In the previous sections of Chapter 19 we looked at 2 types of laws. The first type is described as the moral law, which was given to the people of Israel in the form of the Ten Commandments. They could be summarized as the two great commandments, love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself.
Last week we talked about the second type of law, ceremonial laws. We said because of Christ they are no longer binding on us.
Today we will look at a third type of law. The confession calls them “Judicial Laws” or civil laws.
These laws include various capital crimes, with its procedures and punishments as well as a number of regulations and restrictions, including issues involving land, economics, etc. Are these laws still binding today?
When we look at them we see that they were given to the Nation of Israel for a specific time at a specific place. With the coming of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of the law, we know that Jesus came not only for the people of Israel but also people from every tongue and tribe and nation. The salvation of God is coming through a spiritual kingdom and not a temporal nation.
Even though civil laws applied only to the Nation of Israel and have been superseded by the Gospel in view of the Kingdom of God, they do offer general principles of justice and is useful for study and understanding God.
Let’s read confess our faith concerning civil laws.
4. To the people of Israel, as a civil entity, he also gave various judicial laws
which expired at the time their State expired. Therefore, these judicial laws place no obligation upon anyone now, except as they embody general principles of justice.
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