Why do Christians only follow some of the Bible’s commandments and not others?

The Old Testament is Christian scripture. It is not outdated or irrelevant. We read the Old Testament because it, like all of scripture, “is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17).

Just because we believe the Old Testament is the word of God, it doesn’t mean we understand how to apply the Old Testament in our daily lives, particularly the laws given to the nation of Israel.

Israel’s laws were given to Israel to govern the covenant people who lived together under God as a geographically bounded nation at a particular point in history. While the laws reflect the unchanging character of God, they are given to govern a particular people within a particular context. We are not obligated to follow the Old Testament law, in part, because the law was given to a different people, in a different place and at a different time.

As such, we don’t read the law as a set of commands that we are obligated to put into practice. We read the law as revelation. It tells us something about God and the order he has instituted. For instance, while we may not practice the sabbath year (Lev 25:1-7), we recognize in the legislation of the practice that God gives provision and sustenance. It is not simply a product of human labor.

Certain New Testament uses of the law also employ the law in this way. When Paul references Deuteronomy 25:4 in 1 Corinthians 9:9 and again in 1 Timothy 5:18, he points beyond the specific practice of muzzling an ox to the theological spirit that lies behind the practice. Muzzling an ox while it was treading grain conveyed a subtle expression of doubt in God’s provision, if not selfishness or insecurity on the part of the one who muzzles the ox. The idea is that the law conveys something about God and his order that transcends the particular law and may be applied to the support due to those who do the work of the Lord.

When Christians refer to Exodus 20:13 or Deuteronomy 5:17 (“You shall not murder”), we are not selectively choosing to obey this commandment and not others. Instead, we are referencing the verse as a reminder that in God’s kingdom, committing murder represents the removal of a human obstacle. Removing such an obstacle suggests that we are somehow justified in choosing who lives and dies. In God’s kingdom, there is never a reason to sacrifice another person made in his image on the altar of our own selfish pursuits. This understanding is why the commandment not to murder remains relevant to the question of abortion. We still live in God’s kingdom and we still have no reason to remove a human obstacle.

The various laws of the Old Testament can be difficult to understand, yet they are full of wisdom for Christians willing to do the hard work of studying these important texts.