Module 4 · Reading Each Genre · Week 11

Old Testament Law — What Applies and What Doesn’t?

The Old Testament contains over 600 laws. Do Christians have to follow all of them? This lesson teaches you how to understand Old Testament law in its original context and determine what principles carry forward.

~20 min watch + read Video + podcast companion Optional companion book Taught by Andrew Ramirez Completed

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Section 01

Key Terms

Moral Law — Commands that reflect God's eternal character — like prohibitions against murder, theft, and adultery. These principles apply across all times.

Civil Law — Laws that governed Israel as a nation — like property rules, court procedures, and penalties. These applied to ancient Israel's specific situation.

Ceremonial Law — Laws about worship, sacrifices, cleanness, and the temple system — fulfilled in Christ and no longer binding in their original form.

Underlying Principle — The timeless truth behind a specific ancient law — the reason God gave the command, which may still apply even when the specific practice does not.

Section 02

Key Concepts

01Not Uniform

Not all OT laws apply the same way today.

Some carry forward unchanged. Some are fulfilled in Christ. Some were meant for one nation in one era.

02A Framework

Moral, civil, ceremonial — a starting point.

Not a perfect grid, but a useful one. Helps you ask the right questions without flattening the text.

03Why?

Look for the underlying principle.

The roof-rail law in Deut 22:8 isn't about architecture — it's about protecting your neighbor. That principle still holds.

Section 03

Scripture Focus

Anchor passages for this lesson.

Deuteronomy 22:8Leviticus 19:19Matthew 5:17–20Galatians 3:23–25

Section 04

By the End, You Will…

Explain how Old Testament laws functioned in their original context — as covenant rules for Israel's national and religious life.

Use the moral/civil/ceremonial framework as a starting point for determining what carries forward to the Christian life.

Identify the underlying principle behind specific Old Testament commands and show how that principle applies today.

Section 05

Take It With You

Optional Companion Book

Preview the contents and Chapter 1, or order the printed workbook.

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Parallelism, metaphor, lament. The Bible's most misread genres.

Start Week 12