The 10 Commandments

4. Why is God’s law exceedingly important to you personally?
“Speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty” (James 2:12).
Answer: Because the Ten Commandment law is the standard by which God examines people in the heavenly judgment.


5. Can God’s law (the Ten Commandments) ever be changed or abolished?
“It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail” (Luke 16:17).
“My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips” (Psalm 89:34).
“All His precepts [commandments] are sure. They stand fast forever and ever” (Psalm 111:7, 8).
Answer: No. The Bible is clear that the law of God cannot be changed. The commandments are revealed principles of God’s holy character and are the very foundation of His kingdom. They will be true as long as God exists.

This chart shows us that God and His law have the exact same characteristics, revealing that the Ten Commandment law is actually God’s character in written form—written so that we can better comprehend God. It is no more possible to change God’s law than to pull God out of heaven and change Him. Jesus showed us what the law—that is, the pattern for holy living—looks like when expressed in human form. God’s character cannot change; therefore, neither can His law.

GOD ISTHE LAW ISGoodLuke 18:191 Timothy 1:8HolyIsaiah 5:16Romans 7:12PerfectMatthew 5:48Psalms 19:7Pure1 John 3:2,3Psalms 19:8JustDeuteronomy 32:4Romans 7:12TrueJohn 3:33Psalms 19:9Spiritual1 Corinthians 10:4Romans 7:14RighteousnessJeremiah 23:6Psalms 119:172Faithful1 Corinthians 1:9Psalms 119:86Love1 John 4:8Romans 13:10UnchangeableJames 1:17Matthew 5:18EverlastingGenesis 21:33Psalms 111:7,8



6. Did Jesus abolish God's law while He was here on earth?
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law. … I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. … Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17, 18).



Answer: No, indeed! Jesus specifically asserted that He did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill (or keep) it. Instead of doing away with the law, Jesus magnified it (Isaiah 42:21) as the perfect guide for holy living. For example, Jesus pointed out that “You shall not murder” condemns anger “without a cause” (Matthew 5:21, 22) and hatred (1 John 3:15), and that lust is a form of adultery (Matthew 5:27, 28). He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15).





7. Will people who knowingly continue to break God’s commandments be saved?
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).
“He will destroy its sinners” (Isaiah 13:9).
“Whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).
Answer: The Ten Commandment law guides us into holy living. If we ignore even one of the commandments, we neglect an essential part of the divine blueprint. If only one link of a chain is broken, its entire purpose is undone. The Bible says that when we knowingly break a command of God, we are sinning (James 4:17) because we have refused His will for us. Only those who do His will can enter the kingdom of heaven. Of course, God will forgive anyone who genuinely repents and accepts Christ’s power to change him or her.





8. Can anyone be saved by keeping the law?
“By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Romans 3:20).
“By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8, 9).
Answer: No! The answer is too plain to miss. No one can be saved by keeping the law. Salvation comes only through grace, as a free gift of Jesus Christ, and we receive this gift by faith, not by our works. The law serves as a mirror that points out the sin in our lives. Just as a mirror can show you dirt on your face but cannot clean your face, so cleansing and forgiveness from that sin come only through Christ.





9. Why, then, is the law essential for improving a Christian’s character?
“Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all [whole duty]” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
“By the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).
Answer: Because the full pattern, or “whole duty,” for Christian living is contained in God’s law. Like a six-year-old who made his own ruler, measured himself, and told his mother that he was 12 feet tall, our own standards of measure are never safe. We cannot know whether we are sinners unless we look carefully into the perfect standard—God’s law. Many think that doing good works guarantees their salvation even if they ignore keeping the law (Matthew 7:21–23). Hence, they think they are righteous and saved when, in fact, they are sinful and lost. “By this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments”
(1 John 2:3).

10. What enables a truly converted Christian to follow the pattern of God’s law?
“I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts” (Hebrews 8:10).
“I can do all things through Christ” (Philippians 4:13).
“God did by sending His own Son … that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us” (Romans 8:3, 4)
Answer: Christ not only pardons repentant sinners, He also restores in them the image of God. He brings them into harmony with His law through the power of His indwelling presence. “Thou shalt not” becomes a positive promise that the Christian will not steal, lie, murder, etc., because Jesus lives within us and is in control. God will not change His moral law, but He made a provision through Jesus to change the sinner so we can measure up to that law.





