Understanding the Law: Part II

In Part I of Understanding the Law, we established that the Law of God, as given by God to Moses, is best understood as a type of instructional case law. The Law takes principles of wisdom and then wraps them in specific, circumstantial commands, which were relevant and applicable to Israel. However, though the Law is aimed in application toward Israel, the principles that underwrite each law are universally wise and good, even outside of Israel. When we left off, we asked from where these principles derive. That will be the subject of this article.

The underlying principles of the Law are derived from the God who gave them. At Sinai, Moses did not come to write the Law after many days considering the natural order of the world. He did not create or stumble upon it. The Law was given and commanded to Moses by God (Ex. 20:1). The principles from which it was derived must inherently come from God Himself and must be a reflection of His own perfect and eternal character. The principles that undergird the circumstantial specifics of God’s Law are eternal and immutable since God is eternal and immutable.

God’s Law is derived from and built from His own good character. Christians can universally agree that moral laws, such as “you shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13), are eternally binding. The point of confusion arises when this logic is applied across the three aforementioned categories: moral, civil, and ceremonial laws. This is understandable, for numerous passages in the New Testament speak of the abrogation of certain Mosaic laws, namely those we might classify as ceremonial (Gal. 2:16), and Paul frequently appears to speak of the Law in a way that might easily lead one to dismiss its timelessness outright, but even in such instances, he is usually only a few sentences removed from general praise and commendation of the Law. The only way to reconcile these perceived tensions, then, is to understand that such “abrogations” are in circumstance only, and not in principle.

What is meant by circumstance? This refers to the contextual details and specifics in which a law is given. For example, “Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain” (Deut. 25:4) is a case law command regarding the care of an animal while it labors. Yet this law is built upon an underlying principle that might find a wide range of circumstantial applications. This universal underlying principle is what many refer to as its “general equity,” simply meaning the broader principle at play which might find application in any number of circumstances. This is precisely how the Apostle Paul is able to use that very specific and seemingly unrelated law to apply to the care and payment of pastors (1 Tim. 5:17-18). His intention is not to reintroduce the Law in its original circumstantial form, but to apply its general equity, which finds its origins in the character of God.

Similarly, it can be asserted that the ceremonial laws requiring the shed blood of an animal for the remittance of sins are circumstantial in their giving, but that the principle, that God requires blood atonement for sin, is eternal. Today God still requires an atonement of blood for sin, but this law and expectation is fulfilled in new circumstances, namely faith in the perfect sacrifice of Christ. The circumstances of specific Mosaic laws might have “passed away,” but their general equity has not.  

The Mosaic Law, in its circumstantial form, was given to the nation of Israel once they entered into a covenant with God. The Lord revealed His character to them through the practical circumstances of the Law, but it was always His intention for Israel to be more than mere lawkeepers; He desired that their lives would be transformed by its teaching. The circumstances of the given Law were unique to them. Clearly, not every nation was appointed to serve as priests. Only Israel enjoyed this blessing. It is nevertheless inescapable that the principle of the Law and its expectations were universal, for they conform first and foremost to the character of God.

The nations were not commanded to play the same role as Israel, but they suffered the weight of judgment for their sin, and without atonement, they were rightly and justly punished. This is how Isaiah can speak of the condemnation of the nations who “transgress God’s Law” (Isaiah 24:5), or how the Lord can warn Israel to keep the Law, lest they be found guilty as the Canaanites were guilty (Lev. 18:24-25). It is the general equity of the Law that is revealed in creation and knowable throughout creation. On these grounds, Paul condemns the whole Gentile world (Rom. 1:18-32). Unfortunately, sin obfuscates our ability to rightly discern such realities, so we must look to the Law for understanding.

How do we rightly divide and apply the Law? We will consider that in Part III of our series.

AUSTIN ROUSE
1689 Federalism | Post Millennialism | General Equity Theonomist
Austin Rouse is the Pastor of Families and Students at Southern Heights Baptist Church in Russellville, KY, where he and his wife, Addie, reside with their two children, Naomi and Tommy. He graduated from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in fall 2023 with his BA in Biblical Studies and is on track to graduate with his M.Div in the fall of 2024. Austin shepherds Southern Heights in the areas of family worship and discipleship, mission strategization, corporate worship, and student ministry, and co-hosts The Council podcast with a fellow elder of the church.