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The Ten Commandments - Are They Required Today?
Section 9
Misunderstood Scriptures
As we have seen, the scriptures clearly state that the Ten Commandments are a gift of love. They are a blessing—an aspect of God’s grace that is designed to motivate us to transform the way we live. They are the way to success and the solution to the world’s problems.
Despite the good that obedience to God produces, our human nature has a predilection to reject His law (Rom. 8:7-9). As a result of this anti-law bias, Bible students, scholars, and theologians have twisted the meaning of various scriptures in an attempt to make them appear to say that the Ten Commandments were done away (2 Pt. 3:15-16). Next we will expose the fallacy of the most frequently used excuses of the Commandment dissenters.
Christ is the End of the Law
Some religious teachers quote the following single verse to discredit the need to keep the Commandments. When writing to the Church in Rome, the apostle Paul stated:
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth (Romans 10:4).
Many read this verse and assume that it is saying that the law has come to an end with the appearance of Jesus Christ. However, this verse is actually saying the exact opposite. The word translated “end” is the Greek word telos. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible defines this word as:
Telos; (to set out for a definite point or goal); properly the point aimed at as a limit, that is, (by implication) the conclusion of an act or state... result [immediate, ultimate or prophetic], purpose); specifically an impost or levy (as paid) (Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, p. 71).
It could not be any clearer. Christ’s life pointed to the way we are to keep God’s law. Therefore, we are to live the way He lived. This is the ultimate end, the aim, goal, or purpose of the Commandments. He was the perfect reflection of God’s love for us—the ultimate expression of how we are to behave. As John wrote:
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked (1 John 2:6).
Christ is the aim of the law. Becoming like Jesus is the end result of keeping the law. He did not come to do away with it, but to fulfill every aspect of the Law as an example for us to follow. Therefore, true Christians are to strive to become like Jesus and live by the same set of rules He observed. These rules are none other than the Ten Commandments.
Did Christ Abolish the Commandments?
Another verse that is often misconstrued is found in chapter two of the epistle to the Ephesians. There Paul stated that Christ:
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances… (Ephesians 2:15).
Casual students of the Bible will often read this verse and set it apart from its proper context—ascribing it to the Ten Commandments. They interpret it to say that Christ abolished this law. While this verse certainly speaks of Christ abolishing a law, which one is He referring to? It was certainly not the Ten Commandments.
Jesus clearly stated that He did not come to abolish God’s law (Mt. 5:17). Therefore, the apostle Paul could not possibly be writing about God’s code of love. Instead, he was addressing a law regarding the status of Gentiles who were not circumcised and therefore were not physically part of Israel.
In Christ’s time, Gentiles could not be admitted to the Temple unless they were circumcised and converted to Judaism. Later, some Christians thought this practice should be continued in the Church. Because of this mistaken belief, Paul had to correct this thinking. He wrote:
That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace (Ephesians 2:12-15).
This passage referred to a Jewish law that separated Gentiles from Jews in the Temple courtyard. It was an ordinance the religious leaders had made, creating a barrier between these two groups of people.
At the time that this epistle was written, the Temple consisted of two parts. There were the literal Temple buildings, and the walled courtyards surrounding them. Radiating out from this hub of worship there were four courts extending from the Temple itself. Each decreased in importance as the areas spread out from the center.
First there was the courtyard of the priests. This was where the sacrificial altar and brazen laver were located. Next was the courtyard for the Israelite men—a huge area where the worshipers would bring their offerings to the priests. Next, there was a courtyard exclusively for Jewish women, and finally, outside that, one for the Gentiles.