11. But isn’t a Christian who has faith and is living under grace freed from keeping the law?
“Sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin [break the law] because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!” (Romans 6:14, 15).
“Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31).
Answer: No! The Scriptures teach the very opposite. Grace is like a governor’s pardon to a prisoner. It forgives him, but it does not give him the freedom to break another law. The forgiven person, living under grace, will actually want to keep God’s law in his or her gratitude for salvation. A person who refuses to keep God’s law, saying that he is living under grace, is sorely mistaken.





12. Are the Ten Commandments of God also affirmed in the New Testament?

Answer: Yes—and very clearly so. Look over the following very carefully.

The Law of God in the New Testament.
1. "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve" (Matthew 4:10).
2. "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1 John 5:21). "Since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man’s devising" (Acts 17:29).
3. "That the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed" (1 Timothy 6:1).
4. "He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: 'And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.' There remains therefore a rest ["keeping of a sabbath," margin] for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His" (Hebrews 4:4, 9, 10).
5. "Honor your father and your mother" (Matthew 19:19).
6. "You shall not murder" (Romans 13:9).
7. "You shall not commit adultery" (Matthew 19:18).
8. "You shall not steal" (Romans 13:9).
9. "You shall not bear false witness" (Romans 13:9).
10. "You shall not covet" (Romans 7:7).

The Law of God in the Old Testament.
1. "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3).
2. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments" (Exodus 20:4–6).
3. "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain" (Exodus 20:7).
4. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Exodus 20:8–11).
5. "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12).
6. "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13).
7. "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:14).
8. "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:15).
9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Exodus 20:16).
10. "You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's" (Exodus 20:17).





13. Are God’s law and Moses’ law the same?

Answer: No—they are not the same. Study the following contrasts:

Moses’ law contained the temporary, ceremonial law of the Old Testament. It regulated the priesthood, sacrifices, rituals, meat and drink offerings, etc., all of which foreshadowed the cross. This law was added “till the Seed should come,” and that seed was Christ (Galatians 3:16, 19). The ritual and ceremony of Moses’ law pointed forward to Christ’s sacrifice. When He died, this law came to an end, but the Ten Commandments (God’s law) “stand fast forever and ever” (Psalm 111:8). That there are two laws is made clear in Daniel 9:10, 11.

Note: God’s law has existed at least as long as sin has existed. The Bible says, “Where there is no law there is no transgression [sin]” (Romans 4:15). So God’s Ten Commandment law existed from the beginning. Men broke that law (sinned—1 John 3:4). Because of sin (or breaking God’s law), Moses’ law was given (or “added”—Galatians 3:16, 19) till Christ should come and die. Two separate laws are involved: God’s law and Moses’ law.


MOSES' LAWGOD'S LAWCalled "the law of Moses" (Luke 2:22).Called "the law of the Lord" (Isaiah 5:24).Called "law ... contained in ordinances" (Ephesians 2:15).Called "the royal law" (James 2:8).Written by Moses in a book (2 Chronicles 35:12).Written by God on stone (Exodus 31:18 32:16).Placed in the side of the ark (Deuteronomy 31:26).Placed inside the ark (Exodus 40:20).Ended at the cross (Ephesians 2:15).Will stand forever (Luke 16:17).Added because of sin (Galatians 3:19).Points out sin (Romans 7:7 3:20).Contrary to us, against us (Colossians 2:14).Not burdensome (1 John 5:3).Judges no one (Colossians 2:14-16).Judges all people (James 2:10-12).Fleshly (Hebrews 7:16).Spiritual (Romans 7:14).Made nothing perfect (Hebrews 7:19).Perfect (Psalms 19:7).






14. How does the devil feel about people who pattern their lives after God’s Ten Commandments?
“The dragon [the devil] was enraged with the woman [true church], and he went
to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God” (Revelation 12:17).
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God” (Revelation 14:12).

Answer: The devil hates those who uphold God’s law because the law is a pattern of right living, so it is not surprising that he bitterly opposes all who uphold God’s law. In his war against God’s holy standard, he goes so far as to use religious leaders to deny the Ten Commandments while at the same time upholding the traditions of men. No wonder Jesus said, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? … In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:3, 9). And David said, “It is time for You to act, O Lord, for they have regarded Your law as void” (Psalm 119:126). Christians must wake up and restore God’s law to its rightful place in their hearts and lives.








