The Bible
Christians pick and choose which Bible laws to follow (shellfish, mixed fabrics…).
Short answer
Christians aren't picking favorites; they're reading the covenants correctly. The Law of Moses was a covenant between God and Israel for a particular time and nation, and it was fulfilled in Christ. Christians live under the New Covenant. The food laws and ceremonial rules are no longer binding, but the moral law, which reflects God's unchanging character, is repeated in the New Testament and still applies.
In simple words: Some rules in the Old Testament were just for Israel back then, like food rules. Rules about right and wrong, like don't steal, are for everyone, always.
Response
A popular meme lists Old Testament laws Christians don't keep, like eating shellfish, wearing mixed fabrics, or certain haircuts, and asks why Christians still call other things sins. The charge is hypocrisy: Christians obey the rules they like and ignore the rest.
As Tim Barnett of Red Pen Logic points out, this objection rests on a basic confusion between the Old and New Testaments. The Law of Moses was a covenant, like a contract, between God and the nation of Israel. It included civil laws for running the nation and ceremonial laws, like food rules, that set Israel apart and pointed forward to Christ.
The prophets promised a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-33), and Jesus established it through his death and resurrection. Hebrews says the old covenant has become "obsolete" (Hebrews 8:13). Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19), and the apostles confirmed that Gentile believers were not required to keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15). In Barnett's words, "New Testament Christians don't live under the Old Covenant."
But some commands were never just for Israel. Murder, theft, adultery, and lying are wrong in every time and place because they violate God's own character. That's why the New Testament repeats them (Romans 13:9). The Mosaic Law was limited to a time and nation, but morality is not. Christians follow the moral law, not the Mosaic Law.
So the question to ask about any command is not "Is it in the Old Testament?" but "Is it part of the ceremonial and civil law of Israel, fulfilled in Christ, or part of the moral law that the New Testament affirms?" That's not picking and choosing; it's reading carefully. And the same New Testament that holds up God's moral standard offers forgiveness to everyone who falls short of it (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Key evidence
- The Law of Moses was a covenant with Israel, tied to a particular time and nation.
- The New Covenant was promised in Jeremiah 31 and established by Jesus (Luke 22:20).
- Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19); the apostles did not require Gentiles to keep the Mosaic Law (Acts 15).
- Moral commands (murder, theft, adultery, lying) are repeated in the New Testament because they reflect God's unchanging character.
- Christians follow the moral law, not the Mosaic Law.
Bible passages
- Jeremiah 31:31-33 God promises a new covenant.
- Hebrews 8:6-13 The old covenant is obsolete.
- Mark 7:18-19 Jesus declared all foods clean.
- Acts 15:1-29 The Jerusalem council on Gentiles and the Law.
- Matthew 5:17 Jesus came to fulfill the Law.
- Romans 13:8-10 Moral commands repeated and summed up in love.
Quotes
“New Testament Christians don't live under the Old Covenant.”
Tim Barnett, Red Pen Logic / Stand to Reason
“Christians follow the moral law, not the Mosaic Law.”
Tim Barnett, Red Pen Logic / Stand to Reason
Discussion questions
- What is a covenant, and why does it matter which covenant Christians live under?
- How can we tell whether an Old Testament command is moral, civil, or ceremonial?
- Why do you think this meme is so persuasive to many people?