The Ten Commandments: Then And Now

The Ten Commandments:
Then And Now The giving of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 stands as a distinct turning point in God’s dealings with man. Prior to that time, because of the knowledge of good and evil gained at the Fall, man was under conscience. The apostle Paul wrote, “When the Gentiles, which have not the Law, do those things contained in the Law, these, having not the Law, are a law unto themselves: which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another” (Rom. 2:14-15 KJV). Though these verses specifically contrast the Jews with the Law and the Gentiles without the Law, it gives us insight regarding the condition of all men before the Law. God, seeking a people for Himself, redeemed Israel through blood and power, and brought them out of bondage and into a new condition. In accordance with his commission, Moses brought Israel forth “to serve God upon this mountain” – that great mountain of “thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud” (Ex. 3:12; 19:16). The Lord then set this condition before them: “If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people ... And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation ... And all the people answered together, and said, ‘All that the Lord hath spoken we will do’” (Ex. 19:5-8). With this, the people moved from a relationship based on the promise made to Abraham, which depended only upon God for its fulfillment, to a condition where they became responsible to maintain their standing before Him. However, before considering the Ten Commandments themselves, we must answer two questions: What is the relationship of the Law to the Abrahamic covenant and what is the relationship of the Law to the believer today? The Law And The Abrahamic Covenant
In Galatians 3 the apostle Paul dealt with the Law and the Abrahamic covenant and the different principles upon which they were based. In verses 3-6 he stated that the blessings came to Abraham upon the principle of faith: “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And God’s desire to justify the Gentiles through faith was declared to Abraham and became part of that covenant. In Galatians 3:14, Paul indicated “that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” This being the case, can the covenant of the Law set aside the covenant made to Abraham? Paul emphatically says no. In verse 17 he shows that the Law, coming 430 years later, cannot “disannul, that it should make the promise of no effect.” Why was the Law given at all, since it doesn’t add to Abraham’s covenant nor replace it? Paul answers this question in Galatians 3:18: “It was added because of the transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made.” And who was this seed? Was it Isaac? Paul made it clear in verse 16 that the “seed” God always had in view was Christ. Thus the promise was made to Christ Himself by the Father. Until that “seed” should come, God desired to show the exceeding sinfulness of sin and the lost condition of man. The Law And The Christian
Seeing then the relationship of the Law to the condition of Israel when it was given, what is the relationship of the Law to us now? Again in Galatians 2:16, Paul stated that “a man is not justified by the works of the Law ... for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified.” The Law was never intended to be the basis upon which man could be justified before God. In fact, Paul wrote in Galatians 3:21, had there been a law that could give life, then righteousness could come by it (and thereby set aside the covenant with Abraham). Justification – that is, being declared righteous by God – is made upon the basis of faith in Jesus Christ who “redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). And it goes further, as Paul pointed out, that since we began in the Spirit, we cannot be made perfect by the flesh attempting to keep the Law (Gal. 3:3). The Law can neither bring us to God nor keep us in His presence. Seeing then that man is justified by faith and not by keeping the Law, does that render the Law of no value? In Romans 3:31 Paul wrote that actually “we establish the Law.” In 1 Timothy 1:8, he stated that “the Law is good if a man use it lawfully.” And again in Romans 3:20 he wrote, “by the Law is the knowledge of sin.” A believer is no longer under the Law to fulfill its letter either to obtain life or maintain his relationship with God; yet a believer is not lawless. The Ten Commandments Today
In ten short statements, God expressed His mind so that man could have a proper relationship with Him and other men. The Decalogue, as it is also known, is divided into two parts: four commandments dealing with man’s relationship to God and six dealing with his relationship to his fellow man. This corresponds to our Lord’s statement that the two great laws were to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself: “On these two commandments hang all the Law” (Mt. 22:36-40). Let us look at each of the Ten Commandments as recorded in Exodus 20. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3
This commandment addresses our responsibility to acknowledge God’s uniqueness and supremacy. We are commanded to have no other gods in addition to nor higher than the one true God. Though we know that there is only one God, we can be guilty of placing other “things” before Him, and thus be guilty in spirit of breaking this commandment. Those gods might be sports, entertainment, advancement, education, money, clothes or any number of things which would have that place of supremacy in our lives. Just because we Christians are monotheistic doesn’t mean that we haven’t placed another god before the one true God. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image ... thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them.” Exodus 20:4-5
This commandment addresses man’s desire to bring God down to his own level and make a god more to his own liking. If we can lower God’s greatness and glory then we will have a lower standard by which to be judged. If man can make a god, then he can have any sort of god he chooses. God condemns all of man’s efforts in this way. The history of Christendom is replete with the violation of this commandment, as artists’ imaginary depictions of the Lord, the madonna, and man-made saints have been venerated to the point of worship. In all matters of Christian art we must be very careful of making and worshiping idols. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” Exodus 20:7
