Threefold Division of the Law

Introduction

Hosea 6:6 ESV

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Matthew 23:23–24 ESV

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

1 Corinthians 7:19 ESV

For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.

Colossians 2:16–17 ESV

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

This is our third message in our series on the 10 commandments, this time focusing on what’s typically referred to as the threefold division of the law. In our last time, we looked at the threefold use of the law, but this time we’re going to look at the threefold division of the law. How many of you have ever heard of the threefold division of the law? Now, while most folks are less familiarly with the threefold use of the law, most folks usually have some familiarity with the threefold division of the law.

In our last time, we sought to answer the following question, “Why did God give the law?” or “What is the intended function of the law?” But, this week, I want to answer a set of different questions, “Which parts of the law apply to our lives?” Do all parts of the law apply to us today? Or just certain parts of it? If only certain parts, then which parts? Am I forbidden from eating certain foods, or expected to observe OT feast-days? Do the 10 commandments still apply? If so, which ones? What about the Sabbath?

All of these questions are important, because if we don’t know how to answer them then we won’t know how to obey Jesus when he said in John 14:15,

John 14:15 ESV

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

We must know which commandments to keep if we intend to keep his commandments. Is Jesus talking about the whole law without any distinction, or only certain commandments? These are the questions I want to help answer for us today, because in the weeks ahead we’re going to study the 10 commandments, and we must know why we’re still intended to keep them, and why we’re not necessarily intended to keep the other laws in the same way.

Dangers when not rightly dividing the law

Furthermore, many of you have probably heard atheists criticize Christians for being inconsistent when they neglect to keep all of the laws found in the OT. When we warn them that God will hold them accountable for breaking his law, that they must repent and believe the Gospel, they immediately point their finger back at us, calling us hypocrites for not keeping the whole law ourselves, and therefore why should they? They shout, “You say that homosexuality is an abomination and forbidden, but you break the law when you wear clothing of mixed fabrics. You’re being inconsistent! You’re a hypocrite!” (Leviticus 19:19) But they employ a defective understanding of the law to shield themselves from their obligation to obey it.

Their accusation only works if the law of God is simply a monolithic moral code book binding on all men for all time in all circumstances, if there is no substantive difference between homosexuality and mixed fabrics. But this is the erroneous assumption that most opponents of the faith make, and unfortunately many Christians have no answer for, because they too are ignorant of how to rightly divide and apply the law of God to their own lives. Therefore, it’s essential that we know how to apply the law, if we intend to obey it, and if we intend to have an answer for those who ask.

Binding the conscience where God has not

Furthermore, if we don’t know how to apply the law properly then we risk binding the consciences of others where the law of God does not. For example, we might forbid tattooing, as though it were inherently sinful, and forbidden by the law of God, going so far as to quote Leviticus 19:28.

However, as we’ll see later, tattooing is not inherently sinful, nor is Leviticus 19:28 binding on us today. Instead, it was forbidden in Israel for a particular circumstantial reason, and during a unique time in history, under the old covenant. Now, there might be other reasons beyond the scope of Leviticus 19:28 that it might be sinful for someone to receive a certain kind of tattoo under certain circumstances, but my point is that if we don’t know how to rightly apply the law of God we risk binding the consciences of men where God does not.

In more extreme examples, due to an ignorance of how to apply God’s law, there are various cults who frequently require their members to obey parts of the law that are no longer binding upon men. For example, the Hebrew Roots movement argues that Christ’s death on the cross didn’t bring the old covenant to an end, and that Christians are expected to observe the ordinances of the Mosaic Covenant, such as the Sabbath on Saturday, Jewish feasts and festivals, dietary laws, and so on. Hints of this can also be found within Seventh-Day Adventists churches who emphasize the observance of the Sabbath on Saturdays and emphasize adherence to OT dietary laws.

Disregarding laws that are binding

And on the flip-side, there are Christians who dispense with every law found in the OT, and argue that we’re only bound to the commands found or repeated in the NT. While usually less dangerous, these Christians risk ignoring commandments they’re intended to keep. A prominent example of this is the fourth commandment, to remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy. This command is admittedly difficult to determine it’s application in the new covenant, which we’ll look at later, but because some Christians don’t think it’s clearly repeated in the NT that they’re no longer obligated to keep it today. This often results in an excuse to frequently forsake the weekly gathering of the church on the Lord’s day, seeing no fundamental obligation to do so. This undoubtedly played a role in the minds of many believers who were perfectly content to cancel weekly gatherings on the Lord’s day during the COVID pandemic for months and even years.