15. Do you believe it is essential for a Christian to obey the Ten Commandments?


Answer:



Thought Questions


1. Doesn’t the Bible say the law was (or is) faulty?

No. The Bible says the people were faulty. God found “fault with them” (Hebrews 8:8). And in Romans 8:3 the Bible says that the law “was weak through the flesh.” It is always the same story. The law is perfect, but the people are faulty, or weak. So God would have His Son live within His people “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us” (Romans 8:4) through the indwelling Christ.


2. What does it mean when Galatians 3:13 says we are redeemed from the curse of the law?

The curse of the law is death (Romans 6:23). Christ tasted “death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). Thus He redeemed all from the curse of the law (death) and in its place provided eternal life.


3. Don’t Colossians 2:14–17 and Ephesians 2:15 teach that God’s law ended at the cross?

No. These passages both refer to the law containing “ordinances,” or Moses’ law, which was a ceremonial law governing the sacrificial system and the priesthood. All of this ceremony and ritual foreshadowed the cross and ended at Christ’s death, as God had intended. Moses’ law was added till the “Seed should come,” and that “Seed … is Christ” (Galatians 3:16, 19). God’s law could not be involved here, for Paul spoke of it as holy, just, and good many years after the cross (Romans 7:7, 12).


4. The Bible says “love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10). Matthew 22:37–40 commands us to love God and to love our neighbors, ending with the words, "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." Do these commands replace the Ten Commandments?

No. The Ten Commandments hang from these two commands as our 10 fingers hang from our two hands. They are inseparable. Love to God makes keeping the first four commandments (which concern God) a pleasure, and love toward our neighbor makes keeping the last six (which concern our neighbor) a joy. Love fulfills the law by taking away the drudgery of mere obedience and by making law-keeping a delight (Psalm 40:8). When we truly love a person, honoring his or her requests becomes a joy. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). It is impossible to love the Lord and not keep His commandments, because the Bible says, “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4).


5. Doesn’t 2 Corinthians 3:7 teach that the law engraved in stone was to be done away?

No. The passage says that the “glory” of Moses’ ministration of the law was to be done away, but not the law. Read the whole passage of 2 Corinthians 3:3–9 carefully. The subject is not the doing away with the law or its establishment, but rather, the change of the location of the law from tables of stone to the tables of the heart. Under Moses’ ministration the law was on stones. Under the Holy Spirit’s ministration, through Christ, the law is written upon the heart (Hebrews 8:10). A rule posted on a school bulletin board becomes effective only when it enters a student’s heart. Likewise, keeping God’s law becomes a delight and a joyful way of living because the Christian has true love for both God and man.


6. Romans 10:4 says that “Christ is the end of the law.” So it has ended, hasn’t it?

“End” in this verse means purpose or object, as it does in James 5:11. The meaning is clear. To lead men to Christ—where they find righteousness—is the goal, purpose, or end of the law.


7. Why do so many people deny the binding claims of God's law?

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:7–9).


8. Were the righteous people of the Old Testament saved by the law?

No one has ever been saved by the law. All who have been saved in all ages have been saved by grace. This “grace … was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9). The law only points out sin. Christ alone can save. Noah “found grace” (Genesis 6:8); Moses found grace (Exodus 33:17); the Israelites in the wilderness found grace (Jeremiah 31:2); and Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and many other Old Testament characters were saved “by faith” according to Hebrews 11. They were saved by looking forward to the cross, and we, by looking back to it. The law is necessary because, like a mirror, it reveals the “dirt” in our lives. Without it, people are sinners but are not aware of it. However, the law has no saving power. It can only point out sin. Jesus, and He alone, can save a person from sin. This has always been true, even in Old Testament times (Acts 4:10, 12; 2 Timothy 1:9).


9. Why worry about the law? Isn’t conscience a safe guide?

No! The Bible speaks of an evil conscience, a defiled conscience, and a seared conscience—none of which is safe. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). God says, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool” (Proverbs 28:26).

Can you shorten that to maybe two paragraphs?

Beth you have obviously copy/pasted this thread from some site on the internet

if it is copyrighted, it is against the law to copy entire articles and paste them as though they were your own

two problems then

you do not name your source

you cannot copy/paste entire articles. you can copy/paste a portion and then put a link to the source

if I missed where you did name your source, sorry, but I do not find anything

well I answered my own question here

all of this thread and another Beth posted are from a 7th day Adventist site

so, trying to make converts?

would be nice to just be honest up front about it

There is not one scripture giving us an order we 'MUST" keep. That is something the Muslims do. God is love, not a dictator. We are given the consequences of our choices, but no orders.

