The Law in Three Parts

This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.

–1 John 5:3

When we talk about obeying God’s law, what “law” are we referring to? The Old Testament law includes more than just the Ten Commandments. But to understand the Ten Commandments, we need to understand the law as a whole. The law was divided into three parts:

1. Civil law. The civil law governed how the nation of Israel conducted its affairs, but it has no impact on how we are to live today.
2. Ceremonial law. The ceremonial law included instructions for sacrifices and special observances. Like the civil law, the ceremonial law is not applicable to us. Colossians 2:16–17 says, “No one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day–things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ.” Sometimes you can tell that a person is approaching because you can see their shadow. But when they arrive, do you interact with the shadow or with the person? The sacrifices and special days were simply a shadow of the Messiah who was to come. Now that Christ has come, we don’t need the shadow–we worship the substance.
3. Moral law. The moral law dictated how the Israelites were to conduct their personal lives, and those laws are still operational today. How do I know that? Because the New Testament repeats God’s rules that govern our personal behavior. In fact, Jesus quoted or alluded to nine of the Ten Commandments. Jesus didn’t come to nullify the law but to amplify and clarify the moral law.

When we talk about obeying God’s law, we’re referring to the moral law, which is summed up by the Ten Commandments. In Matthew 22, a lawyer asked Jesus, “Which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (vv. 36–39). The first four commandments deal with how we love God, and the final six deal with how we love others.

Remember, what God desires from each of us is a transformed life that comes from a transformed heart–a heart that loves Him and loves others. The Ten Commandments can’t transform our hearts, but they can help us live in a way that pleases God and invites His blessing on our lives.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “The Ten: A Study of the Ten Commandments” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2023.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.