Which passage(s) clearly delineate the distinction between moral law and ceremonial law?
look at The context, the way they were given, when they were given, why they were given, the places they were kept, the difference between Moral and cerimonial.
I will give a short study, the bible verses back it up.
The Holy Scriptures provide a very clear and beautiful distinction between the Moral Law of Ten Commandments and the Ceremonial Law of types and shadows.
Understanding this difference is vital because the Moral Law reveals our need for a Savior, while the Ceremonial Law pointed forward to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.
The moral law was spoken directly by the voice of God from Mount Sinai and written with His own finger on tables of stone. It is a perfect law that converts the soul Psalm 19:7.
The Ceremonial Law was given in a more private manner to Moses, who wrote these precepts, statutes, and judgments in a book. This "book of the law" was placed in the side of the ark. Deuteronomy 31:26.
The Bible teaches that one law is eternal, while the other was a temporary shadow.
The Moral Law is Eternal, Jesus emphasized that not one jot or tittle would pass from the law as long as heaven and earth remain Matthew 5:17-18. It is as immutable as God’s throne Psalm 119:89.
The Ceremonial Law was Temporary,
This system of "carnal ordinances" was "imposed on them until the time of reformation" Hebrews 9:10. It was a "shadow of good things to come" Hebrews 10:1 and was "abolished" or "nailed to the cross" when Christ, the true Sacrifice, died.
In the plan of salvation, each law has a specific, distinct role.
The Moral Law give us a knowledge of sin, it defines what sin is. We would not know lust unless the law said, "You shall not covet" Romans 7:7. It shows the whole world to be guilty before God. Romans 3:19.
The Ceremonial Law was a remedy for, it provided the "how" of seeking pardon through faith. It involved sacrifices, such as sin offerings, where blood was required for the remission of sins. These rites were "added because of transgressions" to lead the sinner to Christ Galatians 3:19.
A major distinction is found in how we relate to these laws today through the Gospel. Do we establish the moral law or the cerimonial law today??
Faith does not make void the Moral Law; rather, we "establish the law" because pardon recognizes the justice of the law we broke Romans 3:31. We still hate sin and continue to obey because of faith.
It was time to End the Shadows at the cross. Once the "Seed" (Christ) came, the schoolmaster of the ceremonial system was no longer needed because we are now justified by faith in the reality, not the shadow Galatians 3:24-25.
I hope this short study is clear, remember that the Moral Law is the standard in the judgment James 2:10-12, while the Ceremonial Law was the "handwriting of ordinances" that pointed us to our wonderful Savior who took our sins away Colossians 2:14-17. May God bless you as you walk in His light!
