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The Ten Commandments - Are They Required Today?
Section 4
We Cannot Earn Salvation
Some make another mistake in their attempt to understand the law. They believe that if we keep God’s Commandments, we are trying to earn our salvation. It must be understood that simply keeping the Ten Commandments alone will not qualify us for eternal life! Our obedience at best is mere vanity (Ps. 39:5). As Isaiah explains:
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away (Isaiah 64:6).
Everlasting life is exceedingly precious. It is much too valuable for us to earn by our human efforts. It is, and can only be, a gift from an enormously generous and loving God. For example, writing to Ephesus, Paul states:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).
Salvation is a free gift of God. There is nothing we can do to earn it. No amount of our money or works could ever be sufficient to pay the enormous cost required to redeem our lives. However, the fact that it is a free gift does not mean there are no qualifications required to receive it. The scriptures show us that redemption will only be given to those who exhibit faith. The question we must ask is, exactly what kind of faith? The scriptures explain:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews. 11:1).
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).
Certainly faith is a sincere, confident belief in the one true God. However, it is more than simply an inner feeling in our hearts. It is more than just believing something is true. Genuine faith is something that is evidenced by faithful actions. As the Book of Hebrews tells us, we must diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6). The Lord’s half brother, James explained it the following way:
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works (James 2:14-18).
We cannot rely on our works to save us. However, as the words of James explain, if we do not have works then we do not have true faith. Faith and works go hand in hand. They are not separate and certainly not opposed to one another as most teach today.
Faith is not just a spiritual emotion. People of every conceivable religious belief claim to have spiritual feelings. Real faith in the true God is reflected in how we live. Only exercising our faith by striving to conform to the example of Jesus Christ is of value. Without works, faith is dead, and in that context, while speaking of our age, Christ asks an important question:
Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8).
When Jesus Christ returns to this earth, will He find people striving to live according to the intent of His Commandments? Or will they be breaking them; promoting the idea that His law is no longer required?
We must not fool ourselves. While we cannot qualify for eternal life by keeping God’s law, those who knowingly choose to disobey God will automatically DISQUALIFY THEMSELVES! For example, the author of Hebrews reveals the fate of those who deliberately violate the Creator’s Commandments:
For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:26).
This fundamental truth must be understood by anyone who hopes to be a part of the kingdom of God. The Almighty will not grant eternal life to anyone who refuses to obey His law! Those who believe that they can accept Christ and not obey Him are simply out of touch with reality. They have missed the entire meaning of the Bible!
Do not be fooled by religious teachers who reject God’s law. Keeping the Ten Commandments is imperative for those who desire to obtain eternal life! Those who will live forever in His glorious kingdom will live according to His higher way—the law of love. They will not live according to our human reasoning, but by the Almighty’s true definition of love. And—He has revealed that definition to us through His divine code declared in the Ten Commandments (Rom. 13:10).
Understanding Law and Grace
Throughout the religious community there are few who understand the relationship between law and grace. False teachers have confused millions by teaching that these two aspects of faith are opposed to one another. By such instruction they have done exactly what the Bible tells us NOT to do. They have turned grace into a license to live as they please. As Jude writes:
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 1:4).
Self proclaimed teachers, credentialed scholars, and theologians have misled countless individuals. Many have gone so far as to teach that God’s grace has actually replaced His law. By this inference, they somehow believe that they are elevating grace, but what they are truly propagating is sinful behavior.
This fallacy is overflowing with irony. They are actually cheapening God’s grace by making it into something other than the Almighty intended.
God did not propagate the view that we are free from His holy law. It was human beings trivializing and misrepresenting the meaning of God’s grace. Ministers have preached the fallacy of forgiveness without repentance. They have taught believers that we are pardoned by simply accepting Christ into our heart, without seeking to live the way of His law which is clearly recorded in the scriptures.
The truth is that accepting God’s grace results in Christ becoming our Master. He then rules our lives by influencing the way we live through His Spirit dwelling in us. Our obedience to His law is no longer generated by fear of reprisal. It now becomes possible as a result of our enormous gratitude and the understanding of the immense value and propriety of God’s way.
The Ten Commandments are the guidelines for living a joyful, prosperous and meaningful life. They characterize true love—illuminate the path Christians are to follow—and identify righteousness. As the psalmist wrote:
My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness (Psalm 119:172).
