This question might change how you read your Bible: Should Christians follow the Old Testament? The answer affects how we worship, how we live, and even affects our salvation. And the Bible doesn’t leave us guessing.
When we ask, “Should Christians follow the Old Testament?” what we’re really asking is, “Should Christians follow the Law of Moses in the Old Testament?” There are plenty of sections in the Old Testament Scriptures that are always going to be true and relevant—things like creation, the attributes of God, the historical accounts, and the sin problem that plagues all of us. But what about the Law of Moses, also known as the Torah? What about the animal sacrifices, the Ten Commandments, the worship regulations, the dietary restrictions, the farming rules, the Sabbath laws, and the tithing requirements?
Are those still binding on Christians today? Or maybe just some of them? What if I told you the Bible actually teaches that none of them are binding today? What if the Bible teaches that not even the Ten Commandments apply to Christians? Or that tithing has nothing to do with church?
Let’s start with a passage that begins to shed light on this. Deuteronomy 5:1–3 says:
Moses called all Israel, and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive.”
The word “Deuteronomy” means “second law.” It’s the fifth book in the Bible, and it’s a retelling of the Law of Moses that had already been revealed earlier in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. This is Moses’ final speech to the Israelites before they enter the promised land. He’s reminding them of the covenant God made with them, and what they had already committed to as His people.
Now, this study assumes some background knowledge. If you’re unfamiliar with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and the events of the Exodus, I encourage you to read Genesis 12 through Exodus 15 or so to get the full picture.
Back to Deuteronomy 5. One of the most basic principles of Bible study is to ask, “Who is speaking, and who are they speaking to?” If we miss that, we’re going to misunderstand the whole thing.
In this passage, Moses says, “The LORD our God made a covenant with us.” That’s not referring to you or me—this is Moses speaking directly to the Israelites who were alive and present with him at the time.
He even says, “the LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers,” meaning Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It was made with them—those Israelites at Mount Sinai (also known as Horeb). This means that the Law of Moses had a beginning—it is not an eternal covenant. This covenant—the Law of Moses—was not made with everyone in the world. It was made with a specific group of people: the Israelites. And in the Bible, we see two main groups of people—Jews (or Israelites) and Gentiles. Romans 3:29–30 tells us God is the God of both Jews and Gentiles, but He dealt specifically with the Jews under this covenant and Law of Moses.
There’s nothing wrong with being a Gentile—most of us are. But here’s the point: the Law of Moses was never given to the Gentiles. It was given to the Israelites.
In Deuteronomy 28:1–14, God spells out blessings for obedience to the covenant—but it’s all based on life in the land of Canaan. That doesn’t describe me, you, or any member of Jesus’ church worldwide.
Later in Deuteronomy 5, Moses recites the Ten Commandments, also known as the Ten Words or the Decalogue. In the chapter right before that—Deuteronomy 4:13—he says that these Ten Commandments were part of the covenant God made with Israel. They were written on tablets of stone. But the Bible tells us that covenant wasn’t meant to last forever.
While the Law of Moses was still in effect, Jeremiah prophesied by the Holy Spirit:
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.
Jeremiah 31:31–34
In this passage, God promises a new covenant—one that would allow Him to forgive sins and be merciful to iniquities. And—this is vital—this new covenant would be different from the one He made with their ancestors at Sinai after He had brought them out of Egypt.
One of the key differences is this: under the old covenant, you were born into it. If you were a male Israelite, you were circumcised on the eighth day. You were in covenant with God before you even knew who He was, and it was your parents’ responsibility to teach you to know the Lord. But in the new covenant, you’re not born into it physically—you’re born again. You enter this covenant by choice, by faith, by being born of water and Spirit. And that’s why God said, “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them.” Because you don’t enter the new covenant unless you do know the Lord.
Hebrews 8 quotes Jeremiah’s prophecy and explains that Jesus is the mediator of that new covenant. The old one had a problem—not with God, but with the people. They didn’t keep it.
