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Do I Need to Obey the Ten Commandments?

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Do I Need to Obey the Ten Commandments?

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Our obedience must extend beyond just keeping the Ten Commandments.

Jesus explicitly shows that our obedience must include obeying the Ten Commandments.

"Now behold, one came and said to Him, 'Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?' So He said to him, 'Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.'

"He said to Him, 'Which ones?'"

In answer Jesus listed a number of the Ten Commandments as well as a summary statement:

• "You shall not murder."
• "You shall not commit adultery."
• "You shall not steal."
• "You shall not bear false witness."
• "Honor your father and your mother."
• "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 19:16-19).

Obedience to God begins with accepting the Ten Commandments as the permanent standard for our values and behavior. But our obedience must extend beyond just keeping the Ten Commandments.

Jesus also said: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill [from the Greek pleroo, meaning to 'fill to the full']. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled [from a different Greek word, ginomai, used in the sense of 'come to pass'].

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:17-19).

Sin is disregarding, refusing to do, what God tells us to do. Jesus tells us He had no intention of annulling or abolishing God's commands and that anyone who presumes to teach that is in grave spiritual danger.

What does God want us to do? Ten Commandments law Jesus Christ God's Law

Comments

  • Stephen Cheng
    Stephen Cheng

    Rabbi Jesus lived under the Old Covenant and ministered to Jews of the Torah. Many things in the 4 Gospels not of concern to future New Covenant people. The 4 Gospels are a transition from OT to NT scriptures, and from the Old Covenant for Jews to the New Covenant for all Christian of the world. Most of Jesus's sayings in the 4 Gospel records, such as in Matthew 5:17-19, are not even addressed to Christian audience but to OT Jews because the _New Covenant was not even in force yet_. Jesus must first lived fully and perfectly under the Law in order to become the perfect sacrifice. Most of Jesus's dialogues with the adherents of the Law were of no concern to us.

    _Many Christians mistakenly believe that the OT Law applies to Christians because it seems to be Jesus's sayings and that these incidents are found in the NT itself._ The Gospel in the 4 Gospels was _Good News to the Jews_ first: that the _Kingdom of God has come upon them_ because their _Messiah King has come_. This wasn't the Gospel of Grace of the New Creation to the rest of whole world, yet. That awaits Paul and his mission. The gospel in the 4 Gospels is basically to the Jews and not the Christian gospel to gentiles.

  • ram19
    Robert McCurdy

    Mr. Cheng - Because the majority of the people that Christ spoke to were of Israel (mainly Jews) does not mean that His teachings were restricted to them. His disciples and the Apostle Paul went afterward teaching the exact same things. Paul explicitly was sent to Gentiles. Notice what he said about the law in Romans 7:12 - "Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good." Also note what he said in Rom 6:15 and 7:7. All the scriptures of the New Testament are in agreement that the Law is still God's standard for conduct.

  • Stephen Cheng
    Stephen Cheng

    What about the practices & discourses of Jesus on the Law?

    Yes, upon completion of the NT canon of Scriptures, the NT is the immediate and primary source of teachings for Christians. Yet, they need to be careful on the narratives in the Gospels which cover pre-New Covenant events before the death & resurrection of Jesus, and were still in the context of a practicing Jewish community or “house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). In the Gospel record, Jesus as a Jew was discoursing with other Jews! Otherwise, Christians may wrongly think they also need to be circumcised because Jesus was circumcised, etc. In fact, some muslims contend that they follow Jesus closer than many Christians who say they believe in the validity of the OT Law (and point to the Gospel records for supporting evidence) but don't actually do them (such as to bodily circumcision, peace greetings, prostration in prayer, etc).
    But the fuller teachings of the distinctive, new Way (Acts 19:23) of grace are actually in the epistles; most of which came by revelation to Paul. God bless.

  • Stephen Cheng
    Stephen Cheng

    A Test Case whether the OT Law is for NT Christians (when NT has replaced OT):
    A Christian uses a Gideon's NT to witness to a non-believer, who finally believes the NT Gospel record that Christ died for his sins, was buried and resurrected. He confesses that the risen Christ is Lord. He becomes a Christian. (* Romans road gospel presentation). – Do we agree he is a Christian now?

