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The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church: Reading the Torah in the Light of Christ
From the early days of the church to the present, the Old Testament Law has been a subject of much confusion, debate, and outright theological division. And with good reason: the way Christians understand the Law has massive implications for their individual lives and for the life of the church. To sort through the numerous interpretations and approaches to this thorny issue, we need to start with a solid knowledge of the Law itself.
Richard Averbeck provides a comprehensive, accessible discussion of how the Law fits into the arc of the Bible and its relevance to the church today. Beginning with the way God intended the Law to work in its original historical and cultural context, he then explores the New Testament perspective on the Law. Averbeck identifies three biblical theological theses: the Law is good, the Law is weak, and the Law is a unified whole. Rejecting common partitions between categories of law, he makes the case that the whole Law applies to the Christian. Our task is to discern how it applies in the light of Christ.
The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church invites readers to consider how all of Scripture is illuminating and useful for God's people. The church, as the new temple, has much to learn from the Law and about what it means for our doctrine and practice.
Richard Averbeck provides a comprehensive, accessible discussion of how the Law fits into the arc of the Bible and its relevance to the church today. Beginning with the way God intended the Law to work in its original historical and cultural context, he then explores the New Testament perspective on the Law. Averbeck identifies three biblical theological theses: the Law is good, the Law is weak, and the Law is a unified whole. Rejecting common partitions between categories of law, he makes the case that the whole Law applies to the Christian. Our task is to discern how it applies in the light of Christ.
The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church invites readers to consider how all of Scripture is illuminating and useful for God's people. The church, as the new temple, has much to learn from the Law and about what it means for our doctrine and practice.
352 pages, Paperback
Published September 6, 2022
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March 30, 2022Richard Averbeck has spent his entire career studying biblical law, especially Leviticus, and helping Christian students understand it. This book summarizes his positive approach to biblical law.
He helpfully frames biblical law by arguing for its ongoing relevance for Christians before guiding students through each major law collection of the Hebrew Scriptures, summarizing its main features. Averbeck closes with several chapters on the role of law in the New Testament. An appendix discusses the promises and potential pitfalls of the Messianic movement's approach to biblical law.
Two notable features of Averbeck's approach:
-his insistance that the traditional division of the law into civil, moral, and ceremonial does not reflect how the law actually functions in the New Testament.
-his characterization of the law as good, weak, and unified
Given its length and level of discourse, this book could serve as an introduction to law in an upper-division college elective.
He helpfully frames biblical law by arguing for its ongoing relevance for Christians before guiding students through each major law collection of the Hebrew Scriptures, summarizing its main features. Averbeck closes with several chapters on the role of law in the New Testament. An appendix discusses the promises and potential pitfalls of the Messianic movement's approach to biblical law.
Two notable features of Averbeck's approach:
-his insistance that the traditional division of the law into civil, moral, and ceremonial does not reflect how the law actually functions in the New Testament.
-his characterization of the law as good, weak, and unified
Given its length and level of discourse, this book could serve as an introduction to law in an upper-division college elective.
October 6, 2022
If I’ve heard it said once, I’ve heard it said hundreds of times, “Nothing in the Old Testament applies to us Christians, except what is specifically restated in the New.” Therefore, I was excited to see the recently published 400-page softback “The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church: Reading the Torah in the Light of Christ”. This manual was put together by Richard E. Averbeck, professor of Old Testament and Semitic languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. It is an easily readable work that takes Christians, step-by-step, into the ongoing value of the Hebrew Scriptures for New Covenant people. Rightly does Averbeck state that to “ignore the Old Testament is to misunderstand the New Testament” (5). Thus, the author sticks to his purpose throughout the book, and that purpose is to show how “the whole law was and still is good and profitable for the Christian and applies to the life of the Christian today in a new covenant way” (21).