But now He [Jesus] has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant…”
Hebrews 8:6–8
So what did Jesus do? He brought a better covenant, built on better promises. After finishing the quote from Jeremiah, the Hebrews author says:
In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
Hebrews 8:13
By establishing this new covenant, Jesus made the old one obsolete. That means it’s no longer in effect. It had its time, it served its purpose, but it’s been replaced. Now remember: the Ten Commandments were part of that old covenant. So when the Bible says the covenant God made with Israel is obsolete, that includes the Ten Commandments. If this is the first time you’ve heard this, you may be in shock and possibly disbelief. I understand. That was me too. See where the Hebrews author takes this teaching:
And for this reason He [Jesus] is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.
Hebrews 9:15–17
This new covenant (or testament) went into effect when Jesus died—just like a last will and testament doesn’t go into effect until the person who wrote it dies. When Jesus died on the cross, that old covenant (or testament) came to an end.
That helps explain something we see in the gospel accounts. During Jesus’ ministry, people came to Him asking how to inherit eternal life, and He sometimes pointed them back to the commandments—because at that time, the old covenant was still in effect. For example, the rich young ruler came to Jesus, asking, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16). Perhaps you know where Jesus will eventually take this conversation—to the heart of this man and his riches. But beforehand, He says, “If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments” (v. 17). He then elaborates by listing some of the Ten Commandments.
But after the cross and His resurrection, everything changed. God says that eternal life and entrance into the covenant was about faith in the working of Christ, death to sin, and being united with Jesus. Look at the book of Acts. Whether the gospel was being preached to Jews or Gentiles, the message was the same: repent and be baptized. That’s how people enter the kingdom under the new covenant. Knowledge of and obedience to the Law of Moses is not necessary to become a disciple of Jesus.
I know this might be a shock to you. The Ten Commandments have been deeply rooted in a lot of cultures. Honestly, if people actually followed them, the world would be a much better place. You’ve probably seen them posted outside court buildings or church entrances, with people claiming they’re the foundation of Western civilization. And because of that, the idea that the Law of Moses—and yes, even the Ten Commandments—is no longer binding, really catches people off guard. It’s so clear in Scripture that the Law of Moses is obsolete, some have tried to make an exception just for the Ten Commandments. They’ll say things like, “But the Ten Commandments were written by the finger of God, so they must still apply.” But the Ten Commandments didn’t exist in the days of Adam, or Noah, or even Abraham. We’ve got a couple of studies coming that’ll dig deeper into those objections (sign up), but for now, the Bible gives us a solid and consistent conclusion that the old covenant is no longer in effect. Now, that raises a fair question: if the Ten Commandments aren’t binding, does that mean murder, adultery, and lying are now fair game? Hang with me—we’re getting to that.
For now, let’s see Paul’s teaching in Ephesians 2:11–16:
Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands— that at that time [he’s talking about the time that the Law of Moses was in effect] you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
The Law of Moses was a wall that divided Jews and Gentiles. But Jesus, through His death, tore down that wall. He created one new man—one unified body—by abolishing the Law of commandments. Imagine wanting to rebuild that wall and continue to bind the Law of Moses, including the Ten Commandments. As a Gentile, that would mean I would have no hope, no Christ, and would be without God in the world.
In Matthew 17, during the transfiguration, Peter wanted to build three tabernacles—one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus. But God spoke from heaven of Jesus, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (v. 5). When the disciples looked up, Moses and Elijah were gone. Only Jesus remained. Moses was the mediator of the Law; Elijah was a great prophet of the Law. We are not told to listen to them; we are told to listen to Jesus.
The book of Hebrews calls the Law a shadow of the good things to come. The substance—the real thing—is found in Christ. Jesus didn’t say, “Come to the Sabbath and find rest.” He said, “Come to Me… and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28–30).
This is the whole point Paul makes in the book of Galatians. The Christians in Galatia were being told they needed to mix the Law of Moses into the gospel—specifically the commandment of circumcision. But in Galatians 3, Paul explains that the Law was like a tutor for the Jewish people. It helped guide them until Christ came.
Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
Galatians 3:24–25
This could not be clearer. The Law of Moses was a tutor for the Jews. Paul, as a Jew, says, “we are no longer under a tutor.” The Law is obsolete. In the next verses, he says:
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Galatians 3:26–29
This would have been scandalous for anyone who depended on their ancestry as a connection to God. For instance, the Jews in John 8 believed they were safe because they were Abraham’s physical descendants (see John 8:21–36). Yet, the gospel says all people can be made children of Abraham—not through physical lineage, or circumcision, or the Law, but by the faith and rebirth of Christ.
