You - There was one law

Posted on: September 23, 2021 at 12:41:54 CT

God - Don't try to put Me in your puny little box.
the law of her husband
the law of faith
the law of God
the law of sin
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
the law of sin and death
the law for righteousness
the law of Christ
"My laws" PLURAL
the perfect law of liberty

a new commandment I write unto you

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till (UNTIL) Heaven AND Earth PASS, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till ALL be fulfilled.

Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. (By a Different Law. There is more than one law.)

Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law (OF SIN AND DEATH, but you are under THE LAW of faith. You are under THE LAW of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus), but under grace.


You shallow understanding of God's laws and misguided belief that, "There WAS one law", is contrary to scripture and deadly.

The word descriptive word bible isn't contained in the Holy scriptures. Failure to include in the text doesn't invalidate the use of the descriptive words moral, civil, and ceremonial related to the law.

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Moral, Ceremonial, and Civil Laws

Have you ever had a non-Christian challenge you by asking, “If you believe in everything in the Bible, why do you wear clothes made of wool and linen mixed together?” Or, “why do you eat pork, or why don’t you stone a woman who is guilty of adultery?”

At this point, many of us stand with our mouths open, not really knowing how to answer these questions. I actually get this type of question frequently on this site. The non-believer takes great joy in trying to trap the Christian so we must have appropriate knowledge to answer these questions.

To adequately answer these and many other such questions we must understand that there were three different types of laws in the Old Testament. The first is the moral law which is predominately found in the Ten Commandments. These laws were established for the good of ALL mankind. Don’t steal, don’t kill, don’t commit adultery, and have no other god’s other than the one true God – Jehovah or Yahweh!

The moral laws will stand forever. They have not been, nor will ever be eradicated.

The Ceremonial Laws were laws given specifically to the Jewish people and gave instruction on maintaining a right standing with God. They were laws that dealt with sacrifices, feasts, and festivals. They were laws that gave clothing regulations established to discern a difference between the nation of Israel and their ungodly neighbors. Many of these laws were given as signs and symbols of the coming Messiah. Placing the blood of a lamb on the door posts at Passover was a precursor to the lamb of God, Jesus, who shed His blood for our redemption.

Then there were civil laws. These laws were also laws given specifically to the people of Israel. Much like our country has its laws, and many states have their own laws, these laws applied specifically to God’s people. One example of a civil law was the amount of restitution that was to be paid if a man was gored by an ox or another Israelite.

So, why do we no longer adhere to these Old Testament ceremonial and civil laws?

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Subdividing the Law: Moral, Civil, Ceremonial?

I’ve been studying the Parasha (portion of scripture) for this week, which is called Mishpatim (“Judgments” or “Ordinances”) and is from Exodus 21:1 – 24:18. As I studied, an issue came to my mind that I have discussed scores of times with various people and with groups.

There is a view of the Law, associated mostly with Reformed tradition but also widely held by many as a simple “solution” to the problem of the Law. What do I mean by the “problem of the Law”? I mean that the Law is supposed to be good, since God gave it, but it is also allegedly obsolete. So how can it be good?

One way of harmonizing these irreconcilable notions is to say that God gave a Law with three kinds of commandments: moral, civil, and ceremonial. The civil and ceremonial laws were only for Israel and were only temporary. The moral law remains valid today. This is also a way to understand what Yeshua was saying in Matthew 5:17 (a troubling passage demanding an explanation which will still abolish the Law though Yeshua said not to). Sorry for the sarcasm.

Note that subdividing the Law into three categories is historically the solution of Reformed Christianity and is not exactly the same as the Lutheran view, the Catholic view, or the widely held Dispensationalist view. The Dispensationalist view, which I will not discuss today, is that the entire Law is abolished. Usually Dispensationalists see the commandments of the New Testament as the New Law (the Law of Christ)–this despite the fact that the New Testament is a collection of biographies and letters, not a legal corpus!!

Well, back to the Reformed view–that the Law has three categories: moral, civil, and ceremonial.

How do we decide which of God’s Laws are moral and which are ceremonial and civil (and thus obsolete)? The answer: we decide if the laws make sense, seem permanent, and seem moral to us.

Now, there is a problem with this. It assumes that morality is greater than God. I have many friends who are Reformed (even five-point Calvinists) and, let me tell you, these are intelligent people. So let me appeal to your intelligence if you are a Reformed Christian (Presbyterian, Reformed Baptist, etc.)–this process of deciding which of God’s laws are moral is judging God. It is saying that morality precedes the Godhead (and maybe even the decrees of God–that’s for you serious Calvinists out there).

