THE PURPOSE OF THE MOSAIC LAW
by Chris Durkin
A recent question from a young Christian man living in the Middle East: Why
don't Christians follow the ceremonial and other types of stricter laws found in the
Old Testament? How do we know which commands transfer
over? Such as marrying a
certain number of people, tithing, getting tattoos, eating certain foods and exacting God's violent
wrath on sinful peoples, much as he commanded the Israelites to do.
FIRST: What is the purpose of the
law?
The purpose of the law has always been to reveal
God's holiness. As the prophets declare, the LORD God is Holy, Holy, Holy
(Isaiah 6:3) and as the apostles proclaim He lives in unapproachable light (1
Tim 6:15-16). In fact, the purpose of all creation is to reveal God’s
goodness, majesty and holiness (Psalm 19:1-4, Romans 1:20).
This Holy God revealed His character in the law
and gave the law to Israel to communicate His covenant relationship with them
(Exodus 19:3-6). God’s purpose was to have a people "set apart" (i.e.
holy) for His own glory (Deuteronomy 7:6-9) - a people that would abstain from
sin, forsake the pagan idolatry of the surrounding nations and worship the LORD
God alone (Psalm 81).
To a lesser degree, overflowing from this basic
foundation, the law was given to provide legal parameters for agriculture,
justice and economics, as well as, to protect God’s chosen people from disease
and instruct them in proper worship.
It is crucially important to emphasize that the
law was never meant to be a means of salvation or capable of offering salvation.
From beginning to end, salvation has always been act of God received through repentance
and faith.
He
(the LORD) took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the
stars —if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your
offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as
righteousness. -Genesis
15:5-6
You
do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in
burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and
contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. –Psalm 51:16-17
“The
multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more
than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I
have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to
appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop
bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons,
Sabbaths and convocations—I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon
festivals and your appointed feastsmy soul hates…
“Come
now, let us reason together,” says the Lord.
“Though
your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red
as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
–Isaiah 1:11-14,18
Surely
he took up our pain and bore our suffering,
yet
we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was
pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the
punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We
all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and
the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. -Isaiah 53:4-6
“‘For
I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries
and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and
you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your
idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove
from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my
Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
-Ezekiel 36:24-27
“Even
now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and
weeping and mourning.” Rend
your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is
gracious and compassionate, slow
to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”
–Joel 2:12-13
What
then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? If,
in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but
not before God. What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness.”… This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The words “it was credited to him” were
written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit
righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the
dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for
our justification. -Romans
4:22-25
The hope of salvation has always been that God
would send a prophet, a priest, a king, the MESSIAH who would redeem his
people. Faith in God as savior was always the mode of salvation. In fact, every
part of the law, the ceremonial rituals, the offerings, the priesthood, the
monarcy, the temple, the sabbath... all point to the Messiah. In Christ, all of
these have been ultimately and perfectly and effectively and eternally
fulfilled.
So
the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this… I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you
will strike his heel.” –Genesis 3:14-15
I
will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put
my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.
–Deuteronomy 18:18
When
your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your
offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will
establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I
will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. -2
Samuel 7:12-13
For
to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his
shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace. –Isaiah 9:6
I
tell you that one greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these
words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the
innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
–Matthew
12:6-8
He
said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that
the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and
then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he
explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. –Luke 24:25-27
And
the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never
heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do
not believe the one he sent. You diligently study the Scriptures because you
think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that
testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. –John 5:37-40
Now that the redeemer has come and offered
himself as the ultimate substitute for our sin, we can have life through him.
The Bible describes Jesus as the last Adam (Romans 5:12-21, 1 Cor 15:45)
offered as the sacrificial lamb (John 1:29) for the remission of sins (1 John
2:1-2) appeasing the wrath of God (Romans 3:21-26) so that the curtain is now
torn (Mark 15:38) and through faith we have a righteousness that is not our own
but Christ's (2 Corinthians 5:21).
SECOND: How do we understand
the Mosaic Law through the lens of Christ and the New Covenant?
This important question seemed to be a place of constant theological tension for the early church. Israel’s identity and worship had become so deeply imbedded with
the letter of the law that they missed the Law-giver in their midst.
Consequently, they had a very difficult time adjusting to how the coming of the
Messiah meant the fulfillment of the law.
Jesus
said, “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. I tell you the truth, until
heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a
pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to
do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever
practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of
heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom
of heaven.” –Matthew 5:17-20
If taken out of context, this passage would seem
to suggest that nothing of the Old Covenant has changed or will change with the
advent of the Messiah King. And to an extent, that is true. The emphasis is not
how on Jesus changed the law, but how he preceded the law and how he fulfills
the law. In fulfilling the law, we now know much of the law was but a
“shadow” of things to come. Because of Christ, the passage in Ezekiel 36
referenced above, has come to fruition. See also these essentials passages:
When
you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God
made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the
written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed
to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers
and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by
the cross…
Therefore
do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a
religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow
of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
–Colossians 2:13-17
The
law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities
themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated
endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it
could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have
been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their
sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is
impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
–Hebrews 10:1-4
The
promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say
“and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one
person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430
years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and
thus do away with the promise. For
if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise;
but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise…
What,
then, was the purpose of the law? It was added because of transgressions until
the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was put into effect
through angels by a mediator. A mediator, however, does not
represent just one party; but God is one…
Is
the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a
law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly
have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world
is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in
Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we
were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So
the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by
faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the
supervision of the law.
