Tag Archives: ceremonial

Jan 23

God’s Law: the Ceremonial Laws

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We saw previously that we may not add to or subtract from God’s law (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32).  But God (as the Law-Giver) can and has.  There are Old Testament laws which the New Testament tells us are no longer binding on us.  These are sometimes called the “ceremonial laws.”  The Bible recognizes two aspects of God’s law: moral laws (which define universal justice for all people), and ceremonial laws (which are binding only on God’s people as a symbol of separation and of the coming Savior).  Moral laws stem from the nature of God.  Since God does not change, neither do moral principles (though God may modify specific laws to deal with changing conditions).

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Jan 23

God’s Law: its Place in the New Testament

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To what extent and in what ways are we to keep Old Testament laws?  It’s a complex issue and it will take more than one entry to deal with the nuances of the question.  We have already seen that we cannot simply disregard Old Testament laws on the grounds that we are “not under the law but under grace.”  The New Testament teaches that the breaking of God’s law is sin (1 John 3:4) and we are not to continue in sin (Romans 6:15).  Nor can we argue that God’s law only applies to national Israel; it is an example for all nations (Deuteronomy 4:5–8).  God does not show partiality (Romans 2:11).  Therefore, His law defines justice for everyone.  He is the judge of all the earth—not just Israel (Genesis 18:25, Romans 3:29).

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