Which Old Testament Laws Apply Today?

Let's look at some different types of Old Testament laws:

Old Testament Cleansing Law:

"When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening."  Leviticus 15:19 

Old Testament Dietary Law:

“Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you. Leviticus 11:12 

Old Testament Sacrificial Laws:

Leviticus 7 contains a long list of commands about sacrifices and says, "These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering, which the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai in the Desert of Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the Lord." 

Old Testament Civil Law:

Deuteronomy 22:22: "If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel." 

Old Testament Ceremonial Law:

Exodus 23:16: Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.

How can we know which commands in the Old Testament apply to us today?

Most Bible scholars divide Old Testament laws into moral, civil and ceremonial. When divided in this ways, ceremonial laws include cleansing laws, dietary laws, sacrificial laws, and ceremonial laws. Civil laws were given to the nation of Israel during the time when Israel was governed by God through God's anointed leaders, such as Moses. 

Many of these civil laws contain moral principles.

Christ helps us understand that the punishments for civil laws no longer apply in Matthew 5:38-42 when he quotes the Exodus 21:24 law of "an eye for an eye" and explains that it no longer applies. 

That law served two purposes: to warn those who brought harm to others and to make sure the punishment did not exceed the crime. Sadly, it was sometimes used as a law to take revenge, and Christ corrected that error as well as confirming that it was a civil law no longer applicable to New Testament Christians. 

But even in Old Testament times, God taught that He alone enacted vengeance because He alone has perfect knowledge and perfect character (Deuteronomy 35:35-36;  Romans 12:17-19).

But back to which laws apply today: Here is the simplest way to determine that answer: If an Old Testament law applies to us today it will be commanded in the New Testament. If it's not commanded in the New Testament, it doesn't apply to Christians.

And please note this says "commanded" not "mentioned." For example, in Matthew 23:23 Jesus mentions the Pharisees tithing their spices, but He doesn't command us to tithe our spices. In fact, some scholars believe the tithing of spices even went beyond the Old Testament command in Leviticus 27:39. 

In this series, articles specifically address dietary, cleansing, and ceremonial laws, so let's address Old Testament civil laws here:

Old Testament civil laws may be the hardest to understand because many of them contain moral principles, but some of the punishments seem harsh by our modern standards. We need to understand that the Israelites were living among evil, pagan nations and God was preparing them to be set apart so they could one day bless all nations.

None of these civil laws are re-commanded in the New Testament, but many of the moral principles behind those commands are reflected in New Testament commands.  For example, it's a New Testament command not to commit adultery (Hebrews 13:4), but we are not commanded to kill adulterers as required in the civil law in Deuteronomy 22:22.

In addition, it's relatively easy to discern which principles in Old Testament laws are applicable today. They involve moral attitudes and moral behavior. 

"So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality." Colossians 2:16-17 

For more details on Old Testament laws, see No More Sacrifices, No More Dietary Laws and Cleansing Laws, and The 9 Commandments.

copyright, Gail Burton Purath, 2013, BiteSizeBibleStudy.blogspot.com, updated in 2022

Bite Size Bible Study

No More Sacrifices

The Old Testament included a complex system of sacrifices representing the "payment" for sin. 

These laws played an important role in foreshadowing Christ's sacrifice that cleanses us from sin once and for all. 

When Christ paid for sin on the Cross, all sacrificial laws came to an end. 

Hebrews 10:1-22 (NLT) 
The old system in the law of Moses was only a shadow of the things to come, not the reality of the good things Christ has done for us. The sacrifices under the old system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship...8 Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or grain offerings or animals burned on the altar or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). 9 Then he added, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to establish the second... 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. First he says, 16 “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts so they will understand them, and I will write them on their minds so they will obey them.” 17 Then he adds, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” 18 Now when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.

19 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 This is the new, life-giving way that Christ has opened up for us through the sacred curtain, by means of his death for us. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s people, 22 let us go right into the presence of God, with true hearts fully trusting him. For our evil consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

For more details on Old Testament law, see:

Which Old Testament Laws Apply Today 

No More Dietary Laws

The 9 Commandments.