The Jews had created a law regarding these courtyards. Gentiles were only allowed to come within a certain distance to the Temple. In fact, there was a walled barrier between them and the Israelites. If any Gentile went past this wall, they would face certain death. This is the law that was contained in human ordinances. As William Barclay writes in his commentary:
Only into the first of them could a Gentile come. Between it and the Court of the Women there was a wall, or rather a kind of screen of marble, beautifully wrought, and let into it at intervals were tablets which announced that if a Gentile proceeded any farther he was liable to instant death.… In 1871 one of these prohibiting tablets was actually discovered, and the inscription on it reads: ‘Let no one of any other nation come within the fence and barrier around the Holy Place. Whosoever will be taken doing so will himself be responsible for the fact that his death will ensue’ (Letters to the Ephesians, p. 111).
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul was explaining that Christ broke down the spiritual wall of separation between Gentile and Jew. This truth is declared numerous times throughout the New Testament writings. The Gentiles now had full access to God! In this context, Paul’s statement becomes obvious. As the apostle continued to encourage the Gentiles, he wrote:
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone (Ephesians 2:19-20).
There can be no question. Paul was NOT speaking of the everlasting Ten Commandments. These laws were never abrogated. It was only this man-made wall separating two sets of believers that was abolished.
As a result of this partition being spiritually dissolved, the Gentiles could now be incorporated as part of God’s people. They were included in the household of God and built upon the apostles, prophets, and Jesus Christ. The Gentiles became spiritual Israel and an important part of the New Testament Church.
Paul wrote of this truth on a number of occasions. In Galatians 3:28-29, Paul states that the Gentiles could now be considered part of Abraham’s seed. This means that, like Abraham, they would obey God and keep the Ten Commandments (Gen. 26:5).
Are We Under a Curse if We Keep the Law?
Because human nature desires to do that which pleases the flesh, many view the Commandments as a burden. They feel that God’s law limits our behavior and puts constraints on pleasures we desire. This thinking stems from the fact that the carnal mind is enmity with our Creator (Rom. 8:7). Our human reasoning actually opposes the way of God. Because of this, many use the following statement by Paul to reinforce the mistaken idea that we are cursed for keeping God’s Ten Commandments:
For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them (Galatians 3:10).
First, we must understand that Paul is quoting Deuteronomy 27:26. This verse is not referring to the Ten Commandments. They are the law of love toward God and neighbor. They are not a curse. They are a blessing to all who keep them.
They were written by the finger of God on two tables of stone and are the basis for divine judgment. These were given to the people from Mount Sinai by God Himself and later placed inside the Ark of the Covenant (Dt. 10:1-2).
Before entering the Promised Land, Moses reminded the Israelites that God had personally delivered these commandments to them—first by His thundering voice from atop the mount, and then in writing (Ex. 20:1-19, 34:1). After this astounding and transcendent event, God did not personally add anything more. As Moses documents:
These words the LORD spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me (Deuteronomy 5:22).
Following the sin of the golden calf, and a full year after Israel had left Egypt, God instituted the sacrificial laws for sin and cleansing which were only to be performed by the Levites. These were not given as a part of the Ten Commandments. They were added because of transgression (Gen. 32:8) and were delivered to Israel through the mouth of Moses. As God states:
For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices (Jeremiah 7:22).
The sacrifices were a part of what has been called the Mosaic Law. This term simply refers to the laws which were given at a later time by God, but through the hand and mouth of Moses. As God instructed His servant:
Go say to them, Get you into your tents again. But as for thee, stand thou here by me, and I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it (Deuteronomy 5:30-31).
Thus we see that God created categories of law. The Ten Commandments stood apart from all others. They were put inside the Ark. On the other hand, there were civil and priestly laws given to Israel that were to be kept by those who entered the Promised Land. These laws were put on the outside of the ark as a testimony against the people. As Moses and the author who concluded the book of Deuteronomy state:
And you shall put into the ark the testimony which I will give you… You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I will give you (Exodus 25:16-21).
And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee (Deuteronomy 31:24-26).
