Ceremonial Law

Definition and Meaning

Ceremonial law refers to the part of the Mosaic law that governed worship and religious rites, such as the regulations concerning sacrifices, priestly duties, feasts, circumcision, food, and purity. The term derives from the "threefold division of the law," which divides the law into three categories. The first is the moral law, a set of ethical norms that apply regardless of era or nation, best represented by the Ten Commandments. The second is the ceremonial law. The third is the judicial (or civil) law, which comprises the legal and social regulations of the nation of Israel. Scripture does not state this division explicitly. It is a classification developed by later theologians to explain which parts of the Old Testament law remain in force today.

Biblical and Historical Background

The content of the ceremonial law appears mainly in the Pentateuch, especially Leviticus. Representative examples include the Old Testament sacrifices, feasts such as Passover, and circumcision. New Testament passages frequently cited in support include the following:

• Hebrews 10:1, which calls the law "a shadow of good things to come"
• Colossians 2:16-17, which treats food and feast days as a shadow
• Mark 7:18-19, which declares all foods clean
• The Council of Jerusalem, which decided not to require circumcision of Gentile believers

The threefold division was systematized in the Middle Ages by Thomas Aquinas and was taken up by John Calvin and Reformed theology. Chapter 19 of the Westminster Confession of Faith can be summarized in three points. The ceremonial law, as a type that prefigured Christ, has been abrogated under the New Testament. The judicial law expired together with the state of Israel. The moral law continues to bind all people. Article 7 of the Anglican Thirty-Nine Articles contains a provision to the same effect.

Practice in the Korean Church

Most Korean churches hold that the ceremonial law has been fulfilled in Christ and therefore do not observe sacrificial or dietary regulations. Sermons often interpret the regulations concerning sacrifices and the tabernacle as types pointing to Christ. Views differ, however, on which regulations should be classified as ceremonial law.

• Presbyterian and Reformed churches accept the threefold division. They regard the Sabbath commandment as moral law but hold that the day was changed to the Lord's Day with the resurrection of Christ.
• Dispensationalist circles and some Baptist theologians regard the Mosaic law as an indivisible whole. They maintain that the law in its entirety came to an end in Christ.
• The Seventh-day Adventist Church maintains that the ceremonial law has been abolished but that the Ten Commandments, including the Saturday Sabbath, remain in force. Denominations that observe Sunday as the Lord's Day dispute this position. For a detailed discussion, see the article Sabbath and the Lord's Day.
• In the tithing debate, a point of contention is whether the tithe should be regarded as abolished ceremonial law or as a principle that existed before the law was given.