If we are justified entirely by God’s grace through faith in Christ, and if our good works cannot merit salvation, what do we do with the Old Testament Law? Are Christians completely free from the Ten Commandments? Should modern nations enforce the civil codes of ancient Israel? Do we still need to observe Jewish dietary laws?
Throughout church history, Christians have struggled to understand how the Old Testament law applies to the New Testament believer. The Westminster Confession provides a masterful solution in Chapter 19 by employing the classical “Tripartite” (three-part) division of the law. It teaches us to divide the laws given to Moses into three categories: Moral, Ceremonial, and Judicial. By understanding these distinctions, we can see how the Law is both gloriously fulfilled by Christ and practically useful for the Christian.
The Confession teaches that God gave Adam a moral law that continues today as a perfect rule of righteousness, summarized in the Ten Commandments; that He also gave Israel ceremonial laws prefiguring Christ and judicial laws governing their state, both of which have expired, though the general equity of the judicial law remains.
The Original Law (WCF 19.1)
Long before Moses climbed Mount Sinai, God gave a law. The Confession states that “God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works.”
Adam was created righteous, “endued with power and ability to keep it.” This law required “personal, entire, exact, and perpetual obedience.” The terms of this covenant were simple: perfect obedience brings life; disobedience brings death. As we know from Genesis 3, Adam broke this covenant, bringing ruin upon all his posterity. Because of the Fall, no human (except Christ) can ever be saved by obeying the law, because we have lost the ability to keep it perfectly.
The Enduring Moral Law (WCF 19.2)
Although the law can no longer save us, the core of that original law did not disappear. “This law, after his fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness.”
Because God’s moral law is a reflection of God’s own holy character, it does not change. What was wrong in the Garden of Eden is still wrong today. This eternal moral law “was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai, in ten commandments, and written in two tables.”
The Ten Commandments are the summary of all human duty. The first table (Commandments 1-4) dictates our duty toward God (loving Him with all our heart). The second table (Commandments 5-10) dictates our duty toward man (loving our neighbor as ourselves). Because this moral law reflects God’s unchanging nature, it is binding upon all people, in all places, at all times.
The Expired Ceremonial Law (WCF 19.3)
“Beside this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give to the people of Israel… ceremonial laws.”
If you read Leviticus, you will find intricate laws concerning animal sacrifices, dietary restrictions, feast days, and temple rituals. What was the purpose of these? The Confession calls them “typical ordinances, partly of worship, prefiguring Christ.” They were shadows pointing forward to the substance. The Passover lamb pointed to the Lamb of God; the temple veil pointed to Christ’s torn flesh; the Day of Atonement pointed to the cross. Because the substance has now come, these shadows are no longer needed, and “are now abrogated, under the new testament.”
However, the divines add an important note: these ceremonial laws also functioned “partly, holding forth divers instructions of moral duties.” Just as the judicial law was an application of the moral law, the ceremonial law often contained a moral core wrapped in a temporary, redemptive-historical shell.
A perfect example is the Sabbath. The principle of resting one day in seven to worship God is a permanent moral law (the Fourth Commandment, rooted in Creation). However, the specific requirement to observe it on the seventh day of the week (Saturday) was a ceremonial aspect tied to the Old Covenant. With the resurrection of Christ, the ceremonial shadow of the seventh day expired, but the moral duty of the Sabbath remains, now celebrated on the first day of the week (the Christian Sabbath or Lord’s Day).
The Expired Judicial Law (WCF 19.4)
Finally, God gave Israel laws “as a body politic” (a nation-state). These were “judicial laws.”
Israel was a unique nation in human history—a theocracy where God was their literal King. He gave them specific civil codes, penal systems, and property laws (e.g., laws about ox-goring, property boundaries, and civil punishments).
Do these laws apply to modern governments like the United States or Great Britain? The Confession answers: “which expired together with the State of that people; not obliging any other now.” We are not bound to recreate the civil government of ancient Israel.
However, the divines add a crucial caveat: “further than the general equity thereof may require.” It is vital to understand that the civil laws of the Mosaic economy were particular applications of the unchanging moral law for that specific time and place. Therefore, the “general equity” is not merely a vague moral lesson; it is the moral law itself, of which the civil law was an application. While the specific cultural or geopolitical application of the moral law may change (and did expire with Israel), the actual moral law behind it never does.
For example, Deuteronomy 22:8 commands: “When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet [a low wall] for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.”
- Literal application (Expired): You must build a wall around your flat roof. (Israel-specific application).
- General Equity (Enduring Moral Law): You must take reasonable safety precautions on your property to protect human life, which is a direct application of the Sixth Commandment (“You shall not murder”). (e.g., Putting a fence around your swimming pool).
Conclusion
The tripartite division of the law is a vital tool for reading the Bible. It keeps us from the error of Legalism (trying to keep the ceremonial law or be saved by the moral law) and the error of Antinomianism (rejecting the Ten Commandments entirely). We no longer look to the law as a strict taskmaster to earn our salvation, but having been saved by grace, we now look to the moral law as a loving Father’s guide, showing us how to live a life that pleases Him.
Key Terms
- Tripartite Division: The classical Reformed framework for categorizing Old Testament law into three parts: Moral, Ceremonial, and Judicial.
- Moral Law: God’s unchanging standard of righteousness, permanently binding on all humanity, summarized in the Ten Commandments.
- Ceremonial Law: Temporary laws given to Israel governing worship, sacrifices, and purity, designed to foreshadow Christ and holding forth instructions of moral duties. They are abrogated in the New Covenant.
- Judicial (Civil) Law: Temporary laws given to govern the geopolitical nation of ancient Israel. They expired when the nation of Israel ceased to be a theocracy under the Old Covenant.
- General Equity: The enduring moral law itself, which was the basis for the specific, temporary civil laws of ancient Israel. While the particular civil application has expired, the moral law it applied remains permanently binding.