It’s reasons like these that the threefold division of the law is an important concept for us to grasp before tackling the 10 commandments, because if we’re going to rightly apply the law of God, we also need to understand which parts of the law should be applied.

Threefold division of the law

That being said, let’s consider now the threefold division of the law. What’s meant by dividing the law into three parts? Well, the threefold division of the law could be described as organizing the law into three separate categories, or recognizing the differences between certain parts of the law. Historically, Christians have recognized the following three categories, 1) the moral law, 2) the civil law, and 3) the ceremonial law. And these three categories can, of course, go by different names depending on who you read, but the category distinctions remain largely the same.

Now, in recent years, some have criticized this threefold division of the law, arguing that it’s not taught explicitly in Scripture. However, while the Scriptures don’t use that phrase, the threefold division of the law, that doesn’t mean it isn’t taught. There are lots of terms not found explicitly in the Bible, but that are utilized to describe doctrines that the Scriptures clearly teach.

For example, the doctrine of the trinity, or the doctrine of original sin, or the incarnation, and so on. In fact, we call this book the Bible, but at no point does this book call itself the Bible, yet I don’t think there’s any reason we should dispense with the name. While these doctrines, by name, don’t specifically appear in Scripture, it doesn’t follow that they’re not necessarily taught in Scripture.

Weightier matters of the law

For instance, Jesus criticized the Pharisees for neglecting the weightier matters of the law, such as “justice and mercy and faithfulness.” The Pharisees were fastidious about tithing, to the point that they tithed the herbs found in their cupboards, yet Jesus said that they were neglecting the weightier matters of the law. He described them as “straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel.” But my point is that Jesus recognized that certain laws were more important than others. In other words, there were differences between certain laws that made some weightier than others.

In fact, Jesus was the only one who recognized this. There are many examples in both the old and new testaments, but to give just a few listen to Hosea 6:6,

Hosea 6:6 ESV

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Then similarly in Proverbs 21:3,

Proverbs 21:3 ESV

To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

So, we can clearly see that the biblical writers saw distinctions between parts of the law, that certain parts were weightier than others.

Circumcision and the commandments of God

Furthermore, the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:19 wrote,

1 Corinthians 7:19 ESV

For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.

Now, I bet most of us have read that verse without even realizing that we’re already accustomed to dividing and categorizing the law on our own. I mean, hasn’t Paul read Genesis and Leviticus before? Isn’t circumcision a commandment of God? How can he then say that neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything when it’s clearly commanded in Genesis and Leviticus, and then say all that matters is keeping the commandments of God! Well, which is it? Isn’t circumcision keeping the commandments of God? Well, in this context, no, it isn’t. Instead when the Apostle uses the phrase “commandments of God” he’s not referring to the whole law, but more specifically the 10 commandments.

Shadows and substance

In fact, when the NT writers talk like this they rarely pause to explain themselves, because they assume it’s self-evident that there are distinctions within the law of God. That it’s obvious that there’s a fundamental difference between the command to be circumcised and the command forbidding murder, that there’s a substantive difference between the two.

We this elsewhere too, in places like Colossians 2:16-17, where Paul writes,

Colossians 2:16–17 ESV

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Notice how, in Paul’s mind, dietary laws, festivals, new moon celebrations, and sabbaths are all categorized as shadows. That they’re shadows of the things to come, but that the substance belongs to Christ. Again, Paul sees distinctions and categories within the law of God, that not all laws are the same, but that some were shadows of the things to come, and qualitatively different than other laws.

And my point with these examples is simply that the biblical authors recognized differences and distinctions within the law of God, that not all laws are the same. This is why both Jews and Christians have both historically recognized distinctions within the law of God as well, including the moral, civil, and ceremonial.

Moral law

So, let’s look at the moral law first. The moral law is fundamentally rooted in God’s nature and his character, it’s uniquely permanent and eternal, it doesn’t change, and it’s binding on all men, in all places, and at all times. The moral law of God is expressed explicitly in the 10 commandments that were handed down at Mt. Sinai, however, the moral law has been written on the hearts of men since the very beginning, at creation, when mankind was made in the image of God. This is why Paul writes in Romans 2:14-16,

Romans 2:14–16 ESV

For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

In other words, even though the Gentiles were not given the law, as the Jews were at Mt. Sinai, Paul says that they often do what the law requires by nature, because the law is written on their hearts. That it’s constantly accusing and excusing their behavior.

This is why non-believers still often recognize and manage to obey some of the 10 commandments, because they still bear the image of God, which carries with it his law written upon their hearts. If you ever watch an avowed atheist try to make a moral argument you’ll usually see them make moral assertions that are analogous to the 10 commandments, but they’ll have no way to account for them, except by their own vague impressions and sentiments. Because, whether they like it or not, they still bear the mark of their creator.

