How do you respond to the claim that Christ has done away with the ceremonial law, but that the moral law of God remains?
The divisions of the Torah of Moses, among sets of “moral law” and “ceremonial law,” are artificial. While we certainly commend a number of Protestant theological traditions for wanting to maintain the integrity of at least some of the Torah—the Torah does not categorize itself in terms of a commandment being “moral” or “ceremonial.” What those who commonly advocate that the Torah is to be sub-divided into the “moral law” and “ceremonial law,” actually support, is that some of the Torah’s commandments—such as those pertaining to the seventh-day Sabbath, the holidays of Israel, the kosher dietary restrictions, male circumcision, etc.—were abolished by the sacrifice of Yeshua. These things are classified as being a part of the “ceremonial law.” It is not, however, advocated that the sacrifice of Yeshua abolished commandments relating to personal relations, and how God’s people are to love others, treat others with respect, not murder, steal, commit adultery, etc. These things are classified as being a part of the “moral law.” This is different from some other Protestant theological traditions which advocate that the entire Torah was abolished by the sacrifice of Yeshua.
When approaching the Torah and studying it on a regular basis, one quickly discovers that it makes no distinction between “moral” or “ceremonial” commandments. The Torah, rather, divides its commandments among one’s status in society. If one is a male, one does commandments which are applicable for males, either married males or unmarried males. If one is female, one does commandments which are applicable for females. There are also commandments for children, priests, those in business, farmers, the Levites, and those living only inside the Land of Israel. The Torah should not be difficult to sort through as a Believer in Yeshua with the Holy Spirit, as not all of its commandments can be applied to our lives in a modern-day, Diaspora setting.