The Ten COMMANDMENTS Today
美佳之窗 His Window 94（ Apr – Jun 2020 ）
Text by Pastor Matthew
The 10 commandments is the most common understanding a Christian has of God’s commands. However, like most 21st century Christians, we also have a misguided understanding that the 10 commandments is “irrelevant” to our Christian life today. But, then there is another danger of over-adopting the 10 commandments into our Christian life, so much so, we cancel out the grace and mercy of Christ that is the only necessity for salvation. So, how then can we view and appreciate the 10 commandments in our lives today? I think in order for us to properly appreciate the 10 commandments in our context, we need a proper understanding of why God gave the Israelites a set of laws, and what the commandments represent. We also need to look at the 10 commandments in the light of the gospel ( NT) in order to see how Christ perfects and completes the law in us as believers.
1. The Grace of God
Exodus 20:1-17 marks the event of God giving a set of commands to the Israelites, through Moses. The giving of the commandments is the culmination of a spiritual event where God formally makes a covenant with the Israelites at Mt. Sinai (Exo. 19). And the covenant included a promise that God will be the God of the Israelites, and required a commitment from the Israelites to be obedient to all that God has commanded them to do.
At a single glance, the commandments look restrictive, and God looks like an angry disciplinarian, ready to punish at first sight of someone breaking the law. But, we have to understand that God’s purpose of calling the Israelites out of Egypt and establishing them as a nation was not just to make another nation among the nations, but, to establish a holy nation, through which all other nations will look up to and also be blessed. And in order for that to happen, Israel had to live and abide by the systems and rule of God. Israel cannot afford to live and abide by the standards and morality of the nations around them.
Thus, the law is God’s means of grace, where it aims to improve the quality of life of the Israelites. Through the law of God the Israelites will be able to live in peace and prosperity with one another and with God. Through obedience to the law, the Israelites will be brought into a relationship with God and God will bless them. The Israelites did nothing to deserve such grace, yet God through His initiative chose them as His own.
2. The Intentional Love of God
The commandments and all its contents actually rests upon God’s opening statement to the Israelites, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery (20:2).” Moving on, the very first “law” is the command to only love God alone. In other words, God first demonstrated His great love to the Israelites, and He hopes that they could respond in similar fashion. Without understanding the love of God for them, the Israelites would merely be practicing legalism. However, if they knew the motivation and the reason of the law of God to them, they would be compelled to live out the law in their lives as a response to God’s love. We see that the Israelites failed to see the law as an extension of God’s love towards them. They failed to see the intentional love of God that intentionally rescued them from Egypt. They failed to see the intentional love of God that intentionally created a means for them to be saved from physical and spiritual bondage. Instead, all they saw was “a set of laws that must be obeyed, lest God punishes me.” Such a motivation for obedience was the main factor in causing them to continuously disobey God, and in the later years, come under God’s judgment. The law is God’s love in written form to humankind. It is God intentionally showing us the way that leads to true freedom from sin.
3. God’s Relationship With Humans
The law represents God’s intention to be in a relationship with humans. While some of us may be tempted to think that the picture of the Exodus looks like God, imposing His will on the Israelites by dragging them out of Egypt and forcing them into this covenant, we have to understand that the Israelites themselves cried out to God to rescue them from slavery. They wanted God to rescue them, they wanted to be in this relationship with Him.
To be in a relationship with God, has its demands - holiness. No nation or person could ever be in a relationship with God if they refuse to subject themselves to His standards. And there is a reason for God setting the standards for holiness in this relationship. God is a perfect God, and in God there is no sin. By giving the law to the Israelites, God was informing them of His desire to be in a relationship with them, but, they have to follow His commandments so that they do not offend the holiness of God. But, more than that, the Law was given to the Israelites as a guide on how to live a better physical and spiritual life. The Law is a holistic representation of God’s relationship with Israel - a relationship that is committed and one that brings about a true change in the hearts and lives of the Israelites.
4 .The Law for Us Today ?
As we approach the Law in the light of the work of Christ, what significance does the Law have for Christians today? The Law is not obsolete today, but as Romans 2:15 describes, it is “written on their hearts.” This verse in Romans relates the work of Christ in fulfilling the Law, and the ability of a Christian to live out holiness through the grace and mercy of Christ in us. We can walk in holiness because the grace of Christ enables and empowers us to do so. We can be obedient to God because the love of God in us compels us to respond in obedience to God’s commands. We want to be holy, because we see the importance of this relationship that we have with God and how it builds up our life and sets us on the path of freedom. Above all, we have the Holy Spirit in us, the “Helper”, “Counsellor”, “Teacher” who will guide us into all righteousness. His role is to make known to us the will, purpose, and commands of God so that our lives are pleasing in God’s eyes.
Therefore, if we love God, we will want to obey Him. And the more we obey Him, the more our lives will be transformed into the likeness of Christ. Amen.
