Ethan Walker
The Catholic Church does not follow all the laws in the Old Testament. While the Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture for Catholics, it is not the only part of their faith. The Old Testament laws were only ever binding on those to whom they were delivered—the Jews (Israelites). However, some of the laws contain elements that are binding on all people of every place and time. For example, Catholics are obliged to follow the Ten Commandments not because they are part of the Old Testament but because they are part of the natural law.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Catholics are Bible literalists | No |
| Catholics are sola scriptura Christians | No |
| The Bible is an important part of the Catholic faith | Yes |
| Catholics follow all Old Testament rules | No |
| Catholics follow the Ten Commandments | Yes |
| Catholics believe in dual-covenant theology | Yes |
| Catholics believe Mosaic Law is of continuing validity | Yes |
| Catholics believe in supersessionism | No |
| Catholics believe in Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus | No |
| Catholics believe in Solus Christus | No |
| Catholics believe in Antinomianism | No |
| Catholics believe in Marcionism | No |
| Catholics believe in Covenant Theology | Yes |
| Catholics believe in General Equity Theonomy | Yes |
| Catholics believe in the importance of the Old Testament | Yes |
| Catholics believe in the divine pedagogy of God's saving love | Yes |
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What You'll Learn
Catholics don't follow Old Testament laws literally
Catholics do not follow Old Testament laws literally. While the Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture for Catholics, it was only ever binding on the Jews (Israelites) to whom it was delivered. The Bible is an important part of the Catholic faith, but it is just one part.
The Old Testament laws can be divided into moral, civil, and ceremonial laws. While the ceremonial and judicial laws ceased to be binding with the advent of Christ, moral commands continue to be binding, such as the Ten Commandments, which are considered part of the natural law. Catholics are obliged to follow the Ten Commandments not because they are part of the Old Testament, but because they are part of the natural law.
The New Covenant, established by Jesus' death on the cross, fulfilled and superseded the Old Covenant given to Moses. This is supported by St. Paul's emphasis on Jesus as the Christ, a divine figure. This is one of the foundations of Christianity and explains why Christians, including Catholics, engage in practices forbidden by the Old Testament, such as eating pork.
While the Old Testament is not followed literally, it is still important to Catholics. It is viewed as a storehouse of sublime teachings on God and sound wisdom on human life, with the mystery of salvation present within it. The Church has always opposed the idea of rejecting the Old Testament, as it contains prophecies of the coming of Christ.
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The Old Testament is still important to Catholics
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the Old Testament is an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. Its books are divinely inspired and retain permanent value, and the Old Covenant has never been revoked. The Old Testament is very important for Christians, as it is a storehouse of sublime teachings on God and sound wisdom on human life. It also contains wonderful prayers and the mystery of salvation. Catholics venerate the Old Testament as the true Word of God and vigorously oppose the idea of rejecting it under the pretext that the New Testament has rendered it void (Marcionism).
The Ten Commandments are often cited as examples of natural law, and Christians are obliged to follow them not because they are part of the Old Testament, but because they are part of natural law. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Apostles instituted the religious celebration of Sunday, applying the Third Commandment to the Lord's Day, without transferring the ceremonial obligations associated with the Jewish Sabbath.
Following in the sacrificial footsteps of Christ, Catholics can offer up their sufferings as a sacrifice to God. The Tabernacle altar fire is fulfilled in purgatory, and the Old Testament laver foreshadowed the sacrament of baptism. The foundation of Catholic worship and practice is found in the Old Testament Tabernacle, which serves as a biblical model for the Catholic faith. The Church is the final, eternal tabernacle of God as Christ’s mystical body, and every worship element of the Old Testament tabernacle should be reflected in the lives of Catholics today.
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The Old Testament is divinely inspired
The Old Testament is an indispensable part of the Sacred Scripture for Christians, including Catholics. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the Old Testament is divinely inspired and retains permanent value, as the Old Covenant has never been revoked.