There’s serious danger in misunderstanding this truth. In chapter 5, Paul says that if you try to bring in just one part of the Law (like circumcision) you’re obligated to keep the whole thing. What would that mean?
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
Galatians 5:1–4
He’s not saying circumcision is inherently wrong. What he was addressing was those who trusted in their keeping of the Law—those who went out and got circumcised—in order to be right with God. If you try to bind something like circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, or dietary restrictions because the Law of Moses says so, Paul says, “Don’t stop there. Go ahead and keep the whole Law!” How did people approach God for forgiveness under the Law? Animal sacrifice. So, if you keep one part of the Law, by implication, you’re saying that the cross of Jesus isn’t enough. You’re saying, “I see Your sacrifice, Lord, but I’ve got this.”
Yet, many churches today have leaders trying to bind the Old Testament Law. I hear it from people claiming to follow Jesus all of the time: “Well, we don’t sacrifice animals like in the Old Testament, but at least my pastor still preaches the Ten Commandments.” I urge you to read the book of Galatians in one sitting. It would only take you about twenty minutes. The Christians in Galatia were being disturbed by a false “gospel” that tried to mingle the Old Testament Law with the liberty of Christ. In Galatians 2:4, Paul explains that those who try to bind that old Law on you are trying to bring you into bondage. So, we are urged:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
Galatians 5:1
The Law of Moses was bondage. Christ is freedom. After reading Galatians, go ahead and read Romans, Ephesians, and Hebrews, which all say the same thing: the commandments in the Law of Moses are not for Christians. They were for the Israelites who lived in their land before the cross of Christ.
Now that it’s clear that we are not bound by any part of the covenant God made with Israel, let’s circle back to our big question. If we’re not under the Ten Commandments, does that mean we can go out and murder, lie, steal, and worship idols? Of course not. But that’s not because we’re under the Ten Commandments—it’s because we follow Jesus.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us not just to avoid adultery, but to keep it out of our hearts. Paul, in Ephesians 4, tells the church to stop lying, stealing, and slandering. John, in 1 John 3, says no murderer has eternal life. And over and over, the New Testament tells us to worship God alone. So, while we don’t follow the Ten Commandments, the teachings of Christ and His apostles call us to an even higher standard. We obey—not because of stone tablets—but because the love of Christ compels us.
Here’s an illustration. Let’s say you’ve lived in different countries. In each one, murder is illegal. But if you commit murder in Australia, you’re tried under Australian law—not under England’s law, even though the law is similar. Cain wasn’t under the Ten Commandments, but he was still accountable when he took his brother‘s life. Abraham, who lived before the Law of Moses was accountable to God when he lied. In the same way, we avoid sin, not because of the Ten Commandments, but because what (or Who) we are under today—Christ.
So, what now? Does that mean two thirds of our Bible is useless? We hope you never get that impression while studying from this website! We learn from the Old Testament in most of our lessons. The Old Testament, and even the Law of Moses, is still God’s word. There was a reason why He gave the Law to the Israelites, and we can learn much from it today. Paul often cites the commandments and other parts of the Hebrew Bible in his pressing of new covenant teachings. See what he does here:
We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.” For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.
Romans 15:1–4
Paul, inspired by the Spirit, gives direct instructions to the church. In this case, the strong ought to help the weak. Then, he uses Jesus as the example. Then, he quotes Old Testament Scripture to back up his point. He says the things written beforehand teach us and give us hope. When I see how God was patient with the Israelites, even in their complaining, I find comfort knowing that I serve the same God. Seeing that He always kept His promises, including the warnings of those who break covenant with Him, the Old Testament also teaches me to revere God.
Although we understand we are not under the Law of Moses today, without the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament Scriptures, we cannot fully understand the New Testament, the work of Jesus, and the significance of atonement. Jesus quoted the Psalms, Paul cited the Law, Peter referenced the Prophets, and Jesus fulfilled them all.
Now, going back to the Ten Commandments, nine of them are echoed in the New Testament. What’s the one that isn’t? Commandment number four: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Are Christians required to observe the Sabbath today? If you’ve ever wondered about that, be sure to sign up, as that’s the study we are diving into soon.