Do we as Christians need to obey the 10 Commandments? No. Yet, when I hear Christians talk, I wonder if we are reading the same Bible. A man I was discipling one time got in trouble when he shared at his church that we are not obligated to keep the 10 Commandments. This belief is caused by a lack of understanding of the transformative gospel of grace.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:17-18, "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. For truly I tell you, 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." (NIV) Jesus Himself did what no human has ever been able to do. He perfectly fulfilled the Law so that we don't have to.
Still not convinced? Look at Timothy 1:9 "Realizing the fact that the law is not made for a righteous person..." (NAS) There is only one way to be a righteous person - through faith in Jesus Christ alone, not through our obedience. So, the 10 Commandments are not for Christians.
Imagine waking up every day with a husband whose first words are, "I have a list of things you have to do today. I am going to follow you to make sure you do them perfectly. I will point out every mistake to you. And by the way, I will not lift a finger to help you. Have a good day!" Does anyone want to be in that marriage? That is what it is like to be married to Mr. Law.
But what if you have a husband whose first words every day are, "I love you so much! Let's go have some breakfast together. While we are talking together, enjoying each other, I will share with you some things I want you to do today but don't worry about them. I will not only go with you but I will actually do each one through you if you will trust me. And if you make a mistake, I will gently let you know but no matter what, don't forget that I love you." Who wants to be in this marriage? It's a no-brainer. This is what it is like being married to Mr.. Grace - Jesus! Romans 7:1-7 says we died to Mr. Law and are now in a holy union with Mr. Grace!
Some will argue that we only have to keep the law for our sanctification (spiritual growth) but not our justification (salvation). Galatians 3:24-25. says, "So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law." Can it be any clearer? Once we come to faith in Christ, we are not obligated to keep the 10 Commandments!
God has given us something so much better than trying to keep the 10 Commandments. He has actually written the Law on our hearts according to Hebrews 10:16. This is referring to our new creation identity in Christ which gives us the desire to obey Jesus in us. We have Jesus in us so we can love God, people and ourselves appropriately. And love always fulfills the law according to Romans 13:8-10. Ask Jesus to live His life through you in the power of the Holy Spirit by faith (not by feelings) and you will live out the 10 Commandments without even thinking about them! Let go of the 10 Commandments today and enjoy your union with Jesus!
Live Free In Christ,
Mark Maulding, President and Founder
www.GraceLifeInternational.com All Content Copyright © 2012 Mark Maulding