The Old Testament is believed to contain a divine pedagogy of God's saving love. These writings are considered a treasury of sublime teachings on God, prayers, and wisdom on human life. They are also seen as a testament to the mystery of salvation. The Catholic Church has always opposed the idea of rejecting the Old Testament, as it is viewed as the true Word of God.
While Catholics do not follow every Old Testament rule literally, they recognize the difference between ceremonial and moral law within it. The Bible is an important part of the Catholic faith, but it is not the sole source of doctrine. Catholicism is clear in its positions, and it does not interpret the Bible literally or solely as the sole scriptura Christians.
The Old Testament law was originally binding only on the Jews (Israelites). However, Jesus and Paul taught that some elements of the law are binding on all people, regardless of time and place. The Ten Commandments, for instance, are considered a fundamental expression of the natural law, engraved by God in the human heart, and are thus applicable to all.
The Catholic Church teaches that the Apostles instituted the religious celebration of Sunday, without transferring the ceremonial obligations of the Jewish Sabbath. This is an example of how the Church applies the Third Commandment to the Lord's Day, demonstrating the enduring relevance of the Old Testament within Catholicism.
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The Old Testament is fulfilled by Christ
The Old Testament is an indispensable part of the Sacred Scripture for Christians. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that its books are divinely inspired and retain permanent value, as the Old Covenant has never been revoked.
However, Old Testament law, as such, is not binding on Christians. It was only ever binding on those to whom it was delivered—the Jews (Israelites). That said, some of that law contains elements of a law that is binding on all people of every place and time.
Jesus himself said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." (Matthew 5:17–18). All the promises of God in the Old Testament are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The meaning of all the Scriptures is unlocked by the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The Old Testament contains prophecies about Jesus that are fulfilled in the New Testament. For example, the miraculous birth of Christ and his lineage were prophetically revealed. The death and resurrection of Christ are significant events that are also prophesied in the Old Testament.
Some scholars believe there are more than 300 prophecies about Jesus in the Old Testament. Peter Stoner, Chairman of the Departments of Mathematics and Astronomy at Pasadena College, examined eight specific prophecies about Jesus and determined that the probability of someone fulfilling all eight was 1 in 1017.
The Old Testament food laws that set Israel apart from other nations have been fulfilled and ended in Christ. Mark 7:18–19 quotes Jesus saying, “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him? [...] (Thus he declared all foods clean.)”.
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Catholics object to homosexuality on different grounds
Catholics do not follow all the laws of the Old Testament. Old Testament law was only ever binding on those to whom it was delivered—the Jews (Israelites). However, some of that law contains elements of a law that is binding on all people of every place and time.
Catholics object to homosexuality on several grounds. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, a text containing dogmas and teachings of the Church, names "homosexual acts" as "intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law". It states that such acts are "acts of grave depravity" that are ""intrinsically disordered". Homosexual tendencies are considered "objectively disordered". The Church teaches that the primary natural end of the sexual act is procreation, and since procreation is carried out from a process of sexual fertilization between a man and a woman, homosexual acts are considered unnatural.
The Church also does not recognize nor perform any sacramental marriages between same-sex couples. It teaches that homosexual persons are called to chastity. However, the doctrine also specifies that such persons must be accepted with respect and sensitivity, and every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.
In Romans 1, Paul attributes the homosexual desires of some to a refusal to acknowledge and worship God. He says, "For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error."
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Frequently asked questions
Catholics do not follow Old Testament law to the letter. However, the Old Testament is still considered an indispensable part of Sacred Scripture. It is believed that the Old Testament contains elements of a law that is binding on all people of every place and time, such as the Ten Commandments.
The Catholic Church does not believe that Christians should be bound by every Old Testament law. As such, they argue that those who suffer from same-sex attraction are not obliged to observe Old Testament laws on homosexuality.
The Catholic Church believes that the Old Testament food laws are no longer applicable to its followers. This is based on the interpretation of the NRSV's parenthetical statement: "(Thus he declared all foods clean.)".
