What do you think?
Rate this book
Sinai and the Saints: Reading Old Covenant Laws for the New Covenant Community
What should Christians do with all the laws in the Old Testament? The Old Testament tells the story of the beginnings of God's salvation history, and it is part of the authoritative canon of Scripture affirmed by the church. But what role should the laws of the old covenant play in the lives of those living under the new covenant? Can Christians embrace the commandment to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength" but ignore the laws regarding clean and unclean food? Some have suggested that Christians remain under the moral laws of the old covenant, while others have argued that some of the Old Testament laws—for example, the Ten Commandments—still apply to Christians. James Todd makes a bold claim by contending that as followers of Jesus Christ who stand under a new covenant, Christians are no longer subject to any of the Old Testament laws. Focusing on the laws of the Pentateuch, he then addresses the proper role and benefits of the Old Testament laws in the Christian life. With wit and insight, Todd helps Christians to understand how the laws given to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai should be read by those called to live as saints.
- GenresTheology
224 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 21, 2017
2 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 16, 2017
How do the laws given to Moses at Mount Sinai relate to Christians today? This is a topic that has caused millennia of thought, and barrels of ink to be spilled. By use of careful exposition and Biblical Theology, as well as contemporary illustration, James M. Todd III attempts to explain, as simply as possible, a potential answer to this conundrum.
The author explains the differing views the church has historically held by examining the ideas of the different groups, which he refers to as: 'Moral Law Christians', '10 Commandment Christians', 'No Old Law Christians' (which he splits into two: "since Christians are no longer under the old covenant, much of the Hebrew Bible does not directly relate to me" Christians and "those who identify a dichotomy between law and gospel throughout the Bible" Christians. After showing the strengths and weaknesses of each, he goes on to explain his own view - which is not any of these. His view is very much in alignment with the understanding of this topic from the Progressive Covenantalism camp.
What follows from this introduction is a Biblical theology of the word 'law', and what the Bible actually says about the topic. This is something that tends to be missed in discussions about the law's ongoing application to the believer, and was highly welcomed here. In conclusion, Todd summarizes his understanding of the Old Covenant law as “not being “Keep these laws.” Rather, the ultimate message relates to a future work of God that will solve the problem of the people’s unrighteousness.” The Old Covenant law, in it's entirety, points to Christ.
From here, Todd goes on to argue - in a very Pauline way - that although we are not under Old Covenant law, that does not give us the license to do anything we want. Instead, he explains, we are under the law of Christ. He explains: “When the ethical demands of the new covenant overlap with those of the old covenant, Christians should not conclude that we are still under the old covenant; rather, we should attribute the overlap to both covenants reflecting God’s universal standards of right and wrong. In other words, some of the old covenant laws are expressions of God’s universal moral law, but the old covenant laws themselves are not the moral law given to all people for all time. In particular, the Ten Commandments have a high degree of overlap with God’s natural law, yet they are not identical. The old covenant laws that reflect God’s universal natural law are historical and covenantal expressions of God’s natural law.”
Todd makes the point throughout that the Old Covenant law was temporary by divine design, and goes on to show that a careful reading of the Pentateuch proves that. He concludes by showing how this view is echoed throughout the rest of the Bible, looking at the Prophets and then into the New Testament itself.
Usefully, at the end of the book, the author has included three appendices - 'How should Christians use the Hebrew Bible to address homosexuality?', 'The Second Commandment and images in worship' and Challenges to my position'. These are topics that are of interest particularly today, and I have not seen these in previous books of this kind.
Overall, this is a great introduction to the New Covenant Theology understanding of the law, and those who want to grasp a better understanding of it will not be left disappointed, whatever side of the argument they fall on.
The author explains the differing views the church has historically held by examining the ideas of the different groups, which he refers to as: 'Moral Law Christians', '10 Commandment Christians', 'No Old Law Christians' (which he splits into two: "since Christians are no longer under the old covenant, much of the Hebrew Bible does not directly relate to me" Christians and "those who identify a dichotomy between law and gospel throughout the Bible" Christians. After showing the strengths and weaknesses of each, he goes on to explain his own view - which is not any of these. His view is very much in alignment with the understanding of this topic from the Progressive Covenantalism camp.
What follows from this introduction is a Biblical theology of the word 'law', and what the Bible actually says about the topic. This is something that tends to be missed in discussions about the law's ongoing application to the believer, and was highly welcomed here. In conclusion, Todd summarizes his understanding of the Old Covenant law as “not being “Keep these laws.” Rather, the ultimate message relates to a future work of God that will solve the problem of the people’s unrighteousness.” The Old Covenant law, in it's entirety, points to Christ.
From here, Todd goes on to argue - in a very Pauline way - that although we are not under Old Covenant law, that does not give us the license to do anything we want. Instead, he explains, we are under the law of Christ. He explains: “When the ethical demands of the new covenant overlap with those of the old covenant, Christians should not conclude that we are still under the old covenant; rather, we should attribute the overlap to both covenants reflecting God’s universal standards of right and wrong. In other words, some of the old covenant laws are expressions of God’s universal moral law, but the old covenant laws themselves are not the moral law given to all people for all time. In particular, the Ten Commandments have a high degree of overlap with God’s natural law, yet they are not identical. The old covenant laws that reflect God’s universal natural law are historical and covenantal expressions of God’s natural law.”