    Much later, that witnessing Christian shows him another book called the OT. With his help, the new believer looks over the OT and understands that the OT actually contains a lot of laws & ceremonies for a race called the Israelites or Jews. And the acceptance of the OT is by circumcision. Knowing about Paul's NT teachings (in 2 Cor., Gal. and Hebrews) the new believer is satisfied with just the New. He decides not to join the Old. He has no interest in the Old Covenant and he doesn't read or want to pursue further the Old Covenant beliefs and practices. (Which means he might not know anything about the ceremonies and the 10 Commandments or other OT laws, like Paul's gentile Christians who also didn't have the OT scrolls).
    Is he still saved and remains a Christian? * Yes.
    The OT is not vital to us!

  • Skip Miller
    Skip Miller

    Hello Stephen Cheng, I believe that Steven Britt has answered you more than adequately but I would like you to think about one possibility that perhaps you have not considered. Who was the God of the OT? Your hypothetical friend seems to view those 2 testaments as separate, radically unique entities. But also sees Christ as Supreme. If Jesus is God as well as Lord, should we not see a much more intimate connection between OT and NT? Who was the God of the OT?

  • Stephen Cheng
    Stephen Cheng

    Dear Skipp Miller, I agree that Jesus Christ is Yahweh of the OT. (Is. 45:22-23 cf Phil 2:10-11). The risen Christ chose Paul as the 13th Apostle to preach the New Covenant, knowing the original 12 disciples were unable to break from Judaism. (Acts 21:18-24). Since his conversion (Acts 9:3-15), Paul the Pharisee abandonned his past totally and considered it as "garbage" (Phil. 3:8). So, Paul operated independently of the other 12 Disciples of Christ. (Gal. 1:15-16). Paul believed he had received a direct Gospel revelation (Gal. 1:11-12) on the mystery of God’s plan on the new creation, which he called “my Gospel” (Rom. 16:25), to be preached to the gentile world (Rom. 11:13). He fought against the Jewish Christians for wanting to impose circumcision and the law on his gentile converts (Gal. chap. 1-5). Paul promised in Rom. 10:9, "... if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in yours heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved." My test case is representative of many Christians saved through the simple Gospel message. But to further follow the Mosaic Law endangers a Christian's salvation (Gal. 2:2; 5:2-4). Let's be sure. God bless.

  • Steven Britt
    Steven Britt

    Respectfully, Stephen, this is just plain wrong. To answer the first hypothetical: no, we do not agree this person is a Christian at that point. Without the law of God, this person cannot understand what sin is - John said clearly "sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). The law of God in its fullness is found only in the Old Testament. It's the same law that Jesus Himself lived by and taught!

    You have greatly confused the Old Testament with the Old Covenant, and further confused the Old Covenant with the eternal Law of God that is present in both the Old and New Covenants. Reading the Old Testament and keeping the law of God is not at all equivalent to "joining the Old Covenant." You fail to understand the difference between the letter and the spirit of the law. The law is the same, simply administered differently now in the New Covenant. For example, New Covenant believers MUST be circumcised in heart - it is completely obligatory, not optional. This replaces and supersedes circumcision of the flesh, but circumcision is still the law! I hope this helps you understand where you are lacking understanding in the role of God's law for us today, but there is much more.

  • Stephen Cheng
    Stephen Cheng

    With due respect to Steven Britt, when he made knowledge of the OT Law or eternal Law (1 Jn. 3:4) a requirement as to whether a person's belief in the simple Gospel message is valid or not, he's still putting the Law again as a means of salvation! This means that a person is only justified by a law-based faith in Christ redemptive sacrifice. This is exactly what the apostle Paul stood against squarely (Gal.5:4). For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believes! (Rom.10:4). John stated clearly in contrast that the law was given by Moses BUT grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (Jn. 1:17). The Law doesn't figure anymore in redemption but a belief in the simple gospel message does (1 Cor. 15:2-4). TQ

  • Stephen Cheng
    Stephen Cheng

    Thanks Steven for your response. I do know the OT Thanak covers more than the Mosaic Covenant (such as Genesis and Wisdom books). We at least agree that the Jewish Old Covenant is obsolete. (Heb. 8:13) - Many agree this passing means the social and ceremonial laws. We can also agree the "eternal law" (but better to list which ones in OT) are God's moral principles that carry over into the NT under the Law of Christ. (Jn. 13:34; Gal. 6:2. See SBTS Prof Schreiner's youtube "Do Christians have to obey OT Law?"). The eternal law predates Moses and is planted in every human made in God's image. (Rom. 2:14-15). This is why non-believers can understand sin and respond to the Gospel without being preached the OT (1 John 3:4 is a strawman argument. John as a Jew simply explained universal sin from a Jewish perspective).
    Like the parables, we can subjectively spiritualise all the OT scriptures for lessons. (Paul's metaphor of "circumcision of the heart" is an example). But this is leaning towards theological eisegesis than biblical exegesis.
    It's really good for us to discuss dialectically, towards greater clarity in scriptural understanding. (I was an anti-Antinomian too.) God bless.