Averbeck builds a whole, sturdy structure around three concepts: (1) The law is good; (2) the law is weak; (3) the law is a unified whole (14). And then he develops how we’re to hold all three together all the time and at the same time “because all three correspond to significant statements about the law in both the Old Testament and the New” (14). Toward this end, the author breaks the book down into three parts. First is covenant and context, where he elaborates on the interconnections of all the covenants from Noah to the New, and how all the previous covenants come into the New Covenant. Then, Averbeck shows the Old Covenant in its context, laying out the redemptive setting of the law, the parallel collections of the law, etc. The final section is on the Old Testament in the New.
There were three perspectives I was delighted in as I read through the book. These were conclusions I had come to years ago. First, something I have been saying to my congregation for years, is that the Old Testament is God’s Word for God’s people in every age. Averbeck makes this crystal clear. Second, I have also been teaching my congregation that everything in the Old Testament applies in the New, except where changed. Again, the author develops this model with a beautiful clarity. Finally, because Jesus taught his disciples how to read the Hebrew Scriptures (Luke 24:25-27, 44-45), then the apostles took our Lord’s model and worked from that base in the New Testament Scriptures. This is one reason why the apostles drew from the Old Testament with ease and simplicity. And Averbeck explains this perspective in gentle and gracious detail.
It is important to note, in passing, an area where I would disagree with the author. He denies that there is any validity to the three categories of law: ceremonial, civil, and moral (316). I recognize that the sacred Scripture never mentions or uses these three categories, and they are rarely clear-cut (sometimes moral laws are in the same sleeping bag with ceremonial, etc.), but I think they are useful tools, with a long history in Christian thinking, which should slow down our haste in throwing them out. Averbeck is correct, though, when he writes, “even if we accept the threefold division of the law, still the New Testament cites all three “divisions” and applies them to the Christian life” (316). Yes sir! This whole volume masterfully makes this case. There are one or two other places I would quibble with him, but none of these are show-stoppers.
“The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church” is a breath of fresh air in the smoggy, stilted atmosphere of North American Christianity. This work will help clear up the haze for many and enable others to breath easier at night. Not only should this book be in college, university, and seminary libraries, but it ought to be the primary textbook for any academic classes surveying or introducing the Old Testament. Further, for anyone desiring to get their head around the relationship of the Old Testament and the New, here’s your book! I highly, and happily, recommend it.
My thanks to IVP Academic. I requested a review copy and they promptly sent one, which is what I used for this evaluation. And, oh happy day! They made no requirements or demands on me; no hostages were taken, and no ransom demanded. Therefore, this appraisal is freely made and freely given.
Averbeck builds a whole, sturdy structure around three concepts: (1) The law is good; (2) the law is weak; (3) the law is a unified whole (14). And then he develops how we’re to hold all three together all the time and at the same time “because all three correspond to significant statements about the law in both the Old Testament and the New” (14). Toward this end, the author breaks the book down into three parts. First is covenant and context, where he elaborates on the interconnections of all the covenants from Noah to the New, and how all the previous covenants come into the New Covenant. Then, Averbeck shows the Old Covenant in its context, laying out the redemptive setting of the law, the parallel collections of the law, etc. The final section is on the Old Testament in the New.
There were three perspectives I was delighted in as I read through the book. These were conclusions I had come to years ago. First, something I have been saying to my congregation for years, is that the Old Testament is God’s Word for God’s people in every age. Averbeck makes this crystal clear. Second, I have also been teaching my congregation that everything in the Old Testament applies in the New, except where changed. Again, the author develops this model with a beautiful clarity. Finally, because Jesus taught his disciples how to read the Hebrew Scriptures (Luke 24:25-27, 44-45), then the apostles took our Lord’s model and worked from that base in the New Testament Scriptures. This is one reason why the apostles drew from the Old Testament with ease and simplicity. And Averbeck explains this perspective in gentle and gracious detail.
It is important to note, in passing, an area where I would disagree with the author. He denies that there is any validity to the three categories of law: ceremonial, civil, and moral (316). I recognize that the sacred Scripture never mentions or uses these three categories, and they are rarely clear-cut (sometimes moral laws are in the same sleeping bag with ceremonial, etc.), but I think they are useful tools, with a long history in Christian thinking, which should slow down our haste in throwing them out. Averbeck is correct, though, when he writes, “even if we accept the threefold division of the law, still the New Testament cites all three “divisions” and applies them to the Christian life” (316). Yes sir! This whole volume masterfully makes this case. There are one or two other places I would quibble with him, but none of these are show-stoppers.
