Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Romans 7:12

I was asked how Christians are to understand the Old Testament law. The following is my response.

There are three aspects of the OT Law. Ceremonial (religious), Civil (government), and Moral (right and wrong).

The Ceremonial Law is not binding on Christians. All those religious laws point to Christ, He fulfilled them, they are over. (Examples: The temple, priests, sacrifices, dietary laws, etc.)
The Civil Law is not binding on Christians. Those were the laws for ancient Israel. Ancient Israel no longer exists. Even modern Israel is not ancient Israel. (Examples: boundaries for the tribes, capital punishment by stoning, etc.)
The Moral Law IS binding for all people throughout all of time. These laws about right and wrong are always good, right, and binding. (Examples: The 10 Commandments [all 10!], laws about sexual morality, etc.)

IN ADDITION: Though the details of the ceremonial and civil laws are not binding for the reasons listed above, we need to look for the moral principles found in the ceremonial and civil laws that are morally binding. Examples (and these are only examples as there are hundreds if not thousands more):

Moral Principles in the Ceremonial Law: While we do not worship God in a temple, through priests offering sacrifices, the details about those instructions about worship inform us how holy God is and how particular God is about how He is to be worshiped.
Moral Principles in the Civil Law: While we are not ancient Israel, the laws about not moving property boundaries (Deuteronomy 19:14) command us not to steal other people's property. And while we do not stone rebellious children, we are instructed how seriously God views such rebellion.

Continued tomorrow…