The Ten Commandments are the most recognized moral code in human history. Given to Moses on Mount Sinai in 1491 BC, the words were etched by the very hand of God upon two stone tablets. They were the foundation of the covenant between God and Israel. (Exodus 21–23 and Leviticus contain the rest of Moses’ law. The Jews say there are 613 laws—248 positive and 365 negative.)
The Ten Commandments cover both man’s vertical relationship (with God) and his horizontal relationships (with people). The first four deal with man’s responsibility to God, instructing the Jews to worship only Jehovah, forsake idolatry, revere God’s name, and keep the Sabbath holy. These laws require man to honor the Creator, recognize His sovereignty, and depend on His provision.
The remaining six commandments address human relationships. They demand respect for parents, sanctity of life, faithfulness in marriage, integrity with property, truthfulness in speech, and contentment with possessions. They uphold the dignity of individuals and the sanctity of family, forming the foundation for a stable society. While eight of ten are negative (“you shall not”), the ten can be condensed into just two positive laws: Love your God and love your neighbor (Matthew 22:36–39; Romans 13:8–10).
The moral behavior described by the Ten Commandments is still required of men, but no one lives under the Ten Commandments today. Some would find it shocking that one could keep the Ten Commandments perfectly and still be lost. Many are puzzled by this statement, even defiant against it. Why is it true?
WHAT THE OLD TESTAMENT SAYS ABOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Ten Commandments were the law of God’s land for 1500 years. Throughout the Old Testament, they served as both law and instruction. When Israel obeyed God’s law, blessings followed; when they disobeyed, judgment ensued (Deuteronomy 28:1–2, 15; Judges 2:11–15).
To understand the Ten Commandments in God’s overall plan, start with five important questions:
- Unto whom were they given? Israel (Deuteronomy 5:1–3; Romans 3:1–2).
- When were they given? After Israel left Egypt, at Mt. Sinai (Horeb) (Deuteronomy 5:2–4).
- Why were they given? To increase awareness of sin (Galatians 3:19; Romans 3:20; 7:13).
- How long was the law to last? Till Christ came (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Galatians 3:16, 19).
- What part of the law was nailed to the cross? All of it (Colossians 2:14). The Bible does not speak of judicial, moral, and ceremonial parts of the law.
The Ten Commandments were more than rules. They provided for Israel:
- A Moral Foundation. They formed the ethical basis for Israel’s relationship with God and one another. Deuteronomy 4:2 warns against adding to or subtracting from them, showing the completeness and sufficiency of the law.
- A Covenant Identity. They marked Israel as a people set apart for God. Reflecting His holiness, they revealed God’s covenant and expectations for His people. The commandments were stored in the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:16), symbolizing centrality to Israel’s worship and life.
- Spiritual Teaching. They revealed humanity’s need for God’s grace, as no one can perfectly keep the law (Ephesians 2:8–9). Later books, such as Psalms and the Prophets, reinforced the laws, emphasizing obedience and repentance when they are violated. Meditating on the law and obedience to it was the path to prosperity and success (Joshua 1:8).
These were not given to restrict life, but to preserve it and make it better for society and individuals.
WHAT THE NEW TESTAMENT SAYS ABOUT THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Ten Commandments (Old Testament) serve as a foundation for the New Testament. The Old Testament laid a monotheistic framework for religion, providing prophecies, principles, and examples that explain much New Testament teaching.
Christ viewed the Old Testament as binding until its purposes were accomplished. He stated, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). In a rare theophany at the transfiguration, His Father spoke audibly, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5). A change was taking place, as evidenced by the three figures who appeared at the transfiguration.
- Moses represented the law—Do not follow him any longer.
- Elijah represented the prophets—Do not follow them any longer.
- Christ represented the new covenant— Hear Him! The change had fully occurred by the ascension: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). “All” leaves no authority for the law or the prophets.
The Old Testament served as a tutor to lead the Jews to Christ. The old law pointed forward to Christ, who fulfilled it and offered grace for failure. Paul wrote, “The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24). The Old Testament prescribed rituals, ceremonies, and civil regulations and gave types and shadows that prepared the Jews for the Messiah (Colossians 2:16–17; Hebrews 10:1–3). Hebrews 8:13 states that the old covenant, including the Ten Commandments, became obsolete when Christ died.
The law was fulfilled and replaced by a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6). Paul says that which was written on stone—the Ten Commandments—was done away with, making way for the ministration of the Spirit—the New Testament (2 Corinthians 3:7–8, 11). He identifies the time when the law changed: “He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14). Christians are now free from keeping its statutes: “Let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17).
Paul used marriage to explain the relationship of the Jews to the old law. A woman married to a man is bound to him by God’s law as long as he lives (Romans 7:1–7). If she marries another man while he lives, she “will be called an adulteress” (cf. Matthew 19:9). But if her first husband dies, then she is free to marry another husband. The Jews’ relationship to the law was like that:
- The husband was Moses’ law; the Jew was the wife. (It’s clear Paul was talking about Moses’ law—he quotes “shall not covet.”)
- As long as the law was in force, every Jew was bound to it.
