The Ten Commandments

Introduction:

The Ten Commandments are like an instruction manual from God. We live in a culture that glorifies self and ignores truth. That needs to change. God’s Word speaks to us in every area of our lives and gives us what we need to hear, not always what we want to hear.

These laws are not the means by which we come into good graces with God; instead, they reveal our shortcomings and our need for God. The Ten Commandments are often described as a mirror that exposes our sins and reveals our need for a Savior.

When that mirror shines on our lives we become convicted of our sinful and lost condition and repent. We can then begin to see the Lord in a new light and recognize the great mercy and grace extended to us.

Love and adoration of the One who has redeemed us leads to a desire to obey God’s standards. The Ten Commandments are the basic commands, or guidelines, that explain how we can live a life pleasing to God.

The Bible says in the Old Testament, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Here we see the entire relationship of man to God crystallized into a few words: “Fear God and keep His commandments.”

In the New Testament, Jesus tells us, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). We see that Jesus took those same commandments given on Mount Sinai and explains how the heart is involved. With the death of Jesus on the cross, we have the Spirit of Truth to lead us as we submit to Jesus’ teachings and are obedient to the commandments. On our own, we continue to fail, but with God’s Spirit leading us, we are able to follow Him through daily sanctification. We obey His commands out of our love for God and our desire to please Him.

As we think on this salvation that we have received through the “redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 3:24) it is appropriate that we spend some time developing our spiritual muscles and learning about His commandments. The Ten Commandments help us to know how to serve God and how we should live with each other. As the Apostle John states in 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.”

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