The New Testomony Authors Reaffirm All the Ten Commandments (besides the Sabbath Commandment)
The Ten Commandments are present in Exodus 20:1–17 (and restated in Deut. 5:6–21). Though Jesus talks in regards to the Sabbath commandment within the Gospels, the New Testomony authors by no means quote or affirm the Sabbath commandment as one thing relevant to new covenant Christians. However they quote or allude to the opposite commandments very often.
1. The First Commandment
You shall haven’t any different gods earlier than me. (Ex. 20:3)
The concept God will need to have first allegiance in our lives is implied by the best commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your coronary heart and with all of your soul and with all of your thoughts” (Matt. 22:37; see additionally Jesus’s reply to Devil in Matt. 4:10). This commandment can also be affirmed when Paul factors out how folks sinned after they “worshiped and served the creature fairly than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25) and when the New Testomony writers incessantly condemn idolatry (see 1Cor. 5:10–11; 6:9; 10:7, 14; Gal. 5:20; Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5; 1 Thess. 1:9; 1 John 5:21; Rev. 9:20; 16:2; 20:4; 21:8; 22:15; see additionally Acts 12:23).
2. The Second Commandment
You shall not make for your self a carved picture, or any likeness of something that’s in heaven above, or that’s within the earth beneath, or that’s within the water below the earth. You shall not bow right down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the youngsters to the third and the fourth era of those that hate me, however displaying steadfast like to 1000’s of those that love me and preserve my commandments. (Ex. 20:4–6)
This command towards carved photos made as idols was affirmed when Paul was in Athens and “his spirit was provoked inside him as he noticed that the town was stuffed with idols” (Acts 17:16)—right here, not idols of the center however bodily carved photos. This command can also be affirmed when Paul says that Gentiles “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for photos resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping issues” (Rom. 1:23). As well as, lots of the passages cited below level (1) above might match on this class as properly, since typically folks had been worshiping bodily objects that represented deities.
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3. The Third Commandment
You shall not take the identify of the Lord your God in useless, for the Lord won’t maintain him guiltless who takes his identify in useless. (Ex. 20:7)
Paul affirms the evil of dishonoring God’s identify when he says of the Jews who don’t imagine in Christ, “the identify of God is blasphemed among the many Gentiles due to you” (Rom. 2:24). Such blasphemy that dishonors the identify of God can also be recognized as a sin in 1 Timothy 1:13, 20; James 2:7; 2 Peter 2:12; Jude 10; Revelation 13:1, 5, 6; 16:9, 11, 21; 17:3; examine the prohibition towards “corrupting speak” in Ephesians 4:29.
4. The Fourth Commandment
Bear in mind the Sabbath day, to maintain it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all of your work, however the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your feminine servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who’s inside your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the ocean, and all that’s in them, and rested on the seventh day. Subsequently the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Ex. 20:8–11)
The command to relaxation on the Sabbath day isn’t repeated as an obligation for Christians after the start of the brand new covenant on the time of Christ’s loss of life.1 Nevertheless, there may be one other half to the commandment. This commandment additionally requires that God’s folks work: “Six days shall you labor, and do all of your work” (Ex. 20:9). There are New Testomony instructions that replicate this requirement, comparable to Ephesians 4:28:
Let the thief now not steal, however fairly let him labor, doing trustworthy work together with his personal arms, in order that he might have one thing to share with anybody in want.
Comparable instructions for Christians to interact in productive work are present in 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 and a couple of Thessalonians 3:6–12. (Nevertheless, there may be nothing notably modern a few command to work, since God commanded Adam and Eve to “subdue” the earth [Gen. 1:28], and he put Adam within the backyard “to work it and preserve it” [2:15]. See chap. 13 for an additional dialogue of the fourth commandment, p. 332.)
5. The Fifth Commandment
Honor your father and your mom, that your days could also be lengthy within the land that the Lord your God is supplying you with. (Ex. 20:12)
Paul quotes this commandment explicitly in Ephesians:
Kids, obey your dad and mom within the Lord, for that is proper. “Honor your father and mom” (that is the primary commandment with a promise), “that it could go properly with you and that you could be reside lengthy within the land.” (Eph. 6:1–3)
Different passages within the New Testomony additionally affirm the validity of an ethical requirement to honor one’s father and mom (see Rom. 1:30; 1 Tim. 1:9; 2 Tim. 3:2; see additionally Jesus’s instructing in Matt. 15:4; 19:18).
6. The Sixth Commandment
You shall not homicide. (Ex. 20:13)
“Homicide” is listed many instances amongst catalogs of varied sins within the New Testomony (see Rom. 1:29; 13:9; 1 Tim. 1:9; James 2:11; 4:2; 1 John 3:12, 15; Rev. 9:21; 16:6; 18:24; 21:8; 22:15; see additionally Jesus’s instructing in Matt. 5:21–26; 15:19; 19:18).
