How do you respond to someone who says, You don’t have to obey Old Testament laws and requirements since they are Jewish traditions?

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The Bible is filled with instruction and laws, which embrace all aspects of life—health, diet, sexuality, work, community, sanctuary, government, and even the relationship with the environment. Which of these laws are universal, and which are applicable only to certain times and places? In Scripture we find 2 main types of laws: Non-Universal Laws: These were given to the nation of Israel, to be kept by its citizens and the strangers who sojourned with them. They were NOT intended to be observed by those who did not form part of God’s people. They include the following: a. Ceremonial laws – They were regulations that God used to teach the plan of salvation through symbols, and sanctuary rites & practices. b. Civil laws - These were given to the nation of Israel to regulate the life of the community. The basic principle of the civil laws was justice in the public service of rulers and judges, and righteousness in all actions of the covenant people (Ex. 23:1–9; Deut. 16:18–20; Lev. 19:9–18). Universal Laws: These laws are valid for all times and in all situations. Examples of these universal laws are natural laws, health and dietary laws, sexual laws, and the moral law of the Ten Commandments. People often confuse the universal laws with the non-universal ones. For instance, they may say that all OT laws and requirements are mere Jewish traditions. If that were the case then only Jews are supposed to obey their parents, not steal, not kill, not commit adultery, etc. Everyone else (including the whole Christian community) would then be exempt from these laws, and could thus live lawless lives. We know that cannot be true because Jesus and the New Testament writers commanded obedience to the universal OT testament laws. So how does one differentiate between universal and non-universal laws in the Bible, both in Old and New Testaments. Here are a few pointers as outlined by Dr Ron du Preez in his book Morals for Mortals. They have been paraphrased, edited and simplified: How to Determine Universal Laws in Scripture: Reflection of the Moral Nature of God: Universal moral requirements can be identified by their basis in the moral nature of the Creator. For example, the Ten Commandments have an obvious connection with God’s own nature. Since He is the only true and living God, who created humanity, He alone is to be worshipped, His name reverenced, and His day of rest hallowed (Ex 20:1-11). Because He is the Giver of human life, humans are forbidden to take it (vs. 13). God is truth; therefore His image-bearers must imitate this character trait (vs. 16); and so forth. Since the Decalogue is so fundamentally part of God’s nature it is not surprising to find it repeated so often throughout Scripture. Because God does not change, we can expect that requirements grounded in His nature will also be universal. Grounded in an Overarching Biblical Theology: The interpreter must observe the morality and theology that undergirds each law, as a means of determining its universality. This would include noting the immediate and larger contexts, the explicit reasons given for the legislation, the direct or indirect references to earlier teaching, comparisons with similar legislation, as well as the principle of legitimate inference. Take for example, the issue of the intentional abortion of a human fetus, which is never explicitly addressed in Scripture. Moral perspectives, however, can be extracted from the study of civil laws given to the Israelite theocracy, in which the unborn was accorded the status of a living person (see Ex 21:22-25). Legitimate inferences can also be drawn from the interchangeable terms used for pre- and post-natal human life (e.g., Luke 1:41; cf. 2:12), from the concern shown for the vulnerable (e.g., Deut 24:17; Ps 10:14-18; Isa 1:17), and from a comparative study of the overall sanctity-of-life theme in Scripture (e.g., Gen 9:6; Deut 19:4-13; Rev 21:8). Based in the Ethical Patterns of the Creation Order: Universal moral requirements are identifiable by their basis in the creation order. While some practices in Eden were obviously not universal, such as farming or the clothes of the first family, the moral practices established there have universal application. For example, regarding marriage, we find Jesus taking His questioners back to the created order (Mark 10:6, 9). Similarly, as confirmed in the Decalogue, the seventh-day Sabbath is rooted in the creation order, and therefore has enduring moral significance. Opposition to Immoral Actions of Surrounding Cultures: When practices, intrinsic to pagan culture, are forbidden in Scripture, they are forbidden to all believers as well. For