  • Stephen Cheng
    Stephen Cheng

    A Test Case whether the OT Law is for NT Christians (when NT has replaced OT):
    A Christian uses a Gideon's NT to witness to a non-believer, who finally believes the NT Gospel record that Christ died for his sins, was buried and resurrected. He confesses that the risen Christ is Lord. He becomes a Christian. (* Romans road gospel presentation). – Do we agree he is a Christian now?

    Much later, that witnessing Christian shows him another book called the OT. With his help, the new believer looks over the OT and understands that the OT actually contains a lot of laws & ceremonies for a race called the Israelites or Jews. And the acceptance of the OT is by circumcision. Knowing about Paul's NT teachings (in 2 Cor., Gal. and Hebrews) the new believer is satisfied with just the New. He decides not to join the Old. He has no interest in the Old Covenant and he doesn't read or want to pursue further the Old Covenant beliefs and practices. (Which means he might not know anything about the ceremonies and the 10 Commandments or other OT laws, like Paul's gentile Christians who also didn't have the OT scrolls).
    Is he still saved and remains a Christian? * Yes.
    The OT is not vital to us!

  • Stephen Cheng
    Stephen Cheng

    Are Christians who obey OT Law "turning to another Gospel"? (Gal 1:6-9). Muslims chose to go backwards & pattern their laws after the Jews whom they envy. But for any Christian now to think that he is still under the OT Law and subjected to the 10 Commandments and any other OT rule (tithe, etc) is to put himself under the obsolete OT once more instead of the NT. (Heb 8:13). The implications of coming out from the new covenant and back into the old covenant is to lose one's position of grace in Christ. (Gal 5: 2 & 4). Christ's new covenant of grace gives us life & light! The old covenant of Law demanded death. This is why the temple sacrifices were central in the OT and in Jewish life. This is also why Christ was born under the Law and sacrificed himself according to the Law, in order to redeem mankind. Thence, Christ fulfilled the Law. And being fulfilled,  the old covenant with ALL its laws, had passed away and is replaced completely by the new covenant of Christ. (Matt 5:17-18). We now follow only the Way of Christ with all its implied moral codes that had always existed in us since Adam & Eve (Rom 2:14-15) and even before the Law was given on Mt Sinai. Say moral codes, not Law.

  • Stephen Cheng
    Stephen Cheng

    Are Christians who obey OT Law "turning to another Gospel"? (Gal 1:6-9). Muslims chose to go backwards & pattern their laws after the Jews whom they envy. But for any Christian now to think that he is still under the OT Law and subjected to the 10 Commandments and any other OT rule (tithe, etc) is to put himself under the obsolete OT once more instead of the NT. (Heb 8:13). The implications of coming out from the new covenant and back into the old covenant is to lose one's position of grace in Christ. (Gal 5: 2 & 4). Christ's new covenant of grace gives us life & light! The old covenant of Law demanded death. This is why the temple sacrifices were central in the OT and in Jewish life. This is also why Christ was born under the Law and sacrificed himself according to the Law, in order to redeem mankind. Thence, Christ fulfilled the Law. And being fulfilled,  the old covenant with ALL its laws, had passed away and is replaced completely by the new covenant of Christ. (Matt 5:17-18). We now follow only the Way of Christ with all its implied moral codes that had always existed in us since Adam & Eve (Rom 2:14-15) and even before the Law was given on Mt Sinai. Say moral codes, not Law.

  • Stephen Cheng
    Stephen Cheng

    The differences in opinions between christians who accept and reject the OT Law boil down to the problem of answering "what's an elephant like" by feeling different parts of the animal.
    The truer answer lies in seeing the big pictures instead of going into certain details only.
    Firstly, modern Christians must be clear whether they are under the OT. Are they circumcised?
    Secondly, to understand correctly NT Theology, one needs to study the WHOLE New Testament, especially Paul's letters & Pauline theology because he is the God-chosen apostle to bring the Gospel to the whole world_. (Acts 9:15). Historical theologians say that _modern Christian beliefs are founded more on the teachings of Paul than even those of Jesus. Jesus was born under the Law to fulfill the Law perfectly, even unto His self-sacrifice. (Matt 5:17-18 & Gal 4:4). Therefore, Jesus was bounded to the OT until He inaugurated the NT.
    Most pro-OT Law Christians do not quote much (or at all) from Paul's letters and are usually not Bible experts on Paul's writings nor Specialists on Pauline theology (unlike Prof TR Schreiner who wrote 40 Questions on Biblical Law). God bless you.

