There are certain parts that are and certain parts that are not. Moral, Ceremonial, etc. **Articles**: > [!NOTE|no-title] > [Three Divisions and the Law of God](https://thecripplegate.com/schreiner-the-threefold-division-and-the-law-of-god%3E/) > [Ceremonial Law](https://www.gotquestions.org/ceremonial-law.html) > [Threefold Division of the Law](https://www.christian.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/the-threefold-division-of-the-law.pdf) --- # Is the Old Testament for Today? > [!summary] The short answer > Yes. The whole Old Testament is God's Word for Christians today. But we are not under the Old Testament law as a covenant. Jesus fulfilled the law, and now we read every Old Testament command through Him. We obey what reflects God's unchanging character and is carried forward in Christ, and we learn from everything else. --- ## The Old Testament Is Our Bible Too When Paul wrote that "all Scripture" is inspired, the Scripture he primarily had in mind was the Old Testament. > [!quote] 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) > All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - **It was written for us.** "Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction" (Romans 15:4, ESV). See also 1 Corinthians 10:6, 11. - **Jesus taught from it.** He showed His disciples how all of the Old Testament points to Him (Luke 24:27, 44). - **It makes up about three-quarters of the Bible.** A Christian who ignores it misses most of what God has said. --- ## But We Aren't Under the Old Covenant The law of Moses was the covenant God made with the nation of Israel at Sinai (Exodus 19-24). The New Testament is clear that believers in Jesus now live under a **new covenant**. - **Jesus fulfilled the law.** "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" (Matthew 5:17, ESV). - **The law was a temporary guardian.** "The law was our guardian until Christ came... But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian" (Galatians 3:24-25, ESV). - **The old covenant is replaced.** God promised a new covenant written on hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-34), and Hebrews says the first is now obsolete (Hebrews 8:6-13). - **We aren't under law but under grace** (Romans 6:14; 7:4-6). - **The early church settled this question.** At the Jerusalem Council, the apostles decided Gentile believers didn't need to be circumcised or keep the law of Moses to be saved (Acts 15:1-29). So the question isn't "Is the Old Testament for today?" It's "**How** is the Old Testament for today?" --- ## How Do We Decide What to Obey? Christians have used two main approaches. They usually arrive at the same practical conclusions. ### Approach 1: The three kinds of law For centuries, many Christians, including Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin, have divided the Old Testament law into three categories: | Kind of law | What it covered | How it applies today | | --- | --- | --- | | **Moral law** | God's unchanging standards of right and wrong, summarized in the Ten Commandments | Still binding, because it reflects God's character | | **Ceremonial law** | Sacrifices, priesthood, temple, food laws, festivals, ritual cleanness | Fulfilled in Christ; no longer practiced | | **Civil law** | Israel's laws as a nation: courts, penalties, land, government | Ended with Israel's theocracy; the principles of justice still teach us | ### Approach 2: The law of Christ Others point out that the Bible itself doesn't divide the law into three parts, and that Israel received it as one unified covenant. In this view, the **entire** Mosaic law has been fulfilled in Christ, and believers now live under "the law of Christ" (1 Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2). We obey the Old Testament commands that Jesus and the apostles carry forward into the new covenant, and we read all the rest as Scripture that points to Christ and teaches us about God. ### Three questions to ask of any Old Testament command Both approaches lead to these practical questions: 1. **How is this command fulfilled in Jesus?** Does it point to His sacrifice, priesthood, or work (Hebrews 10:1-14)? 2. **Is it carried forward in the New Testament?** Do Jesus or the apostles repeat or reaffirm it? 3. **What does it reveal about God's character?