7. The Seventh Commandment
You shall not commit adultery. (Ex. 20:14)
Paul quotes “You shall not commit adultery” among the many commandments which can be
summed up within the love command in Romans 13:9. James additionally quotes this commandment instantly (James 2:11).
But when we perceive this commandment to forbid not solely adultery within the slender sense however sexual immorality in a broader sense, then many different passages within the New Testomony replicate this ethical normal and prohibit immoral sexual conduct (see Rom. 1:26–27; 2:22; 1 Cor. 5:1–5; 6:9, 13–20; 7:2; 10:8; Gal. 5:19; Col. 3:5; 1 Thess. 4:3; 1 Tim. 1:10; Heb. 12:16; 13:4; James 2:11; 2 Pet. 2:14; Jude 7; Rev. 2:20–22; 9:21; 14:8; 17:1–5; 18:3; 19:2; 21:8, 22:15; see additionally Jesus’s instructing in Matt. 5:27–28; 15:19; 19:9, 18).
8. The Eighth Commandment
You shall not steal. (Ex. 20:15)
Paul quotes this commandment instantly in Romans 13:9, his abstract of ethical necessities which can be fulfilled within the command to like one’s neighbor. He additionally echoes this command when he says, “Let the thief now not steal” (Eph. 4:28). However a number of different verses additionally prohibit theft of varied varieties (see Rom. 2:22; 1 Cor. 5:11; 6:10; Heb. 10:34; Titus 2:10; James 5:4; Rev. 9:21; see additionally Jesus’s instructing in Matt. 15:19; 19:18).
9. The Ninth Commandment
You shall not bear false witness towards your neighbor. (Ex. 20:16)
Though this commandment isn’t quoted explicitly within the New Testomony, if we perceive it to be a normal prohibition towards talking falsehood, then there are a number of passages that affirm this ethical normal, starting with the judgment on Ananias and Sapphira for mendacity to the Holy Spirit in Acts 5:1–11. And Paul says to the Ephesians, “Having put away falsehood, let every one among you converse the reality together with his neighbor” (Eph. 4:25). Instructions towards talking falsely, particularly about different folks, are present in Romans 1:30; Ephesians 5:3–4; Colossians 3:8–9; 1 Timothy 1:10; 5:13; James 4:11; 1 John 1:6; 2:4, 21, 27; 2 John 7; Revelation 21:8; 22:15; see additionally Jesus’s instructing in Matthew 5:37; 15:19; 19:18.
10. The Tenth Commandment
You shall not covet your neighbor’s home; you shall not covet your neighbor’s spouse, or his male servant, or his feminine servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or something that’s your neighbor’s. (Ex. 20:17)
Paul quotes the command “You shall not covet” as one thing that’s summed up within the commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as your self” (Rom. 13:9). He additionally quotes this command in Romans 7:7 as instructing him what it was to covet, thereby awakening extra sin and being utilized by sin to supply in him “every kind of covetousness” (7:8). The sin of coveting can also be talked about elsewhere (see 1:29; Col. 3:5; 1 Tim. 6:5–10, 17–18; Heb. 13:5; James 4:2; 2 Pet. 2:14; see additionally Jesus’s instructing in Luke 12:15). Not all of those passages use the phrase covet, however all comprise the concept that it’s sinful to have our hearts set on higher riches than God has entrusted to us.
What we could conclude from these quite a few New Testomony affirmations of 9 out of 10 of the ethical requirements discovered within the Ten Commandments (plus the work facet of the Sabbath command)? It might not be right to conclude that the New Testomony authors thought these commandments had been binding for Christians as a result of they had been a part of the Mosaic covenant. That line of considering would contradict the opposite passages that so clearly educate that the Mosaic covenant has been terminated and that the brand new covenant is now in impact (see dialogue above).
It’s higher to conclude that the New Testomony authors, guided by the teachings of Jesus and by the additional main of the Holy Spirit after Jesus’s ascension into heaven, understood that God, in his knowledge, positioned inside the Ten Commandments some broad rules that will not solely educate the folks of Israel what sort of conduct is agreeable or displeasing to him, however would even be helpful for instructing others outdoors of Israel, and all through all historical past, about such conduct. Briefly, the Ten Commandments radiate God’s knowledge for all of human historical past.