Todd makes the point throughout that the Old Covenant law was temporary by divine design, and goes on to show that a careful reading of the Pentateuch proves that. He concludes by showing how this view is echoed throughout the rest of the Bible, looking at the Prophets and then into the New Testament itself.
Usefully, at the end of the book, the author has included three appendices - 'How should Christians use the Hebrew Bible to address homosexuality?', 'The Second Commandment and images in worship' and Challenges to my position'. These are topics that are of interest particularly today, and I have not seen these in previous books of this kind.
Overall, this is a great introduction to the New Covenant Theology understanding of the law, and those who want to grasp a better understanding of it will not be left disappointed, whatever side of the argument they fall on.
June 8, 2018
In Sinai and the Saints, Todd provides an excellent argument that Christians are not under the Old Covenant. In making this argument, however, Todd also succeeds in showing how this does not lead to antinomianism or a rejection of the Old Testament. In fact, Todd provides an excellent survey of the hope of the Pentateuch and its continuation in the prophets. In so doing he shows that the message of the Old Testament is one of God's promised redemption and restoration through a king who is the offspring of Eve, Abraham, Judah, and David. Consequently, we live as Christians not under the Old Covenant but under the law of Christ. Another contribution of Todd's work is demonstrating that although we are not under the Old Covenant law, we nonetheless must be familiar with the mountain of laws and the way in which it fits into the larger story of Scripture. This is a superb work that is accessible to college students but also rooted in top-level scholarship--in short, that is a difficult and admirable achievement.
March 7, 2017
James M. Todd III is Assistant Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Missouri. Todd received a Ph.D. from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Remember, O Yahweh: The Poetry and Context of Psalms 135-137 (Wipf & Stock, 2015) and the present volume Sinai and the Saints: Reading Old Covenant Laws for the New Covenant Community (IVP Academic, 2017).
Sinai and the Saints is a clearly written and engaging exploration of the nature and relationship of the Old Covenant to the New for the people of God. The importance of Todd’s work cannot be overstated. It is both relevant and accessible to the average reader, and Todd consistently pulls from the best scholarship to support his position. The premise of Todd’s work is that Christians, as members of the New Covenant community, are not under the confines of the Old Covenant law. That said Todd does an exceptional job displaying the ethical relevance of the Old Covenant law (namely the Ten Commandments) within the New Covenant community, who by all respects are now under a different law—the law of Christ. The book does much for the contemporary readers wrestling with the significance of the Old Testament law to the twenty-first-century Christian life and offers fresh lenses to tackle tough questions.
There are some foreseen disagreements that learned readers might encounter as it relates to the relationship between Israel and the Church. This is not a new problem, nor is Todd’s work an attempt to answer those questions. That said, where I found Todd to be helpful is in his reliance upon the biblical text to further found a pre-established position. Those looking for a resolution to issues regarding “replacement theology,” covenant theology, dispensationalism, etc. will want to look elsewhere. Todd’s position is firmly planted within the stream of covenant theology, and rightly so given the nature of his task here. This peripheral dispute being set aside, Sinai and the Saints has beautifully occupied a needed gap for today’s readers.
Sinai and the Saints: Reading Old Covenant Laws for the New Covenant Community by James M. Todd III is an accessible and relevant book for those struggling to understand the relationship between the Old Covenant law upon the New Covenant people of God. It is a book that will reap immediate and practical fruit for anyone eager to harvest its riches. It comes highly recommended!
Sinai and the Saints is a clearly written and engaging exploration of the nature and relationship of the Old Covenant to the New for the people of God. The importance of Todd’s work cannot be overstated. It is both relevant and accessible to the average reader, and Todd consistently pulls from the best scholarship to support his position. The premise of Todd’s work is that Christians, as members of the New Covenant community, are not under the confines of the Old Covenant law. That said Todd does an exceptional job displaying the ethical relevance of the Old Covenant law (namely the Ten Commandments) within the New Covenant community, who by all respects are now under a different law—the law of Christ. The book does much for the contemporary readers wrestling with the significance of the Old Testament law to the twenty-first-century Christian life and offers fresh lenses to tackle tough questions.
There are some foreseen disagreements that learned readers might encounter as it relates to the relationship between Israel and the Church. This is not a new problem, nor is Todd’s work an attempt to answer those questions. That said, where I found Todd to be helpful is in his reliance upon the biblical text to further found a pre-established position. Those looking for a resolution to issues regarding “replacement theology,” covenant theology, dispensationalism, etc. will want to look elsewhere. Todd’s position is firmly planted within the stream of covenant theology, and rightly so given the nature of his task here. This peripheral dispute being set aside, Sinai and the Saints has beautifully occupied a needed gap for today’s readers.
Sinai and the Saints: Reading Old Covenant Laws for the New Covenant Community by James M. Todd III is an accessible and relevant book for those struggling to understand the relationship between the Old Covenant law upon the New Covenant people of God. It is a book that will reap immediate and practical fruit for anyone eager to harvest its riches. It comes highly recommended!
July 21, 2023
This is a highly accessible treatment of a very complicated issue. While the author does not delve into very many detailed handlings of individual laws (though his treatment of the Sabbath was incredibly satisfying to this reader), the overall approach and framework was clear, helpful, and compelling.
November 20, 2025
Excellent!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews