Does the Old Testament Law Still Apply to Christians?

In Matthew 5:17, Jesus explains that he did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; instead, he came to fulfill them. If Jesus did not do away with the Old Testament Law, does it mean that Christians still have to follow them? After all, there are 613 commandments in the Old Testament. That’s a lot to remember. 

We know that Jesus spoke highly of the Law. For example, he says that anyone who sets aside one of the least of the commandments and teaches others to do the same will be least in the kingdom of heaven. And, on the other hand, anyone who practices and teaches God’s commandments to others will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven. 

Clearly, the Law is important. But the question remains for many Christians: does the Old Testament Law still apply to us? Some would argue that parts of the Law apply to us while other parts do not. Maybe you’ve heard of the categories often given in sermons: the moral, civil, and ceremonial law. Some people have suggested that we follow the moral law, not the ceremonial or civil law. Others would argue that since we are under grace and not Law, the Old Testament Law no longer applies at all. Lastly, there are those who suggest that believers should follow all aspects of the Law in order to honor God. 

In this article, I’ll discuss exactly what the Law is and why God gave it to his people; I’ll also address some common misconceptions about the Law; lastly, I’ll discuss whether or not the Old Testament Law still applies to Christians and share a technique to help Christians faithfully apply the Law. 

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What is the Old Testament Law?

To answer this question, we need to go back to Genesis 12. God calls Abram, a man from Ur, and promises to bless him and make him into a great nation. Abram’s descendants ended up enslaved in Egypt for many years. God raised up Moses to lead them out of Egypt to the land of Canaan. But, on the way to Canaan, God established a covenant, known as the Mosaic Covenant, with them. The Lord would be their God, and they would be his people. 

I like to think of the covenant between God and Israel as somewhat similar to a marriage. In a wedding, the couple exchange vows and come to an agreement about how they will live together in marriage. At the end of the wedding, the couple signs a marriage certificate which symbolizes their covenant with one another. One major aspect of the marriage covenant is fidelity. If one person breaks that fidelity, they also break the covenant.

God’s covenant with Israel also included an agreement about how they would live together in covenant. Unlike God’s covenant with Abraham, the Mosaic Covenant was conditional. In order to live in relationship with God, Israel had to follow God’s Law (laid out in Exodus and Leviticus). In Deuteronomy 28, God explains through Moses that Israel would be blessed if they followed the Law and cursed if they did not follow the Law. 

The Law was not just a random list of dos and don’ts. Instead, it represents the “marriage” vows between God and Israel. It exists within the historical context of the people of Israel. 

When we think about the Old Testament Law, we should first think about it within its context. This will help us to make sense of commandments and instructions that seem strange to us. 

Related: 5 Important Ways to Apply Scripture to Your Life

Why did God give Israel the Law?

There are four main reasons why God gave Israel the Law.

1. So that Israel could live in covenant with God
2. To keep Israel separate from neighboring pagan nations
3. To promote righteousness amongst God’s people
4. To make clear their need for a savior 

God called Israel to be a people set apart for himself. Many nations existed at this time but he chose Israel as his treasured possession. If they were going to live in a covenant relationship with a holy God, they needed to be holy themselves. Unfortunately, they could not achieve holiness on their own. The Law was there to guide them towards holiness and keep them from following in the pagan worship of their neighbors.¹ 

Addressing Some Misconceptions About the Old Testament Law

Christians seem to have a love/hate relationship with the Law. Naturally, we have a lot of misconceptions about the Law in Christian communities. I want to address three that I find most common:

Israel couldn’t keep the Law

Many Christians ignore the Law, arguing that Israel couldn’t keep it and that it was therefore deficient. However, technically Israel could keep the Law. One of my New Testament professors explained that since the Law included the sacrificial system, technically imperfect humans could keep the law as long as they went to God and offered sacrifices for their sins.²

The thing is, the Mosaic Covenant was temporary. God’s plan all along was to establish the New Covenant through Christ. 

Israel could keep the outward requirements of the Law but the Law did not have the power to change their hearts or provide a permanent solution to the problem of sin introduced in the Fall. If you look at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, you will discover that the Law only scratched the surface of how God wanted his people to live. Jesus held his followers to a higher standard. But they could only live up to that standard through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would be their teacher and would help them to truly live in proper relationship with God. 

There are three types of Law: Moral, Civic, and Ceremonial 

Another common misconception is that there are three categories of the Old Testament Law, the moral, civic, and ceremonial law. J. Daniel Hays explains that these categories are arbitrarily imposed on the text from the outside. He goes on to say that:

“The Old Testament itself gives no hint of any such distinctions. For example “love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18) is followed in the very next verse by the law “do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material” (19:19). Should verse 18 be applied as binding, while verse 19 is dismissed as nonapplicable altogether? The text gives no indication that any kind of hermeneutical shift has taken place between the two verses. On what basis can one decide that one verse is universal and timeless even for believers in the Christian era, while the commandment in the very next verse is rejected? Many of the so-called moral, civil, and ceremonial laws occur together like this without any textual indicators that there are differences between them.”³

Laws that seem ceremonial can also have moral or civic implications; and laws that seem only moral can have civic or ceremonial implications. For example, the Ten Commandments are often considered to be moral laws, and yet, they include the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a part of Israel’s worship system. So, is it moral or ceremonial? Hays proposes a better way for understanding the Law. I’ll share more about it later in the article. 

