts: the moral law, the ceremonial law, and the civil law. The moral law is eternal and binding, while the ceremonial and civil laws were abolished in the New Testament. The moral law is summed up in two commands: to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself.

While Christians are no longer under the Law of Moses, there is much to be learned from it. It reveals God's holiness and standard for His people, defines sin and exposes its heinous nature, and confirms our need to be separate from sin. The law also shows how God's plan unfolds gradually and progressively, and demonstrates the value of an intercessor between God and man.

The Law of Moses is fulfilled in Christ

The Law of Moses, also known as the Mosaic Law, is the law said to have been revealed to Moses by God. The term primarily refers to the Torah or the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The Law of Moses is fulfilled in Christ, as Jesus himself said, "I did not come to abolish the law or the prophets; I came not to abolish, but to fulfil."

The Law of Moses was of vital importance to the Hebrews of old. Even though Christians are no longer under the Law, there is much we can learn from this part of God's Word. The Law of Moses reveals God's holiness and sets a divine standard for His people living in a fallen world. It defines sin and exposes its heinous nature. The severe penalties that befell transgressors underscore the serious nature of sin as rebellion against God. In defining sin and setting a divine standard, the Law indirectly discloses our need for a Saviour.

The Law of Moses confirms our need to be separate from sin. Many of the Law's regulations were aimed at making Israel distinct from the surrounding nations. Not only was their worship different, but they had different farming practices, a different diet, different clothing—they even had a different way of growing their beards.

The Law of Moses shows how God's plan unfolds gradually and progressively. The Law brought clarity and definiteness to the meaning of sin, and the precision of the commandments allowed us to easily identify infractions. But the Law itself was meant to be temporary. It was, in fact, "our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith." Christ is the One who fulfilled the righteous requirement of the Law on our behalf. In taking the Law's curse upon Himself, Christ brought an end to the curse and instituted the New Covenant.

The Law of Moses expounds on God's two most basic commands. Everything in the Law can be boiled down to two commands. The primary one is found in Deuteronomy 6:5, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." The secondary, related command is in Leviticus 19:18, "Love your neighbour as yourself." Jesus ranked these commandments as number one and number two and said they were the quintessence of the entirety of God's Law.

The Law of Moses demonstrates the value of an intercessor between God and man. The whole concept of the Levitical priesthood was based on the need for an intercessor between man and God. Only the priests could enter the tabernacle, and only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies—and that only once a year with the blood of a sacrifice. Even then, there were special requirements placed on the priests concerning their behaviour, physical appearance, clothing, and ceremonial cleansing. The point was that God is holy, and we are not. We need a go-between, and God is the One who chooses the mediator. Under the Mosaic system, the intercessor was a son of Aaron; under the New Covenant, the Intercessor is the Son of God.

The Law of Moses shows the efficacy of a substitutionary sacrifice. The Law graphically depicts God's requirement of the blood of an innocent sacrifice to atone for the sins of the guilty. As the author of Hebrews says, "The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." The burning carcass on the altar was a vivid reminder that the consequence of sin is death. Without such a substitute, the wrath of God would fall on the transgressor. The Law allowed for an animal sacrifice to be a propitiation for sin, and the Law called the sacrifice "a pleasing aroma" to the Lord.

Christians today can benefit much from a study of the Mosaic Law. We understand that the Law was not meant for the church, and we are responsible for correctly handling the word of truth. But, properly understood, the Law remains "our tutor to lead us to Christ." Once we come to Christ, we find He "is the culmination of the law . . . for everyone who believes."

The Law of Moses is no longer in effect

The Mosaic Law, or the Law of Moses, is no longer in effect. However, this is a highly contested topic within Christianity, with some arguing that it has been replaced by the Law of Christ, while others believe that parts of it are still applicable.

The Mosaic Law

The Law of Moses, also called the Mosaic Law, is the law said to have been revealed to Moses by God. The term primarily refers to the Torah or the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The law attributed to Moses, specifically the laws set out in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, as a consequence, came to be considered supreme over all other sources of authority.

The Law of Christ

The New Covenant, or the Law of Christ, is a new set of laws that Christians follow. This is a highly contested topic, with different denominations interpreting the applicability of the Mosaic Law differently.

Christian Views on the Mosaic Law

Orthodox Christians regard the Law of Moses as still fully in effect but transformed and fulfilled in a number of ways.

Other Christians believe that only parts dealing with the moral law (as opposed to ceremonial law) are still applicable.

A minority believe that none of the Mosaic Law applies to Christians.

Dual-covenant theologians believe that the Old Covenant remains valid only for Jews.

Messianic Jews hold the view that all parts of the Mosaic Law still apply to believers in Jesus and in the New Covenant.

Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe that the moral precepts of the Mosaic Law are permanent, while the ceremonial and judicial precepts are temporary.

