Hello again! I pray that all is well and all will be well in your lives.
Some of the basics have been covered in the past posts, so now I’ll start going into deeper and more advanced topics. There will be many bible verses in this post, so I would encourage you to read them alongside your bible or a bible website. The act of reading them yourself will make it mean more to you.
Most people know that there are ten commandments, but they only know a few of them. Thou shalt not kill and thou shalt not steal will probably be the first two people will quote without thinking 🙂 The full list can be found in Exodus 20, and I’d encourage you all to read them for yourself in time for part 2 of this series.
However, some wonder if the ten commandments still apply to us today? Much of the law in the Old Testament was specifically for the Israelites, but some of it was universal. The ten commandments are universal and they absolutely still apply to us today.
Further, when Moses went up to Mount Sinai, he wrote down everything God told him. However, God the Father Himself wrote down the ten commandments on two tablets. Even after Moses broke them, because he was angry and threw them at the people for worshiping a golden calf, God rewrote them again Himself. That’s how important God sees these commandments, so they are to be studied and taken very seriously.
When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God. — Exodus 31:18 (NIV)
The Lord said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones, and I will write on them the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.” Be ready in the morning, and then come up on Mount Sinai. — Exodus 34:1-2 (NIV)
The Greatest Commandment
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions. — Mark 12:28-34 (NIV)
The ten commandments are broken into two parts: the first part (1,2,3,4) deals with our relationship with God, and the second part (5,6,7,8,9,10) deals with our relationship with one another. Jesus’ reply here was a summary of each part into one core point/purpose of its set of rules.
More importantly though, he replied in a way to not look at them as rules, but as a way of being. Understanding his reply is part of understanding the new covenant.
“This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” — Hebrews 10:16 (Jeremiah 31:31-34) (NIV)
This may possibly be the confusion people have with “are we still under the law?” Notice how in the Exodus 31 verse it says “covenant law”? That was the old covenant, we are now under a new covenant through the blood of Christ (being born again). This new covenant takes the old law and makes it part of us.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore, anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. — Matthew 5:17-20 (NIV)
How come in Romans and Galatians Paul talks about being dead/released from the law? Because Paul is talking about being born again. The law applies to the carnal way of life. The new covenant is a spiritual and faith covenant. Being born again means we walk (influenced) in spirit and by faith; not in flesh and by desire. The nature (irony of the word here) of the spirit is to be in and do the natural things of God. So, I no longer need to be constantly told to do, or not to do something, because the spirit will desire to find out and do what is right.
As an example: when I’m on the open highway I always have to check my speed and the posted signs to make sure I’m not over the limit. On the other hand, when I’m in a relatively densely populated neighborhood I don’t notice the signs and I don’t check, because I drive under the limit.
In the first example I’m complying with the law, because I don’t want to get a ticket. In the later I’m not worried about the law, but the safety of people; which is the entire reason the law exists.
Walking in spirit and by faith, versus in flesh and by desire is a very deep topic. There is so much to write about it, but were still very young in the blog and I do not want to overwhelm you.
In the next couple of posts about the ten commandments we will study each one and bring them home to the new covenant, that is walking in spirit and by faith.
May God bless and keep all who read this.
May God bless and keep all brothers and sisters, new and old, in the faith in his name.
With his love and mine,
Chrom