“The Old Testament Law for the Life of the Church” is a breath of fresh air in the smoggy, stilted atmosphere of North American Christianity. This work will help clear up the haze for many and enable others to breath easier at night. Not only should this book be in college, university, and seminary libraries, but it ought to be the primary textbook for any academic classes surveying or introducing the Old Testament. Further, for anyone desiring to get their head around the relationship of the Old Testament and the New, here’s your book! I highly, and happily, recommend it.
My thanks to IVP Academic. I requested a review copy and they promptly sent one, which is what I used for this evaluation. And, oh happy day! They made no requirements or demands on me; no hostages were taken, and no ransom demanded. Therefore, this appraisal is freely made and freely given.
July 5, 2025
Averbeck argues that the "threefold division" of the law into moral, ceremonial, and civil laws "is neither legitimate nor helpful, from a biblical point of view". Instead, he argues that "the New Testament applies the whole law, including the so-called ceremonial parts to the church and the Christian life. It is not a matter of whether the Old Testament law applies but how the New Testament applies it." (Introduction) Averbeck argues for the following framework: First, the reader "needs to understand how the law worked in its original Old Testament context in the first place." Next, consider what was the "reality in the Old Testament itself" and how adjustments were made to the observance of the law even within the Old Testament itself, all the more so with the New Testament where, eg., the church is not a nation, the anticipated Messiah has come, and there is no longer separation between Jew and Gentile. In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit indwells believers and the Old Testament law is written on the hearts of believers – the New Testament thus develops the themes in the Old Testament law which informs "their application to us." (Conclusion)
Averbeck starts by establishing the covenants as the foundational context for discussing the Old Testament law, and how there is a "progressive historical development of the covenants" from Abrahamic to Mosaic to Davidic and eventually the new covenant. Each covenant builds on the other and "none of them eliminates the Lord's previous covenantal commitments and expectations". Rather, "they build together into a compilation of God’s ongoing covenantal commitments and his expectations for those who commit to him in those covenants." (ch 2) (cf. Galatians 3:15-17)
After two chapters of covenants, Averbeck spends five chapters examining the literary, historical, cultural, and theological context of the Old Testament law. He covers the decalogue (ch 4), judicial law in Exodus 21-23, Leviticus 17-27, and Deuteronomy 12-26 (ch 5), laws concerning the priesthood and tabernacle (ch 6), and laws concerning offerings and sacrifices, holiness, and purity (ch 7). While not a comprehensive treatise, these chapters form a good introduction and overview of one seeking to understand the Old Testament law on its own terms, before rushing to consider how it applies today; and/or without reading our modern assumptions into the law anachronistically.
The last four chapters cover Jesus's words concerning the law (ch 8), the way the New Testament church handled the law (ch 9), the goodness and weakness of the law (ch 10), and the unity of the law (ch 11). I found the last two chapters especially insightful – Averbeck argues for three essential points: the law is good, the law is weak, and the law is a unified whole. Scripture is explicit about the goodness (Romans 7:12) and usefulness (2 Tim 3:15-17) of the law, yet it is also clear that the law is weak (eg. Romans 8:3, Hebrews 7:18) – strength and power of the Christian life comes not from the law but through the "continuing practice of faith through the work of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:4-16; Gal 3:1-7; 1 Cor 2:10-13) ... The Mosaic law was never designed to give anyone spiritual life [Gal 3:21]". But "the Holy Spirit uses [the law] as an indispensable guide for those who follow Jesus." (ch 10). The law is united in that there is no division of the law, it all applies to the life of the Christ. The question is how – Averbeck thus surveys a few areas.