Lutherans believe that circumcision and other Old Testament ceremonial laws no longer apply to Christians.

Reformed Christians divide the Mosaic Law into three categories: moral, civil, and ceremonial. They believe that only the moral laws, including the Ten Commandments, directly apply to Christians today.

Anglicans and Methodists are bound by the "commandments which are called moral" but not bound by the ceremonial, ritual, or civil laws from the "law of Moses".

Dispensationalists believe that the Mosaic Laws and their penalties were limited to the particular historical and theological setting of the Old Testament and do not apply to Christians.

Theonomists argue that the civil laws, as well as the moral laws, should be applied in today's society.

New Covenant Theologians claim that all Old Covenant laws have been cancelled or abrogated in favour of the Law of Christ.

While there is no clear consensus on the applicability of the Mosaic Law, most Christians agree that at the very least, the moral laws still apply.

The Old Testament Law has three dimensions: ceremonial, civil, and moral

The Old Testament Law, also known as the Mosaic Law, is divided into three categories: ceremonial law, civil law, and moral law.

Ceremonial Law

Ceremonial law, or hukkim/chuqqah in Hebrew, refers to the "custom of the nation". These laws focus on an adherent's relationship with God and include instructions on sacrifices, ceremonies, and other rituals to regain right standing with God. They also include remembrances of God's work in Israel, such as feasts and festivals, as well as specific regulations to distinguish Israelites from their pagan neighbours, such as dietary and clothing restrictions.

Civil/Judicial Law

Civil law, or judicial law, encompasses all of the moral law except the Ten Commandments. It includes laws regarding murder, restitution, property ownership, marriage vows, and business transactions. These laws were specifically given for the culture and place of the Israelites.

Moral Law

The moral law, or mishpatim, relates to justice and judgment and is often translated as "ordinances". Based on God's holy nature, these ordinances are holy, just, and unchanging. The moral law includes regulations on justice, respect, and sexual conduct, as well as the Ten Commandments.

While Christians are not bound by ceremonial or civil law, there is debate over the applicability of the moral law in the church age. Some believe that Jesus' assertion that the law will remain in effect until "heaven and earth pass away" (Matthew 5:18) means that believers are still bound to it. Others, however, understand that Jesus fulfilled this requirement (Matthew 5:17), and that we are now under the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2), which is to "love God and love others" (Matthew 22:36-40).

The moral law is eternal

The Mosaic Law, also known as the Law of Moses, is the law said to have been revealed to Moses by God. The term primarily refers to the Torah or the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The Law of Moses is different from other legal codes in the ancient Near East because transgressions were seen as offences against God rather than solely as offences against society (civil law).

The law attributed to Moses, specifically the laws set out in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, as a consequence, came to be considered supreme over all other sources of authority. The moral law was delivered to Moses as the Ten Commandments. Thus the Ten Commandments apply to Christians today as such.

The moral law is the direct command of God, and it requires strict obedience. The moral law reveals the nature and will of God, and it still applies today. Jesus obeyed the moral law completely.

The moral law is summed up in two commands:

• Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
• Love your neighbour as yourself.

Jesus ranked these commandments as number one and number two and said they were the quintessence of the entirety of God’s Law.

The moral law is the testimony of natural law. That law expresses the order of things everywhere present and accessible to the world. As Paul explains, "For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law".

God created us with faculties of sight, smell, and so on. I can see the moon and trust that it exists—God made me that way. I can study the brain and grasp its constituent elements. I trust a surgeon for his or her skill. I trust a biologist to tell me what a cell is because I know they can study and know it. And so natural law also exists as a publicly accessible reality, part of creation, which anyone can observe and know.

Sin means that while people may know what is right, they do evil nevertheless. Every human faculty has been marred by sin, and so we do not accomplish what we know to be right. Our conscience judges us. That is why the Ten Commandments, for example, often expose the conscience to what it knows to be true, namely, that one has failed to do natural law; and such moral failure has consequences.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ frees us from the judgment and the burden of the law. To claim the opposite is to reverse the conclusion of the Jerusalem Council: "Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?".

Gentiles are saved as Gentiles and fall under the law of Christ, which may be summed up by saying: "For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: 'Love your neighbour as yourself'".

The Old Testament Law reveals God's holiness

The Old Testament Law, also known as the Law of Moses, reveals God's holiness. The law was given to Moses by God and is recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. It is a reflection of God's standard for His people living in a fallen world. The law is holy, righteous, and good, and it defines sin and exposes its heinous nature.

The law demands righteousness in action and reveals God's desire for His people to reflect His holiness. It also confirms our need to be separate from sin and to be set apart from the world. The law also shows how God's plan unfolds gradually and progressively.

The Old Testament Law is no longer in effect and has been replaced by the New Covenant, but it remains a valuable source of wisdom and guidance for Christians today.

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