THE TEN COMMANDMENTS: WHAT THEY ARE NOT
(Message by Tanny Keng)
1. The Ten Commandments
1. The Ten Commandments
a) Ten of the laws which God gave to Moses on Horeb were written upon two tablets of stone. These are recorded twice in the Bible: Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.
i) The first four commandments concern respect for God, and the last six respect for society.
ii) The Ten Commandments Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.
#1. I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods.
#2. You shall not make or worship an idol.
#3. You shall not take in vain the name of the Lord your God.
#4. Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
#5. Honor your father and your mother.
#6. You shall not murder.
#7. You shall not commit adultery.
#8. You shall not steal.
#9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
#10. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or possessions.
2. What They Are Not
a) They are not the basic morality.
b) The ten commandments draw from, and express, several elements from a common or basic morality that was revealed by God to all the world from creation (Romans 1:18-21-32). That basic morality, which originated with God, is expressed to some extent in most systems of law. We would all be very surprised indeed if it were lacking in the law of Moses.
c) The ten commandments, however, are not this basic morality. Basic morality is also a part of the law of Christ, making the law of Moses redundant in that respect. It is obvious, anyway from what they omit, that the ten commandments are not adequate as a basic moral code. For example they make no mention of sorcery (Exodus 22:18), oppressing the poor (Exodus 22:21-27), and drunkenness (Galatians 5:19-21).
d) They are not the basis of the Law of Moses.
e) Jesus said the law of Moses was based on two commandments (Matthew 22:34-40).
i) Love the Lord your God with all your heart.
ii) Love your neighbor as yourself.
f) The first four of the ten commandments are based on love for God, a commandment found elsewhere in the law of Moses (Deuteronomy 6:5).
g) Likewise, the last six of the ten commandments are based on love for neighbor, another commandment found elsewhere in the law (Leviticus 19:18). So the rest of the Law is not based on the ten commandments, rather the ten commandments are based on other parts of the law.
h) They are not the basis of Christianity.
i) The basis of Christianity is faith in Christ the Son of God, and a reliance upon his death and blood as a sacrifice for our sins, together with his resurrection and ascension to God's right hand that he might intercede for us (Galatians 3:10-14, Romans 8:34).
j) We certainly do not live by the ten commandments today, for under them we would be condemned! Remember, Paul called the ten commandments "the ministry of death" (2 Corinthians 3:7).
k) The New Testament is at pains to explain that the ten commandments were abolished at Christ's death (Colossians 2:14, 2 Corinthians 3:7-11).
The End ...
i) The first four commandments concern respect for God, and the last six respect for society.
ii) The Ten Commandments Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.
#1. I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods.
#2. You shall not make or worship an idol.
#3. You shall not take in vain the name of the Lord your God.
#4. Observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
#5. Honor your father and your mother.
#6. You shall not murder.
#7. You shall not commit adultery.
#8. You shall not steal.
#9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
#10. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or possessions.
2. What They Are Not
a) They are not the basic morality.
b) The ten commandments draw from, and express, several elements from a common or basic morality that was revealed by God to all the world from creation (Romans 1:18-21-32). That basic morality, which originated with God, is expressed to some extent in most systems of law. We would all be very surprised indeed if it were lacking in the law of Moses.
c) The ten commandments, however, are not this basic morality. Basic morality is also a part of the law of Christ, making the law of Moses redundant in that respect. It is obvious, anyway from what they omit, that the ten commandments are not adequate as a basic moral code. For example they make no mention of sorcery (Exodus 22:18), oppressing the poor (Exodus 22:21-27), and drunkenness (Galatians 5:19-21).
d) They are not the basis of the Law of Moses.
e) Jesus said the law of Moses was based on two commandments (Matthew 22:34-40).
i) Love the Lord your God with all your heart.
ii) Love your neighbor as yourself.
f) The first four of the ten commandments are based on love for God, a commandment found elsewhere in the law of Moses (Deuteronomy 6:5).
g) Likewise, the last six of the ten commandments are based on love for neighbor, another commandment found elsewhere in the law (Leviticus 19:18). So the rest of the Law is not based on the ten commandments, rather the ten commandments are based on other parts of the law.
h) They are not the basis of Christianity.
i) The basis of Christianity is faith in Christ the Son of God, and a reliance upon his death and blood as a sacrifice for our sins, together with his resurrection and ascension to God's right hand that he might intercede for us (Galatians 3:10-14, Romans 8:34).
j) We certainly do not live by the ten commandments today, for under them we would be condemned! Remember, Paul called the ten commandments "the ministry of death" (2 Corinthians 3:7).
k) The New Testament is at pains to explain that the ten commandments were abolished at Christ's death (Colossians 2:14, 2 Corinthians 3:7-11).
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