example, the Bible openly condemns bestiality, which to varying degrees was part of some ancient pagan cultures (see Lev 18:3, 23-28). Thus, when Scripture speaks directly against an ancient cultural practice, this serves to indicate a universal norm. Behavioral Expectations for Foreigners Living Among Israel: When specific activities are mentioned as being required of both Israelite and the stranger that sojourns among them, such laws have a universal import. For example, Leviticus 17 and 18 forbid certain practices to both Israelite and foreigner: eating food offered to idols, eating blood or strangled animals, and sexually immoral activities (including incest, adultery, polygamy, homosexuality, and bestiality). The early church saw these same practices as absolute norms, and thus outlawed them (Acts 15:29). Severity of the Penal Code for Infractions of Certain Laws: Comparison of various laws in Scripture demonstrates that the more severe the penalty for the infraction of a regulation, the more likely it is that that practice will be universal. In Israel, approximately twenty-five cases carried the death penalty. For example, striking (Exod 21:15) or cursing (Lev 20:9) or disobeying (Deut 21:18-21) a parent, sacrificing children (Lev 20:1-5), kidnapping (Exod 21:16), witchcraft (Lev 20:27), rape (Deut 22:25), all called for capital punishment. Furthermore, all of these regulations are related in some way to the Ten Commandments, which is universal in application. Consistency Throughout the Revelation of Scripture: Universal norms can also be identified by their consistency throughout the progressive revelation of the divine will. This consistency is based on the fact that these laws are a transcript of God’s consistent and flawless character. Universal laws will not only be consistent with one another, but also they will be consistent through all periods of human history. How do we determine if something in Scripture is related to a specific time or culture (and thus not universal): Directly Expressed or Implied Statements in Scripture Itself: The most obvious culturally-restricted practices are those which are specifically referred to as such, or which become evident in view of the context. For instance, in reporting the complaint of the Pharisees and scribes regarding the manner in which Jesus’ disciples were eating bread (Mark 7:1-23), the author includes a parenthetical statement (vss. 3-4) to indicate that such things were according to the “traditions of the elders.” Similarly, regarding hair-length, Paul talks about the common “practice” in the churches at that time (1 Cor 11:16), implying that the issue is culturally relative. Acknowledgment of the Temporal Nature of Sanctuary Rules: Much of the book of Leviticus, as well as considerable portions of some other Old Testament books deals with the sanctuary regulations given by God to Israel. Scripture itself however indicates that the ceremonial practices foreshadowed the great acts of salvation history, as climaxed in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Many New Testament passages recognize this, thus indicating that these sanctuary stipulations were temporal in nature (e.g., John 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7; Col 2:14-17; Heb 10:1-10). Modification of the Original Cultural Norm by Scripture: A text may be culturally bound if the Bible modifies the cultural requirement. Consider, for example, inheritance rights. Only males had this right, until the daughters of Zelophehad bravely requested the inheritance of their family land in view of their father dying without any sons (Num 27:1-11; 36:1-13). The modification shows that it cannot be universal. Incorporation of a Redemptive “Seed-bed” in the Text: A practice may be seen as temporal or local if “seed ideas” are present within the rest of the Bible to encourage further movement on a particular issue. The seed idea describes something at an early stage, though not fully developed, but which is merely suggestive of what could be. For example, on the surface certain texts in Scripture appear to support slavery. Yet texts such as the following actually incorporate a “seed-bed” which undermines the practice, thus suggesting its cultural relativity: “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free” (1 Cor 12:13). See also 1 Cor 7:21; Gal 3:28; Col 3:11; Philemon 15-16. Specificity of a Limited Recipient or Cultural Situation: Specific commands to individuals in Scripture are generally not universal. For instance, Jesus’ commanded the rich young ruler, to “go, sell everything you have and give to the poor” (Mark 10:21). Similarly, “gleaning” laws of an agricultural society (e.g., Lev 19:9-10), are time-bound, even though the principle of concern for the poor, as seen in both examples noted, is a universal obligation.