The Bible never specifies which laws are ceremonial and never even refers to that as being a subcategory, so it is up to the individual to decide which laws are ceremonial, which varies widely depending on whom I ask, and which creates a major problem with people wanting to interpret Paul as referring to ceremonial laws without first establishing which laws Paul thought belonged in hat subcategory, or without even establishing that he considered that to be a subcategory of law, especially when Colossians 2 does say anything about any laws being ended at the cross.
The bible does indeed specify different categories of law that are
moral, ceremonial, civil, health and dietary etc. When referencing "
ceremonial laws" in Colossians 2, this is in reference to Paul's use of the Greek word "
Dogma" in Colossians 2:14 that Paul uses in regards to the "
the laws in ordinances" that are nailed to the cross. The Greek word used here for ordinance is "
dogma" and means civil,
ceremonial or
ecclesiastical laws. Of course it is context that determines application and the context from Colossians 2:11-17 is physical "circumcision, baptism,
laws in ordinances, new moons, meat and drink offerings, the Feasts and their sabbaths (not the 4th commandment) that are all
shadow laws being nailed to the cross. This does not mean that these "
shadow laws" are
abolished but fulfilled under the new covenant based on better promises and are continued in that to which they point to and are continued in that to which they pointed - Christ.
Ceremonial laws in the bible (
adjective meaning) are any laws that relate to ceremony, or
external rite; ritual; according to the forms of established rites; as
ceremonial exactness. It is particularly applied to the forms and rites of the Jewish religion; as the
ceremonial law or worship, as distinguished from the moral and judicial law. The noun means outward form;
external rite, or established forms or rites, including all the forms prescribed; a system of rules and ceremonies, enjoined by law. Hebrew definition is provided below has many meanings and it is context and application that determines the correct meaning in the scriptures...
Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries w/TVM, Strong -
Ceremonies H4941 משׁפּט; mishpâṭ; From H8199; properly a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (particularly) divine law, individual or collectively), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly justice, including a particular right, or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style: - + adversary,
ceremony, charge, X crime, custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due, fashion, form, to be judged, judgment, just (-ice, -ly), (manner of) law (-ful), manner, measure, (due) order, ordinance, right, sentence, usest, X worthy, + wrong.
Of course there are many meanings in both the Hebrew and Greek language and it is the context and application that determines their usage as shown in reference to
Numbers 9.
Numbers 9:3 In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, you shall keep it in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and ACCORDING TO THE
CEREMONIES THEREOF, shall you keep it.
In the scriptures ceremonial laws are mostly seen in the
laws for remission of sins where external rites (also meaning ceremony) where practiced in the Levitical Priesthood, Sanctuary laws of atonement for sin and all the offerings given for remission of sins, thank offerings etc, as well as the annual Feast days of
Leviticus 23 and these laws can also been seen in Numbers and Deuteronomy etc..
There is a major difference between these two statements:
1.) You shall not commit murder.
2.) This person has been found guilty of murder.
The first is an example of a law that was given for our own good while the second is an example of a hand-written ordinance that was against someone that was nailed to their cross in order to announce why they were being executed. Crosses were never used for the purpose of ending laws, so what was nailed to crosses was not a list of the laws themselves, but a list of their violations of the law, or the charges that were against them (Matthew 27:37). This served as a perfect analogy for the list of our violations of God's law being nailed to Christ's cross and with him dying in our place to pay the penalty for our sins, but has nothing to do with ending any of the laws that God has given, especially because they are all eternal (Psalms 119:160). In Titus 2:14, it doesn't say that Jesus gave himself to end any laws, but in order to redeem us from all lawlessness, so saying that any laws were ended on the cross undermines what he went to the cross to accomplish.
The first example used here in
"you shall not commit murder" is to the 10 commandments Exodus 20:13 which is a moral law. Which is right doing when obeyed and sin when broken. The second example used "
a person being found guilty of murder" is
not an
ordinance but a "
judgement" pronounced against someone that has been found guilty of breaking the law. Being found guilty of breaking the law means we are subject to the penalty for breaking the law
. Paul's use of the Greek word "Dogma" in Colossians 2:14 that Paul uses in regards to the "the laws in ordinances" that are nailed to the cross is from the Greek word used "dogma" and means civil, ceremonial or ecclesiastical law. Of course it is context that determines application and the context from Colossians 2:11-17 is physical "circumcision, baptism, laws in ordinances, being nailed to the cross as well as and includes the "shadow laws" that are not abolished but fulfilled under the new covenant based on better promises and are continued in that to which they point to. So while it is also true that the penalty of sin (death) is against us and is nailed to the cross in the death of Jesus as God's sacrifice for the sins of mankind, it is also true that the shadow laws of remission of sin under the old covenant have also been nailed to the cross in Jesus as our great sacrifice for sin to which these shadow laws of forgiveness under the old covenant point to.
God gave both the Ten Commandments and all of the other Mosaic laws, so they are all commandments of God. Likewise, God gave the Ten Commandments and all of the other Mosaic laws to Israel through Moses as a mediator of the Mosaic Covenant so they are all Mosaic laws. So while I agree that the Bible does make a distinction between them and they are not the same, the distinction is between some of the commandments of God and other commandments of God, or between some of the Mosaic laws and other Mosaic laws.
God did indeed give all the laws of Torah although what we are dealing with today is two covenants one is the old covenant given to physical Israel in the flesh while the new covenant based on better promises is given to God's Israel in the Spirit who are all those who believe and follow Gods' Word. Gentile believers are now grafted in according to the scriptures *Romans 11:13-27. God's Israel today are not in the flesh of the seed of Abraham but in the promises given in God's Word *Romans 9:6-8. So what makes us God's Israel today is in believing and following Gods' Word. Under the
new covenant the "
shadow laws" for remission of sins (e.g. animal sacrifices; Levitical Priesthood; Sanctuary laws and other shadow laws) that pointed to JESUS as God's sacrifice for the sins of the world (see
Hebrews 7:1-28;
Hebrews 8:1-13;
Hebrews 9:1-28;
Hebrews 10:1-17; John 1:29 and
1 Corinthians 5:7-8) have now been fulfilled in Christ to who they pointed to. Fulfilled here as stated earlier does not mean
abolished as many teach but "
continued" under a new covenant made from better promises *Hebrews 8:1-6. In the new covenant Chris is God's sacrifice for the sins of the world *John 1:29 and he is our Great High priest that ministers on our behalf in the heavenly Sanctuary not made with hands *Hebrews 8:1-13. It is also the old covenant that is nailed to the cross which starts the new covenant that points to Jesus and God's plan of salvation based on better promises (no more
shadow laws for remission of sin that are fulfilled and continued in Christ made from better promises).