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Many people believe that the Ten Commandments compose
the law for guidance in religious conduct today. No doubt, you have
heard people say: "What we all need to do is return to the Ten
Commandments", or "If we keep the Ten Commandments we are sure to be
saved."
These laws were the best code of laws ever given to men,
prior to the law of Christ. They served admirably in the place and time
for which they were designed by Jehovah. The law of God given by God to
Moses and called "the law of Moses" (including the Ten Commandments),
was not God's final will to man. It was perfect for the purpose for
which it was given: "as a schoolmaster " to bring the Jews to Christ
(Gal. 3:24). It was temporary in that it was to continue only until
Christ made His laws effective (Gal. 3:16,19).
A person today could keep the Ten Commandments to the
letter and still not be a Christian. One who does not believe in Christ
could keep the moral principles of the Ten Commandments, but certainly,
one who does not believe in Christ could not be a Christian.
"For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth
came by Jesus Christ" (Jno. 1:17). The law given by Jehovah through
Moses, dealt with the act that was wrong. (It was added because of
transgressions until the seed should come.). The truth of God, given
through Christ, deals with the wrong thought behind the act that is
wrong. The law of Moses pointed out sin but offered no complete
forgiveness. The law of Christ points out sin and gives the remedy for
absolute remission of sin.
Note: The sixth commandment said: "Thou shalt not kill"
(Exo. 20:13). Jesus said: "Whosoever hates his brother is a
murderer..." (1 Jno. 3:15). The seventh commandment said: "Thou shalt
not commit adultery" (Exo. 20:14). Jesus said: "Whosoever looketh on a
woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his
heart" (Matt. 5:28).
This illustrates the fact that the law of God given by
Christ is far above the limitations of the law of God given by Moses.
Christ deals with the higher aspects of Godliness in purifying the
heart of man.
God has given a better covenant through Christ than He
gave through Moses. The Book of Hebrews was written almost wholly to
show this to be so. The law of God given by Moses, including the Ten
Commandments, falls far short of the better law revealed through Jesus
Christ.
For: The Law of God, given through Moses (including the
ten commandments) says nothing about the following:
(1) Christ as Savior.
(2) The saving blood of Christ shed for remission of sin.
(3) The church and its worship.
(4) The gospel of Jesus Christ, or
(5) The cross of Christ.
Christ fulfilled the law of Moses (Matt. 5:17), and took
it out of the way, nailing it to the cross (Col. 2:14). He brought in a
"better covenant with better promises" (Heb. 8:6).
The ten commandments were done away with. Paul wrote
that the "ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was
glorious, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold
the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to
be done away:" (2 Cor. 3:7). He further states concerning that which
was "glorious", which was "written and engraven in stones", that it has
been DONE AWAY with. "For if that which is done away was glorious, much
more that which remaineth is glorious" (2 Cor. 3:11).
But how can we know the things written and engraven on
stones was the ten commandments? Let us take notice of Exo. 34:1: "And
the Lord said unto Moses, hew thee two tables of stone like unto the
first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the
first tables, which thou brakest." Then again, in Exo. 34:28, "And he
was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat
bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the
covenant, the ten commandments." So, we must conclude that the ten
commandments, which were written on tables of stone, were abolished.
If the ten commandments have been abolished, then are we
free to steal, kill, bear false witness, commit adultery, dishonor our
parents, bow before other gods, covet or take the name of the Lord in
vain? Absolutely not! Why? Because these are forbidden in the New
Testament, by which we are guided in this dispensation. All these
principles set forth in the Ten Commandments are also taught in the New
Testament, except one. This one exception is the command to "keep the
Sabbath." In the New Covenant we are not commanded to keep the Sabbath
(the seventh day of the week), but we are taught to worship God on the
"Lord's Day" (the first day of the week) Acts 20:7. Sabbath keeping was
not included in the New Testament law. When I keep those principles,
which we read about in nine of the Ten Commandments, I keep them
because Christ taught them in His New Covenant, and not because Moses
taught them to the Jews in the long ago. "For the law was given by
Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ" (Jno. 1 ;17).
Is the Old Testament of any value today? YES! It proves
the New Testament. It shows us how God had dealt with man in the past.
It helps us to understand the true meaning of faith. Hebrews, chapter
eleven, would not mean as much if we could not turn back to the Old
Testament and read about Holy men of God as they demonstrated what it
means to be faithful to God. Paul wrote: "For whatsoever things were
written afore-time were written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope" (Rom. 15:4).
Actually, the ten commandments and all the other laws
given by God through Moses, were never given to anyone except the Jews
that were brought out of Egypt by God through the guidance of Moses.
Deut. 5:1-24. The Jews were only a small nation, chosen at the time to
prepare them for the coming of Christ from among them. After Christ
came the law of Moses, given only to the Jews, came to an end and were
replaced by the law of Christ.
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