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The Ten Commandments - Are They Required Today?
Section 2
Are God’s Ten Commandments No Longer Required?
One main reason for much of the thriving anti-Christian sentiment circulating today is based on an enormous yet erroneous premise. For centuries many religious leaders have practiced the belief that they, and their churches, have more authority than the Bible. Armed with this conviction, self-styled preachers have twisted the meaning of scripture to suit their personal agendas rather than abiding by the laws of God. As a result, millions of believers have been led to accept the lie that the Ten Commandments are no longer required.
This began centuries ago when the Roman church decided it could break the eighth commandment. During the Inquisition they simply confiscated the property of others. This powerful church also chose to ignore the sixth commandment, leading to the torture and murder of thousands of innocent people whose only “crime” was that they did not believe everything the Roman church taught.
Since then, various churches have propagated lies, ridiculous traditions, and practices handed down from ancient times. False gods such as Saturn and Ashtoreth, which are straightforwardly condemned in the Bible, have been promoted in the worship of Christ during various religious holidays. This blatant disregard for God’s clear instructions is openly practiced by most who profess a belief in Christ. Vain traditions such as these have caused the Bible and its glorious Author to appear as no more than myth and fairy tale to millions.
Such ludicrous practices have their origin in the mistaken idea that obedience to the Ten Commandments is no longer required. Numerous believers have been taught that Jesus did away with the need to keep God’s sacred laws. Pastors across our nation have also taught the false belief that the Commandments were only for ancient Israel. Some religious leaders have even insinuated that the Almighty’s laws are harsh, and by twisting Paul’s writings they have taught that the Commandments are actually against us. Theologians have also propagated the counterfeit belief that Jesus came to fulfill the requirements of the law in our stead. These fictitious arguments have caused many to conclude that we are no longer subject to God’s precepts.
As a result, God’s law has taken a backseat in most people’s lives. Many now believe that the Ten Commandments are no longer relevant. As the author of The New Ten Commandments states:
The old ten are showing their age and provincial origin by now; we need an updated set… we have the advantage of experience – we can look back across the grand sweep of human history to draw lessons from many cultures... we have come far enough to learn that the world is a rational place after all - that it is not inhabited by thundering deities… the cosmos runs according to the regularities of the laws of science and nature (http://www.ebonmusings.org/atheism/new10c.html).
This rational is detrimental to our nation. We are drawing wrong lessons and false conclusions from non-Christian cultures. Further, while such pseudo philosophers are quick to admit that the universe runs according to specific laws, they refuse to concede that there are also emotional, psychological, and moral laws that are revealed in the very Commandments they reject. They don’t realize that God’s laws of physics are no different than His laws of morality. If you break them, they will break you.
While many have been convinced that the Ten Commandments are out of date, the Bible reveals that such a conclusion is terribly, and tragically, mistaken (Rev. 22:14). Mankind is not capable of improving on the laws designed and revealed by our infinitely wise Creator. We have no inherent moral compass by which we can govern ourselves. We desperately need the Almighty’s law as our guide.
Are the Commandments Out of Date?
Sadly, because this lawless view is widely accepted, it has become a false doctrine of mainstream professing Christianity. While promoting this heresy these same teachers often advance another fallacy. They state that the Ten Commandments only applied to a specific time in history. By spreading this view, even more professing believers have been convinced that the commandments are no longer required. As Gerald A. Larue writes in his article, Are the Ten Commandments Relevant today?
It is clear that the Ten Commandments are products of another time and place and have little or no relevance in our present culture. Rules set down by a group of people living in a small corner of the Mediterranean world some three thousand years ago cannot meet the needs of our time (http://www.tenamendmentsday.org/relto.php).
According to this view, the Ten Commandments can be placed on a shelf as relics of an ancient time. They have no real application to modern man. Such a view has blurred the perspective of countless numbers of people around the world. To them, God’s law is outdated. They believe that His Commandments no longer apply in our contemporary age and their only value is found in vague memories of times long ago.
We must not be fooled by such misleading arguments. Those who propagate such heresy are no less than modern day false prophets who are preaching bold lies! The Almighty God says that He changes not and that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8). In the light of this profound truth, how could any clergyman dare suggest that God has discarded, or even altered, any of His Commandments?