The importance of this single verse cannot be underestimated. This statement is clearly telling us that without the Commandments we would not know right from wrong. Like so many in today’s “sophisticated” society, without His law as our guide, we would wander into every filthy ditch in life. As James states:
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (James 1:25).
In this verse, James is not declaring that we are free from the law, but rather explaining that observing the law produces freedom! It liberates us from the bondage of sin. It is sin that limits our human potential and happiness.
James also makes an analogy between looking into God’s law as we would a mirror. We look at our reflection in the glass to make certain we appear proper and clean. Imagine a person attending a formal affair yet having a huge smudge of grease on their face with no way to see the filth. How embarrassing that would be! The mirror makes it possible for us to see the dirt so that we may clean it off.
In like manner, we can look into God’s law and see if we have sin—spiritual dirt—in our lives. The Almighty’s mirror provides the opportunity to see our flaws, correct them, and by so doing avoid the many pitfalls in life. For this reason James calls it the perfect law of liberty. It liberates us from the many tragic and painful mistakes that we might otherwise make.
Thus, the purpose of the law was never to save us in the spiritual sense. Rather, the law acts to condemn us. It functions to show us where we are wrong. For this reason the apostle Paul stresses the following truth:
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound (Romans 5:20).
Before we accept God’s law of liberty, human nature works to blind us to our sins (Jer. 17:9). We seem righteous enough to ourselves. However, if we are honest, and sincerely compare our behavior to the Ten Commandments, we would see ourselves in a different light. Situations once regarded as simply part of life’s little indulgences, indiscretions, and slips would suddenly appear to be what they really are—sin and evil! We would then come to see God’s law for what it is; an intrinsic part of His monumental gift to mankind.
Understanding Grace
It must be understood that grace is not in opposition to the law. It is in complete harmony with it. To understand this truth, consider the definition of God’s divine grace. The Greek word for “grace” used throughout the New Testament is charis. This profound word is defined as being:
From G5463; graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete; literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude)… (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, p. 77).
As the definition implies, God’s grace is reflected throughout the Ten Commandments. It is bestowed upon us for the divine purpose of influencing our heart so that God’s way is reflected in how we live our lives! God’s grace is a gift that works to convince us that we need to change.
Christ’s grace flows out of His love for us. It is given so that we might come to love Him in return (1 Jn. 4:19). But exactly how are we to display our affection for Him? Jesus was very specific when answering this question. He said:
If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).
The Ten Commandments do not oppose grace. Instead, they are a vital part of it. The law is an instruction manual for God’s creation designed to lead us to eternal life (2 Tim. 3:15).
The Bible’s law, history, teachings, and all they imply, repeatedly show us the correct way to live. Thus, the giving of God’s law is another manifestation of His love toward us. It is no different than the gift of the air we breathe, the food we eat, or the beautiful flowers, trees, hills, lakes and streams He so abundantly bestowed upon mankind.
We Cannot Keep the Law Perfectly
Because human nature is an intrinsic part of our being, it is impossible for us to stay on God’s path perfectly. We sometimes cross the boundaries that God has established and sin by breaking His law. All Christians fail to some degree. As John stated, Christians also sin (1 Jn. 1:8). By breaking the Commandments, we suffer the physical results of our transgression. The act also earns us the ultimate sentence of condemnation—death. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Romans:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).
While such condemnation may seem hard and cold, it is vital to understand that even the death sentence stems from God’s enduring mercy. The Almighty does not force anyone to obey Him against their will. As a part of His love, for those who do not want to live His way, He has provided this consequence as a way out. Such individuals will NOT be thrown into fiery furnace to suffer excruciating pain for the rest of eternity. By God’s grace, they will simply cease to exist (Eze. 18:4, Mt. 10:28, Rev. 20:14).
For those who want to live God’s way, the wages of sin is also a gift. After all, who would want to live forever in this current world? It is filled with dishonest people who continually break the Commandments as they cause untold pain and suffering! Haven’t we all had enough of that already?
In His infinite wisdom, God has provided a way for everyone to have what is truly best. For those who choose His way, we see the enormity of the grace of God. The Almighty has given us the gift of His law and His Spirit to guide, correct, and protect us. We also have the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ to cover our weakness and failures.
