The Ten Commandments were known and obeyed by faithful people before the law was given at Sinai. Later incorporated into the new covenant by the example and teaching of Christ, they constitute the basic moral code for humanity and are obeyed to demonstrate the believers’ love for God and his fellowman.
The Ten Commandments of God, should we or shouldn’t we be keeping them today? This is the question of the day. Some people say “yes” and others say “no, we are saved by grace alone”. We shall look into the Bible and see what God has to say about the Ten Commandments. Using a historical perspective of scripture we shall see through the entirety of human history what God has recorded about the keeping of His LAW, the Ten Commandments. It is highly suggested that every verse mentioned should be looked up and read in this study.
From the very beginning of humanity from the time of Adam and Eve to Moses the Ten Commandments were known of and kept by those who were considered righteous in God’s eyes. Sin, the transgression of the law (I Jn. 3:4) was known and understood from the time of Adam and Eve (Gen. 2; 2-3 The Sabbath, #4; Exo. 16:30; Gen. 9:22 Honor parents, #5; Gen 4:7-12 the murder of Abel, #6; Gen. 26:10 adultery, #7; 39:8-9 more adultery noted to be sin; 31:19 Stealing, #8; 12:11-13 Lying #9; 26:6-7 Lying; 25:29-34 #10). These prior verses cover 9 out of ten of the Ten Commandments before Moses. We also see Noah was “righteous” and we know no one can be righteous without being obedient to God and His law. Gen. 6:8, 9, 22; 7:1 and II Pet. 2:5 all speak of Noah as righteous before God. These are some examples of the law and the keeping of the law before Moses.
Moses and the law. It was in the time of Moses that the law was written down. We do not know if it had been written down before this time as Israel had spent 400 years in Egyptian slavery. We do know the law was inforce and obeyed by the righteous of God before Moses (see above). In Exodus 19 and 20 we see the events of the giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. This law as recorded in the Torah was the basis for the covenant with the people of Israel (Ex.34:28). God said in Jere. 31:31-33 that He would bring a new and better covenant to the people of God in the future but He did NOT do away with the Ten Commandments! (Read Jere.31:33 carefully-the law was to be put in our hearts-not done away but sealed into our hearts and minds as we obey God).
New Testament and the Ten Commandments. Jesus was asked what “good thing must I do that I may obtain eternal life?” His answer in Matt. 19:16-17 was “KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS”. Jesus said to keep the commandments, who is any man to change what Jesus said?
The Apostle John, the friend of Jesus and the apostle Jesus loved kept the law and told Christians to do the same. I John 3:4 “Sin is the transgression of the law”. 1John 2:3-4 “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him. See also I John 3:22; 5:3.
The Apostle Paul kept the law and told Christians to do the same. Rom. 2:13; 3:23; 3:31; 4:15; 6:1-2,15,23; 7:7,12; 8:4; 13:10; I Tim. 1:8-11 and Eph. 6:1-3.
The Apostle James, the brother of Jesus kept the law and told Christians to do the same. James 1:22-25; 2:10-11; 4:7-10, 11, 17, 20.
The Apostle Peter kept the law and told Christians to do the same. I Pet. 2:21-24 (Jesus bore our sins/transgressions), II Pet. 2:10-15.
We have seen in Rom. 6:23 that the wages of sin is death and in I John 3:4 sin is the transgression of the LAW. The Ten Commandments are the summary of God’s moral law for mankind. We must continue to obey God by keeping His Ten Commandments as they were kept from the time of Adam and Eve and throughout the entire history of mankind. Jesus summarized the Ten Commandments in the last week of His life. John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one to another.” John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 15:10-12 He says to abide in His love we need to KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS! Jesus, John, Paul, Peter and James all agree, keep the Ten Commandments today. What better example of persons than God in the flesh and His Apostles could be found to verify the keeping of God’s Ten Commandments today?
