Can you please say a little more about the necessity of keeping the Ten Commandments today? Pt. 4

Dear Reader,

        I shall be happy to say some more about God’s Ten Commandments, and the necessity of keeping them today. 

        If Christians can dispense with the law, then why did Jesus come to this earth to die, when he could have just removed the law in order to excuse man’s sin?  You see, friends, Jesus came to pardon man’s sins by paying the penalty for sin, which is death.  Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death.  The Bible gives us a description of sin when it says, (1 John 3:4 KJV) Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.  Now since sin is the transgression of the law, and since the wages of sin is death, then the person who transgresses the law, as did Adam and Eve, has to die.

        But God in His wonderful grace and love decided to pay the penalty for sin by offering His own human life in the incarnation.  The act of coming to die for human beings through the incarnation shows us, first, the enormity of sin; it brings rebellion and death.  Secondly, the act of coming to die for us also shows the solidity and eternal nature of God’s law.  Instead of removing the law, against which Adam sinned, God upheld it by offering Himself in the incarnation for its penalty.  What marvelous love and grace towards us sinners!!

        The law is eternal; and all human beings will be judged by it.  Here is what the Bible says about judgment and the law, (Rom 2:12 KJV) For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.  This verse tells us that the lawless will perish as well as those who know the law and still continue in sin in spite of God’s offer of pardon and forgiveness.  The Bible repeats this assertion that we will be judged by the law in the book of James.  It says, (James 2:12 KJV) So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.  In this verse it calls the ‘law’ the law of liberty, and says quite clearly that all shall be judged by it. 

        Before we dispute that the term ‘law of liberty’ refers to the Ten Commandments, we have only to read the above verses, 9-11, to see that the context here is the Ten commandments.  Jesus Himself tells us that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it.  Read it in the Gospel of Matthew, (Mat 5:17 KJV) Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.
(Mat 5:18 KJV) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
(Mat 5:19 KJV) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

        The Lord Jesus makes it very clear to us that He did not come to destroy His law; He goes on to tell us in no uncertain terms, that if we teach others to break any of the Ten Commandments we endanger our eternal destiny.  Finally, as we look to the end of time just before Jesus returns, John the Revelator tells us that the Devil will be after those Christians who keep the commandments of God.  Read it in chapter 12: (Rev 12:17 KJV) And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Yes, my friends, the Ten Commandments are valid, authoritative, and worthy of establishment.  Let us not fail to live in harmony with these moral, beneficial principles.  God bless.

   Pastor Ron is a retired Adventist pastor. Reach him at ron.hende@gmail.com. with your comments.