THEO 3 Module 6

NAME: Module
7
THEOLOGY 3: Christian Morality Fr. Niño Perido, crs
LESSON 6: LAW and the ORIGINAL COVENANT

Imagine that the bishop of your diocese called people from all the parishes of the
diocese together for a special, once in-a-lifetime gathering. So many people were attending that
the gathering had to be held outdoors at a huge stadium. People began gathering hours before
the event was to start. Suddenly, before everything was scheduled to start, something dramatic
happened. Clouds gathered in the sky, and brilliant flashes of lightning and loud peals of
thunder filled the air. While this was happening, a
Pentateuch: A Greek word small earthquake shook the ground, causing people
to lean on one another to stay upright. Then just as
meaning “five books,” referring
suddenly as it began, all the noise and commotion
to the first five books of the
came to a stop. As the bishop ascended the stage to
Old Testament. begin the event, people turned to one another and
said, “We better pay attention!”
Catechism: A popular summary,
usually in book form, of Catholic This is close to what happened when God
doctrine about faith and morals gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments. Take a
and commonly intended for use look at Exodus 19:16–25. After the people arrived at
Mount Sinai, they experienced a spectacular display of
within formal programs of
God’s glory: thunder, lightning, trumpet blasts,
catechesis. earthquakes, and even an erupting volcano. It is the
most dramatic appearance of God in the Bible, and it
immediately precedes the proclamation of the Ten Commandments. Through these events God
was saying, “Pay attention, for these commandments are very, very important.”
Natural Moral Law Is Not Enough
If you read the news headlines every day,

it is painfully clear that not everyone obeys natural Old Law: Divine Law revealed in the
moral law. The presence of so much suffering Old Testament, summarized in the
caused by immoral human actions is a testimony Ten Commandments. Also called the
that since Adam and Eve, natural moral law has Law of Moses. It contrasts with the
not been an adequate guide for our moral
New Law of the Gospels.
decisions. Public debates by well-intentioned
people on the morality of everything from stem- Decalogue: The Ten Commandments.
cell research to same-sex marriages point out that
there is significant disagreement about what is
moral. This is in large part owing to the effect of Original Sin, which clouds our intellect’s ability
to know and understand natural moral law.
It is for this reason that God has revealed his moral law to us through Scripture and
Tradition. This first takes place in the Old Testament of the Bible. The Law of Moses, also called
the Old Law, was the first stage of God’s Revelation to us about how we are to live as people
made in his image. This Old Law is summarized in the Ten Commandments that God revealed
to Moses on Mount Sinai (see Exodus 20:1–17). The Ten Commandments are also referred to
as the Decalogue. They are a special expression of natural law, making perfectly clear through
God’s Revelation what he had already placed in the human heart.
The Ten Commandments and the Original Covenant
The Ten Commandments are found in the Book of Exodus (see 20:2–17) and the Book
of Deuteronomy (see 5:6–21). They are part of the sacred Covenant that God made with the
Israelites, his Chosen People, at Mount Sinai. To understand the purpose of the Ten
Commandments, we must first understand the purpose of the Sinai Covenant. We sometimes
call this the Old Covenant to distinguish it from the New Covenant. But we might better call it
the Original Covenant because it is not “old” in the sense of being outdated. It is “old” in the
sense that it was the Original Covenant God made with a special people. Jesus did not do away
with this Covenant, rather he fulfilled it.
Other Laws in the Torah The Jewish name for the first five books of the Bible is
the Torah. The Hebrew word torah is sometimes translated as “law,” but it is better
translated as “instruction.” This helps us to remember that the primary purpose of
the Old Law is to teach us how to live in right relationship with God and with one
another. These are some of the kinds of laws you will find in the Torah:
 The Covenant Code (see Exodus 20:22—23:33) This set of laws immediately
follows the Ten Commandments and is considered to be part of the Sinai
Covenant in Exodus. The laws address slavery, personal injury, property
damage, money, religious practices, and a few other topics. Many of them
describe the punishment for breaking the law.
 The Priestly Code (see Leviticus, chapters 1–7 and 11–26) In general, these
laws deal primarily with religious concerns, including instructions for proper
worship.
 The Holiness Code (see Leviticus, chapters 17–26) This distinct section of
the Priestly Code may have originally been for priests and later applied to all
the people. The central theme of this set of laws is “Be holy, for I, the Lord,
your God, am holy (19:2).
Keep in mind that all these laws must be interpreted in light of the New Law
modeled and taught by Jesus Christ.
First and foremost, the Covenant was a relationship of love between God and his
Chosen People. God tells Moses to tell the Israelites, “If you hearken to my voice and keep my
covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the
earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5). Through the Covenant, God sought to restore the loving
communion that was lost through Original Sin, starting with the Israelites and then extending to
all the people of the earth. As part of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments taught the
Israelites how to live in loving relationship with God and with one another. They summarized
the many particular laws that follow in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy, and they
actually make up only a small percentage of the laws in the Pentateuch. Although many of
these particular laws are no longer applicable to our culture, the moral principles expressed in
the Ten Commandments are true in all places and all times.
Christians have always acknowledged the importance and significance of the Ten
Commandments. Strictly speaking, the Commandments address serious moral issues: idolatry,
murder, theft, adultery. But they also embody moral principles that help us to address all the
moral issues we face, including less serious issues that we still have an obligation to address
morally. For this reason, many catechisms throughout the Church’s history have used the Ten
Commandments as the framework for teaching Christian morality. The Catechism of the
Catholic Church uses this approach, as does this student book.
Scripture teaches that our loving Father gives us his Law to lead us to a life of eternal
happiness and to keep us from sin and evil. But as holy, spiritual, and good as the Old Law is, it
was not enough to restore humanity’s original holiness. The Ten Commandments show what
must be done, but they do not give us the strength, or the grace of the Holy Spirit, to do it. The
2
Old Law is the first stage on the way to the Kingdom of God, preparing us for conversion and
faith in Jesus. In this way the Old Law is a preparation for the Gospel. ✞
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
1. I am the Lord your God; you 6. You shall not commit adultery.
shall not have strange gods 7. You shall not steal.
before me. 8. You shall not bear false witness
2. You shall not take the name of against your neighbor.
the Lord your God in vain. 9. You shall not covet your
3. Remember to keep holy the neighbor’s wife.
Lord’s day. 10. You shall not covet your
4. Honor your father and your neighbor’s goods.
mother
5. . You shall not kill.
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NAME: Course:
Activity 6
Instructions: Answer the following questions based on your own understanding; and only on
the space provided. Pass only the activity sheet one week after receiving the module. 5 pts
each question. God bless!
1. What law do the Ten Commandments summarize? What is another name for the Ten
Commandments?
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2. What is a covenant? What does the first covenant in the Bible contain?
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NAME: Module

LESSON 6: LAW and the ORIGINAL COVENANT

Natural Moral Law Is Not Enough

If you read the news headlines every day,

The Ten Commandments and the Original Covenant

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

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