God’s Ten Commandments
Sin entered this world with one simple bite of disobedience. This is all it took to nail our loving Saviour to the cross. When God asks us to obey Him, we should listen and know His will is always perfect. Satan has always hated God’s Ten Commandments and seeks to mislead us into disobeying God’s law in any way he can deceive us as he did Adam and Eve. This is something he has been doing from the very beginning and he won’t stop until he is thrown into the lake of fire reserved for those who do not obey God in loving obedience.
Genesis 3:1-6 “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yes, has God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, You shall not surely die: 5 For God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
What many today would say was one seemingly insignificant act of disobedience is what put has this world in the absolute chaos we live in today. If we don’t desire to obey God now, how can it be any different for us in His kingdom? Satan has not changed his ways and is still hard at work trying to deceive us into believing the law is an unnecessary burden we do not need. He lied to Adam and Eve and he is still lying to us today.
Why did God say David was a man after His own heart?
In the verse below, God made a statement that He has never made about any other person in the Bible, i.e. God said David was a man after His own heart. Why did God say this and how would you feel if God made this same statement about yourself as He did about David?
1 Samuel 13:14 “But now your kingdom shall not continue: the LORD has sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be captain over his people, because you have not kept that which the LORD commanded you.”
One could not have a higher praise or recommendation than this. Why do you think God said this about David? Observe just some of the things that David said about God’s Ten Commandment law in Psalms 119. Is David like many Christians today looking for ways of justifying why he does not need to obey God's Ten Commandments? To the contrary, he has nothing but the highest praise for the law of God! Perhaps if we would delight in God saying that we are a person after His own heart, we should start by loving God’s law as David did.
- Psalms 119:1 “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.”
- Psalms 119:10 “With my whole heart have I sought you: O let me not wander from your commandments.”
- Psalms 119:18 “Open you mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”
- Psalms 119:19 “I am a stranger in the earth: hide not your commandments from me.”
- Psalms 119:35 “Make me to go in the path of your commandments; for therein do I delight.”
- Psalms 119:47 “And I will delight myself in your commandments, which I have loved.”
- Psalms 119:48 “My hands also will I lift up unto your commandments, which I have loved; and I will meditate in your statutes.”
- Psalms 119:60 “I made haste, and delayed not to keep your commandments.”
- Psalms 119:61 “The bands of the wicked have robbed me: but I have not forgotten your law.”
- Psalms 119:66 “Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed your commandments.”
- Psalms 119:70 “Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in your law.”
- Psalms 119:71 “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn your statutes.”
- Psalms 119:72 “The law of your mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.”
- Psalms 119:73 “Your hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn your commandments.”
- Psalms 119:77 “Let your tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for your law is my delight.”
- Psalms 119:96 “I have seen an end of all perfection: but your commandment is exceeding broad.”
- Psalms 119:97 “O how love I your law! it is my meditation all the day.”
- Psalms 119:109 “My soul is continually in my hand: yet do I not forget your law.”
- Psalms 119:113 “I hate vain thoughts: but your law do I love.”
- Psalms 119:115 “Depart from me, you evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.”
- Psalms 119:136 “Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not your law.”
- Psalms 119:142 “Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is the truth.”
- Psalms 119:143 “Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet your commandments are my delights.”
- Psalms 119:163 “I hate and abhor lying: but your law do I love.”
- Psalms 119:165 “Great peace have they which love your law: and nothing shall offend them.”
- Psalms 119:172 “My tongue shall speak of your word: for all your commandments are righteousness.”
- Psalms 119:174 “I have longed for your salvation, O LORD; and your law is my delight.”
Unlike David, today there are more and more people that profess to be Christians, working towards finding a way to rationalize why they need not obey God’s Ten Commandments. If only all Christians today had the same feelings as the author of the following verse.
Psalms 19:7-8 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
This Psalm was also written by David, a man after God’s own heart. If David loved the Ten Commandments and called them perfect and pure, making wise the simple and enlightening the eyes, converting the soul, and God approved of David and his hearts desire, then we should obviously sit down and take note.
The Ten Commandments are eternal in their very nature and have existed from the beginning and will exist even until heaven and Earth pass. They were not officially given until Exodus 20, but we find constant evidence in the Word, of the law existing from the very beginning. In Genesis 26 we find that Abraham certainly knew them and kept them.
Genesis 26:5 “Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
The Purpose of God’s Commandments
1 John 3:4 says that sin is transgression of the law, so we know that the Ten Commandments had to exist from the beginning as you cannot sin if there is no knowledge of the law. This is the purpose of the law. The law points out your sin, which in turn points you towards Christ who is the remedy. If there is no law, then there is no transgression and if there is no transgression, there is no sin and if there is no sin there is no need for a saviour! We would no longer need to repent of our sin and ask Jesus for forgiveness as there would be no law and therefore no sin.
Romans 4:15 “Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.”
Romans 7:7 “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. No, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, You shall not covet.”
What if you were to do 100 miles an hour down the highway, would this be breaking the law? It would indeed because there are laws in place that tell us that we cannot do that. What if we abolished the law that said we must not speed? Would it still be wrong to do 100 miles an hour down the highway? No, there is no law so there is no transgression. This is the purpose of the law. It shows us what we should not do by revealing to us what sin is. If we had no knowledge of the law then how would we know when we needed to turn to Jesus for forgiveness? We would of course not know. We will always need that mirror of correction to point us to Jesus when we have sinned. Remember what Paul said, “I had not known sin, but by the law:”
There really is the only passage we need to know that demonstrates the unchanging, eternal nature of ALL the Ten Commandments.
