What are the divisions of the law in the Old Testament?
The Old Testament law comprises three divisions: the civil law, which governed relationships and restitution between neighbors; the ceremonial law, which covered religious ritual, sacrifices, and priesthood; and the moral law, the Ten Commandments, which stands at the heart of the entire system.
Les explains that God gave Israel the law, printed on tables of stone, and the whole system comprised what is called law—the religious, ritual, sacrifices, priesthood, and civil law. He identifies the divisions as the civil law, the ceremonial law, and the moral law. The civil law stipulated how a Jew had to make things right if he misused his neighbor. The ceremonial law designated that under a certain circumstance of sin or wrongdoing, he had to bring it to the priest, and so on. At the heart of all the law is the moral law, or the Ten Commandments. Les cautions that when studying terms in Romans, we must be careful whether we are talking about the Ten Commandments or the whole system of law. He notes that in the first part of chapter, verse 19, when Paul says the law says to them who are under the law, he is talking about the Ten Commandments, the moral law, but it also says to them who are under the law, that's the whole system of law.