On the laws concerning the priesthood, the Hebrews devotes a great deal of attention to the royal high priesthood of Jesus, while 1 Peter 2 applies the label of royal priesthood to the church (see also Revelation 1:6, 5:10, 20:6). Thus, we have "the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God" (Romans 15:16), and we are exhorted to "continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise", and "to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased" (Hebrews 13:15-16).
Concerning the law concerning the tabernacle and temple, "one can trace the theology of sacred space in the Old Testament into the New Testament in terms of the theology of sacred community" (Eph 2-3 and 1 Cor 3:16-17). Thus the theme of God's presence that permeates the Old Testament law concerning the Tabernacle and Temple bridge into the New Testament and further into the life of the church in this way.
On the law concerning sacrifices, Jesus calls His disciples to be sacrificial (Matt 10:38-39, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:26), and Paul entreats the church to "offer your bodies as a living sacrifice" (Rom 12:1). This, then, is how the sacrificial laws apply: "As with the Old Testament sacrifices, ours has to be holy and pleasing so that it is acceptable to him (see, e.g., Lev 1:3-4). In other words, we need to live our lives as a burnt offering, all of which goes on the altar to offer a “pleasing aroma” to him (Lev 1:9)."
Lastly, on the purity laws, 1 Peter 1:13-25 applies the Levitical commands to Christians by requiring them to "obe[y] the truth so that you have sincere love for each other" (1 Peter 1:22) "The purification terminology of the Old Testament applies to the New Testament believer too, but on the level of the presence of God in the life of the believer in the New Testament, in his or her heart and soul." Just as how God dwelt physically with His people in the Old Testament and now dwells with the church via the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, so too the Old Testament text was concerned with physical purification, while the concern for spiritual purification is brought to the fore in the New Testament (not that it was absent in the Old).
Final thoughts
I thought this was a good read, though I am a little surprised that Averbeck did not cover the civil and punitive laws in the Old Testament and their application in the New Testament (eg. 1 Cor 5:13), considering that it is an area of the law many struggle with. Perhaps he meant for this book to be more theological than exhaustive, and/or he has hit his publisher's limit. My nitpicking aside, I think Averbeck does a good job demonstrating the continuity of God's law from the Old Testament to the New, and situating the law in its proper place – not as evil or bad, but also not to do what only the Holy Spirit can do. I find his thesis compelling, and I think that he is right that Christians "should not be thinking in terms of the limits of the application of the Old Testament law in the life of the church and the believer but rather the real issue of how it applies—all of it!" (Conclusion)
Averbeck starts by establishing the covenants as the foundational context for discussing the Old Testament law, and how there is a "progressive historical development of the covenants" from Abrahamic to Mosaic to Davidic and eventually the new covenant. Each covenant builds on the other and "none of them eliminates the Lord's previous covenantal commitments and expectations". Rather, "they build together into a compilation of God’s ongoing covenantal commitments and his expectations for those who commit to him in those covenants." (ch 2) (cf. Galatians 3:15-17)
After two chapters of covenants, Averbeck spends five chapters examining the literary, historical, cultural, and theological context of the Old Testament law. He covers the decalogue (ch 4), judicial law in Exodus 21-23, Leviticus 17-27, and Deuteronomy 12-26 (ch 5), laws concerning the priesthood and tabernacle (ch 6), and laws concerning offerings and sacrifices, holiness, and purity (ch 7). While not a comprehensive treatise, these chapters form a good introduction and overview of one seeking to understand the Old Testament law on its own terms, before rushing to consider how it applies today; and/or without reading our modern assumptions into the law anachronistically.
The last four chapters cover Jesus's words concerning the law (ch 8), the way the New Testament church handled the law (ch 9), the goodness and weakness of the law (ch 10), and the unity of the law (ch 11). I found the last two chapters especially insightful – Averbeck argues for three essential points: the law is good, the law is weak, and the law is a unified whole. Scripture is explicit about the goodness (Romans 7:12) and usefulness (2 Tim 3:15-17) of the law, yet it is also clear that the law is weak (eg. Romans 8:3, Hebrews 7:18) – strength and power of the Christian life comes not from the law but through the "continuing practice of faith through the work of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:4-16; Gal 3:1-7; 1 Cor 2:10-13) ... The Mosaic law was never designed to give anyone spiritual life [Gal 3:21]". But "the Holy Spirit uses [the law] as an indispensable guide for those who follow Jesus." (ch 10). The law is united in that there is no division of the law, it all applies to the life of the Christ. The question is how – Averbeck thus surveys a few areas.
