Should We Keep the 10 Commandments Today?

Speaking the Truth in Love

Murray Wade
12/02/24 - Knoxville TV

Should We Keep The 10 Commandments Today? [live call in: (865) 215-4337]

We hear a debate quite often today concerning the posting of the 10 Commandments in schools and other public places. The thought is that if we do this, these good moral teachings will have a good influence on those who read them. The 10 Commandments were everything God intended them to be. They were commands that He wanted His people of the time, the physical Israelites, to keep. But the question we want to consider is “Should We Keep The 10 Commandments Today?” First let us look at scriptures that tell us the purpose of the Old Testament and how that brings us to Christ.

The Old Testament brings us to Christ

Romans 7:1-6 – Death of the Law in order to be married to Christ

Hebrews 7:20-28 – Jesus was not of the priesthood of Levi and Aaron but of a greater priesthood: the priesthood of the order of Melchizedek. The perfect priest (Hebrews 9:11)

Hebrews 8:7-13 – The first covenant was done away so the new and better covenant could be put in

Hebrews 9:11-15 – We have a greater and more perfect tabernacle

Hebrews 9:16-28 – Death of the Testator was required in order to establish the New Covenant.

Galatians 3:19-4:7 – The Old Law was the tutor (guardian) to bring us to the Master (Christ).

The purpose of the Old Law was to bring us to Christ. Now we will read the 10 Commandments. They appear in Exodus 20:1-17 (also in Deuteronomy 5:6-21).

The 10 Commandments in the New Testament

1. No Other Gods (Acts 14:11-15, Romans 1:25)

2. No Idols (Acts 17:16, 24-30, 1 Corinthians 10:14) - This is a command that some religious groups leave out of their list of the 10 Commandments.

3. Do not take the Lord’s Name in vain (Matthew 5:33-37, Ephesians 5:4-5)

4. Keep the Sabbath (no longer) (Ephesians 2:14-22)

5. Murder (Matthew 5:21-22, Romans 13:9)

6. Adultery (Matthew 5:27-32, Romans 13:9)

7. Steal (Ephesians 4:28, Romans 13:9)

8. Bear False Witness (Matthew 15:19-20, Romans 13:9)

9. Covet (Luke 12:15, Romans 13:9)

10. Honor Father and Mother (Ephesians 6:1-3, Colossians 3:20)

Conclusion

One problem with posting the 10 Commandments is that the most important commandments of the loving God with all of one's heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving one's neighbor as himself, are left out as found in Mark 12:28-34 (also in Deuteronomy 6:4-5, 10:12). On these two commands hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:34-40). These commands were essential under the Old Testament and are essential under the New Testament.

We are now under the Law of Liberty (James 1:25 and 2:12) and the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). We are now to keep the commandments of Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20, John 14:15, 1 John 5:1-5). We have found that 9 out of the 10 commandments from the Old Testament are either repeated or enhanced in the New Testament. The only one that is no longer within the Law of Christ is the command to keep the Sabbath. Many today misunderstand that the Sabbath day has now been changed to Sunday, The Lord’s Day, the first day of the week. That is not the case. The Sabbath Day of rest was not kept from the beginning, but was made known to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai (Nehemiah 9:13-14). God blessed, sanctified, and made the Sabbath holy after He completed His creation (Genesis 2:3, Exodus 20:11). It is important to note that there was not a specific command to keep the Sabbath except to the Israelites in Exodus 16:22-30 and finally in the 10 commandments (Exodus 20:8-11, Deuteronomy 5:12-15).

The answer to the question, “Should We Keep The 10 Commandments Today?” is NO. No longer are the Israelites or Gentiles under the Old Testament as God has taken it away to establish His New Testament. Today people can worship God (sing, pray, study His word) (Hebrews 10:24-25) on any day of the week and on Sundays partake of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7) and give as they have prospered (1 Corinthians 16:1-2), just like the first century Christians did!

The Old Testament did exactly what God intended it to do. It was our tutor to bring us to Christ. We can now be a disciple of a better covenant, with better promises, with a better tabernacle, with a better High priest, and salvation from our sins.

How about you tonight? Are you a New Testament Christian? Have you confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, repented of your sins, and been immersed in water for the remission of those sins? That is what the New Testament tells us we must do in order to become a child of God and have the hope of living forever in Heaven. Please consider seriously what we have said and come to the Master today.

We invite all in our audience to our Bible studies on Wednesday at 7pm and Sunday morning at 9am. We would love to study God’s together with you! Please check the scriptures we have covered tonight. We want to help you in any way we can. Contact us for Bible studies by telephone, e-mail, or simply come to one of our assemblies. Contact: We assemble at 225 North Purdue Ave. in Oak Ridge at 9am on Sundays and 7pm on Wednesdays; oakridgechurch.com; david.barry@oakridgechurch.com, murray.wade@oakridgechurch.com; (865) 693-1416.

Our next live program is planned for January 6, 2025 when we plan to study “The Mercy of God” and we hope to see you next time on "Speaking The Truth In Love".