We are beginning the new year with an extended study of the Ten Commandments. This is a portion of Scripture that most are familiar with, though for many of us it may be wrongly understood. Because Jesus – in His life and in His death – fulfilled the law for us, some have come to believe that the Ten Commandments no longer have any significance for the Christian. This is not true and has resulted in confusion and spiritual weakness.
These words embody God’s will for human life as fully as any teaching in all of Scripture. The whole Bible reveals the meaning of the Commandments and informs us how to live, act, and think in light of them.
The one who is in Christ is liberated to do the works of the law, not as a vehicle for remaining a Christian, but as instruction for shaping a life active in love.
-Terrence Fretheim
Before the Commandments are given in Exodus chapter 20, God reminds Moses of their context. These words are not given in Egypt because the Israelites were slaves there. Instead they are given at Mount Sinai, the closest thing to a physical address for God in the Old Testament. God Himself carried the Israelites out of Egypt and brought them to Himself. These are personal words, covenant words, between God and His people. What’s being called for here is personal commitment to God, not to a set of commandments.
The law was addressed to those brought out of bondage. Its aim was not to bring them into a new bondage, but rather to establish them in a new freedom. We live the truly human life when these words are deep within us, not as external rules to follow, but as an internal power to live.
Jesus’ most well-known block of teaching – The Sermon on The Mount – is largely a reflection on the Old Testament law and the Ten Commandments in it. He does not relax the Commandments but pushes them to the deepest level of the human heart.
God does not lower His standards because of human weakness but enables His people to rise to meet them. In a living relationship with Jesus, through the presence of the Holy Spirit, the law is now written on our hearts; our new nature has been fashioned for obedience.
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
Jeremiah 31.33
Many have described the Ten Commandments as the moral law of God. They are, however, far more than this. These commands reflect the true character of God. One writer has said, “They are the likeness of God expressed in precepts, and our obedience to them triggers in us the image of God. We live the truly human life when we obey them.”
Like the children of Israel, we too have been invited to meet with God. Not on a specific day in a special place, but every day in His Word, in prayer, and in community with others also seeking to better know and serve Him.
I encourage you to begin the new year by making this your number one priority.
If you do not have a daily Bible reading plan, you can join me and many others using the church’s plan, available on our Resources page. I also share a short Scripture devotion once a week on my Instagram page, here.
If you are in a small group, consider using the sermon Group Guides for this series. These can be accessed at browncroft.org/sermons and will help you go deeper into the text each week. If you are not in a small group with others, I encourage you to get involved in one here at Browncroft. If you have never been in a group and would like to commit to one for a season, you can join one of our ten-week Rooted groups that will begin meeting later next month. The deadline for Rooted signups is Sunday, February 9th.
Make 2025 the year you grow closer to God by going deeper into His Word in a fresh study of the Ten Commandments. These are not just ancient words but words you can live by today.
Pastor Rob
“If you love me, keep my commands.”
John 14.15