On the laws concerning the priesthood, the Hebrews devotes a great deal of attention to the royal high priesthood of Jesus, while 1 Peter 2 applies the label of royal priesthood to the church (see also Revelation 1:6, 5:10, 20:6). Thus, we have "the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God" (Romans 15:16), and we are exhorted to "continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise", and "to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased" (Hebrews 13:15-16).
Concerning the law concerning the tabernacle and temple, "one can trace the theology of sacred space in the Old Testament into the New Testament in terms of the theology of sacred community" (Eph 2-3 and 1 Cor 3:16-17). Thus the theme of God's presence that permeates the Old Testament law concerning the Tabernacle and Temple bridge into the New Testament and further into the life of the church in this way.
On the law concerning sacrifices, Jesus calls His disciples to be sacrificial (Matt 10:38-39, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:26), and Paul entreats the church to "offer your bodies as a living sacrifice" (Rom 12:1). This, then, is how the sacrificial laws apply: "As with the Old Testament sacrifices, ours has to be holy and pleasing so that it is acceptable to him (see, e.g., Lev 1:3-4). In other words, we need to live our lives as a burnt offering, all of which goes on the altar to offer a “pleasing aroma” to him (Lev 1:9)."
Lastly, on the purity laws, 1 Peter 1:13-25 applies the Levitical commands to Christians by requiring them to "obe[y] the truth so that you have sincere love for each other" (1 Peter 1:22) "The purification terminology of the Old Testament applies to the New Testament believer too, but on the level of the presence of God in the life of the believer in the New Testament, in his or her heart and soul." Just as how God dwelt physically with His people in the Old Testament and now dwells with the church via the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, so too the Old Testament text was concerned with physical purification, while the concern for spiritual purification is brought to the fore in the New Testament (not that it was absent in the Old).
Final thoughts
I thought this was a good read, though I am a little surprised that Averbeck did not cover the civil and punitive laws in the Old Testament and their application in the New Testament (eg. 1 Cor 5:13), considering that it is an area of the law many struggle with. Perhaps he meant for this book to be more theological than exhaustive, and/or he has hit his publisher's limit. My nitpicking aside, I think Averbeck does a good job demonstrating the continuity of God's law from the Old Testament to the New, and situating the law in its proper place – not as evil or bad, but also not to do what only the Holy Spirit can do. I find his thesis compelling, and I think that he is right that Christians "should not be thinking in terms of the limits of the application of the Old Testament law in the life of the church and the believer but rather the real issue of how it applies—all of it!" (Conclusion)
June 29, 2024
more on the technical side at times and very good
March 2, 2023
Summary: A study of for what God intended the law in its original context, how it was fulfilled in Christ, and its continuing relevance for the church today.
Let’s face it. For many in the church, the Old Testament is more or less unknown territory, especially the parts of the Old Testament concerned with the law.
Richard Averbeck has spent much of his life studying the Old Testament as well as other ancient Near East writings and he is persuaded of the continuing relevance of the law to the church, understood through the ministry of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. He contends that this was the scripture Paul asserted to Timothy as being “God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” But how is this so for the church today?
Averbeck asserts three theses that he develops throughout the book:
1. The law is good. It instructed Israel how to live holy lives under God’s covenant love and it may also instruct us in holiness, particularly how to live under the law of Christ, loving God and neighbor.
2. The law is weak. It does not have the power to transform the heart; only the Holy Spirit can transform our sinful nature and write the law on our hearts.
3. The law is one unified whole. Averbeck sees no biblical basis for dividing the law into categories of moral, civil, and ceremonial, and while every law is not simply brought over into the life of the church, there are ways under Christ in which the whole law continues to be relevant to the church’s life.
