Theological Term of the Week
Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 8:25PM
rebecca in theological terms

You’ll find slightly different views in the quotes and links included. Good people differ on the issue and I’m still waffling a little.

threefold division of the law
The division of the Mosaic law into three categories: the moral law, the ceremonial law, and the civil (or judicial) law. Also called the tripartite division of the law.

  • From 40 Questions about Christians and Biblical Law by Tom Schreiner:
  • The distinction between the moral, ceremonial, and civil law is appealing and attractive. Even though it has some elements of truth, it does not sufficiently capture Paul’s stance toward the law. …Paul argues that the entirety of the law has been set aside now that Christ has come. To say that the “moral” elements of the law continue to be authoritative blunts the truth that the entire Mosaic covenant is no longer in force for believers. Indeed, it is quite difficult to distinguish between what is “moral” and “ceremonial” in the law. For instance, the law forbidding the taking of interest is clearly a moral mandate (Exod. 22:25), but this law was addressed to Israel as an agricultural society in the ancient Near East. As with the rest of the laws in the Mosaic covenant, it is abolished now that Christ has come. This is not to say that this law has nothing to say to the church of Jesus Christ today. …[I]t still has “a revelatory and pedagogical function.”
    …Still, the distinction has some usefulness, for some of the commands of the law are carried directly over to the New Testament by Paul and applied to the lives of believers. It seems appropriate to designate such commands as moral norms. For instance, the injunction to honor fathers and mothers still spplies to believers (Eph. 6:2). Paul teaches that love fulfills the law (Rom. 13:8-10), but he clarifies that those who love will not commit adultery, murder, steal, or covet (cf. Rom. 2:21-22; 7:7-8). Those who live according to the Spirit fulfill the requirement of the law (Rom. 8:4). The prohibition against idolatry still stands, though Paul does not cite the Old Testament law in support (1 Cor. 5:10-11; 6:9; 10:7, 14; 2 Cor 6:16; Gal 5:20; Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5). Other commands and prohibitions that reflect the Ten Commandments are found in Paul. 
Learn more:
  1. GotQuestions.org: What is the difference between the ceremonial law, the moral law, and the judicial law in the Old Testament?
  2. Justin Taylor: On the Tripartite Division of the Law, A Primer on the Mosaic Law and the Christian
  3. Richard Alderson: Law - Civic, Ceremonial and Moral
  4. Mike Riccardi: Schreiner, the Threefold Division, and the Law of God
Related terms:

Filed under God’s Nature and His Work.

Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.

Article originally appeared on Rebecca Writes (http://rebecca-writes.com/).
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