Predates Sinai

And because the moral law is uniquely permanent and eternal we see it in operation long before it’s engraved on tablets of stone. Men were sinning long before the law was given in the wilderness, and people were being held accountable to it all along. You can find examples of all 10 commandments in operation, one way or another, in the 2,500 years leading up the events at Mt. Sinai. And if you’ve ever read the book of Genesis you’ve likely assumed the moral law’s operation from the very beginning. I think most of us intuitively recognize that the moral law of God is rooted in God’s character, and therefore permanent and eternal.

The first commandment says, “you shall have no other gods before me,” and then in Genesis 35:2 we see the patriarch Jacob telling his whole household to put away the foreign gods that were among them. The second commandment which forbids false worship, and the third commandment which forbids blaspheming the Lord’s name is clearly portrayed in the Exodus where we witness God’s judgement against Pharoah and Egypt for their false gods, their false worship, and their blasphemy of the one true God. Which is why the plagues were specifically directed at their false gods. The fourth commandment, to “remember the Sabbath day, and to keep is holy” we find is rooted in creation, at the very beginning, when God rested on the 7th day, blessing the 7th day and making it holy, then again, before the Israelites had reached Mt. Sinai, they were punished for breaking the Sabbath while in the wilderness. The fifth commandment, to “honor your father and mother” is clearly seen when Noah’s son, Ham, dishonored his father by leaving his father naked and uncovered, resulting in his descendents, the Canaanites, being cursed (Gen. 9:18-29). The sixth commandment, “you shall not murder” was broken as early as Genesis 4 when Cain killed his brother Abel, and God punished him by cursing the ground before him. The seventh commandment, “you shall not commit adultery” is particularly prevalent, and is most clearly depicted by Sodom and Gomorrah's sexual immorality and God’s fiery judgment against them. The eighth commandment, “you shall not steal” was vividly illustrated when Jacob’s wife, Rachel, stole her father’s household idols, and Jacob swore he would punish anyone who had stolen from him. The 9th commandment, “you shall not bear false witness” is seen as early as Genesis 4 when Cain lied about his brother’s whereabouts, and said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” And finally, the tenth commandment, “you shall not covet” is pervasive from the very beginning, when Eve desired to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Genesis 3.

Transcendent law

Again, my point is that the moral law uniquely transcends time, space, and circumstance. This is why the 10 commandments are evident both before and after Sinai. And they didn’t end with Sinai, they didn’t end with Mosaic Covenant. While Jesus has certainly delivered us from the consequences of our disobedience to the law, he has not delivered us from the commandments themselves and our obligation to obey them.

Distinctive nature

The 10 commandments embody the moral law and are particularly unique. They are a written record of the law written upon our hearts, and they were uniquely revealed on Mt. Sinai with loud thunder, flashes of lightning, a thick cloud, and a very loud trumpet blast (Exodus 19:16), while the other laws were not revealed in this way. The 10 commandments were written on tablets of stone, signifying their permanence, while the civil and ceremonial laws were not. The 10 commandments were described as being written with the very finger of God, while the other laws were recorded by Moses. The Lord uniquely declared the ten commandments to the Israelites by the use his own voice out of the midst of the fire, whereas the other commandments were declared to the people by Moses. The 10 commandments were kept inside the ark of the covenant, whereas the rest of the law was kept outside. The 10 commandments were also given first, recorded in Exodus chapter 20, while the civil laws were given later in Exodus 21-23, and the ceremonial laws given in Exodus 25-31. The decalogue was obviously preeminent and was set apart from the rest of the laws, because it uniquely captured and embodied the character of God. Which is why the decalogue remains applicable to us today.

Positive law

The other laws, however, are often described as positive laws because of their temporary or circumstantial nature. Now, what do I mean by that? The other two categories, both civil and ceremonial laws, are not permanent or eternal like the moral law, they don’t transcend time, space, and circumstance. For example, circumcision was a commandment given to Abraham, but it was a commandment that did not predate Abraham. Circumcision is not written on the hearts of mankind, and it had a particular temporary circumstance that it was designed for. It was morally binding for sure, but only for a limited time, and only for a particular people. The whole of mankind will not be held accountable for being uncircumcised, because circumcision was binding only for Abraham and his descendents until Christ came. Civil and ceremonial laws largely fit into this category, so keep this mind as we look at these last two divisions of the law.