To develop these theses Averbeck begins with an extensive treatment of the context of Old Testament law. First of all, he charts the covenants, of Abraham, of Moses, and David, each under those that precede, and then their fulfillment in the New Covenant. He follows this with looking at the Mosaic law in context, delineating the law collections, discussing the place of the Sinai narrative and the Decalogue, the book of the covenant and the other parallel collections of law, offering a comparative study of debt slavery as a case study, showing transformations even between collections. He shows how holiness, ceremonial, and civil law together shape Israel as a kingdom of priests oriented around the presence of God in their midst. He discusses in detail the significance of the various offerings and sacrifices and how they sustained the holiness and purity of the people.
He turns to how Jesus fulfills the law in life and teaching, as demonstrated in the antitheses in the Sermon on the Mount. and in his treatment of questions of purity and sabbath. At the same time, he focuses attention on the law of love for God and neighbor in which the whole law is fulfilled. Then he considers the New Testament church and how this was handled, particularly in the incorporation of Gentiles in which Jewish believers continued to observe the law while Gentiles followed the council of Jerusalem, the moral instruction, and the transforming life of worship pointed to in the Old Testament law, made possible by the Spirit of truth. Averbeck then returns in two chapters to show how the law is good, how it is weak but empowered by the Holy Spirit, and remains a unified whole.
He also includes on Jewish Messianic believers and the Torah, offering one of the best defenses I’ve seen for such groups remaining observant Jews while staying gospel focused, citing the practice of the early church.
I appreciated the careful explanation of the contents of the law collections and the importance of these as well as showing how the law continued to be relevant in Christ. The discussion of the law’s weakness and the ministry of the Holy Spirit is much needed. He also shows the arc between offerings and sacrifices, and our calling as a “kingdom of priests” who are “living sacrifices.” Perhaps more needs to be said about the civil aspects of the law and the parallel being, not the secular state, but the church and how it governs itself. What may be gleaned from the law on how the church is ordered and governed under Christ? And to what degree ought the law shape our pursuit of just, though not theocratic, societies?
That said, this is one of the best studies I have seen of Old Testament law and its continuing relevance. His argument that all of the law continues to be relevant, albeit in altered form because of Christ, is a different approach worth considering that avoids explaining how we have dispensed with some aspects and not others. And his love for the Old Testament may encourage readers to explore what in fact were the scriptures for the early New Testament church.
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.
Let’s face it. For many in the church, the Old Testament is more or less unknown territory, especially the parts of the Old Testament concerned with the law.
Richard Averbeck has spent much of his life studying the Old Testament as well as other ancient Near East writings and he is persuaded of the continuing relevance of the law to the church, understood through the ministry of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. He contends that this was the scripture Paul asserted to Timothy as being “God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” But how is this so for the church today?
Averbeck asserts three theses that he develops throughout the book:
1. The law is good. It instructed Israel how to live holy lives under God’s covenant love and it may also instruct us in holiness, particularly how to live under the law of Christ, loving God and neighbor.
2. The law is weak. It does not have the power to transform the heart; only the Holy Spirit can transform our sinful nature and write the law on our hearts.
3. The law is one unified whole. Averbeck sees no biblical basis for dividing the law into categories of moral, civil, and ceremonial, and while every law is not simply brought over into the life of the church, there are ways under Christ in which the whole law continues to be relevant to the church’s life.
To develop these theses Averbeck begins with an extensive treatment of the context of Old Testament law. First of all, he charts the covenants, of Abraham, of Moses, and David, each under those that precede, and then their fulfillment in the New Covenant. He follows this with looking at the Mosaic law in context, delineating the law collections, discussing the place of the Sinai narrative and the Decalogue, the book of the covenant and the other parallel collections of law, offering a comparative study of debt slavery as a case study, showing transformations even between collections. He shows how holiness, ceremonial, and civil law together shape Israel as a kingdom of priests oriented around the presence of God in their midst. He discusses in detail the significance of the various offerings and sacrifices and how they sustained the holiness and purity of the people.
