What is the purpose of the Law of Moses?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-08

In the divine economy of salvation, the Law of Moses was not an arbitrary set of rules, nor was it contradictory to the grace of Christ. Rather, as the Holy Scriptures and the Church Fathers teach, the Law of Moses was a vital, pedagogical stage in God’s plan to prepare fallen humanity for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As St. John the Apostle wrote:

"For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (John 1:17)

The grace of Christ and the Law of Moses are complementary, not contradictory. The pre-incarnate Christ was Himself the true Author and Lawgiver; Moses was His faithful servant who received it and delivered it to Israel (Exodus 20).

The primary purposes of the Law of Moses include:

1. To Reveal Sin and Renew the Human Conscience

Before the written Law, God placed the natural law in the human heart and conscience. However, in the generations between the Fall of Adam and the time of Moses, human disobedience and idolatry severely dulled and corrupted man’s conscience.

Christ gave the written Law through Moses to clearly define sin and bring it to light:

• St. Paul explains: "Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin" (Romans 3:20), and "I would not have known sin except through the law" (Romans 7:7).
• The Law acted as a mirror, showing mankind the spiritual sickness and deep corruption that needed healing.

2. To Set a Minimum Standard and Restrain Evil

Fallen humanity, left entirely without explicit boundaries, was prone to unchecked wickedness and self-destruction. The Law set a necessary minimum standard of moral behavior to prohibit iniquity and govern a stiff-necked people.

Certain aspects of the Mosaic legislation—such as the laws regulating divorce (Deuteronomy 24:1)—were given as concessions due to the hardness of heart and moral weakness of the people, aiming to prevent even greater cruelty and injustice until the fullness of truth was revealed in Christ (Matthew 19:8).

3. A Schoolmaster (Pedagogue) to Lead Mankind to Christ

The ultimate spiritual purpose of the Law was to act as a guardian to lead humanity to the Savior:

"Therefore the law was our tutor [Greek: παιδαγωγός, pedagogue] to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." (Galatians 3:24)

Every element of the Mosaic Law pointed forward to Christ:

• The Sacrificial System: The thousands of lambs, goats, and bulls sacrificed under the Old Covenant demonstrated that sin leads to death and that remission requires the shedding of blood. Yet, animal sacrifices could never actually wipe away sins (Hebrews 10:1–4); they were divine shadows preparing humanity to recognize the true Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).
• The Priesthood and Tabernacle: The vestments, the ark of the covenant, the altar of incense, and the Holy of Holies were earthly types and symbols of heavenly realities fulfilled in the Church and the priesthood of Christ.

4. To Demonstrate Man's Need for a Savior

The Law had the power to diagnose the illness of sin, but it lacked the power to heal it:

• The Law commanded: "Do this and live," but weak human nature could not keep it perfectly.
• It convicted man of guilt, proving that no one could earn justification by their own power.

Thus, the Law forced humanity to realize its desperate need for the divine Physician. What the Law could only command externally, Christ accomplished internally—forgiving sins through His precious blood, granting the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to write the law upon our hearts (Hebrews 8:10), and healing our broken nature so that we might become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).

Summary

The Law of Moses was holy, just, and good in its divine intention (Romans 7:12). It served to awaken the conscience, suppress open wickedness, reveal the impossibility of saving oneself, and guide humanity by the hand directly to the feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, who fulfilled the Law and the Prophets.