What I mean is this: if right and wrong are categories independent of God, then God is not the source of right and wrong. Right and wrong are standards by which we may judge God’s Law, and thus, God.

Let me put it another way. If God says, “Hey, Israel, don’t eat pork, shellfish, or creepy-crawly things,” then who are we to say, “That’s only ceremonial and we don’t have to do it”? If God says it, it is immoral to disobey. Morality is not a standard independent of God. God decides what is right and what is wrong.

Let me use another angle. The Sabbath is a great issue. Reformed Christianity has a history of interpreting Sunday as the Sabbath (the New Testament changed it, don’t you know). Let’s just allow the day-change for a moment for the sake of argument. Here is my point: many Christians feel the Sabbath is a moral issue and many other Christians feel it is irrelevant to morality (thus, it must be “ceremonial,” since it seems irrelevant). So, see what happens when you decide to judge God’s Law? How do you know if you are right? If you are at McDonalds eating a cheeseburger after Sunday church, are you sinning? (Most Christians who believe Sunday is the Sabbath seem unaware that God forbids buying and selling–Nehemiah 13:15).

My point is simple: the Law (Torah) of God cannot be subdivided into these three categories. The truth is far more complex–but we lack time and space to delve into it all here. Perhaps future posts…

Well, I’ve gone on quite long. I will paste some more information below, things from Parashat Mishpatim that led me to think of posting this in the first place. You need read further only if the subject interests you.
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Consider how the Torah mixes commandments without any division or separation:

Exodus 23:9-11 You shall not oppress a stranger, since you yourselves know the feelings of a stranger, for you also were strangers in the land of Egypt. “You shall sow your land for six years and gather in its yield, but on the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove.

Vs.9 is clearly a moral issue (not oppressing foreigners), but it is immediately followed by what many would call a ceremonial regulation (letting the land have Sabbaths). The Torah makes no distinction. Furthermore, this raises a philosophical question: what makes something wrong? Is right and wrong defined by God or does it define God? If God defines right and wrong, then isn’t it just as immoral to violate a Sabbath year as it is to oppress and stranger?

Are the Torah Laws Irrelevant in the New Covenant?
In the Dispensational view of the Torah, all of this covenant is now obsolete after the coming of Yeshua. Only commandments repeated in the New Testament are valid for Yeshua followers. Yet consider laws that are not repeated in the New Testament, but which very obviously continue to reflect God’s will, such as:

Exodus 21:33-34 If a man opens a pit, or digs a pit and does not cover it over, and an ox or a donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall make restitution; he shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall become his.

This law concerns responsibility for the property of others. The New Testament does not address such situations. Does this mean that God’s commandment is invalid for Yeshua followers? Shouldn’t we be responsible for damage done to the property of others through our neglect?

Food for thought from the Torah . . .
Historically Christian theologians have recognized three different types of laws within the Mosaic law which are Moral, Ceremonial and Civil.

“We must attend to the well-known division which distributes the whole law of God, as promulgated by Moses, into the moral, the Ceremonial, and the judicial law.”

The Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin (1509-1564)

“We must therefore distinguish three kinds of precept in the Old Law; viz. ‘moral’ precepts, which are dictated by the natural law; ‘Ceremonial’ precepts, which are determinations of the Divine worship; and ‘judicial’ precepts, which are determinations of the justice to be maintained among men.”

Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

What is the difference between the three types of law found in the Mosaic Covenant?
Moral Law – this is law which reflects God’s character and his design of this world. Examples of this law would include but are not limited to commands regarding murder, children honoring and obeying their parents, adultery, covetousness and theft.

Ceremonial Law – this was a brand-new set of laws that God gave to Moses that were specifically for the nation of Israel as a theocracy. These laws dealt with the qualifications for priests, requirements for how and when to perform sacrifices, cleanliness laws, dietary laws, festival laws and tithing laws.

Civil(Judicial) Law – All nations must have civil laws to help deal with disputes between their citizens as well as to enforce the morals of the people. While not all of the Mosaic civil laws dealt with moral issues, a great deal of the Civil laws for Israel did in fact deal with how to punish or make restitution for violation of God’s moral laws. So, when we examine the Old Testament to search for the moral law of God – we must look for moral laws that stand alone as well as civil laws which prescribe punishment and restitution for breaking God’s moral laws.


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What is the difference between the ceremonial law, the moral law, and the judicial law in the Old Testament?

Moral Law
The moral laws, or mishpatim, relate to justice and judgment and are often translated as "ordinances." Mishpatim are said to be based on God’s holy nature. As such, the ordinances are holy, just, and unchanging. Their purpose is to promote the welfare of those who obey. The value of the laws is considered obvious by reason and common sense. The moral law encompasses regulations on justice, respect, and sexual conduct, and includes the Ten Commandments. It also includes penalties for failure to obey the ordinances. Moral law does not point people to Christ; it merely illuminates the fallen state of all mankind.