Note: Hebrews 10:22 relates to cleansing laws talked about in No More Dietary and Cleansing Laws.


copyright, Gail Burton Purath, 2013, BiteSizeBibleStudy.blogspot.com

No More Dietary Or Cleansing Laws

The Old Testament includes a detailed system of dietary laws forbidding the consumption of certain "unclean" foods.

There is some evidence that these laws had purposes related to disease, sanitation, and storage of food in Old Testament times, and there are still some health and nutritional benefits from following them. 

But the New Testament clearly puts an end to these laws. They have nothing to do with holiness or obedience to God. 

In Acts 10: 9-15 God gives Peter a clear vision about dietary laws:  
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. 10 He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. 11 He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. 12 It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. 13 Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.” 14 “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” 15 The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” 

But even before this, Christ was paving the way for these changes. When the Pharisees asked why He didn’t follow their hand-washing laws in Matthew 15:10, 11, 17-20:

“Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them… 17 “Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

In addition to foods, certain activities made a person unclean, and the Old Testament includes a complex system of "cleansing" laws covering body fluids, dead animals, mold, etc. These cleansing laws served some sanitation purposes, but their main purpose was to show us that men were dirtied by sin and unable to approach a holy God. But Christ's sacrifice made us clean and allowed us to enter God's presence on Christ's merits alone:

Hebrews 10:19-20 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place.

The Scriptures below clearly rebuke anyone who thinks that Christians must obey the dietary laws as part of their obedience to God.

Colossians 2:16: 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. 

Mark 7:17-19: After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) 

Romans 14:3:The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.

For more details, see Which Old Testament Laws Apply Today,  No More Sacrifices, and The 9 Commandments.

copyright, Gail Burton Purath, 2013, updated 2022 BiteSizeBibleStudy.blogspot.com 

The 9 Commandments

All Ten Commandments are restated (re-commanded) in the New Testament except the Fourth about observing the Sabbath.(1)

When Christ instituted the New Covenant, He abolished Old Testament sacrificial, dietary, and ceremonial laws. The only ceremony clearly commanded in the New Testament is communion (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). 

There's nothing wrong with observing Old Testament holy days, but their purpose was to foreshadow Christ's coming and redemption. To read one example, see Passover Whispers.

Regarding the Sabbath, most denominations hold one of two views: 
1. All of the 10 Commandments, including the Fourth, are permanent laws.
2. The Fourth Commandment is no longer a law but the principle of having a weekly time of rest and reflection is a permanent principle.

The early New Testament Church was serious about fellowship and worship, and we're commanded to have fellowship with other Christians (Hebrews 10:24-25), but no particular day or days are specified in the New Testament. 

When we're saved, we experience the ultimate and final rest--a rest from our works and dependence on the Grace of Christ. In Christ, every day becomes a spiritual Sabbath (Hebrews 4:4-11).

Whatever we believe about the Sabbath, we are commanded to respect our differences  (Romans 14). It's an area where Christians will apply Biblical principles in differing ways.

Colossians 2:16-17 is a fitting conclusion to this post: 

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.

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(1) Note: This doesn't mean the word "Sabbath" is not found in the N.T. The word and the practices are  mentioned on several occasions, most notably when Jesus is doing something that violates Jewish Sabbath laws. But there are no N.T. commands regarding the Sabbath.

See also Galatians 4:10-11 where Paul fears that the Galatians had exchanged the grace of Christ for the old system of law-keeping and writes: "You are trying to earn favor with God by observing certain days or months or seasons or years. I fear for you..." (Galatians 4:10-11) 

For more details, see Which Old Testament Laws Apply Today,  No More Sacrifices, and No More Dietary Laws and Cleansing Laws.

Additional Articles: Are the 10 Commandments Repeated in the New Testament? and  Sabbath Keeping and the New Covenant

copyright, Gail Burton Purath, 2013, BiteSizeBibleStudy.blogspot.com