Q 15: How are the civil laws useful?

A 15: The civil laws provide precepts, principles, cases, and examples to guide us in applying the Ten Commandments to our lives in community. (Ruth 4; 1 Cor. 5, 6, 9)

The statutes, precepts, rules, testimonies, and so forth provided in the Law of God apply to every one of the Ten Commandments except the last. They are meant to delineate and outline ways of applying the Commandments in the daily practice of love for God and neighbor. They embody the spirit of the Law in the letter of the Law, the former being the more important aspect, and that alone which has enduring value.

The civil laws, in the form in which they were given to ancient Israel were, as previously mentioned, wholly appropriate for and in line with contemporary practice. This does not mean that the literal application of those laws should determine how they are applied in our day. As Paul demonstrates, in the era of grace and the Spirit we must look beyond the letter of the civil law to discern the spirit in which it should be applied and obeyed (2 Cor. 3.6). The letter can guide us, and may still be applicable in many situations. However, the spirit of the civil laws is the most important aspect for our purposes in practicing love for God and neighbor in our day.

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