Listen to the full message on the greatness of Ten Commandments here:
Conclusion:
We said in the beginning that the law of God, specifically the Ten Commandments have three purposes or functions: The first is to show the character of God (Romans 7:7) and the sinfulness of man (Romans 3:19,20), making him hopeless and helpless resulting in him standing guilty before God, needing a Savior (Galatians 3:24). Secondly, they also help to restrain evil in society and instilling the fear of God and thirdly they show us how to live a righteous and God-pleasing life unto God (Matthew 22:36-40; Romans 13:8-10).
James also said these shocking words: “For whoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). I have thought for many years this statement is harsh, but thinking about it more and about the Ten Commandments I see how true it is. Let’s say for example you steal something. In doing that you dishonor God, misrepresent Him, blasphemes his name, in other words, you become guilty of not working as you should, breaking the first four commandments, and by taking from someone else you hate your neighbor, greed was involved in stealing, covetousness and so on. Every sin committed dishonors your neighbor and results in misrepresenting and dishonoring God. Therefore every sin that a person commits shows that you hate God and your neighbor. If we look deep into the law of God we see that we all deserve His wrath thousands of times.
I encourage you to pray with David as you go through each commandment: “search me, O God, and know my heart: test me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24).
And when God convicts you of your sins, be honest, confess your sins, and your rebellion, turn from them by the power of God and see the blameless character of God revealed to us through the Scriptures and the Ten Commandments and believe that Jesus Christ was sacrificed for you on the cross 2000 years ago to cleanse you from all your sins so that you may be purified, forgiven, justified and delivered from the bondage of sin. The Ten Commandments was never given to us to deliver us from our sins, but it was given to us to show us the character of God, see our own sinfulness, draw us to Christ so that by faith (Galatians 5:24) we may have forgiveness by His blood, the Passover Lamb. By faith in Christ, who was the fulfillment of the sacrificial and ceremonial laws in the Torah (the first five books of the Bible), we can have everlasting hope, forgiveness, and life.
The Old Testament laws about purity, diet and sacrifice were temporary enactments for purposes of instruction. They have been canceled by the New Testament because their symbolic meaning had been fulfilled. They were only a shadow of the things to come, Jesus Christ was and is the substance of the law (Colossians 2:14-22).
The moral law of God revealed in the Torah show us now how we can live lives pleasing to God. The moral law has been rephrased and restated in the new Testament and was upheld by the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles (Ephesians 4-6; Colossians 3; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 22:36-30; Matthew 5-7 etc.) The moral law will stand for eternity because it shows us the perfections of God, His righteous character and how God rules the world and how He will judge his world. The moral law and its implication and applications written in the Torah (Leviticus 18:1-30; Deuternomy 18:9-14 etc) have been upheld throughout the New Testament and its teachings by Jesus Christ and the apostles.
Please look at the Appendixes of how law and gospel correlate to each other and how it leads the sinner to Christ to be justified by faith.
Yours in Christ
Nico van Zyl
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