However, because it is impossible for human beings to be perfect in every way, many believe it is useless to even try. Consider literally applying such ludicrous reasoning. For example, exactly which commandments are too difficult for us to keep? Which ones must we break? Is it an absolute requirement for us to have other gods in our worship? Does life demand that we have idols? Must we take God’s name in vain? Is anyone truly forced to break the Sabbath? Are we required to dishonor our parents, murder, steal, commit adultery, lie or covet?
Those who compromise in this way have allowed themselves to be persuaded that God will simply accept them the way they are. This is a great fallacy with absolutely no basis in the Bible. There is not one single sentence in the scriptures that says God will accept us as we are. Instead, God continually commands us to repent of what we are!
We must be honest to God and ourselves. Of course we can keep the commandments if that is our goal. The argument that it is impossible to keep God’s law is actually a copout by which individuals attempt to excuse themselves from having to make a real commitment to God. It is a pathetic excuse designed to avoid sincerely striving to change their way of life.
The scriptures tell us that we can change. Keeping the Commandments is the only way our behavior can be transformed from the ways of this wicked world. As the apostle Paul stated.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
Paul admonishes us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. This means that we are to sacrifice our will, submitting instead to the way of God. But what exactly is God’s will? In the most simple of terms, He wants us to keep His Commandments. As the apostle of love states:
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 1:6).
This is how we can be found holy and acceptable unto Him. By walking in His Commandments we avoid the unholy worship of human tradition that is filled with lies, corruption, and the lusts of this ungodly world (2 Pt. 1:4).
Think this through. Are professing Christians to follow in the way of atheists who believe that God has no authority over our lives? Of course not! Instead, we are to be as God’s children who admiringly look to our Father for guidance. We are to whole heartedly honor His wisdom and respectfully obey His Word that reveals right from wrong. We are not only required to keep the Ten Commandments. As Paul wrote, if we claim to be a Christian, it is our duty to obey God’s law.
Understanding Sin
The various arguments opposing the Ten Commandments would actually be laughable were the consequences not so tragic. Consider that very few would argue that this world is not filled with sin. The problem is that the vast majority do not really know what sin is. However, we can know. The apostle that was closest to Jesus defined it for us saying:
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4).
Sin is the transgression of the law, and we know that the world is filled with sin. Therefore, the vast majority are transgressing God’s law. In that context, if we are not to be of this world, we are NOT to follow the example of the masses who sin by breaking the Ten Commandments (Jn. 17:16). Instead, we are to be transformed by putting off the old man and renewing our mind so that we understand and live by the perfect will of God.
His will is that we keep the Commandments! Even if we fail at times, and are unable to keep them perfectly, we were placed on this earth for this very reason, and our Father in heaven expects us to learn this vital lesson:
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12).
Our way of selfish lawlessness does not work! As the only real alternative, we are to live a holy life by following God’s divine instructions.
Why Christ Died to Save Us
The Eternal God has expressed the supreme act of love to us. He has given us the highest possible level of favor by providing the sacrifice of His own Son to pay the debt—incurred by our sin. His brutal beating and ultimate crucifixion provides us with the ability to have our sins washed away. It is this miraculous display of God’s love that enables us to be justified, but this is the exact point where many people make the worst possible mistake.
Millions of individuals have misunderstood the very purpose God has in saving us. They have believed that because we sinned, Jesus died for us as a means of repairing the damage done by Satan. Most think that it ends there. They don’t realize that God is creating a royal Kingdom of individuals who will be like Him in nature—pure, clean and law abiding (Phil. 3:21, 1 Jn. 3:1-3).
This is exactly why it is imperative to understand that our Creator’s grace does not do away with our obligation to live His way. It does not mean that we no longer need to follow the Commandments. In truth, God’s grace reinforces the necessity of keeping them. As the Apostle Paul wrote:
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works (Titus 2:11-14).
We can be purified by the sacrifice of Christ. We are redeemed by Him, but we must understand that this does NOT grant us a license to sin! Instead we are to be zealous of good works! Good works are righteousness, and as stated in Psalm 119:172, righteousness is defined by keeping God’s Commandments.