This second set of laws which were placed on the side of the Ark also included the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Dt. 27-28). The Israelites were to write these on stones, erect them on Mount Ebal, and whitewash them with lime so that anyone entering into the land would see them. Upon viewing these, travelers would realize they were now entering the land of God’s people, and would be bound by these laws (Dt. 27:4).
At that time, the Almighty required half of the tribes to stand on Mount Gerizim while the rest stood on Mount Ebal. These two groups then took turns, first chanting these laws of blessings and then the curses (Dt. 27:12-13). At the end of the list, the tribes stated the very words that Paul quotes in Galatians 3:
Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen (Deuteronomy 27:26).
Compare the verse above, with Paul’s words in Galatians 3:10. These are one in the same.
…for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them (Galatians 3:10).
It was this book set on the side of the Ark—the one containing the curses which applied to Judah that Paul speaks of. The central issue in Galatia was circumcision and laws specific to Judah as a nation. The Ten Commandments are for all people and obedience to them was never questioned.
A number of years after the birth of the Church, many still thought that a Gentile must first be circumcised, and become a Jewish proselyte in order to become a Christian. A number of prestigious individuals continued to propagate this belief. Consequently many in the Church expected Gentile converts to be bound to the laws that applied to the land of Judah (Acts 15:1; Gal. 2:12).
To combat this error, Paul wrote to the Galatians speaking of these laws that were applicable to the people of Judah, and that if anyone intend to rely on these “works of the law,” they must keep them all. He was certainly not speaking of the Ten Commandments.
It must also be understood that these verses, in which Paul plainly quotes from the Old Covenant, associate a curse for NOT keeping the law. Throughout the entire Bible there is never a statement associating a curse FOR observing the law—only for NOT observing it. It is this curse that Christ redeemed us from by taking our transgressions on Himself. As the apostle Paul continues:
Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree (Galatians 3:13).
The Messiah saved us from the curse of death that we earned by NOT obeying God’s law. Thus we must rely on Jesus Christ’s monumental sacrifice—not our ability to keep these laws that applied to the land and people of Judah. However, this does not mean that we are no longer required to live by both the letter and intent of God’s great spiritual law of love found in the Ten Commandments.
Was the Law Nailed to the Cross?
Another commonly misunderstood verse is found in the book of Colossians. From the following passage, many infer that the Ten Commandments were done away when Christ was crucified. Speaking to the brethren about the Savior, Paul wrote:
In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross (Colossians 2:11-14).
Many have assumed that this is another verse proving that we don’t have to keep the law. They believe that God’s holy law perished with Jesus when He died on the stake. However, this is not what is meant by this verse at all. To understand the truth we must realize what the “handwriting of ordinances” is.
Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament states that the word “handwriting” means that which is written with ones own hand—not by the finger of God. According to Vines Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, “handwriting” specifically refers to a handwritten note of debt (p. 1475) and the word “ordinances” refers to a law or decree.
What note of debt has man written with his own hand? It certainly is not the Ten Commandments. Those were engraved in stone by the finger of God.
The note that we have written is the list of our offenses against God’s law. The wages of sin earned us the death penalty (Rom. 6:23). This debt was spiritually penned by us in the way we have lived our lives.
The sacrifices of the Old Covenant were to teach us this vital truth. There is a penalty of death for sin. Transgression of the law requires a sacrifice and it was Christ that ultimately paid the debt we owed for our sins. It is this note of debt written by each of us that has been taken away. It was placed on Jesus Christ as He hung on the stake, finally dying for us. By His supreme sacrificial act, our personal list of offenses—the debt we owe God—can be taken away. As Paul writes:
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
Some of the more modern translations provide a more accurate sense of the meaning of the scripture in question. For example, the English Standard Version writes:
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
The Good News Bible puts it in the following way:
You were at one time spiritually dead because of your sins and because you were Gentiles without the Law. But God has now brought you to life with Christ. God forgave us all our sins; he canceled the unfavorable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
It is also important to realize that this scripture tells us that these ordinances were against us and contrary to us. In stark contrast, there is absolutely nothing in the Ten Commandments that is against us. In fact, they are for our welfare. Each one of the Commandments shows us the Almighty’s rules for living an abundant life. They were given to us so our days might be prosperous and our lives long upon the earth. They are for our guidance—a roadmap for life—handed to us for our own good.
