The Bible tells us that God Himself spoke the 10 Commandments from Mount Sinai God said in Exodus 20:2, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery." The fact that God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt clearly shows that the reason He gave the Law was not to enslave them again but instead to make them and us spiritually free under His covenant relationship and guidance. God initiated a relationship with His people before He even told them what the rules were. Remember that rules without relationship leads to rebellion. Many rebel against God's guidelines for life so they live in a world filled with sin, pain, hurt and frustration. Following the commandments actually frees us from the terrible consequences of sin, making our lives better. Here are the answer to three questions that will help us understand the Ten Commandments.
1. Why did God give us the Ten Commandments? (Reason)Probably the biggest misconception people have is thinking that keeping the Ten Commandments will get them into heaven. God gave us the Ten Commandments to reveal His holiness. The holiness of God is revealed in the Commandments. When it says, "you shall not murder" it tells us that God is righteous and just. When it says, "you shall not commit adultery" it tells us that God is faithful and loyal. When it says, "you shall not steal" it tells us that God wants you to work. God wants you to provide for you. When it says, "you shall not lie" it tells us that God is honest and upright. When it says, "you shall not covet" it tells us that God gives us contentment. On the other hand, if we were honest, we would admit that the Ten Commandments reveal our sinfulness and need for God. God gave us the Ten Commandments to convict us of our sinfulness and our need for our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
2. What the New Testament and Jesus say about the Ten Commandments? (Reference)The purpose of the Ten Commandments is written in Galatians 3:24, "Therefore the Law (Ten Commandments) has became our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith." The law drives us to Jesus through whom we receive grace from God. Then having received grace, we seek to follow God's Law out of love for Him.
Matthew 22:37-40 says, "And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." In that answer, Jesus summed up the 10 commandments. The 1st four commands deal with our relationship loving God and the last 6 eal with our relationship with others. We ill never love our neighbor as ourselves if we do not first love God. All of man's best efforts toward world peace will fail as long as men are living in rebellion against God. The Ten Commandments show us that we need a Saviour. Only Jesus Christ, His death on the cross for your sins and His resurrection, will give us real forgiveness and real life.
3. Why do we need the Ten Commandments today? (Relevance)The Law protects and directs us to God's blessing. It is simply our Father's desire to guard us and keep us from all the pitfalls that life has to offer when we stray away. Going in God's direction leads to God's blessings (Deuteronomy 30:8-9).
Finally, we need to understand that the Commandments are given by God to reveal His heart of love for each of us. God's objective for the Ten Commandments is to change our behaviour and our hearts. We must have a heart like God which is a heart of love.
CCF Chronicle, 19 July 2015
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