-Galatians
3:16-25
THIRD:
How do we know what Old Testament laws still apply to Christians today?
Once again, the issue with the New Covenant is
not that Jesus replaced the old laws (as if they were outdated) with new laws.
The means of reconciliation was always the promise that God would send a
messiah to redeem His people from their sins. We are sinners by both nature and
choice and it is only through faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the
cross that we can experience true transformation in our hearts and minds.
So when Jesus arrives on the scene in the Gospel
of Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount is all about excavating the sin in people’s
hearts (i.e. “You have it heard said ____, but I tell you”). While many
associate the Old Testament with law and the New Testament with grace, Jesus
teaching’s on the Sermon on the Mount are much more difficult to obey then that
of the Old Testament law! That is because Christ’s teachings demand internal
devotion and not just external religion. It moves beyond actions to attitudes.
Throughout the New Testament we see how the
fulfillment of the law and the good news of Jesus Christ led to a new
understanding of some of the Old Testament institutions.
For example, Jesus declared Himself “Lord of the
Sabbath.” He is greater than the Sabbath and can deviate from a strict
understanding of the Sabbath if someone is in trouble (Matt 12:1-14). Also,
physical circumcision does not mean as much as the circumcision of the heart
(Romans 2:28-29). Jesus’ disciples would encourage the early church to not get
barred down with debates over the Sabbath or other controversies because they
do not lead to greater devotion to Christ.
As
I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may
command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to
devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies
rather than God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love,
which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some
have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They
want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking
about or what they so confidently affirm…
We
know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know
that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the
ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their
fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for
slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the
sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed
God, which he entrusted to me. -1
Timothy 1:3-11
Accept
him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters. One
man’s faith allows him to eat everything, but another man, whose faith is weak,
eats only vegetables. The man who eats everything must not look down on him who
does not, and the man who does not eat everything must not condemn the man who
does, for God has accepted him. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To
his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to
make him stand…
One
man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day
alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He who regards one
day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he
gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks
to God. For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself
alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So,
whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
–Romans 14:1-8
Eat
anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for,
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it”… So whether you eat or drink or
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to
stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please
everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many,
so that they may be saved. -1 Corinthians 10:25-26,
31-33
In regards to the specifics of certain issues
like marriage or dietary laws, a careful student of the New Testament will be
able to discern what is explicitly taught and what has now become a matter of
conscience.
For example, Christians do not support polygamy
because Christ expressly taught that marriage should be between one man and one
woman for life (Matthew 19:4-6).
Christians can eat shellfish and pork without a
guilty conscience because God clearly allows it in Acts 10 (an important
chapter to read on this issue) and Jesus taught it is not what goes into a
man’s mouth that makes him unclean, but what comes out of man’s mouth that
makes him unclean (Matthew 15:10-11).
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. -Acts 10:9-16
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven. -Acts 10:9-16
Christians should not extract vengeance on their
enemies, but love their enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). In fact, when we love our
enemies we are exhibiting the same kind of love that Christ showed us on the
cross (Romans 5:6-10).
The New Testament does not give an exact
percentage on how much someone should tithe, but warns that we cannot serve
both God and money (Luke 16:13) and it is better to give than receive (Acts
20:35). Many Christians take the Old Testament rubric of 10% as a guide but, again, this is a matter of conscience. It would be easy to make a strong
argument that Christians should be giving at
least 10% to the mission of the church.
Christians debate about whether Leviticus 19:28
prohibits all believers in every era to forsake tattoos. I personally do not
think tattoos are ideal, simply because we are made in the image of God and
inking our body may tarnish that which was fearfully and wonderfully made
(Psalm 139:14). But I honestly cannot quote Leviticus 19:28 and say it is a sin
to get a tattoo. Oddly enough, when some Christians do that they are not obeying the
preceding verse which commands Israelites to never trim the hair on the side
of their heads or their beards.
LASTLY: It is also important to emphasize the spiritual power of the law to sanctify the regenerate heart. Even if many of the laws of the Old Testament are not still "in effect," simply reflecting upon God's Word in Scripture leads to greater devotion to God's Word incarnate: Jesus Christ.
All Scripture is God-breathed and is used for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. -2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is used for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. -2 Timothy 3:16
But the man who looks intently into the perfect
law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has
heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. –James 1:25
Perhaps of paramount importance, the New Testament emphasizes the purpose of the law is to reveal God’s holiness and our utter depravity. Religion prides itself on comparing our good deeds to that of your neighbor. The law forces us to compare ourselves with the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty. It is then we realize how desperately we need to be saved. Ultimately, the law reveals our sin so that the Gospel can reveal our savior.
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing
the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a
righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law
and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in
Jesus Christ to all who believe.
-Romans 3:20-22
