The law given to Israel consisted of three parts: the moral law (the Ten Commandments), the civil law, and the ceremonial/ecclesiastical law.
Les Feldick teaches that the law given to Israel at Mount Sinai was made up of three parts. The moral law is the Ten Commandments and stands at the heart of the whole system. The civil law handled neighbor-to-neighbor matters, while the ceremonial/ecclesiastical law covered worship, priesthood, sacrifices, and the tabernacle.
Exodus 20:1-3 — The Ten Commandments, given at Sinai, are the moral law Les calls the heart of the whole law.
Romans 3:19 — This verse anchors Les's point that the law was given to those under the law and yet covers all humanity.
Scripture records that after Israel came out of Egypt, God met them at Mount Sinai and gave them the law. In Exodus 20, the Bible says, "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." The Ten Commandments then follow, beginning with "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). This is the moral law that stands at the heart of the whole legal structure. Paul treats the giving of the law as Israel's unique heritage in Romans 9:4, and in Romans 3:19 he says the law speaks "to them who are under the law," so that the whole world may become guilty before God.
Les Feldick teaches that the law given to Israel at Mount Sinai was not one thing but a whole system. He breaks that system into three parts. The first is the moral law, which is the Ten Commandments and which stands at the heart of everything else. The second is the civil law, which governed the way Israelites treated one another and required compensation when someone's property or person was harmed — his example is a bull getting out and trampling a neighbor's grain. The third is the ceremonial or ecclesiastical law, which included the priesthood, sacrifices, rituals, rules for the tabernacle, and the whole worship system. Les also stresses careful Bible reading: when the word "law" appears in Romans, it may mean the whole system of law, or it may mean only the Ten Commandments, and the surrounding verses decide which. He is equally clear that this whole package was given to Israel alone and never to the Gentiles, even though Romans 3 shows it has covered the whole human race with guilt.
Les calls the Ten Commandments the moral law and the heart of the entire system. The Bible records God speaking these words from Mount Sinai, beginning with "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). Les also notes that in Romans 3:19, Paul's language about those under the law points to the Ten Commandments specifically.
The civil law regulated life between people in Israel. Les explains that if a bull got out and trampled another man's grain, there had to be a system of compensation. The civil law also stipulated what a Jew had to do when he misused his neighbor. It was one of the main divisions of the law, sitting alongside the moral and ceremonial parts.
The ceremonial law designated what an Israelite had to do under circumstances of sin or wrongdoing — for example, bringing an offering to the priest. It included all the rituals, regulations, and rules for the priesthood, as well as the tabernacle. Les calls this the ecclesiastical part of the law.
Les says confusion is common in the area of law and grace. In Romans especially, "the law" may mean the Ten Commandments only, or it may mean the whole system of law. A careful student must let the context determine whether Paul is speaking of the moral law alone or the entire civil, ceremonial, and moral package.
The Law and Grace Setting
Les opens the study at Exodus 19 where Israel is gathered at Mount Sinai, showing that the discussion of law and grace begins with the giving of the law to Israel.
The Whole System of Law
Les shows that 'the law' in Romans can mean the whole system — religious, ritual, sacrifice, priesthood, and civil — with the Ten Commandments at its heart.
Moral and Civil Law
Les breaks the law into the moral law (the Ten Commandments) and the civil law, using the example of a bull trampling a neighbor's grain.
Civil, Ceremonial, and Moral Law
Les names all three parts of the law — civil, ceremonial, and moral — and explains how Paul's use of 'the law' can mean either the whole system or just the Ten Commandments.
The Religious System Alongside the Ten Commandments
Les describes the rituals, civil rules, priesthood stipulations, and the tabernacle as the parts of the law added to the Ten Commandments.
Tables of Stone and the Moral Law
Les says the Ten Commandments, written on tables of stone during Moses' 40 days on the mountain, are basically what we mean by the moral law.
Given to Those Under the Law
Les emphasizes that the law was given to those under the law — Israel — even while Romans 3 says the whole world is brought under its guilt.
Never Given to the Gentiles
Les states that the law was never given to the Gentiles, only to Israel, yet it still covers the whole human race.
Exodus 20:1-2: And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
This is God's introduction to the Ten Commandments, the moral law Les places at the heart of Israel's legal system.
Exodus 20:3: Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
The first commandment is the opening word of the moral law.
Romans 3:19: Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
Paul says the law speaks to those under the law, which Les applies to Israel.
Romans 9:4: Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Paul lists the giving of the law as part of Israel's heritage.
Les Feldick teaches that the law had three parts: the moral law (the Ten Commandments), the civil law (how people dealt with one another), and the ceremonial/ecclesiastical law (worship, priesthood, sacrifices, and the tabernacle).
No. Les Feldick is clear that the law was given to the nation of Israel alone and never to the Gentiles. However, he explains from Romans 3 that the law still placed the whole human race under guilt.
Not necessarily. Les teaches that 'the law' can refer to the whole system of law or only to the Ten Commandments. In Romans, the surrounding context determines which meaning Paul intended.
Watch the Teaching: The 3 Parts of the Law & Why They Don't Save You