Civil law

The laws that were not kept inside of the ark of the covenant were laws intended to 1) govern the nation of Israel and 2) govern its worship. We call the laws that were intended to govern the nation civil, or judicial laws. They served the purpose of regulating the people’s behavior for the good of society, just as civil laws do in any other nation, like our own. These laws were necessary for the establishment of Israel as a nation. The civil laws, while distinct from the 10 commandments, are closely connected to them. In fact, it would be accurate to describe the civil laws as an application of the decalogue to civic life, or to Israel’s political circumstances. So, while we can distinguish the civil law from the moral law, we can’t separate them, Israel’s civil law was fundamentally rooted in the decalogue. Which is also why Israel’s civil law can still serve as an example for us today.

Now, if you’ve read through the Book of Exodus before you can probably recall some examples. Israel’s civil laws included prohibitions of incest, murder, theft, sorcery, witchcraft, blasphemy, and bearing false witness, they included protocols for restitution of your goods if they were either damaged or stolen, regulations for foreigners and sojourners, for marriage and divorce, property boundaries, contagious diseases, and building safety, punishments for adultery, murder, kidnapping, and idolatry. They even had laws related to loans and interest, the treatment of animals, legal proceedings, the fair treatment of widows, orphans, and the vulnerable members of society like slaves.

Again, because these laws were rooted in the 10 commandments they can serve as examples for us as we seek to establish just laws in our own nations. However, its important we remember that these civil laws were designed with Israel’s context and circumstances in mind, so we shouldn’t naively copy and paste them into our own nation necessarily. While the civil law is rooted in the moral law, it’s still a positive law that was binding only upon the citizens of that nation for as long as old covenant Israel existed.

Ceremonial

And, finally, the third division of the law is referred to as ceremonial. While the civil laws governed the nation of Israel, the ceremonial laws governed Israel’s worship. Like the civil law, the ceremonial laws were confined to the context of the old covenant. In other words, the ceremonial laws handed down at Sinai were not binding on the nations outside of covenant Israel, and they didn’t transcend the temporary context of the old covenant. But like the civil law, the ceremonial law was also connected to the decalogue, particularly to the first table of the 10 commandments, or the first four commandments associated with our duty to God. To have no other gods before him, to engage in true worship, to honor his name, and to keep the Sabbath holy unto God.

And again, if you’ve read through the Book of Exodus (or Leviticus) you can probably recall many examples. Israel’s ceremonial laws included instructions for the tabernacle, regulations for sacrifices, how to ordain priests, regulations for cleansings and purifications, the day of atonement, various feasts, sabbaths, and holy days, instructions for the altars, the bronze basin, the priestly garments, incense, offerings, and atonements. They also included dietary laws, and other requirements and restrictions (related to things like clothing and tattoos) that were intended to set them apart from the nations around them, as a people holy unto God.

However, we also find ceremonial laws outside the context of Israel and the old covenant. Hundreds of years before the covenant at Mt. Sinai Abraham was instructed to circumcise every male in his household, and then after the Mosaic Covenant Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper and baptism. These are the ceremonial laws that apply to us today. And just like the ceremonial laws handed down to Moses at Sinai, these laws serve temporary purposes. For example, baptism and the Lord’s Supper are not permanent, they will cease when Jesus comes again, just as the old covenant ceremonial laws ceased at Jesus’ first coming, but until then baptism and the Lord’s Supper serve to govern our worship and point us to Christ and his ministry.

In fact, while the ceremonial laws of the old covenant were rendered obsolete at the coming of Christ, they’re still valuable to us for instruction. The entire ceremonial system of the old covenant was intended to point the people to Christ, to illustrate God’s holiness, and to dramatize their need for salvation, their need to have their sins forgiven, their need to have their sins atoned for by a sacrifice without spot or blemish, and to be set apart. Their need for a high priest to intercede on their behalf. The ceremonial laws of the old covenant were intended to foreshadow the ministry of Christ. That’s why it should always be exciting for us when we study the OT, because we’re intended to see Christ there!

Conclusion

So, when we ask the question, “Which parts of the law apply to our lives?”, we discover that the civil and ceremonial laws of the old covenant have been made void as a result of the coming of Christ, that they have served their appointed purpose, because Christ has fulfilled the law, and because he is the substance of the law’s types and shadows. “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. … For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.” The ceremonial laws of old covenant Israel have ceased, therefore they’re no long binding upon us. Furthermore Christ has kept the moral law on our behalf, yet they remain as a guide for the Christian follow. While Jesus has certainly delivered us from the consequences of our disobedience to the law, he has not delivered us from the commandments themselves and our obligation to obey them.

Prayer