Matthew 5:17-18 reads, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till Heaven and Earth Pass, one jot or one tittle shall in No Wise Pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.”
See verses from the NIRV Bible and the CEV Bible and Luke’s account. Those unfortunate Christians that have been led astray by the ruler of this world have only one response to attempt to nullify this verse, which is that Jesus fulfilling the law brings an end to the law. The NIRV explains the meaning of fulfil in the words, “I have come to give full meaning to what is written.” There are several scriptures that use the same Greek word as what is translated “fulfil” in verse 17, and Matthew 3:15 is one example, “…it becometh us to Fulfil all righteousness.” If the fulfilling of the law brings an end to the law, then Righteousness, God’s Word, Obedience, Joy and other things eternal in nature are also gone. This of course is obviously not so, and so neither are the Ten Commandments abolished. Not only that but who could ever think that Jesus was abolishing the law after instructing us that we should not only obey the law but teach it as well. Put simplistically, unless Jesus is dishonest and not good to His word, and Heaven and Earth are still here, then ALL Ten Commandments HAVE to remain including the fourth Commandment. It is that simple!
Does fulfilling the law end the Law?
There are many words that translate to fulfil but the verses below use the same Greek word (G4137 ‘pleroo’) as used in Matthew 5:17 and if this word means to bring an end to, then all these things have ended also.
Matthew 3:15 “…it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”
John 17:13 “…that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”
2 Thessalonians 1:11 “…and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power.”
Philippians 2:2 “Fulfil you my joy, that you be likeminded, having the same love…”
John 17:12 “…that the scripture might be fulfilled.”
Colossians 1:25 “…which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God.”
2 Corinthians 10:6 “…having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.”
Let’s look at this another way, if fulfil meant to bring an end the law, then the Ten Commandments would be destroyed. So let’s replace “fulfil” with the meaning that some would like to give it. So let’s replace this;
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”
With this;
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to destroy.”
Somehow I just don’t think this makes much sense at all. What do you think?
Jesus came to magnify the Law
Not only did Jesus NOT come to destroy the law, He actually magnified it and the following verse foretells Jesus would do this.
Isaiah 42:21 says “The LORD is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; he will magnify the law, and make it honourable.”
In the remainder of Matthew chapter five we see how Jesus has indeed magnified the law. We note the following; Matthew 5:19 from not only obeying the law but teaching it also, 5:21-22 from do not kill to not being angry with your brother without cause, 5:27-28 from do not commit adultery to being guilty if you look at a woman lustfully, 5:31 from divorcing by a letter to any man who divorces his wife except for sexual immorality, causes her or anyone who marries a divorced woman to commit adultery, 5:33-37 from not breaking oaths made to the Lord to do not swear at all, either by heaven or earth or by Jerusalem. And do not swear by your head, let your Yes be Yes, and your No, No, 5:38-42 from an eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth to turning the other cheek and if someone sues you for your coat, give them your cloak also, 5:43-45 from love your neighbour and hate your enemy to love your enemies and bless them that curse you and pray for those that are spiteful and use you. Does it sound like Jesus is destroying the law?
Why would Jesus magnify the law and say we now also have to teach it if it was going to be abolished at the cross? Was this magnificent speech by Jesus in Matthew chapter 5 on the law only good for the remainder of His 3.5 year ministry? Why would He even bother? Can you just imagine Jesus giving this impressive speech saying, He is NOT going to DESTROY the law but MAGNIFY it, and then inform us we are to not only KEEP the law but TEACH it also, only to turn around and say, “but don't be concerned because it is only for the next three years and then the law will be destroyed.” How totally absurd! Paul also has nothing but positive things to say about the law and he makes it abundantly clear that the law is here to stay. In the following verse for example he says:
Romans 7:12 “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”
What a strange statement this would be from Paul if the law was nailed to the cross! Perhaps Paul made this above statement because, “The law is so HOLY that it was full of holes and beyond redemption, and the law is so JUST it just had to go, and the law is so GOOD it was good for the waste paper basket.” Please forgive my poor humour and yet another absurd comment. Remember that the Ten Commandments are a reflection of God’s Character and so the Bible also says that God is HOLY, and God is JUST and God is GOOD. Does anyone want to dispose of our awesomely GOOD and JUST, HOLY God also? It should be abundantly obvious that God’s Commandments are Holy and Just and Good and perhaps this is the main reason why God did say that David was a man after His own heart.
It should be our hearts desire to obey God by loving Him with all our heart, mind and soul. If we love God with all our heart, will we have other Gods before Him, Worship idols, take His name in vain or deny God the quality time of Praise and Worship He wants from us on His Holy day? No! If we love our neighbour as ourselves, will we disrespect our parents, murder, sleep with another’s wife, steal, lie or covet anything that belongs to your neighbour? Again, No! It is clear that if you love God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself you are keeping the Ten Commandments. This is no doubt why Jesus said in Matthew 22:40 that “ALL the law hang on these two Commandments”. There is no sacrifice that can cover wilful sin and to sin wilfully is to trample Jesus under foot and count the blood of the New Covenant as an unholy thing.
Hebrews 10:26-29 “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. 28 He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: 29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
The Fruit not forbidden to those who obey
There is only fruit that we should all desire to eat, and it is the fruit from the tree of life. So how do we get to eat of this fruit we should all desire?
Revelation 22:14 “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.” KJV
By loving obedience to God’s Commandments. Jesus said in John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commandments.” And where is Jesus quoting from when He said this? From the very Ten Commandments themselves. Exodus 20:6 “And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Instead of disobeying God as Adam and Eve did by eating the forbidden fruit; choose to eat from the fruit that those that keep God’s Commandments in loving obedience will eat.