- While the law existed, if a Jew married another law (religion), he was guilty of spiritual adultery.
- But when the law ended, the law of Jesus (Christianity) became husband two. Both Jews and Gentiles are now privileged to marry Him who is raised from the dead (Ephesians 5:25–28).
WHY THE TEN COMMANDMENTS ARE NOT A LAW FOR CHRISTIANS
Short Answer: Christianity is a New Testament religion. The Ten Commandments belong to the Old Testament (Exodus 20:1–17; Deuteronomy 5:1–21) which is a different religion (Judaism). The Ten Commandments are never listed together in the New Testament, which is the covenant in force now.
Expanded Explanation: The Ten Commandments were given to Jews, not to Christians. The Ten Commandments were part of the law of Moses, a covenant made specifically with Israel (Deuteronomy 5:2). Christians are not under the Ten Commandments for the same reason we eat BBQ and catfish and do not kill lambs on Passover. No Gentile—descendant of Japheth or Ham—was ever subject to Moses’ law (except proselytes). Its promises, threats, and punishments were never applicable to non-Jews. Moses emphasized that the covenant was not made with their fathers, or anyone else, “but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive” (Deuteronomy 5:3).
Now there is a better covenant (Hebrews 8:6) applicable to Jews and Gentiles—everyone on earth. Those of Jewish descent can be Christians, but not as practicing Jews. In Christ, there is neither Jew nor Greek (Galatians 3:28).
The Ten Commandments were temporary and fulfilled their purpose. The Old Testament predicted its own demise: “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah—not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers” (Jeremiah 31:31–32; quoted in Hebrews 8:7–13). Jesus inaugurated the new covenant at His death (Luke 22:20).
Jesus kept the law perfectly and then ended it permanently. Four hundred and thirty years (1921 bc) before the law was given at Sinai (1491 bc), God called Abram from Ur of the Chaldees and promised that through him all earth’s families would be blessed (Genesis 12:1–3; cf. 22:18). This was the first definite Bible promise of salvation for all mankind. (Genesis 3:15 was veiled.) Who was the Seed? Christ (Galatians 3:16).
When Jesus declared that He came to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17), He meant He satisfied all its requirements (Romans 10:4). At the cross, He took away the first law to establish the second (Hebrews 10:9). While hanging suspended between heaven and earth, He bowed His head and said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Among other things, this included the law. Once fulfilled, the law’s authority ended, making way for the gospel.
What did Jesus do to the law? He blotted it out, took it out of the way, nailed it to the cross, and tore down the middle wall of partition (Ephesians 2:13–22; Colossians 2:14). Thus, Christians are no longer under the old law but under grace (Romans 6:14), the law of Christ, which emphasizes faith, love, and joy in the Spirit (Romans 14:17; Galatians 6:2).
WHY THE NEW TESTAMENT IS SUPERIOR TO THE OLD LAW
The gospel of Christ stands as the ultimate expression of God’s grace and truth, surpassing even the Ten Commandments. The commandments were carved in stone (2 Corinthians 3:7), but the gospel is written on hearts (3:3). Where the law imposed burdens, the gospel lifts them. The Ten Commandments:
- The Ten Commandments revealed sin; the gospel removes sin. The law showed humanity’s need for a Savior by exposing sin (Romans 7:13). It provided moral boundaries but no lasting remedy for disobedience. The gospel offers cleansing through Christ’s blood (1 John 1:7). The law condemned; the gospel justifies (Romans 8:1).
- The Ten Commandments were temporary; the gospel is eternal. The gospel is everlasting, proclaiming salvation to all nations for all generations (Matthew 28:19–20).
- The Ten Commandments Governed actions; the gospel transforms hearts. The law addressed outward behavior. The gospel goes deeper, renewing minds (Romans 12:2).
- The Ten Commandments Required repetition; the gospel is final. The sacrificial system was a temporary arrangement, demanding continual sacrifices and annual rituals. Hebrews 10:1 explains, “The law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.” Each sacrifice pointed to Christ, the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10). His work is finished, providing eternal redemption (Hebrews 9:12).
- The Ten Commandments Separated man from God; the gospel reconciles man to God. The law highlighted God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness, creating a barrier (Exodus 19:12–13; Isaiah 59:1–2). It brought condemnation by revealing sin but offering no way to overcome it (Romans 8:3). The gospel removes the barrier. Jesus reconciles men to God and grants direct access into God’s presence (2 Corinthians 5:18–21; Hebrews 9:15; 10:19–22). This brings freedom (Romans 8:2).
- The Ten Commandments were exclusive (for Israel); the gospel is inclusive. The gospel is for all, as God promised Abraham (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:8, 16). Jews and Gentiles are one body (Ephesians 2:14).
Those living today are not under the Ten Commandments because Jesus replaced them with a better covenant. The gospel fulfills what the Ten Commandments only foreshadowed. By addressing the root of sin rather than just its symptoms, the gospel grants eternal life instead of condemnation. In Christ, we find not only a moral code but a living Savior.
Are you following Jesus? He invites you to join those on the joyful lane that leads to heaven.