  • Stephen Cheng
    Stephen Cheng

    The differences in opinions between christians who accept and reject the OT Law boil down to the problem of answering "what's an elephant like" by feeling different parts of the animal.
    The truer answer lies in seeing the big pictures instead of going into certain details only.
    Firstly, modern Christians must be clear whether they are under the OT. Are they circumcised?
    Secondly, to understand correctly NT Theology, one needs to study the WHOLE New Testament, especially Paul's letters & Pauline theology because he is the God-chosen apostle to bring the Gospel to the whole world_. (Acts 9:15). Historical theologians say that _modern Christian beliefs are founded more on the teachings of Paul than even those of Jesus. Jesus was born under the Law to fulfill the Law perfectly, even unto His self-sacrifice. (Matt 5:17-18 & Gal 4:4). Therefore, Jesus was bounded to the OT until He inaugurated the NT.
    Most pro-OT Law Christians do not quote much (or at all) from Paul's letters and are usually not Bible experts on Paul's writings nor Specialists on Pauline theology (unlike Prof TR Schreiner who wrote 40 Questions on Biblical Law). God bless you.

  • M0SES
    Moses S Young

    I believe this should always be a discussion. However, it should not divide the kingdom.

  • Sabrina Peabody
    Sabrina Clore
    Dave999 - Who said to keep the 619 laws of the Jews? Those were created by the Jews and not God's laws - they were created by man. In the Bible, it says that "God spoke all these words saying..." then gave the 10 Commandments. They are His Commandments and help us understand how to love Him and one another. I encourage you to re-read the above article and comments (Annabell's are excellent!) as well as check out the article Steven Britt suggested (http://www.ucg.org/booklet/new-covenant-does-it-abolish-gods-law/)
  • Haytch
    Haytch Zfera

    It's been 3 years now . . . Any luck with the first 2 commandments ?

  • Dave999
    Dave999
    Well, for those of you who have commented regarding obedience to the law go ahead and see if you can keep the 613 commandments given to the Jews. But remember, you are a debtor to keep the whole law, and that includes making sure your roof has a parapet wall and not mixing wool and cotton in your clothes. Speak to any rabbi and he will tell you that the Law was not even given to gentiles. If you live inThe UK do you obey Australian law? Of course not, so why adhere to something that was not even given to you? For those of you who think I am an apologist for commiting all kinds of sin so that grace may abound please refer to the whole of Romans 6 for clarification. I know for a fact that those who continue under the law are the most entrenched minds I have ever come across and are so dogmatic that I don't usually bother talking about this matter with them. They just won't budge.
  • Flyingsnow
    Flyingsnow
    What we have to realize is the Bible says all have sinned and fallen short. How? because of Adam and Eve. The Christ came as the second Adam, where the first one failed, Christ passed the test. He died for our past sins, and we have an advocate, so if we sin now, we will be forgiven but you must try to repent or turn away from your sins. Also the works of the law is done away, we don't have to sacrifice animals anymore or burn fires and such, but you still have to keep the Ten Commandments and the Holy days. A lot of grave errors have come into the Church like giving the Passover symbols when a Church chooses. NO, you must go to Leviticus 23, it says on the 14th day of Abib in evening, according to Gods Calendar and the other holy days must be kept and the Sabbath. Folks please do your reach and find out the truth.
  • MasonTD
    MasonTD
    Most of the scripture reference used to state we, as Christians, are no longer required to obey God's Law as given through Moses are written by Paul. I think that when reading Paul's letters we need to be reminded Peter's comments concerning Paul's writing in 2 Peter 3 15 - 17 "15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. 17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness." We are warned that mistaking Paul's writing can lead to the error of lawlessness. There is a continuity between the old and new or renewed covenants. That continuity is established in the requirement to follow God's Law. We don't follow God's Law to be saved. We follow His Law because we are saved. We are saved by Grace through faith and walk in His commandments out of obedience. Christ himself states this in Matthew 5: 17 -19. In this passage Christ states, in the context of speaking about the Law, that those who obey and teach the commandments will be great in the kingdom of heaven. In Matthew 23 Christ tells His disciples to obey everything taught out of the seat of Moses. In effect, He is saying to obey Moses, but not the Pharisees. There are many examples throughout the New testament that indicate we are required to obey the commandments out of love for God. Our obedience to the commandments is the fruit of our faith, not the root of our faith. God bless...

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