Christianity and the Ten Commandments
Are Old Testament Laws Still Binding on Christians?
Jul 22, 2009 Ronald G Falconberry
God gave the Ten Commandments to the Jews as part of their covenant. When God established his new covenant through Christ, the early Christians debated whether any of the old laws were still binding on them. That debate has continued throughout the centuries.
Christian Views on the Ten Commandments
Under Christ's covenant, many Christians believe that the old law, including the Ten Commandments, is no longer in force. The apostle Paul wrote that God, "having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us...took it away, nailing it to the cross." (Colossians 2:14) In another epistle, he wrote, "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes." (Romans 10:4)
Other Christians believe that the Ten Commandments are still binding based on what Jesus said. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." (Matthew 5:17-18)
Can these two apparently conflicting statements be reconciled?
Did Jesus Abolish or Fulfill the Commandments?
Jesus' statement in Matthew 5 focuses on fulfillment and accomplishment. He did not come to abolish the law (from the Greek word kataluo meaning to dissolve, disunite, abrogate or overthrow), rather, he came to fulfill the law (taken from the Greek word pleroo meaning to make full, complete, to accomplish or to make perfect). The law would remain in effect, until the end of the earth, unless everything was accomplished.
Jesus lived a perfect life; he stayed true to the requirements of the Ten Commandments and all of the Mosaical laws. (1 Peter 1:19) While Israel offered unblemished animal sacrifices to atone for their sins, Jesus offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. (Hebrews 10:1-22) All of the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament about the Messiah were completed by Jesus.
Through his life, his teachings, his death and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled everything under the old covenant. (John 19:28-29)
Christians Can Fulfill the Ten Commandments
Just as Christ fulfilled the law, Christians can fulfill the law, too. As Paul wrote, "The commandments, 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not covet,' and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." (Romans 3:9-10) He added, in Galatians 6:2, "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."
The Ten Commandments Serve a Purpose
While Christians are no longer bound to the old laws, the scriptures still have value. In Galatians 3:23-25, Paul explains that the law served as a "school master," from the Greek paidagogos, to lead the world to Christ. A pedagogue was a slave who was responsible for the safety, care and training of his owners' children from around the age of six to sixteen. Once the child reached maturity, he no longer needed a pedagogue. Likewise, the law served as a teacher for Israel until Christ arrived.
Paul told Timothy that all scriptures were inspired from God and were "useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:14-17)
Christ Supersedes the Ten Commandments
God's moral law has always existed, even before he codified them in the Ten Commandments. Genesis shows that God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden for their disobedience, punished Cain for killing Abel, and flooded the world and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their sinfulness long before the Ten Commandments. Even though those commandments, as the Jewish covenant, are not binding on Christians, the acts of dishonoring God, murder, adultery, stealing and other sins are still wrong and to be avoided.
However, Jesus taught that Christians should look beyond and rise above legalism and external behavior to a heart-based spiritual level. By following the simple commandments of love for, and obedience to, God and love for their fellow man, Christians can pursue lives of holiness through faith in the power of Jesus and with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Additional Articles on the Ten Commandments
To learn about the origins of the Ten Commandments, see What are the Ten Commandments?
What Jesus had to say about the law is covered in Jesus on the Ten Commandments.
Sources:
- NIV Life Application Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1985).
- "Ten Commandments." New Bible Dictionary. 2nd Edition. Ed. J.D. Douglas et al. (Leicester: Inter Varsity Press, 1982).
- Young, David. "How is The Old Testament Relevant to Christians?". Theology Matters: Answers for the Church Today. Ed. Gary Holloway, Randall J. Harris, Mark C. Black. (Joplin: College Press Publishing Company, 1998).
Christians and the Ten Commandments
|
Jesus Fulfilled the Law
|
Ten Commandments Teach the World About Sin
|
What do you think about this article?
Latest Articles