Well, I narrowed the results by googling "the ten commandments of the bible." Now I was able to whittle down the results to a manageable number, only 1, 590,000. That will save me some time.... Forget Google, let's go Bible.
Everybody has an opinion on God’s Ten Commandments. The Google results indicated that fact. And the world certainly doesn't need another opinion from anybody! But since this is a devotional blog, I would like to share a few thoughts on the ten commandments and its relevance for us, presenting biblical fact rather than another opinion.
There was only one life that ever lived on this planet that was in absolute agreement, in every facet, to the ten principles etched upon the face of the two sacred tablets. Only a sinless One could keep and maintain God’s standards, flawlessly, His name was Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. Only Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, could satisfy the just demands of a holy and righteous God (whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, Romans 3:25).
This begs the question. If only Jesus can keep that which God demands, how can God demand from us to keep that which we cannot possibly keep to His satisfaction as sinners? We can’t; we never could; we never will! The Law was to bring us to Christ; the Law was to reveal our need of a Savior, the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24), not our need to work harder. Salvation is not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:9). For by grace you have been saved, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8).
This poses another question. Are we by faith satisfied with the sacrifice that satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God, or are we still pounding the turf as a sinful human being trying to earn that which we cannot attain to God’s satisfaction, righteousness before God through keeping the law?
Paul said in Gal 3:21, For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. God the Father would not have allowed His Son to die upon the cross if there was some other way to save mankind. Christ’s suffering and death on the wicked wood was the ultimate evidence that the keeping of the law could not satisfy the just demands of a holy and righteous God. It only revealed our sinfulness and need of redemption. God knew man did not possess the capacity for self-redemption. It required the love of the Father and the obedience of His Son to make a way when there was no way.
Isaiah saw mankind as God did, But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away (64:6). David said in Psalm 14:2-3, The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. The Apostle Paul repeated what David said above in Romans 3:10, There is none righteous, no, not one. Paul summarizes the whole problem with the heart of man in Romans 3:18 by quoting from Psalm 36:1, There is no fear of God before his eyes.
This is why we need the efficacious blood of Jesus Christ applied through faith to our hearts to atone for our sin. All the externals of the Mosaic covenant with its sacrifices, ceremonies, rituals, new moons, feasts, and festivals only foreshadowed Christ, provided a covering for man, like Adam and Eve, until the incarnation of Christ. He was the fulfillment of all those symbols, pictures, and types. That is why Paul said in Romans 10:4, For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Once the veil in the temple was ripped down the middle, the ceremonial aspect of the Mosaic law was over. There was no further need to observe all that stuff. The Holy of Holies was wide open to all through faith! Access to God was 24/7 to all who placed their faith in Christ. The law demanded, “Obey the law and live!” Grace cries out, “Believe in Christ and live! The ceremonial code of the Mosaic law concluded with Christ atoning work at the cross.
But the moral standards which are a revelation of the character of God are forever unchanged. For I am the LORD; I do not change (Malachi 3:6). These moral standards have existed from eternity past to Abraham, from Abraham to Moses, from Moses to Calvary, from Calvary to today, and from today to eternity future. These moral standards are all throughout the pages of the Old Testament and New Testament.
The law of Moses has passed but not the moral standards based upon the character of God revealed in both the Old and New Testaments. We are no longer bound by ceremonies or traditions of men pertaining to the Mosaic economy because of Christ’s finishing work on Calvary. We are, however, bound to the moral standards that reveal the character of God, of whose character we are and to become, like Christ, But he who is looking into the perfect law of liberty and continuing in it, and being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does (James 1:25, literal).
The big “Ten” are not “The Ten Options.” They reflect God’s moral standards that existed before the law, during the law, and after the law of Moses. God’s moral law spans all eras of redemptive history. We are not saved by keeping them, but we are blessed if we do. The question still remains. Are you satisfied with the sacrifice that satisfied the just demands of a holy and righteous God? It's your choice. <><
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