Thus it is clear that the Ten Commandments are not being spoken of in these verses. As the Savior said, the Ten Commandments are valid until the earth no longer exists. If they are no longer required today, and there is no harm in willingly breaking them, why would Paul write the following?
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Romans 6:16).
Are the Commandments Only a School Master?
An additional verse that is often taken out of context is another statement Paul makes in his epistle to the churches located in Galatia. He writes:
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster (Galatians 3:24-25).
Some read this verse and mistakenly conclude that the Ten Commandments only existed as a teacher until Christ came. This leads them to believe that, once the Savior appeared, there was no longer a need for these laws to instruct us.
However consider the definition of the term “schoolmaster.” This is the Greek word paidagōgos. Figuratively it means a tutor but specifically it refers to a servant whose responsibility included taking the children to school. It was the schoolmaster’s duty to guard the children while they traveled to school to receive further instruction.
Consider that most of us have gone to school to learn how to be “successful” in life. Should we jettison all we have learned once we graduate? Of course not! That would be ridiculous. This simple comparison should make the truth clear to everyone. There is, and always will be, a place for God’s law as the foundation of our lives. Understanding this, the question must be asked, what law was Paul addressing as our schoolmaster in this verse?
First, consider the question: How could Paul be speaking of the law contained in the Ten Commandments? Those laws were clearly in effect before Adam and Eve, and Christ made it clear that they still act as a guide throughout life!
No legitimate preacher would consider suggesting that worshiping idols, committing murder, stealing, breaking the Sabbath or that act of adultery were acceptable Christian conduct. So, what law is Paul speaking of? Notice his words just five verses earlier:
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator (Galatians 3:19).
This verse is speaking of the very law that Paul said was a schoolmaster. These were laws added as a result of transgression. After the sin of Adam and Eve, there was the need for sacrifice. The author of Hebrews explains:
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission (Hebrews 9:22).
From the time of the first transgression, sacrifice was required as an object lesson to teach man the terrible cost of sin. It has even been suggested that God Himself sacrificed two lambs in order to provide the clothing to cover our first parents (Gen. 3:21). After that first sin, there were always sacrifices made to expiate sin.
When the children of Abraham went into Egypt and became slaves, the sacrificial practice became lost. However, when God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, He reinstituted these laws. First, God restored the Ten Commandments. Then, the sacrificial laws were re-established a year after the incident of the golden calf.
When God brought His people out of Egypt, it was His desire that each head of household act as a priest to the family. As the Almighty plainly states:
And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel (Exodus 19:6).
God stated His intention before He restored the Ten Commandments in chapter 20. However, while Moses was up on the mountain receiving the tablets of stone, Aaron allowed the people to build a golden calf and celebrate as they worshiped before this idol.
This transgression caused God to add the priesthood consisting of only Levites and the corresponding laws pertaining to washings, trespass offerings, peace offerings and sacrifices in addition to the daily sacrifices already in place.
When God wrote the Ten Commandments in stone and gave them to Moses on Mount Sinai, He did not require the Levitical priesthood and the priestly laws. As the prophet Jeremiah wrote:
For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices: But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward (Jeremiah 7:22-24).
After the people of Israel transgressed by building a golden calf, God required them to construct a tabernacle with all its furniture and instruments (Ex. 25-27, 40). The Almighty then ordained the Levites in that same month (Ex. 40:12-15). With this ordination came the priestly duties which were the laws added from heaven and given to the people through the mediator—Moses.
