Understanding the Law: Part III

Thus far in the series, we have seen that the Mosaic Law serves as a form of instructional case law and that the circumstances in which the Law was given are based on the principled realities which derive from the good character of God. Put simply, the Law is the embodiment of His righteous and holy character uniquely packaged and given to the nation of Israel.

As previous articles in the series have shown, however, though the Law was set in the unique circumstances which were of particular relevance to Israel, by nature the Law is principally good, useful, and required of all people. Naturally, the question becomes how believers today rightly divide, understand, and apply the Law to their own lives. This final article of the series will seek to answer that question.

Second, in most instances, the categorical “civil” laws will not find direct application in modern society, but their general equity should be regarded as the supreme guiding principle in lawmaking and enforcement today. When speaking of Mosaic “civil laws,” what is in view are those laws that deal with the governance of private and public affairs between groups and individuals, as well as their related penalties. In other words, the “civil laws” are laws which might reasonably be found to be related to governmental affairs. It would appear that within the Mosaic system, such civil laws can be seen as only directly relevant and applicable in their circumstantial form to Israel. This is primarily because of the unique relationship which existed between Israel and God.

Of very important note on this point is the reality of their physical proximity to His actual presence. This circumstance alone has a massive effect on how one ought to approach these very circumstantially specific laws and the reasons that undergirded their provision. Due to their unique circumstance, their civil laws necessarily reflected this reality, a reality which has not since been seen.

For example, one major difference between Israel and every other civil nation since that time was the unique intermarriage between the religious authorities and the civil authorities. For Israel, the priests were necessarily a required function in all civil judgments (Deut. 17:10-12). Today the Christian Church does not occupy such a position, as the primary role we have adopted has included that of teaching the civil authorities and not ordering them. In this matter alone, then, there is reason for discounting the direct application of many if not most of the civil laws. That is not to say that those very laws do not contain a general equity that might find application in a new set of circumstances, however different that may look.

Third, the general equity and requirements of the “ceremonial laws,” as with all the laws, are still binding, but they are obeyed through faith in Christ, who satisfies their requirements. In essence, the “ceremonial laws” sought the reconciliation of faithful believers to God through the circumstances of animal sacrifice. In this, we find said circumstances to have been abrogated or replaced through a new set of circumstances: faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ as sufficient for reconciliation to God. While their circumstances are no more, their general equity remains, and they are worthy of study for the appreciation and understanding they bring to the specifics of Christ in His own sacrifice and the workings of salvation.

The Mosaic Law has confounded many Christians, and the sometimes controversial and exaggerated debate that has been waged over understanding the Law has led many to draw arbitrary lines in the sand that need not exist. Some have come to the topic with right reverence for the Law, but in that reverence, they have made the mistake of conflating the general equity and circumstantial specifics in a way that leaves the two indistinguishable, and their position without right and needed nuance.

On the other extreme of the spectrum, some have been willing to throw out the weight and value of the Law in favor of an overly nuanced and muddled interpretation. And yet others have simply come away exasperated and defeated, relegating the topic of the Mosaic Law to the eternal dustbin, the place where theological issues are tossed until they might finally be asked and answered in eternity. This need not be the case, however, as the Mosaic Law, which is a product of the nature of God and a revelation of His character, is beautiful, essential, and necessary to understand. Within the Scriptures, Christians have all that they need to rightly approach and understand them as they were, how they are, and how they might effectively be put to use today.

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.