Ceremonial Law
The ceremonial laws are called hukkim or chuqqah in Hebrew, which literally means “custom of the nation”; the words are often translated as “statutes.” These laws seem to focus the adherent’s attention on God. They include instructions on regaining right standing with God (e.g., sacrifices and other ceremonies regarding “uncleanness”), remembrances of God’s work in Israel (e.g., feasts and festivals), specific regulations meant to distinguish Israelites from their pagan neighbors (e.g., dietary and clothing restrictions), and signs that point to the coming Messiah (e.g., the Sabbath, circumcision, Passover, and the redemption of the firstborn).

Judicial/Civil Law
The Westminster Confession adds the category of judicial or civil law. These laws were specifically given for the culture and place of the Israelites and encompass all of the moral law except the Ten Commandments. This includes everything from murder to restitution for a man gored by an ox and the responsibility of the man who dug a pit to rescue his neighbor’s trapped donkey

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What is the Ceremonial Law?

When God led the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, He delivered to them in fiery majesty the Ten Commandments. This Holy law was spoken by God, written by God, recorded on tables of stone, and is of eternal duration. At the same time the ceremonial law, of temporary usage, was also delivered to the children of Israel. This law dealt with the ceremonial rites of the Jewish sanctuary service, and concerned itself with a system of religion that passed away at the cross. Large sections of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy describe in detail this temporary law. The ceremonial law can easily be identified in scripture. It talks about circumcision (a religious Jewish rite), sacrifices, offerings, purifications, holy days and other rites associated with the Hebrew sanctuary service.

God's Word speaks of two great laws. Law number 1 is the law of God (the Ten Commandments, or Two tablets of the Testimony,) also known as the moral law and the Decalogue. Law number 2 is the Law of Moses (the “Book of the Law,” or “Book of the Covenant”), also known as the Mosaic Law, the Ordinances and the Ceremonial Law. Is there a relationship between these two laws? Absolutely. If an Israelite sinned, he broke law number 1, the moral law being the Ten Commandments. He then had to bring his offering according to law number 2, the sacrificial law to receive forgiveness. This is the relationship between these two laws. Law number 1 defines sin, as sin is the transgression of the moral law, the Ten Commandments (1 John 3:4). Law number 2 defined sacrifices which was the remedy for sin.

If the Israelite sinned, he broke the first law. To make atonement for his sin he had to obey the second law. As can be clearly seen, here are two very distinct laws of which this fact is unmistakable. Jesus Christ permanently took the place of law number 2 when He cried out “It is finished” and bowed His head and died. When the unseen hand tore the temple curtain from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51), this signified that this sacrificial law system was once and for all time nailed to the cross.

While the word ceremonial is spoken frequently of in scripture the term ceremonial law is not. In the King James Bible, it is normally translated to ordinances which Strong’s dictionary translates to as being a law of the type ceremonial or ordinances. As it was a system of commandments given by God to Israel, there can be no doubt it was a law that involved ceremonies so it will often be called as such, and has been by all the late great theologians.

The ceremonial law was for Israel alone as the Gospel did not go to the Gentiles for 3.5 years after Jesus died on the cross. The perfect sacrifice of Jesus ended this whole sacrificial system once and for all, thankfully giving us no requirement to obey this law of bondage which pointed forward to the true sacrifice that saves us from our sins, which is transgression of the moral law, the Ten Commandments. When we sin now, we genuinely repent, confess our sin and through God’s grace and faith in the sacrifice of Christ, we are forgiven.

The main Passages of confusion
Many people believe that Colossians 2:16, Galatians 4:10 and Romans 14:5 are referring to the Seventh day Sabbath and even some believe they refer to the Ten Commandments and not the sacrificial law. So what is the real truth? Since there is so much confusion in this area, these passages will be our main focus.

The Ceremonial law Holy days and feasts
Before considering Colossians 2:16, Galatians 4:10 and Romans 14:5, getting some insight into the various feasts, holy days and sacrificial sabbaths will give us a much better understanding of this law and why Paul referred to it as bondage. Leviticus chapter 23 is the easiest and shortest way of covering these feasts and sabbaths so we will start there and then move onto Colossians 2:16 and the other passages.

To fully understand the purpose of the ceremonial or sacrificial law, one must really understand the principle of type and antitype. The sequence of days observed for the feasts as shown in scripture is the “type.” This sequence of days is symbolic of what was to come in the future and for its fulfilment which is the “antitype.” The type and antitype will therefore always match precisely.




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