He turns to how Jesus fulfills the law in life and teaching, as demonstrated in the antitheses in the Sermon on the Mount. and in his treatment of questions of purity and sabbath. At the same time, he focuses attention on the law of love for God and neighbor in which the whole law is fulfilled. Then he considers the New Testament church and how this was handled, particularly in the incorporation of Gentiles in which Jewish believers continued to observe the law while Gentiles followed the council of Jerusalem, the moral instruction, and the transforming life of worship pointed to in the Old Testament law, made possible by the Spirit of truth. Averbeck then returns in two chapters to show how the law is good, how it is weak but empowered by the Holy Spirit, and remains a unified whole.
He also includes on Jewish Messianic believers and the Torah, offering one of the best defenses I’ve seen for such groups remaining observant Jews while staying gospel focused, citing the practice of the early church.
I appreciated the careful explanation of the contents of the law collections and the importance of these as well as showing how the law continued to be relevant in Christ. The discussion of the law’s weakness and the ministry of the Holy Spirit is much needed. He also shows the arc between offerings and sacrifices, and our calling as a “kingdom of priests” who are “living sacrifices.” Perhaps more needs to be said about the civil aspects of the law and the parallel being, not the secular state, but the church and how it governs itself. What may be gleaned from the law on how the church is ordered and governed under Christ? And to what degree ought the law shape our pursuit of just, though not theocratic, societies?
That said, this is one of the best studies I have seen of Old Testament law and its continuing relevance. His argument that all of the law continues to be relevant, albeit in altered form because of Christ, is a different approach worth considering that avoids explaining how we have dispensed with some aspects and not others. And his love for the Old Testament may encourage readers to explore what in fact were the scriptures for the early New Testament church.
____________________
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.
December 26, 2022
This was an excellent and highly readable introduction to the Law. It will probably be my go to for a recommendation on the law. It is a bit long for an introduction, but I found it read fast and did not get bogged down in the details and avoided rabbit trails. He also shares personal stories illuminating points of the law which keep it relatable. If you are looking for something beyond an introduction, to get into the nitty gritty, you will need to look elsewhere. I would have appreciated some interaction with Walton’s Lost World of the Torah, or Rosner’s Paul and the Law, and more recently, Thiessen’s Jesus and the Forces of Death. I’m fairly sure he doesn’t interact with these, although he cite Walton’s work in the Bibliography.
October 31, 2023
This had some really good nuggets in it, but overall the book was just disappointing. There were a lot of random claims that did not have much support. The author spent so much time explaining that the topic was too big for him to cover. He does not actually apply the law, particularly the tricky parts about sexuality or gender, to today or show how to fully understand those. While there were certainly sections I appreciated, I think overall this book could have been both more thoughtful and analytical.
November 5, 2025
This was a topic I had interest in, and a pastor friend found a perfect book to answer the question of how the Law fits into a New Testament, gentile, believers life. I found Section One to be very insightful, Section Two was pretty dry, and Section Three had a little bit of both. Chapter 9 "the Mosaic law in Acts and the earliest church" was probably my favorite chapter. The appendix at the end to Jewish Messianic believers was very interesting and compelling. I am glad I had the opportunity to read this and it may be one I read again in a few years.
April 18, 2024
Very approachable for people wanting to truly understand the Old Testament in its original context and how it applies to believers today.
March 24, 2025
A great interaction with the context of the Old Testament but dismisses/mischaracterizes other views too easily.
February 23, 2025
This book helped me to grow in love and familiarity with the Law. I found it to be a perfect balance between approachable and scholarly. I was able to see a glimpse of Christ’s heart for his church in a new light and enjoy more facets of who he is.
August 2, 2023
I have some minor gripes about some of the language Dr. Averbeck used in this book. The message, oh the message. This was incredibly balanced and well presented. This book was an inspiration. I look forward to rereading it for time to come.
My copy of this book was freely given without any conditions by IVP to review for a podcast I co-host. I look forward to recommending it on our show.
My copy of this book was freely given without any conditions by IVP to review for a podcast I co-host. I look forward to recommending it on our show.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews