What was the purpose of the Mosaic law?
While one may disagree with the idea that Lev. 18:20 and Lev. 20:13 refer only to outlawing homosexual acts in relation to paganism, one cannot ignore the fact that the entire Mosaic law was given to the Israelites as a way to distinguish themselves from pagans and as a blueprint to make themselves pure and holy for God.1 Thus, Jews and Christians who follow Mosaic law cannot pick and choose which laws they want to follow and which laws they want to ignore. This goes against the very nature of Mosaic law (i.e., the Torah) because its entirety is an expression of God's divine will.2 Instead, those who wish to follow Mosaic law must follow all of the laws, as a whole.
God gave Moses the Law to relay to the Israelites so that the Israelites would know how to become a holy and pure group of people who are worthy of worshipping God.1 The Mosaic law can be broken down in to three categories: ceremonial law, civil law, and moral law, and these laws are intermingled within the Torah.2 While it may be true that Mosaic law was given to the Israelites to distinguish themselves from pagans and Christians are not obligated to follow the Law in its entirety in terms of the ceremonial law portion, Christians are obligated to follow the moral portion of the Mosaic law because the moral portion of the Law is the portion that is upheld as relevant in the New Testament under the teachings of Paul and Jesus Christ. Some Christians argue that the rule against homosexuality falls within the ceremonial code, but it is obvious that it falls within the moral code because the surrounding passages condemn incest and adultery, which are moral matters.3 Adultery is condemned many times throughout the Bible, including the Ten Commandments, which lists moral sins.
If a person is going to condemn homosexuality under Lev. 18:20 and Lev. 20:13, then that person must also be prepared to condemn getting tattooed under Lev. 19:28"You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the LORD" Lev. 19:28 ESV.; wearing clothing of mixed fabrics under Lev. 19:19"You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material" Lev. 19:19 ESV. and Deut. 22:11"You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together" Deut. 22:11 ESV.; eating any sea creature that doesn't have fins or scales under Lev. 11:10-12"But anything in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you. You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. Everything in the waters that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you" Lev. 11:10-12 ESV.; breeding different breeds of cattle under Lev. 19:19"You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material" Lev. 19:19 ESV.; sowing different types of seeds within a field under Lev. 19:19"You shall keep my statutes. You shall not let your cattle breed with a different kind. You shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor shall you wear a garment of cloth made of two kinds of material" Lev. 19:19 ESV.; and eating pig under Lev. 11:8"And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Lev 11:8 You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you" Lev. 11:8 ESV.. They must also be prepared to follow all of the other Mosaic laws, such as the laws "You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself" (Deut. 22:12 ESV), "When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it" (Deut. 22:8 ESV), and Deut. 22:28-29"If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days" Deut. 22:28-29 ESV., which states that a man who rapes a virgin who is not betrothed must pay her father fifty silver shekles and must make her his wife because he violated her, and he can never divorce her (notice that this statement doesn't actually allow the victim to have any say in the matter).
Most Christians do not regard these "vices" as "sins" because they believe that the "vices" are not relevant to Christians. Yet, these "sins" are clearly listed in the Mosaic Law. As a result, most Christians consider the Ten Commandments as actual "sins," and they do not acknowledge many other Mosaic Law prohibitions as actual "sins." In fact, in Rom. 7:7"What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet'" Rom. 7:7 ESV., Paul states that Mosaic Law defines sin, and he cites the tenth Commandment as an example of this sin: "Thou shall not covet." Paul proves that the Mosaic Law, in the form of the Ten Commandments, is relevant for Christians; however, he never specifically references Lev. 18:22"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination" Lev. 18:22 ESV. and Lev. 20:13"If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them" Lev. 20:13 ESV. in his writings.
As stated by Paul in Rom. 7:7"What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet'" Rom. 7:7 ESV., the Mosaic law defines sin. Paul further explains in 1 Tim. 8-9"Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers . . ." 1 Tim. 8-9 ESV. that the Mosaic law was created for sinners and the ungodly people, and not for those who are just. How do we know what part of the Mosaic law is defined as moral law? Paul lists specific types of people in 1 Tim. 9-10"(U)nderstanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine . . ." 1 Tim. 9-10 ESV. for whom the Mosaic law was written. All of these types of people that Paul mentions are people who have violated the moral portion of the Mosaic law. Homosexuals are included on this list. Since the sin of homosexuality is banned in Lev. 18:22"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination" Lev. 18:22 ESV. and Lev. 20:13"If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them" Lev. 20:13 ESV. in the Old Testament and since the sin of homosexuality is also banned in the New Testament in 1 Tim. 9-10"(U)nderstanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine . . ." 1 Tim. 9-10 ESV. and 1 Cor. 6:9-10"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God" 1 Cor. 6:9-10 ESV., we know that Lev. 18:22"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination" Lev. 18:22 ESV. and Lev. 20:13"If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them" Lev. 20:13 ESV. are still relevant for Christians today.
1Mays, 1988, p. 228"If anything serves as a common theme for this diverse grouping of laws, it may be the concept of solidarity. Israel's solidarity with God is protected when the purity of the land is guarded from the ritual pollution of a hanged body, something offensive to God [21:22-23]" (Mays, 1988, p. 228)., Levine, 1989, p. xvi"The objective of this community (the Israelites) was to become a holy nation in every respect, a people unified by a common religion and, in the words of the Epilogue to the Holiness Code, bound by a common destiny." Moreover, "the great emphasis on preserving the distinctiveness of Israelite identity indicate(s) that there were ongoing problems" (Levine, 1989, p. xvi)., Levine, 1989, p. 125"Israel must be holy because God is holy. To have a close relationship with God, the people must emulate God" (Levine, 1989, p. 125)., Levine, 1989, p. 243"Avoidance of the impure is a prerequisite for the attainment of holiness. Conversely, impurity is incompatible with holiness: It detracts from the special relationship between God and the people of Israel and threatens Israel's claim to the land" (Levine, 1989, p. 243)., Sarna, 1986, p. 174"It is the law that constitutes the instrumentality for the realization of the ideal that Israel by "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Sarna, 1986, p. 174). Return
2"There is no analogy to the Torah's indiscriminate commingling and interweaving of matters 'secular' and 'religious,' of cultic topics and moral imperatives. All alike are taken as varied expressions of divine will. The Torah treats life holistically. The law is a single, organic whole which cannot be reduced to discrete elements. The constitutive units retain an organic relationship to one another and to the whole. The context of Israel's history is determined by obedience or disobedience to God's laws. It is the law that constitutes the instrumentality for the realization of the ideal that Israel be "'a kingdom of priests and a holy nation'" (Sarna, 1986, p. 172). Return
1Mays, 1988, p. 228"If anything serves as a common theme for this diverse grouping of laws, it may be the concept of solidarity. Israel's solidarity with God is protected when the purity of the land is guarded from the ritual pollution of a hanged body, something offensive to God [21:22-23]" (Mays, 1988, p. 228)., Levine, 1989, p. xvi"The objective of this community (the Israelites) was to become a holy nation in every respect, a people unified by a common religion and, in the words of the Epilogue to the Holiness Code, bound by a common destiny." Moreover, "the great emphasis on preserving the distinctiveness of Israelite identity indicate(s) that there were ongoing problems" (Levine, 1989, p. xvi)., Levine, 1989, p. 125"Israel must be holy because God is holy. To have a close relationship with God, the people must emulate God" (Levine, 1989, p. 125)., Levine, 1989, p. 243"Avoidance of the impure is a prerequisite for the attainment of holiness. Conversely, impurity is incompatible with holiness: It detracts from the special relationship between God and the people of Israel and threatens Israel's claim to the land" (Levine, 1989, p. 243)., Sarna, 1986, p. 174"It is the law that constitutes the instrumentality for the realization of the ideal that Israel by "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Sarna, 1986, p. 174). Return
2"There is absolutely no analogy to the Torah's indiscriminate comingling and interweaving of matters 'secular' and 'religious,' of cultic topics and moral imperatives. All alike are taken as varied expressinos of divine will" (Sarna, 1986, p. 172). Return
3"It has been argued that this law on homosexual behavior has been removed in Christian times, since it appears in the ceremonial law. Thus, it is argued, forbidding homosexual acts would be like forbidding unclean foods today. But this challenge forgets that this law is in the Holiness Code with its vigorous moral emphasis; therefore, others would argue that this content is still binding on us today. It is just as normative today as are the laws of blood relations, laws of affinity, laws on incest, laws on adultery, and laws against unjust weights and measures" (Keck et al. (Eds.), 1994, p. 1127). Return
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