Should we still keep the Ten Commandments?
[Moderator note: This question is about whether or not it is still good to keep the ten commandments; that is, whether they are still 'good laws' to follow. The topic is not about whether we are justified by works or whether we have to try and keep them perfectly, etc].
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Asked August 23 2013
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Charles Crabtree
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Michael Tinsley
We are not governed by the Law because of the New Covenant but following the guidelines of the ten commandments is still a good idea because the moral quality is still sound.
Vincent Mercado
Supporter
Yes we should. In fact, we ARE keeping the ten commandments. We say, "So help me God", "In God we trust", "God bless America". Sunday IS a public holiday. We are taught everywhere to respect our parents. Murder, adultery, theft and character defamation are all punishable by the state laws. Lust and greed are not acceptable anywhere.
Anonymous
Like it or not the Law is a Good thing. It keeps us out of trouble. It's people that are bad; if people were not bad we would not need the Law, but some people are bad so the Law is very much in effect. Having said that, let me clearly state that even though the Law is a good thing, and it keeps us out of trouble, we are Saved by the Grace of God and the Sacrifice of Christ at the Cross. This does not mean that you're going to remove Gods code of conduct (the Law). 'Thou shalt not Steal' was good for yesterday, today, and will be forever. God does not like a thief, transgression of the Law is the very definition of sin (1 John 3:4). What are you saying, 'there is no Law so there is no Sin'? I hope not. The bible mentions ordinance, statutes and commandments. Christ blotted out the ordinances (and with it statutes), not the Law itself. Colo. 2;14 or read Matt 5:17-18. It tells us exactly how the Lord feels about the Law.
Fanny Essamuah
Yes, we are to obey the ten commandments. Look at it this way. The first 4 of the ten commandments talks about loving the Lord your God with all you heart, all your soul and with all your mind. The rest is based loving your neighbor as yourself. Please read Matthew 22:36-40
Benita Randolph
The answer is no. Galatians 5:4 tells us that we become estranged from Christ if we attempt to be justified by the Law. And any person who tries to become right with God through the Law ( Ten Commandments) is in a debtor to keep the whole law, of which no one was able to do. This is why Jesus Christ had to come in flesh, the law only reminded the people that they were sinners and there were never enough sacrifices made on the behalf of the people to erased the guilt or the sin . The law of Moses is unable to save us or keep us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. God did what the law could not do, His son Jesus sacrifice satisfies the Law.
Chris Eleam
The ten commandments were a small feature of the Law Covenant mediated between Jehovah and the Israelites by Moses. The law found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, it being " nailed to the torture stake" when Jesus Sacrificed his life in behalf of all mankind
Anonymous
Yes we are still to keep the commandments of God. Read Isaiah 56. The law of moses was the only law that was abolished. That is because the Lord became the sacrifice. When you read the bible it makes it clear transgression of the Law is death. The commandments were in the ark and moses law was outside. The law of moses foretold of the coming of the Lord. Ask the only Spirit and He will lead you into all truth. One verse in the bible does not explain the entire book. Pray for the Spirit and pray then read. If God abolished His Holy Law that He wrote with His own finger then He would not have had to let His son go to the cross to save us for trangessing His Holy Laws. Read the word for self and you will see the truth . In galations Paul is talking about circumcision because it was apart of the rituals in the sanctuary which was abolished at the ressurection of our Lord. If they were to still keep these traditions they were not respected what Christ did at the cross. Now that I said this go back and read the verse again. It will be under new light
Anonymous
God's laws are spiritual and are written on His children's hearts? If we are not "born again" by the Spirit of God, trying to keep God's laws become impossible. Shalom!
Anonymous
Most definitely, we should and want to keep God's commandments. The commandments are there for a purpose: to show us God's character, to keep us walking the straight and narrow road, to mature us into being a light unto the world, and to reveal to us Jesus. I would not deny and do not believe that we are saved any other way than the redemptive work of our Savior Jesus Christ, through His sacrifice for us. That is first and foremost, and being so, it is our only way to salvation. We also believe that God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever. The word, Torah, in the OT simply means "teaching" or "instruction." It was translated into our English as "law" in order to convey the weight of that "teaching, instruction" from God. One's response to God's teaching (obeying or disobeying) could cost someone his life. God's laws were also there to set the boundaries in what we could do and could not do in regards to protecting life on earth. Jesus opposed the religious leaders of His time. Why? Because they were supposed to be a "light" and the teachers of God's word. Jesus taught from the Law, the Prophets, the Psalms, etc. The OT revealed the one true living God, the living Word, who had become flesh. (Luke 24:13) The religious leaders had corrupted God's law/ teaching to the point that it no longer looked anything like what God had written it to be. There were 2 laws at that time (and today): the Oral Torah and the Written Torah. The Written Torah was God's law; the Oral Torah was the law that the religious leaders made. That law contained extra commandments that became a burden and a "yoke" to the people. Yet, at the same time, the religious rulers taught the people that the Oral Torah (given by the religious rulers) superseded the Written Torah (the Law given by God). Jesus rebuked the religious leaders and contended with them over and over about their "teaching," their own "law." If you follow Jesus' conversations throughout the Gospels, you can pick up on the battles that He had directly with them on this subject. With this in mind, by reading closely in the NT, we discover there are several different contexts and laws revealed. So looking at the "law" that was nailed to the cross, what was it? It was the "law of sin and death" - the law that says, "If you sin, you will die." That hasn't changed. Jesus took that death penalty for our sins and our "guilty verdict" was nailed to the cross along with Him. If we say that God's law is irrelevant and isn't good, where does that put the books of Psalms and Proverbs? The "law" is mentioned abundantly throughout those 2 books. How can the "law" be a "delight" and "joy," and "done away with" at the same time? Paul contended with the religious rulers who were attempting to put their "yoke" back onto the people of God, as mentioned in the book of Galatians, etc. So, God's law/ instruction/ teaching was never done away with. It was meant to be written onto a heart circumcised by Jesus who gave us, by grace, salvation. We should want to love and honor God. We show our love by keeping His commandments. The bottom line is: we are saved by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus. Jesus was given for our salvation. The law was given for our sanctification (accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit). Matthew 5:17-19, Romans 3:31, 1 John 2:3-6. Thanks for reading this long post.
Salem Markus Purba
The essence/the Spirit of the Ten Commandments is a legal regulations given by God to His people regarding a vertically relationship (1st - 5th of the Ten Commandments/Exodus 20: 2-12) and a horizontally relationship (6th-10th of the Ten Commandments/Exodus 20 13-17). God's law is a dynamic law, and Jesus had given us the greatest commandment in the Law wich was also based on the essence/the Spirit of the Ten Commandments, as Jesus said:"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these twoo commandments. So, as a believers and followers of Jesus, the answer is: yes we should.still keep the Spirit of the Ten Commandments.
MARY ANN SALUDES
By reading contradicting yet excellent answers from here, I have come to think that, yes, we should keep the law because even the son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, sacrificed Himself on the cross in order to fulfill it. Since we are now under grace because of that, then, we must follow Jesus’ example now. Let us share God's word with all people and not be a slave to sin anymore. And we know that sin is the transgression of the law. Jesus is the example of following the law, with all his heart, mind, and soul, which is not observed by some Israelites who are following the law as only a facade. It is only on their minds or bodies, not their hearts.
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