Leviticus Laws: Irrelevant To Christians, Here's Why

The laws of Leviticus do not apply to Christians because Christ's death and resurrection fulfilled the law. The New Testament teaches that Christians are saved by grace through faith, not by following the law. This is supported by several passages in the Bible, including Romans 10:4, Colossians 2:13-14, and Hebrews 8:13. Additionally, the laws of Leviticus were rooted in cultural gender roles and are no longer relevant in modern times. While some people argue that the laws related to sexual conduct in Leviticus, such as the prohibition of male same-sex relations, are still applicable today, others point out that many of the laws in Leviticus, such as those regarding mixed fabrics and eating pork, are no longer followed by Christians. Ultimately, Christians are called to love God and love others, and these two commandments encompass all of the law, including the laws of Leviticus.

The laws of Leviticus were intended for a specific culture in a specific time and place

The laws of Leviticus were given to the Israelites, a specific group of people, and were not intended for non-Jewish people. The laws were given to the Israelites in a specific time and place, and as such, they are not applicable to Christians today.

The laws of Leviticus can be divided into three categories: civil, ceremonial, and moral laws. The civil laws were specific to the nation of Israel and do not directly apply to the church. The ceremonial laws were related to Jewish worship and the distinctiveness of the Jewish culture. The moral laws include the Ten Commandments and other commands such as "loving your neighbour as yourself".

The early Christian church debated whether Gentile converts needed to follow the Mosaic Law and decided that they did not. This decision was made by the leaders of the early church, including Peter and Paul, and is recorded in Acts 15. The council decided that Gentile believers only needed to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, eating blood or the meat of strangled animals, and sexual immorality.

Jesus summarised the law as "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and "love your neighbour as yourself". These two commandments encompass all other laws and are the most important for Christians to follow.

The New Testament teaches that Christ's death and resurrection fulfilled the law, which is why its rules and regulations do not apply to Christians. As such, Christians are not bound by the laws of Leviticus and are instead called to follow Christ and his teachings.

Christians have never lived under the Old Testament law

In place of the Old Testament law, Christians are under the law of Christ, which is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...and to love your neighbour as yourself". If we obey those two commands, we will be fulfilling all that Christ requires of us.

The Old Testament law is made up of three types of laws: the moral law, the civil law, and the ceremonial law. The moral law is summarised in the Ten Commandments and these laws are still binding on Christians today. The civil law governed Israel as a nation under God and included guidelines for waging war, restrictions on land use, and debt regulations. These laws have expired and are no longer binding on Christians. The ceremonial law included dietary laws, regulations for celebrating religious festivals, and laws for worshipping God. These laws have also expired and are not obligatory for Christians.

The New Testament talks about the law in multiple ways because there are multiple kinds of laws. The New Testament teaches that Christ's death and resurrection fulfilled the law, which is why its many rules and regulations have never applied to Christians.

Christians are under a new covenant with different obligations. The Mosaic Law was a set of civil obligations that were applicable to the people of Israel in that nation at that time. The new covenant is a new enterprise that applies to all people, Jew and Gentile alike, who put their faith in Jesus.

While Christians are not obliged to follow the Old Testament law, there are still universal moral obligations from the Mosaic Law that are repeated in the New Testament and are therefore still applicable. For example, the obligation not to murder is universal and should be in any law.

The prohibitions in Leviticus are rooted in cultural gender roles

Hebrew scholars Saul Olyan and Daniel Boyarin argue that Leviticus specifically prohibits male same-sex anal intercourse—not all same-sex acts. This act was seen as uniquely degrading to men, as it placed them in the socially inferior, "female" role. In a first-century commentary, Philo inveighed against pederasty, warning that males might suffer "the affliction of being treated like women". The Talmud, a collection of rabbinic commentaries from the early centuries AD, distinguishes between anal intercourse and other sexual acts between men, treating the latter as separate, lesser issues of lust.

Male same-sex intercourse was prohibited because it subverted patriarchal gender norms of male dominance in a society that devalued women. Many Levitical prohibitions were rooted in the need to form cultural distinctions and purity codes.

Leviticus does not distinguish between active and passive partners. Old Testament scholars Richard Elliott Friedman and Shawna Dolansky argue that prohibitions of male same-sex relations exist because "by cross-cultural perception, such intercourse would necessarily denigrate the passive partner and violate his equal status under God's law". Consequently, both partners would be culpable.

Leviticus also does not address female same-sex relations, which undermines the belief that male same-sex relations were prohibited because they violate gender complementarity.

Christ's death and resurrection fulfilled the law

The laws of Leviticus do not apply to Christians because Christ's death and resurrection fulfilled the law.

Jesus fulfilled all the requirements of the Law, even after his death. The Law of Moses stated that a corpse should not hang on a tree overnight but should be buried on the same day so as not to defile the land (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Jesus was removed from the cross and buried on the same day. This was a unique occurrence, as most victims of Roman crucifixion were left on the cross for days or weeks after their death.

Jesus' resurrection on a Sunday also fulfilled the Law of Moses. The book of Leviticus contains the laws of the covenant God made with Moses, including seven annual festivals for the blessing of God's people. The third feast is the Feast of Firstfruits, which is celebrated on the first Sunday after the Sabbath following the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As the first person to be resurrected from the dead, Jesus is the Firstfruit.

Jesus' death and resurrection thus fulfilled the law, and his many rules and regulations no longer apply to Christians. As Colossians 2:13-14 states, God "forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross."

The New Testament moves Christians away from patriarchy and towards gender equality

The prohibitions in Leviticus are rooted in cultural gender roles and don't apply to Christians. The New Testament teaches that Christ's death and resurrection fulfilled the law, which is why its many rules and regulations have never applied to Christians.

Christ's redemptive work frees all people from patriarchy, calling women and men to share authority equally in service and leadership. The Bible teaches that God created both men and women, and both are made in His image. This implies equality of worth. The equal worth of men and women is affirmed in Galatians 3:28:

> There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

The Bible also provides a summary statement of mankind’s creation:

> So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

The Bible approves of women leading in the home. Paul treats husbands and wives equally in relation to their children and tells wives to "rule their households". If this is not leadership in the home, what is?

Jesus in all his words and deeds left an example to treat women as equals with men, never subordinated or restricted in role. In a society that regarded women as less intelligent and less moral than men, Jesus respected women’s intelligence and spiritual capacity. For example, when Mary “sat at the Lord’s feet listening,” the posture and position of a disciple, Jesus affirmed her:

> Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken away from her.

It is generally agreed that disciples in Jesus’s day were trained to carry on a rabbi’s teachings, typically becoming teachers themselves, and the rabbis’ disciples were always male. Jesus teaching both men and women disciples implies that he wanted women as well as men to be religious teachers.

Frequently asked questions