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The Ten Commandments - Are They Required Today?
Section 10
Paul’s Teaching Regarding God’s Law
Many have taken certain verses by Paul and wrested them from their context in an attempt to make it appear that the apostle opposed keeping the Ten Commandments. In stark contrast to such false teaching, Paul’s epistles are literally filled with numerous statements supporting God’s holy law—verses that absolutely cannot be disputed.
For example, examine the following charts. The first of these shows various scriptures that reflect the unquestionable teachings of Paul. The second demonstrates that, contrary to the opinions of Commandment dissenters, each one of the Ten Commandments is reiterated in the New Testament.
Paul’s Undisputed Statements
Regarding God’s Law
Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? (Romans 7:1). |
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet (Romans 7:7). |
For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin (Romans 7:14). |
I delight in the law of God after the inward man… (Romans 7:22). |
And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures… (Acts 17:2). |
But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets… (Acts 24:14). |
The Ten Commandments in the New Testament
Thou shalt have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). |
Thou shalt worship the lord thy god, and him only shalt thou serve (Matthew 4:10). |
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (Exodus 20:4). |
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device (Acts 17:29). |
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain (Exodus 20:7). |
Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed (1 Timothy 6:1). |
Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it (Exodus 20:8-11). |
Pray ye that your flight be not in the winter or on the Sabbath day (Matthew 24:20: The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath (Mark 2:27-28). There remaineth a rest to the people of god. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his (Hebrews 4:9-10). But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and fornication, and things strangled, and blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day (Acts 5:21). |
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee (Exodus 20:12). |
Honor thy father and thy mother: and, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Matthew 19:19). |
Thou shalt not kill (Exodus 20:13). |
Thou shalt not kill (Rom 13:9). |
Thou shalt not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14). |
...Thou shalt not commit adultery (Romans 13:9). |
Neither shalt thou steal (Exo. 20:15). |
...Thou shalt not steal (Romans 13:9). |
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour (Exodus 20:16). |
...Thou shalt not bear false witness (Romans 13:9). |
| Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's (Exodus 20:17). | What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet (Romans 7:7). |
The Last Writings of the New Testament
While scholars may argue over the exact dates of the New Testament writings, it is understood that the books were penned over an approximate 50 year period with the writings of John being completed somewhere between 90 and 100 A.D. Therefore, if there were any changes regarding the Ten Commandments, these epistles written at a later date would certainly address something as monumental as the abolition of God’s moral code. Instead, they repeatedly confirm our obligation to obey the Commandments.
The last writer to record scripture was the apostle John. Throughout his letters, he repeatedly states that the Commandments are binding upon Christians. In fact, the following verses confirm that he was already battling an attack on God’s law:
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:8).
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us (1 John 1:10).
And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 2:3-4).
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning (1 John 2:7).
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law… (1 John 3:4).By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:2-3).
And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it (2 John 1:5-6).
And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:17).
Finally, in some of the last words of holy writ, we see God is still advocating adherence to His Ten Commandments. The apostle John records the words of God Himself, saying:
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie (Revelation 22:11-15).
Obviously, John did not believe, like so many religious teachers do today, that the Commandments are no longer valid. John was the last author of holy writ and he addressed those living at the end of the age—admonishing them to faithfully keep the Commandments.
A Lesson from History
Today, many professing Christians have a form of godliness, but deny the Almighty’s power to change their lives. They build ornate, mega churches. Their pastors wear beautiful flowing robes as they preach from a gilded stage. Some will make a display of sobbing and crying before the pulpit while the congregation is swayed into ecstatic emotions by music and atmosphere. They will say things like, “Praise you Jesus” over and over again, but they will still deny His authority by not keeping His Commandments. Such ministers do not fear to disobey God, and their converts become infected with this same spiritual disease—rebellion.
Many have concocted tortured arguments in an attempt to convince their parishioners to by-pass the law. Some attempt to make the Bible appear to be filled with contradictions. They imply that the Father is harsh and demanding, while Christ is loving, kind, and forgiving. They interject false gods in the worship of the Messiah. They have perverted the gospel of the Kingdom of God by making it a euphoric state, or a message of personal prosperity. As a result, millions feel that they can break the Creator’s holy law with impunity and then they wonder why the world is crumbling around us.
Our nation is losing its way. An anti-God movement has developed among the intellectual community and it is spreading through the liberal media. The mention of God’s name and the promotion of His way of life have become unacceptable as these individuals work diligently to push the God of the Bible out of the lives of Americans. At the same time, Atheism, Islam, witchcraft and pagan religions are being accepted as legitimate forms of worship—enveloping our people as they attempt to fill the spiritual void.
