How Do You Distinguish B/N Moral And Ceremonial/Civic Law in Pentateuch?

[Romans922]

People often ask the question to those who hold a reformed view of the law of God "How do you distinguish between the moral law and ceremonial/civic law?"

In other words, how do you distinguish that which is prescriptive (moral law which was not done away with/abolished) and descriptive for the nation of Israel (that which was only for the nation of Israel and which was ceremonial to do with the temple or civic in doing with the government of Israel) when you are reading through Exodus-Deuteronomy?


This isn't asking a definition of moral or ceremonial/civic law, but rather asking while reading through Exodus-Deuteronomy how do we distinguish between moral and ceremonial/civic.

 

[jwithnell]

That's not a bad question. I'd probably dive into J Vos' commentary on the Larger Catechism on that one.

Off the top of my head, I think it's easy to term as old covenant those laws that are oriented to expiation, those that involve the sacrifice of a living creature. These are clearly fulfilled in the work of Christ. Sadly, I think many modern believers skip over the teaching on these sacrifices and the nuanced, detailed understanding that they give us to understand our Savior.


Laws that are used for consecration are tied to the tabernacle or temple (such as the materials to be used, the preparations for entering, the various washings, etc.) Since Christ "tabernacled" among us, He is in His Person the fulfillment of the tabernacle/temple. (Although these laws give us patterns for how we are to approach God in worship.)

Here's where we might find some PB disagreement, but I'm convinced that the civil laws are applied to the government of OT Israel, however these laws serve as a pattern for godly government throughout the ages. Christ's life and teaching ministry came under the Roman Empire; so did all the other New Testament writers. No where are we told to re-establish the earlier government; indeed, you see teachings for us to submit to the governing authorities placed over us. But even serving as "just" a pattern, the civil laws are vital for any nation, and we should be active in promoting the candidates that understand this.

 

[Contra_Mundum]

The moral law is "summarily comprehended" the the Ten Commandments. Simply put, there is no moral law that doesn't "fit" in this summary.

The rest of the law of Moses is ceremonial and judicial, which latter are case-law application of the moral, with special reference to the covenant nation. The covenant-nation is no more, therefore the judicials in that form are "expired," meaning "dead". The inherent moral-equity of those laws is, of course, no more dead than the Ten Commandments are.

Now, certain laws seem to have a great deal of "moral equity" in them. I argue that the laws of sexual morality seem to be seen even by the apostolic church (Acts 15:20, 28-29) as embodying so much of the moral law, they were more explication of it than positive enactment.

But it seems to me the simple division of the Ten Commandments from the rest is all that is necessary; and more, it is all the Westminster divines meant.