This commandment addresses the awesome nature of God who will not be taken lightly. He cannot be called upon merely at our convenience and whim. That was the heathen way with their gods. Calling upon God is serious business and ought not to be handled casually. To invoke God’s name is to attempt to attach His dignity to something. To use God’s name in a derogatory manner is a serious slight to His character. To treat God or our relationship to God casually is an affront to His majesty. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” Exodus 20:8
God established the Sabbath day in creation. From the beginning, for man’s long-term health and well-being, God built into creation a regular time for rejuvenation. Hence the Law provided for a rest from work, from debt collection, and for the land. Our Lord stated that the Sabbath was made for man (Mk. 2:27), for his relief and well being. We need to acknowledge that a day of rest is needed too. But this day of rest is not intended by God to be used in careless, self-indulgence. Rather, we should see that God has provided a day for us to physically rest our bodies and spiritually recharge our souls. Also, keeping the day “holy” does not refer to piety, but to setting it apart from all other days. Though no longer a matter of obligation, today we have the privilege of remembering our Lord in the breaking of bread and being “in the spirit on the Lord’s day” (Rev. 1:10). “Honor thy father and thy mother.” Exodus 20:12
Paul stated that this was the first commandment with promise (Eph. 6:2). He places the same filial responsibility upon the believer that was placed upon the Israelite. Parents stand in the place of God over children, with responsibility to raise them “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” and with the authority to punish them. The child’s attitude towards the parental exercise of authority forms the basis of his/her attitude towards all other authority. To not honor father and mother, who are the source of our life, is to despise God as the author of all life. It doesn’t say to love father and mother or agree with what they say – but it does command us to honor them. Initially this honor is demonstrated through obedience, but it extends to how we speak of them to others, how we respect their wishes and how we value their counsel. Our Lord also considered the way in which a child provides for his parents’ needs in their later years as a form of honor. (Mk. 7:10-13) “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13
This commandment addresses the taking of human life. It establishes a prohibition against the unlawful taking of another’s life. God is the author of life and as such He alone can establish the terms by which life can be taken. In war, in self-defense, and as punishment for murder a man’s life may be taken from him without penalty. To take another’s life otherwise is to place oneself as God over him. It is only because God has authorized capital punishment that man can use it. The application of this commandment to the matter of abortion is a very powerful argument against Christians being involved in any facet of the abortion industry. The careless taking of human life cheapens the value of all life, while the refusal to exercise capital punishment when called for cheapens the awfulness of sin. But our Lord goes further than this when considering this commandment for children of the kingdom. In Matthew 5:21-22 He states that anger without a cause and despising one’s brother as worthless is tantamount to killing him in one’s own heart. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14
This commandment deals with the most intimate personal relationship on earth – that of husband and wife. To commit adultery is to destroy the bond of commitment and trust that strengthens the marriage. The apostle Paul states that this is a sin against our own body, seeing that the two are one flesh (1 Cor. 6:18). Our Lord states that adultery is the sole basis for divorce since it destroys the marriage bond. But our Lord went much further than adultery being only the act itself, for in Matthew 5:27-28 he said, “But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” For the Christian a mere outward keeping of the Law is insufficient. He tells us what it means to have the Law written upon our hearts (as is characteristic in the new covenant). “Thou shalt not steal.” Exodus 20:15
There could be no stealing if there were no such thing as personal property. We have the God-given right to personal property and the responsibility to maintain the integrity of the property rights of others. To steal is to take those rights from another. One doesn’t need to commit grand larceny to be a thief. Much of the stealing we do is in the form of stealing such things as time from our employers, tax revenue from the government, computer software through illegal copying, a writer’s ideas through plagiarism, or better grades by cheating on a test. In all these ways we take from another what is not ours. The temptation to get something without personal cost is destructive to our life. Paul exhorts, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” (Eph. 4:28). Here we see how God can replace the desire for selfish gain with a desire to actually have our labor bear fruit for others. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Exodus 20:16
Bearing false witness is evil in two ways. First, it attempts to take away from a man his good name and reputation. A false witness can be through gossip, talebearing, slander, or through just embellishing what was said or done rather than conveying only the facts. Bearing false witness about another can be a subtle form of thievery. The second evil in bearing false witness is to place the blame for some wrong upon an innocent person. This harms that person’s reputation and also causes them undeserved suffering. “Thou shalt not covet.” Exodus 20:17
This commandment addresses itself to the attitude and desire of the heart. To covet is to have a strong desire (lust) for something that belongs to someone else. Envy addresses my attitude toward the person who has the things I desire, while coveting speaks to my attitude of desire towards the things the person has. Paul writes of “covetousness, which is idolatry” (Col. 3:5; Eph. 5:5). This gives us an idea of how seriously God considers covetousness. Though we are under faith, walking by faith and not by sight, the Law used wisely is of much value to us. Second Timothy 3:16 tells us that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable.” Law-keeping does not produce in us an attitude of love and affection for the Lord, but an attitude of love and affection for the Lord will produce in us the desire to please Him. We are not called to keep the Law in the power of the Holy Spirit, rather we are called to exhibit the fruit of the Spirit “against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:23). By Gib Warrick