If the people of this country would repent and keep the Ten Commandments, the Eternal would save us. He would heal our bodies. He would heal our land and we would be united in prosperity again. However, if we allow this trend to continue, even more catastrophic tragedies will befall us.
We will no longer receive the rain in due season. Destructive earthquakes, tornadoes, fires, floods, drought and hurricanes will continue to increase in both intensity and frequency until our nation is destroyed. The Almighty changes not, and His warnings to Israel after giving them the Ten Commandments are just as true for us today as they were in times past. As God thunders:
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name. Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth (Deuteronomy 6:13-15).
Israel rejected God’s law and ultimately they were torn away from the promised-land. They lost their Temple, their freedom, and even God’s divine protection. These northern ten tribes were taken captive by Assyria and, because they quit observing the Ten Commandments, they were eventually lost to secular history. In the south, Judah was also taken into captivity about 100 years later for the same offenses.
Tragically, this same fate awaits any nation rejecting God’s way. As Daniel Webster stated, if we do not keep the morals and commandments of God, “…no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us that shall bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”
The great men and women who sacrificed so much to create this nation understood this vital truth. They knew that the future of America was directly connected to keeping of God’s commandments. As our second President John Adams so powerfully stated:
The law given from Sinai was a civil and municipal code as well as a moral and religious code. These are laws essential to the existence of men in society and most of which have been enacted by every Nation which ever professed any code of laws. Vain indeed would be the search among the writings of secular history to find so broad, so complete and so solid a basis of morality as the Ten Commandments lay down (Letters of John Quincy Adams, to His Son, on the Bible and Its Teachings, Auburn: James M. Alden, 1850, 61).
Today, we are doing just the opposite. We are searching for other laws among ancient failed pagan practices. We bend the truth, believe situational ethics are acceptable, and blatantly break God’s Ten Commandments. Similar to Adam and Eve, we somehow think that we know better—that we have a moral code within ourselves that can be trusted. At the same time, we propagate the idea that right and wrong are a matter of perspective. In our courts, corporations, and national capital, sin is being given respect as if it were an acceptable way of life.
The truth is that human beings don’t have an ethical guide built into us. Without the reinforcement of biblical values, given enough time, the conscience of man can be influenced to believe any lie. As history has proven, man is capable of doing untold hurt and damage to others, all the while, thinking he is doing what is right.
The history of ancient Israel, and the testimony of our founding fathers, is a witness for us today. We are following the same path of apostasy that Israel followed, and because Americans have failed to keep God’s Commandments, we are beginning to reap the dire consequences. We desperately need to repent, and we must have the Decalogue as our guide.
A Prerequisite to the Gospel
Ancient Israel was taken captive by Assyria for breaking the Ten Commandments. Judah remained faithful for nearly one hundred years and then sinned even worse. As a result, they were also taken captive by the nation of Babylon.
Judah was eventually allowed to return to their land, but they were no longer a great nation. Their homecoming was only for the purpose of fulfilling the prophecies of the Messiah (Gen. 49). In 70 A.D. their meager nation was destroyed and the Jews were scattered around the world. However, before their destruction they were given a chance for reform.
Approximately 40 years prior Jesus began preaching a powerful message of repentance before the coming Kingdom of God. By this He gave Judah, and everyone who would hear His message, a chance to turn from iniquity. This message of obedience to God is inextricably connected to the gospel. Jesus not only told us to believe in the good news of His coming Kingdom, but He also commanded us to change:
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel (Mark 1:14-15).
As Jesus states in this verse, the gospel is intimately connected to a vital requirement. His communication to mankind is that we turn from our lawlessness and keep His Commandments. This is the message of the Old Covenant’s law, its prophets, and the writings. It is the proclamation of Jesus Christ and the apostles, and it must be declared by God’s Church today. Ad Jesus commanded:
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come (Matthew 24:14).
This verse boldly states that the good news of the soon coming Kingdom of God is to be preached at the end time AS A WITNESS. This term “witness” is important to understand. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible explains that, in the Greek, the word is:
Marturion… something evidential that is, (generally) evidence given or (specifically) the Decalogue (in the sacred Tabernacle): - to be testified, testimony, witness (Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, p. 46).
The word “witness” is a legal, prosecutorial term. It means to hold up the Ten Commandments and point a finger of accusation towards all those who break them. They are to be proclaimed as an official witness, and testimony, against the lawless.
In other words, Jesus is telling us that before the end of the age, and prior to the terrifyingly devastating plagues, God will bring upon mankind, the Ten Commandments are to be held up as a standard. They are God’s code for living and His ministers are to indict humanity for not keeping them.
Right now, this booklet is your testimony and you have been given a chance to repent—to change and keep God’s Commandments. As one of the wisest men to ever live said:
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).