The truth is the exact opposite of what these instructors of confusion proclaim. If such blasphemy were true, it would mean that God’s people have nothing to overcome—no character to build, nothing to conquer, and no need to obey our Creator.
Such a view is preposterous. How could such a theory be true when God speaks specifically of rewarding “him that overcomes” over ten times in the books of First John and Revelation? Consider that if the Ten Commandments were no longer in effect, there would be no sin to conquer! It would not matter to God what we did or how we lived. Clearly teaching the right way to live is the very purpose of the Bible. It is the primary message that fills its pages.
To think any other way is madness. We can be confident in the truth that our Father will never lie to us. God will certainly reward those who overcome sin by their spirit-led obedience to His Commandments (Heb. 11:6; Rev. 22:12).
Fulfilling the Law and Prophets
Perhaps one of the most frequent objections to observing God’s Ten Commandments stems from the belief that Jesus fulfilled our obligation to keep them. While teaching this fallacy, ministers often take the following verse out of its context. But, exactly what did Christ mean when He stated:
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil (Matthew 5:17).
Many read this verse and believe Jesus is saying that we are no longer bound to the law. They believe that He died so that we do not have to obey the Commandments. However, how could this be true when Christ declared that He did not come to destroy the law or the divine warnings to obey God that was repeatedly declared by His prophets?
A better understanding of this verse can be obtained by defining two key words that Jesus uttered. The term “destroy” is the Greek word kataluō which means: to dissolve, loosen, disintegrate, demolish, dissolve, disunite, overthrow, render vain, or bring to naught. Clearly, Christ did not come to do any of these things to the Ten Commandments. Conversely, He came to fulfill them!
The word “fulfill” is also important. It is the Greek term plēroō, and it means; to make full, to cause to abound, to furnish, supply, or to complete. This obviously means that Christ came to completely satisfy the hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament that predicted exactly what the Messiah would do when He was manifest on earth.
Furthermore, during His human life, Jesus kept the law flawlessly. This means that the Messiah fulfilled the law. He kept every one of the commands, but we need to also realize this vital truth. He did NOT do so in order that man would have no need to obey them. Jesus kept the law so that He would be a perfect sacrifice for us—a lamb without blemish. In addition, He became the role model for mankind; leaving us His sterling example to follow (1 Jn. 2:6).
Magnifying the Law
The prophet Isaiah foretold of the Savior’s purpose in coming to this earth. In so doing, he made it clear that Christ’s intention was absolutely not to do away with God’s law. In fact, it was just the opposite! As the prophet wrote:
The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness’ sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable (Isaiah 42:21).
When an object is placed under a magnifying glass, it is enlarged so that it may be examined and studied more closely. In like manner, we are able to delve into the gospels and clearly observe the perfect way that Christ lived while He walked the earth.
When we study Christ, we see that He fulfilled the law’s requirement by keeping the Commandments in the spirit of God’s intent. He not only lived the law in the letter, but provided a way for God’s people to understand its spiritual purpose. He showed us precisely how God Himself would keep the Decalogue if He were a man. Christ came to this earth to expand and deepen our understanding of the Ten Commandments—not to do away with them!
Making the Law Honorable
Christ actually did more than just magnify the law. As Isaiah prophesied, the Messiah also made the law honorable. However, it must be understood that this in no way indicates that God’s law was ever dishonorable. The great Christian author, Paul of Tarsus, wrote:
Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good (Romans 7:12).
In every case, the law is holy and good. It was the false religious leaders of Christ’s day who had made it appear dishonorable. They did this by applying the law in ways that opposed God’s intent. They built traditions that superseded God’s law, and taught that they were righteous for doing so (Mt. 23:25).
The truth is that the Pharisees were not actually keeping God’s creed of faith at all. Rather, they used the scriptures to create their own religion—Judaism. By this they made hundreds of their own rules that placed extra burdens on some, while allowing others to bypass obedience to the Almighty’s law (Mk. 7:13). They actually had the audacity to use the Word of God to aggrandize themselves!
Thus, Jesus did not come to do away with the law. He came for quite the opposite purpose. Christ came to show us the true and honorable way to keep it (Isa. 42:21).