Are We Expected to Obey the Laws of the Old Testament?

The relationship between the Old Testament Law and the Christian is a surprisingly complex issue. Not everyone understands it in the same way.

First, the laws in the Old Testament essentially reflect the holy nature of God himself. This principle is found within the Law: “I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44, repeated in vv. 45; 19:2; 20:7–8). 

Because God’s nature does not change, this principle does not change, and therefore it is repeated in the New Testament: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy’ ” (1 Peter 1:15–16). Just as Old Testament Israel was called by a holy God and therefore expected to reflect his holy character, so New Testament Christians are called by a holy God, who rightfully expects the same thing from us.

Second, the essence of the Old Testament Law is summarized by Jesus in Matthew 22:36–40. Jesus answered the question about which law is the greatest by quoting from the Law itself, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ [Deuteronomy 6:5]. This is the first and greatest commandment. 

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ [Leviticus 19:18]. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Not only the Law, but the ethic of the entire Old Testament is summarized by these two commandments: Love God and love others. The spirit of the Old Testament Law clearly still applies to Christians (Romans 13:8–10; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8). Love for God and love for others are explicitly tied together in 1 John 4:7–21. Verse 21 says, “Anyone who loves God must also love their brother or sister.”

Third, Christians are by no means expected to keep many of the laws in the Old Testament. The most obvious examples are the laws regarding animal sacrifices. Those have been rendered unnecessary because of the final, perfect sacrifice of Jesus himself (Hebrews 9:11–14). The clean and unclean food laws are also irrelevant to New Testament Christians. Jesus said, “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body” (Mark 7:18–19). The gospel writer immediately adds, “In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean” (v. 19; see also Acts 10:9–15). Most of the specific laws of the Old Testament are understood by all to be no longer binding on Christians.

Fourth, Paul says several times that we, as Christians, are no longer under the law (Romans 6:14; 7:4–6; Galatians 3:24–26) because Christ has put an end to it (Romans 10:4). 

What Paul seems to have in mind here (although this is much debated) is that Christians are “new covenant” people, not “old covenant” people. The old covenant refers to the law, which could only condemn and never save (Romans 3:20; 4:15; 8:3; Galatians 2:17; Hebrews 7:18–19; 10:1). This does not mean that the law is bad or a failure; rather, it is good and holy (Romans 7:12, 22). But God never intended the law to be a way of salvation, but rather a way to make clear to sinners that they need salvation and a savior (Romans 3:20; 7:7; Galatians 3:19–26; 1 Timothy 1:8–9). 

The new covenant is based upon and initiated by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and it replaced the old covenant (Hebrews 8:6–13). So since the many specific laws found in the Old Testament were all a part of the old covenant, the Mosaic Law, it seems that those laws no longer directly apply to Christians. The old covenant is obsolete and Christians are not a part of that covenant.

If Christians are not under the law, does that mean there are no laws to abide by? If we are saved by grace, does that mean we can live any way we want to? Paul answers that in no uncertain terms: “What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means!” (Romans 6:15). 

Rather, Christians are repeatedly called to obedience (Titus 3:1; 1 Peter 1:14; 2 John 1:6), and there are many specific commands in the New Testament that obviously directly apply to Christians. Some of these reflect Old Testament laws, because God’s holy nature has not changed. For example, discussing love as the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8–10), Paul specifically mentions four of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not commit adultery”; “You shall not murder”; “You shall not steal”; “You shall not covet” (v. 9). He goes on to say that love for one’s neighbor fulfills these specific commands. 

In Ephesians 6:1–2, Paul tells children to obey their parents and then quotes the fourth commandment as the foundation: “Honor your father and mother” [Exodus 20:12]. Another of the Ten Commandments is “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). This essentially means that God’s people are to love truth and treat others with integrity, honesty, and justice, which the New Testament often commands of Christians (1 Corinthians 13:6; Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9; 2 John 4; 3 John 3–4). 

Obviously, the New Testament is filled with restatements and reapplications of the first three of the Ten Commandments regarding serving and worshiping God alone (John 4:23–24; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 10:31; James 4:7–8; 1 John 5:2) and having nothing to do with idols (1 Corinthians 10:7, 14; Colossians 3:5). Paul also repeats the Old Testament prohibitions of the sin of homosexuality and lesbianism in the New Testament. Even though in Leviticus the homosexuality prohibitions are mixed in with other laws that were specific to Israel and or were related to eating certain food - the fact that it is repeated in the New Testament, clearly shows the moral laws come over.

In summary, God has not changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament, and therefore, he still calls his people to be holy as he is holy. The laws of the New Testament reflect this just as the laws of the Old Testament do. So despite the complexity of trying to figure out exactly how Old Testament laws apply to New Testament Christians, we can be assured that as we follow New Testament commands applied directly to New Testament Christians in dependence upon God, we will be doing what God wants us to do. We will take this up further in the next chapter.


Aaron, D. (2012). Understanding Your Bible in 15 Minutes a Day (pp. 160–163). Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publisher.