The Value (and Limits) of the Ten Commandments
Should Christians obey them?
Before I get started, Louisiana recently adopted a law that would require school classrooms to post the Ten Commandments. Since I have stated that I don’t think that is a good idea, I guess I should explain myself a little more.
Hi. Why did the chicken cross the road? Who cares? But what if your chicken crossed the road and your neighbor called the sheriff? Upon inquiring why such a call was made, your neighbor would answer, “Because it’s against the law for your chicken to cross the road in Quitman, Georgia!” That makes sense, except for one thing. You don’t live in Quitman, Georgia. That’s a little how I think about the Ten Commandments. They’re the law (or, kind of a summary of it, or actually, kind of a prelude to a legal covenant) for another nation in another time, but not for Christians today.
Now, before you hurt someone with that knee jerk reaction, let me give the disclaimer. The Ten Commandments are a codification of moral principles that were not only the foundation of the Mosaic Covenant, but which also reflect wisdom of the ages that have guided various cultures for thousands of years. They are inspired scripture, which means they are useful for helping believers become godly believers. But should Christians obey them?
This is where I think the issue gets confusing. I think it gets confusing because, since they have been held in such high regard (rightly so), and since they are customary artistic fixtures (value debatable), Christians have been conditioned to think, “Of course, we’re supposed to obey them. They’re the Ten Commandments!” Except we don’t. “OK,” you might say, “but we ought to at least try. They’re the ideal we should aspire to.” Except we don’t. As I write this paragraph, I have been engaged in flagrant violation of the command not to work on the seventh day and I don’t even feel bad about it. I can hear some people spitting and sputtering about this now. They’re objecting to my supposed transgression by reassuring me that Christians ought to obey they principle of the Sabbath day commandment in one way or another—the spirit, not the letter, of the law. And this argument, of course, would be making my point for me. Look, it’s the law. It’s meant to be obeyed. If you want more explanation, read the context, Exodus 19-23, to see how the Ten Commandments were meant to be obeyed in real life. I don’t recall anything in there suggesting we can pick and choose which ones to obey and which ones to fudge.
Interpretation and Application
This is the difference between the interpretation of the Bible and the application of it, i.e., what it meant for them then vs. how it applies to us now. When it comes to legal literature, we apply Exodus 20 by the same process we apply Leviticus 11:7-8. Since it is OT law, it is not binding upon Christians, and we are not subject to penalties for violation of the mosaic law. We are, however, expected to glean spiritual principles that correlate with the rest of scripture, which we can apply to help us build character and live lives that please God. It might, might, be easier to apply a command to not murder (see Matt. 5:21-26), than to not eat pigs, but the process is the same. (FWIW, the principles at play in the laws about pork products might be about health, safety, and sanitation, and/or they might be about being separate and distinct from the people around them, and/or something else. I’m not really sure. But I eat pigs.) So, about my Sabbath violation. The principle isn’t about going to church on Sunday. We should do that for reasons not having to do with the Sabbath. It’s about the work-rest cycle established by God at creation. I work plenty of Saturdays, but we should do our best to rest from our vocational work on a regular basis, maybe even one day per week. For me, it’s usually Mondays. After all, it is God who provides for us, and taking a day off acknowledges our reliance on Him and not ourselves.
A Matter of Emphasis
But the issue of singling out the Ten Commandments goes beyond understanding how to apply the principles that we can pull from them. Now I’m talking about the practice of posting the Ten Commandments in prominent places in our homes, churches, and other institutions. Hey, you can hang reminders of any scripture you want. You have your reasons. I don’t necessarily want them to come down from everywhere they have been posted (though I don’t like the idea of demanding they be posted in such places). But we communicate something when we highlight the Ten Commandments for Christian living more than, say, walking in the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit, or priority of love in 1 Corinthians 13, or the greatest commandments according to Jesus himself, to love God and love your neighbor. While God has always been more concerned for the heart than for external rules—think: Commandment #10—there is something about emphasizing the Ten Commandments that externalizes our faith. Don’t get me wrong. Our faith should show up externally, but it doesn’t start there. Visible religion ought to be an outworking of an inward relationship with God. Personally, I don’t get that message from hanging the Ten Commandments, but I won’t argue with you too much if you do.
In Reaching Hearts
Are the Ten Commandments useful for reaching people for Jesus? They are useful for bringing salvation to lost souls, but not the way some might think. Their value in this regard has more to do with convincing people of their lostness than with actually saving them. The commandments cannot be kept, not perfectly. Did I mention Commandment #10? The holiness of God’s law served to drive people to God’s mercy and forgiveness. Since people are unable to achieve holiness by themselves, and since the law demonstrates the severity of this inability, we are forced to acquire it another way. God has provided a holy sacrifice. Through the sacrifice—through Jesus—our sin was given to him and punished, and his holiness was given to us to be practiced. God has only had one requirement for salvation for all people of all time: faith. The spiritual value of any obedience to the law, or its principles, or the teaching of the New Testament comes after faith, not before. Indeed, teaching the Ten Commandments will surely help direct people to the gospel of faith and forgiveness in Christ. But I’m not sure that isolating them and posting them apart from the gospel will get you there.
If you have made it this far, congratulations! Seriously, I am honored to have your attention. But if you’re thinking that there are LOTS of other issues to consider about the Ten Commandments, I’m sure you’re right. Feel free to comment about your thoughts. But these are mine for now. I could be convinced to answer questions. I could even be tempted to write more. But I doubt it.