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In my last post, I discussed how theoretically one could be saved by complete obedience to the Law, yet this was never the purpose for which God intended the Law. Today, I turn to the purpose of the Law.

What then is the purpose of the Mosaic Law? As previously noted, the most straightforward and basic purpose of the Law was to provide a constitution for the newly formed nation of Israel. Baylis notes that “expecting to find only spiritual things” in the Law leads confusion. Not only does the Law contain moral commandments, but also such things as building codes and public health laws.

This is not to say that there are not more spiritual purposes for God’s giving of the Law. For examlple, the Law serves to reveal God’s character. Leviticus 11:45 states, “I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.” Not only does the Law reveal God’s character, but also reveals an obligation to conform to that character.

At this point, it might be helpful to consider an oft-heard, but little supported, claim that the Mosaic Law can be divided into three distinct categories: moral, ceremonial, and civil. Willem A. VanGemeren argues for such a position while defending a non-theonomic reformed view of the relationship of Law and Gospel. This division is quite important if one is to argue that the Mosaic Law is still binding for the New Testament believer, as some scholars do. In doing so, it is possible to argue that only the moral, or moral and civil , law is currently authoritative for the Christian. This equivocation on the meaning of law in different contexts, however, is difficult to justify. This tripartite division is nowhere explicitly taught in Scripture. This is not to say that certain laws cannot be classified as pertaining to ceremony, civil activity, or moral behavior. However, the biblical writers uniformly treat the Law as a unified whole.

Next, more on the pupose of the Mosaic Law.