The Law was universal 

Lastly, many people assume that the Law was universal. However, it was given specifically to Israel. And, as I mentioned above, it has to do with God’s covenant with Israel. 

Even the Ten Commandments were not universal. Old Testament professor, Carmen Imes, writes:

Dr. Imes goes on to explain that the Ten Commandments contain specific language that pertain to Israel as a society:

“I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt…” (Exodus 20:2a)

“Do not covet your neighbor’s ox…” (Exodus 20:17) 

God did not give the Law as universal commandments to every person on earth.  

Does the Old Testament Law Still Apply to Christians? 

Now that we’ve spoken about the purpose of the Old Testament Law and have addressed misconceptions about it, I want to answer the important question that brought you to this article. 

Does the Old Testament Law still apply to Christians? Yes, and no. In a paper on the Law, I wrote that “the Mosaic Law applies to Christians because it was given by God and it teaches Christians about who God is and how he expects his people to live.” 

As people grafted into the family of God, the Old Testament Law also applies to us. 

However, it doesn’t apply in the exact same way it applied to Ancient Israel. Through Jesus, God made a new covenant with his people (Jews and Gentiles included). 

Therefore, Christians interpret the Law through the lens of Christ and his life, death, and resurrection. Jesus perfectly obeyed the Law and became God’s perfect sacrifice, atoning our sins. When he ascended to the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit. 

Those who trust in Jesus have been cleansed from their sins and have God’s Spirit, enabling them to truly obey God’s Law. 

How Should Christians Apply the Old Testament Law

In the book, Grasping God’s Word, J. Daniel Hays and J. Scott Duvall explain that we cannot apply the Old Testament Law exactly as the ancient audience did because there is a metaphorical river that separates our “town”  from theirs. For example, the “river” includes things such as time, culture, geography, covenant, etc.

With that in mind, they offer five steps to help Christians determine the meaning of certain laws and apply it faithfully to our situation. 

Here are the steps. 

1. Grasp the text in their town. What did the text mean for the ancient audience? Use general observation and interpretive techniques to understand the meaning of the passage in context.
2. Measure the width of the “river” to cross. What are some of the differences between us and the ancient audience? Consider recording these differences in a list or a chart.
3. Cross the Principlizing bridge. Ask yourself, “What is the theological principle in this passage?” Duvall and Hays give some hints for this step: they remind us that the principle should be reflected in the passage, it should be timeless, it should fit in with the rest of scripture, it should not be tied to any particular culture, and it should be relevant to both the biblical and contemporary audiences. 
4. Consult the biblical map. How does the principle fit within the rest of scripture? Does the New Testament modify or qualify the principle? If so, how?
5. Grasp the text in our town. How should Christians live out this principle today?

While this method is not perfect, it provides a reliable approach to interpreting the Old Testament Law. For further insights on this method and guidance on interpreting different genres of scripture, I highly recommend the book Grasping God’s Word. While it is an academic book, it is very accessible! 

However, if you are looking for a quicker read, check out my e-book, The Bible Study Guide. 

Final Takeaway

The Law is important. Matthew 5:17 reminds us that Jesus did not abolish the Law, he fulfilled it. As Christians, we understand the Law differently than its first audience did. We don’t have to create arbitrary categories, attempt to follow the Law as if we were ancient Israelites, or ignore the law entirely. Instead, we can deeply value God’s Law while also recognizing that we apply it differently than the ancient audience did. As we read, interpret, and apply the Law, we learn more about God and grow deeper in our relationship with Christ. 

1.  We know from reading the Old Testament that Israel rarely walked in the holiness God intended for them. This is not because the Law was defective. Instead it was because Israel needed the Spirit of God to live within them and empower them to actually keep the Law, not just through their actions but also with their hearts. Jeremiah 31:31-24 and Ezekiel 36:26-27 are two prophecies that foresee a time when God would give his people the Spirit and write the Law on their hearts. He does this through sending Christ. 
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2.  He mentioned this because in Philippians 3:4-6, Paul says that he is blameless concerning the righteous requirements of the Law. Paul was certainly not perfect, and therefore could only be blameless concerning the Law because of his careful observance of the Mosaic Law and his adherence to offering sacrifices when he did inevitably sin. 
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3. Hays, J Daniel. “Applying the Old Testament Law Today.” Bibliotheca Sacra 158, no. 629 (January 2001): 21–35. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLA0001281236&site=ehost-live&scope=site. ↩︎