The Lord gives us direction about how our world, and the world to come operates and leaves it up to us to follow along or not.

It is as if life was a river that flows. No one tells you not to buck the current, you are free to go upstream or you can follow the current.

"thou shalt not steal"

Yeah, she comes in asking a question then has all the answers. Apparently having faith in Jesus Christ isn’t good enough for some people, they demand you worship on a specific calendar day.

Unfortunately yes .

Colossians 2:14
King James Version


14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, I'm not trying to make converts, for if we are here we are already converts, I'm just trying to spread the truth as it is in the word of God.....I got this information from Amazing Facts website, just cause it has all the details, otherwise I would have to write all that... God bless you!

Why do you believe they were ' looking forward to the cross?

Are you SDA? And could you shamelessly plug that Sda website again for those that might have missed it .

The Ten Commandments describe a normal state of life，The Ten Commandments describe the real meaning of true life，But we don't follow the rules，So the law adds repentance，It's not the law that curses us, but we turn the law into a law that curses people

And yet by that standard then the ten commandments can be said to still apply. Written in our hearts means even more so because our knowledge of righteous living is now innate because we are new creations with the indwelling holy spirit guiding our way.

The ten commandments pertain to morality within the human race and to worship of God.

We know we are sinners. The law tells us what is right behavior in the eyes of God and how to comport ourselves for our own survival. That's why each of the eight commands begin as a directive for right behavior as pertains to what we are not to do. Thou shalt not....
While two of the commands are directives with no equivocation. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. And, honor thy father and mother.

Jesus said, if you love me keep my commandments. Jesus being God, that command applies to the ten commandments, many of which Jesus reiterated before giving that directive to keep the commandments. John 14 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

The Sabbath was made for man. It was the Pharisee that wrote the viciousness into the Sabbath law that would warrant a person suffer punishment if they worked on the Sabbath day. God did not do this. God created the Sabbath day as our day of rest that we may abide solely in him without the world interfering. As it does today when we have so much to worry about. Jesus did not revoke the Sabbath. In him we have our rest and that is because Jesus is God who made the Sabbath day and made it holy.
If you're able to not work on the Sabbath, sundown Friday unto sundown Saturday, do so. And commit to the good works God would lead you to do.
If you have to work on the Sabbath, maybe consider that doing the good work of the Lord. You're making a living surviving yourself and your family. And with those monies you are able to help others through simple kindnesses. Like buying a little extra and donating to the food bank in your area.
God created the Sabbath for us. It makes sense that he would not repeal it simply because he sent himself as Jesus to save us.

Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
Leviticus 26:2

“How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Matthew 12:12

Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said,

There are some churches today that insist the ten commands of God no longer apply. If anyone here is a member of that kind of church, I'd recommend you read the ten commandments again. Imagine a preacher telling you that God's command against stealing no longer applies. Nor does committing murder.
Then you might consider leaving that church and wondering as to the moral foundation of that pastor.

Whether two paragraphs or 10, it’s all just SDA propaganda that culminates in salvation by “grace plus law, faith plus works.” (Galatians 1:6-9)

Translation: she loses.

It would seem Cesar is used to represent the continuous fulfilling the law. The wrath of God being revealed daily as dying creation. . That law reveals unconverted mankind will not get under the law of faith, as it is written the bible. They will not beleive in a invisible God by faith. They seek after signs of confusion or wonders never coming to the law of faith the power to believe God .

The generation of Adam or called the evil generation "no faith" (not little, none) that comes from hearing Gods understanding, a confused generation. They do not hear the loving commandments in their hard hearts.

Believers are empowered to hear His understanding that works in them softening hearts and are given a vision, the understanding of faith . They acknowledge it is God working in them work in them to both will and do his good pleasure. .
Cesar has no faith that would work in him to do the desires of God. But rather becoming a god unto oneself in the likeness of mankind, comparing oneself, to oneself violates . . .the first faithful commandment. No gods before .

Deuteronomy 32:20 And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.

A distinction between the things of men seen and the things of God not seen must be made. To see the face of God is to trust in the understanding of God ,the faith unseen, to the same faith .The face of Gods glorious presence . Hid from faithless Cesar.