Bruce Waltke factors out that, even inside the authentic context of Exodus, “The Ten Commandments are a very powerful teachings of the previous covenant for a number of causes,” together with the truth that they’re given first on the institution of the covenant; they alone are given instantly by God fairly than via Moses; they alone are deposited within the ark of the covenant; they aren’t restricted to geography or historical past; they’re known as “the covenant” (Deut. 4:13; 9:9, 11); and they’re addressed personally to every particular person inside the entire Jewish nation utilizing second-person singular verbs.2 Waltke says:
The Ten Commandments aren’t sure by time and area. Thus, the Ten Commandments can’t be relativized to tradition. They apply to all folks of all nationalities and all time intervals. They specific God’s elementary ethical stance.3
In a single exceptional paragraph, Waltke explains how the Ten Commandments are grounded within the order that God established at creation:
The creation narratives undergird the Ten Commandments, which epitomize the ethics of Israel’s religion and mildew the judicial system of Judeo-Christian nations. The narrative affirms the precedence of the one true God, demanded by the primary commandment. It additionally affirms that he exists other than and is sovereign over all creation; thus, to reimage him within the type of an idol or because the goddess Sophia, as prohibited by the second commandment, is a detestable distortion of his superb particular person. This chic God won’t tolerate the attaching of his superb identify to something false; this reality helps the third commandment. The stipulation of the Sabbath within the fourth commandment relies on the day of relaxation within the climax of creation. Homicide is prohibited as a result of people are made within the picture of God, which supplies them dignity. The ban on adultery is predicated on the ethical order established by God, who gave Adam just one spouse. The Creator gave the arable soil to all humanity to supply them with meals and wealth (Gen. 1:29). To steal from the neighborhood what rightly belongs to all or to steal from a person what that particular person has lawfully earned as his or her wage from working the creation should not be tolerated. One should additionally defend the popularity of each human being, for all are made in God’s picture.4
We might add that, along with the creation narratives, the following chapters in Genesis present the ethical flawed concerned in a number of of those sins, comparable to homicide (Gen. 4:8–10; 9:5–6), adultery (12:17; 34:2; 39:9), and stealing (31:9). Subsequently, previous to the Mosaic covenant, lots of the ethical requirements discovered within the Ten Commandments discovered earlier expression within the historic narratives of Genesis.
It is usually important to note what isn’t affirmed by the New Testomony authors as an ethical normal for Christian conduct within the new covenant. We discover no affirmation of circumcision, the sacrifices of the Mosaic Legislation, the Sabbath commandment (curiously), the Jewish holidays and festivals, the meals legal guidelines, the legal guidelines associated to purity of clothes, and the legal guidelines regulating farming practices. We discover no trace of a want for the civil authorities to determine legal guidelines concerning non secular actions, and no encouragement for Christians to type a separate nation or any separate political entities.
It’s best to conclude that the New Testomony authors reaffirmed the ethical requirements present in 9 of the Ten Commandments, not as a result of they thought that some elements of the Mosaic covenant remained in drive, however as a result of they noticed in these commandments clear statements of conduct that’s pleasing to God for all folks, for all of life.5
Notes:
- In chap. 13 I talk about the query of whether or not individuals are nonetheless morally obligated to watch the Sabbath commandment below the brand new covenant. My conclusion in that chapter is that the Sabbath commandment is meant to be understood as a abstract of all of the later particulars about Mosaic holidays (together with the Sabbath yr and jubilee yr), ceremonies, and sacrifices that regarded ahead to the approaching of Christ, and due to this fact we’re not morally obligated to obey it immediately, although it’s clever to take common intervals of worship and relaxation. Some Reformed writers have argued that observance of the Sabbath continues to be required immediately as a result of it was a “creation ordinance” established by God on the time of the creation of Adam and Eve: see Murray, Ideas of Conduct, 30–35.
- Bruce Ok. Waltke, An Previous Testomony Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Strategy (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007), 412–14. Waltke factors out, nevertheless, that within the new covenant age Christians aren’t required to watch a weekly Sabbath, although he nonetheless thinks it clever to take action (424–25).
- Ibid., 413–14. Waltke explains the ethical teachings of every commandment in some element on pp. 414–33.
- Ibid., 206. Whereas Waltke connects the Sabbath commandment to God’s day of relaxation in creation, it’s attention-grabbing that, not like the opposite instructions, this one isn’t grounded in the necessity to defend the distinction of God or the dignity of human beings created within the picture of God. See additionally the considerate evaluation of “creation ordinances” by Murray in Ideas of Conduct, 27–148.
- Norman L. Geisler offers an ordinary-life instance to exhibit that New Testomony authors might reaffirm previous covenant ethical requirements with out implying that Christians are nonetheless below the authorized authority of the previous covenant legal guidelines: “Simply because there are related ethical legal guidelines within the New Testomony doesn’t imply we’re nonetheless below the Previous Testomony. There are additionally related visitors legal guidelines in North Carolina and Texas. However when a citizen of North Carolina disobeys one among its visitors legal guidelines, he has not thereby damaged the same regulation in Texas. Since God’s ethical nature doesn’t change from age to age, we must always count on that lots of the ethical legal guidelines would be the similar. However this doesn’t imply that we’re nonetheless sure by the Mosaic codification just because Moses acquired them from the identical God who impressed Paul and Peter.” Christian Ethics: Up to date Points and Choices, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2010), 209.
This text is tailored from Christian Ethics: Living a Life That Is Pleasing to God by Wayne Grudem.
