Are the Ten Commandments Still Relevant for Christians Today?

Christians who proclaim that the ten commandments have been abolished usually quote the writings of the apostle Paul. The favorite quote being the one where Paul says... "we are no longer under the law, but under grace." Many Christians take this literally in thinking that God's commandments have been replaced with grace and we no longer need to keep God's "Old Covenant" law. The problem is, many Christians misunderstand what Paul was saying.

If Paul really said that the ten commandments are no longer binding upon Christians, then why did he say in Romans 3:31 that we are to "establish the law"? This just makes no sense if God's commandments have been done away with. So let's look at what Paul was really saying.

What does it mean to be "under the law"? Well, what did the Old Testament law require for breaking it? Death! The penalty of sin is death. But what happened when Christ Jesus died for our sins? He took that penalty from us, and if we repent of our sins and accept Jesus' sacrifice for our sins, then we come under grace and are no longer under the "penalty" of the law. Now this makes sense, and ties in with Paul saying that we are to establish the law. The ten commandments haven't been abolished. We are just no longer under the penalty of the law, because Christ paid the penalty for our sin! Praise God!

Another point where many Christians are in error is to do with how many sets of laws were there in the Old Testament. Many believe that there was just one law and all the ten commandments, plus the ceremonial laws come under that one law. This cannot be so, because the ten commandments were written by the finger of God Himself on stone. Representing the eternal nature of them. And the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament priestly service were written by Moses on paper. The ten commandments were placed inside the ark of the covenant and the ceremonial laws were placed outside the ark. This shows a distinct difference between the two laws.

You see, the ten commandments are God's moral law of love, which point out sin and have been binding since the beginning. And the ceremonial laws written by Moses were only introduced after man sinned. The ten commandments define sin, and the ceremonial commands were a remedy for sin. And Jesus became our remedy for sin, taking away the ceremonial laws and nailing them to the cross. But God's commandments STILL define sin today and therefore must still be relevant for us, and still binding.

This also makes sense when you read in Revelation 14:12 that the saints living in the end times are those who keep the commandments of God AND the faith of Jesus. This verse shows that grace and law working together. We accept that we are only saved by the grace of God through faith, and we keep the commandments of God as a result of that faith.

Grace is the root and works are the fruit of faith.

Mark W
Bible Student and Website owner
England

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_T_Wells

How do the Ten Commandments reveal the LOVE of God?

The Ten Commandments are given to us from a loving Father rather that, as some would have it, an ogre who just wants to put the thumbs down on us.

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My question is HOW do the Ten Commandments reveal the LOVE of God?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

The Commandments came from the Creator. They are a blueprint of his design for our happiness as creatures made in the image of God.

We are happiest when we worship God alone, and not created things or products of our imagination. Loving God certainly requires us to keep his name holy, as Jesus taught in the Lord's Prayer. It requires the small dedication of a single day each week to worship God; anyone who said he loved his wife and family but couldn't be bothered to visit them once a week would be a liar.

Happiness is rooted in the family, and the family cannot exist without honor to one's father and mother. Too, we need a good conscience to be happy, and this is not possible if we commit murder, cheat on a spouse, steal from our neighbors, or swear dishonestly, sending innocent people to be punished. Finally, we can hardly be happy when we are lusting after our neighbor's property, or worse, after his wife.

Do You Love God; Do You Keep His Commandment?

If you love God, do you know his ten commandments;
The ten commandment of God are;

1.  Thou shall not have any other gods before me(God).
2.  Thou shall not take the name of God in vain.
3.  Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
4.  Honor your Father and your Mother.
5.  Thou shall not kill.
6.  Thou shall not commit adultery.
7.  Thou shall not still.
8.  Thou shall not bear force weakness against your neighbor.
9.   Thou shall not covet your neighbors wife.
10.   Thou shall not covet your neighbors goods.

Why must we believe in what God had revealed?
Simply, we must believe in what God had revealed because God is very powerful and can neither deceive nor be deceived.

 A writer once said "When the arrow of God is no longer at ease, things begin to fall apart". Looking at the ruins, sins, faults, crimes, undermining the world we live in today. Do we thinks we are still obeying God and keeping His commandments? If you answered Yes, Then;

Why do we keep dissenting to truth rather assenting to it.

Why do we violets the laws of the church, state, society, e.t.c. Instead of keeping them intact.

Why do we keep underestimating our vocations instead of focusing in it

Why are we so materialistic or worldliness instead of self developing.

Why do we keep swimming in the ocean of sin rather than journeying towards perfection.

Why are our sins as dark as charcoal rather been white as snow.

 Do we think we are still the children of God or of Satan.

Are we still walking in the light of Christ or in the darkness of the devil

In fact, I think the world is in a state of vice-versa.

But Above these mentioned; what do we think the chief cause Is? Of course, it is our body.

Then, How is our body the chief cause of these ruins undermining the world? This is because we uses them inappropriately for the purpose of things they are not meant for.

What are these things our body are not meant for? They are things contrary to the laws of the ten commandment, such as; worshiping of gods, taking God's name in vain, not remembering and keeping the Sabbath day holy, not honoring our father and mother, killing, stealing, committing adulatory, bearing false weaknesses, and coveting.

What then is the purpose of our body? The chief and principal purpose of our body is to be the temple of the most high God.

WHAT MAKES OUR BODY THE TEMPLE OF THE MOST HIGH GOD?

Indeed this question is so tricky, because it centers our mind directly to the soul: through which we receive all graces that comes from God, such as; baptism, confirmation, holy Eucharist, e.t.c. Absolutely, you made no mistake when you say the soul. But the question is; what made the soul what it is? Or more literally, what makes the soul immortal? Indeed, there must be something in there that gives it immortality. And what is that? God's image and likeness alone.

HOW DOES GOD,S IMAGE AND LIKENESS MAKE OUR BODY THE TEMPLE OF MOST HIGH GOD?

It's make our body the temple of the most high God because, it bestowed in our soul the spirit of understanding, of free will, and of immortality. Which were the principle things of which our soul is like to God; besides the things that makes our body the temple of the most high God.

Hence, these things sum up and build up the soul; in the sense that, they gives life to our soul, They nourishes and strengthens our soul, And they increases our sanctifying grace. The absence of these things in our soul means, our soul is automatically dead. And when our soul is automatically inactive, means that our body is useless or is just for fancy. So in other to let God's image and likeness we were created of, work for us; We are to accept Jesus in our soul,  we are to obey God's commandments, we are to pray in and out of the season. In conclusion, i would like us to recite the song below, in order to show God how prepaid we are to accept him in our soul.

I bind unto myself today

The strong name of the Trinity

By invocation of the same 

The three in one and one in three.

I bind unto myself today

The power of God to hold and lead

His eyes to watch His might to stay

His ear to hearken to my need.

The wisdom of my God to teach

His hand to guide His shield to ward

The word of God to give me speech

 His heavenly host to be my guard.

I bind unto myself the name

The strong name of the Trinity

By invocation of the same

The three in one and one in three.

Of whom all nature hath creation;

eternal Father, Spirit, Word;

praise to the lord of my salvation,

Salvation is of Christ the Lord.