** Every law teaches us something about who God is and what He values, even when we no longer practice it. --- ## Examples | Old Testament command | How it applies today | Key New Testament passages | | --- | --- | --- | | **Animal sacrifices** | Fulfilled once for all in Jesus' death | Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:10-14 | | **Food laws** (no pork or shellfish) | No longer required; Jesus declared all foods clean | Mark 7:18-19; Acts 10:9-16 | | **Circumcision** | No longer required; replaced by faith working through love | Galatians 5:6; 1 Corinthians 7:19; Colossians 2:11-12 | | **The Sabbath** | Fulfilled in the rest we have in Christ; the principle of regular rest remains wise | Colossians 2:16-17; Hebrews 4:9-10; Romans 14:5-6 | | **Festivals** (Passover and others) | Fulfilled in Christ; Passover points to the Lord's Supper | 1 Corinthians 5:7; Colossians 2:16-17 | | **Mixed fabrics and seeds** | No longer practiced; they taught Israel to be distinct and holy | Leviticus 19:19; 1 Peter 1:15-16 | | **Tithing** | The New Testament calls for generous, cheerful, sacrificial giving | 2 Corinthians 8-9; 1 Corinthians 16:2 | | **Civil penalties** | Not applied by the church; God's justice is administered by governing authorities | Romans 13:1-7; John 8:1-11 | | **Do not murder, steal, lie** | Still binding | Romans 13:9; Ephesians 4:25, 28 | | **Sexual ethics** | Still binding; reaffirmed throughout the New Testament | Matthew 19:4-9; Acts 15:20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 | | **Love God, love your neighbor** | The heart of every command | Matthew 22:37-40, quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 | ### The Ten Commandments in the New Testament Nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament. The Sabbath is the one exception, because it is fulfilled in the rest Jesus gives (Matthew 11:28-30; Hebrews 4). | Commandment | Repeated in | | --- | --- | | No other gods | Matthew 4:10; 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 | | No idols | 1 Corinthians 10:14; 1 John 5:21 | | Don't misuse God's name | Matthew 5:33-37; James 5:12 | | Honor your parents | Ephesians 6:1-3 | | Don't murder | Romans 13:9 | | Don't commit adultery | Romans 13:9 | | Don't steal | Ephesians 4:28 | | Don't lie | Colossians 3:9 | | Don't covet | Romans 7:7; 13:9 | --- ## "But Christians Eat Shellfish!" A common objection says Christians pick and choose. They quote Leviticus on sexual ethics but ignore its food laws and fabric laws. The answer is that the New Testament itself makes the distinction. Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), and Peter's vision in Acts 10 confirmed it. But the New Testament repeats and reaffirms the Old Testament's sexual ethics again and again (Matthew 19:4-6; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Christians aren't picking and choosing. They're following what Jesus and the apostles taught about which parts of the old covenant continue. --- ## What the Old Testament Still Does for Us Even the laws we don't practice still serve us: - **They reveal God's character:** His holiness, justice, and compassion (Leviticus 19:2; Deuteronomy 10:17-19). - **They show us our sin** and our need for a Savior (Romans 3:20; 7:7; Galatians 3:24). - **They point to Jesus.** The sacrifices, priests, temple, and festivals are pictures of what He would do (Colossians 2:17; Hebrews 10:1). - **They give us wisdom.** The Psalms teach us to pray, Proverbs teaches us to live wisely, and the prophets call us to justice and faithfulness (Psalm 1; Proverbs 1:7; Micah 6:8). - **They give us examples,** both to follow and to avoid (1 Corinthians 10:6-11; Hebrews 11). - **They give us promises,** every one of which finds its "Yes" in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). The law is "holy and righteous and good" (Romans 7:12, ESV). And love is the heart of it all: > [!quote] Romans 13:10 (ESV) > Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. --- ## Other Views - **Hebrew Roots and Torah-observant movements** teach that Christians should still keep the Sabbath, biblical festivals, and food laws. We believe Acts 15, Galatians, and Colossians 2:16-17 show these are no longer required, though believers are free to observe them as long as they don't treat them as necessary for salvation or holiness (Romans 14:5-6). - **Theonomy** holds that the Old Testament civil laws, including many of their penalties, should guide modern governments. Most Christians believe those laws were tied to Israel's unique role as a theocracy. - **Some dispensationalists** emphasize that the law of Moses was given entirely to Israel, and that the church draws its commands directly from the New Testament. - **Marcion,** a second-century teacher, rejected the Old Testament altogether, claiming its God was different from the God of Jesus. The early church condemned his view as heresy. ## What This Means for Us Read the whole Old Testament. Love it, study it, and let it show you Jesus. Obey what reflects God's unchanging character and is carried forward in Christ. And remember that the goal of every command was always a heart that loves God and loves people.