Due to Israel’s sin, and because their stiff necked attitude would lead to similar sins, God gave the law of the offerings and washings. They were to be a constant reminder of the need for spiritual cleanliness and the terrible cost of sin. Thus, Paul’s statements in Galatians are not speaking of the Ten Commandments, but are referring to the statutes and judgments that were administered by the Levitical priesthood.
Not Justified by Works of the Law
There existsanother important distinction regarding the various laws that Paul speaks of throughout the New Testament. In his writings, the apostle often uses the unique phrase, “the works of the law.” For example:
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified (Galatians 2:16).
Paul is the only writer in the entire Bible that uses this unique term. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible states that the actual Greek is ergon namou. These words refer to works that are parceled out, just as grain might be parceled out from a silo. Thus, Paul is not talking about the Ten Commandments which are the core of the law. Rather it is speaking of laws extending from God’s fundamental code. This being the case, which specific laws was Paul speaking of.
Because scholars had no other writings by which to compare its usage, they have argued over the meaning of this phrase for centuries. Finally, with the unearthing of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a manuscript was found that using this term. In an article in the Biblical Archeology Review, the author explains:
The connection lies in the very title given to this obscure Dead Sea Scroll. MMT, as noted earlier, stands for Miqsat Ma'ase Ha-Torah… In short, ma'ase ha-torah is equivalent to what we know in English from Paul's letters as “works of the law.” This Dead Sea Scroll and Paul use the very same phrase. The connection is emphasized by the fact that this phrase appears nowhere in rabbinic literature of the first and second centuries A.D.—only in Paul and in MMT.
The works of the law that the Qumran text refers to are obviously typified by the 20 or so religious precepts (halakhot) detailed in the body of the text. For the first time we can really understand what Paul is writing about… the aim of the work, however, as seen by its composer, was clearly to call attention to matters that trespass the boundaries between the pure and impure. The topic of the work is reflected in the phrase tohorat haqodesh, “the purity of the holy.” Stated simply; “Do not allow the holy to be profaned by what is impure.”
The issues include bringing Gentile corn into the Temple, the presentation of Gentile offerings, and the cooking of sacrificial meat in unfit (impure) vessels. Other rulings concern cleansing of lepers, admitting the blind and the deaf into the Temple; and permitting intermarriage with Ammonite and Moabite converts, long forbidden to enter the congregation of Israel (Deuteronomy 23:3). Other issues involve the transmission of impurity by a flow of water (musaq), the intermixture of wool and linen (sha'atnez), plowing with diverse animals (qilayyim) and… the climax of the discussion: the intermarriage of priests with the common people (November—December 1993, p. 48).
The discovery of this manuscript makes it perfectly clear which laws Paul was speaking of. Ergon namou does not refer to the Ten Commandments. Instead, it refers to works designed for a specific reason. Their purpose was to insure purity regarding the mixing of various religious articles such as animals for plowing, the mixing of fabrics, and even which people were allowed to attend the temple for worship.
In the historical context of Paul’s time, it is understandable why the apostle would use this unique phrase. The issue he was combating at that time was opposition to the mixing of Gentiles with Jews as the people of God. Gentiles were no longer to be considered impure. The wall separating them from Israel was broken down. God had revealed this vital truth to Peter who later explained it to the church, saying:
And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean (Acts 10:28).
When Paul used the term “works of the law,” it had no relation to the Ten Commandments. Instead, it had everything to do with circumcision and Jews affiliating with Gentiles. Paul was delivering this message to the Church by using a specific term. By it, he made the point that a Gentile who was called by God, repented, was baptized, and received the Holy Spirit, was cleansed. The Gentiles did not have to sacrifice animals, do ritualistic washings, and be circumcised to be legitimate Christians and enjoy the gift of salvation.
These works of the law are no longer required, but the Ten Commandments have always been obligatory. Paul’s statements regarding the works of the law do not mean that the Ten Commandments are no longer binding. Instead, they show us that Gentiles are included in the Israel of God—His Church. The Ten Commandments were never in question.