The Law of God: To Keep It? Or Not To Keep It? That Is the Question

There is a lot of confusion for Christians today about the place of the Ten Commandments (or Moral Law) in their lives. Almost all people agree that, of course, things like murder, adultery, lying, and theft, etc. are still forbidden. Yet there are many people who seem inclined to find reasons for dismissing (or redefining) some of God's other good and wise commandments on issues like images of God and the Sabbath for example. Against this backdrop it is helpful to look to the Bible and see how followers of Jesus are described by the Holy Spirit in Scripture.

One beautiful and clarifying example of this comes from Revelation 12:17. In this passage, sincere Christians are referred to as:

"...those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus."

Dear ones, our Savior, Jesus Christ, was a law-keeper. He kept the law perfectly from the heart out of genuine love for his Father. The best part is that he did this in our place as our saving-representative. Jesus' spotless submission to the law of God is credited to the account of everyone who believes so that by his righteousness on our behalf, we are counted righteous in God's sight. This means that as believers in Jesus, we do not endeavor to keep the law in order to try to earn God's approval; Jesus has already done that for us as a free gift of grace.

But now we need to stop and think: What does following Christ really look like in practice? What would it mean for someone who believes in Jesus to now devote their life to trusting him, following his example, and being conformed to his likeness? The answer is simple: Being like Jesus means trusting and obeying the wisdom of God as given in his good and holy law-—including all ten of the Ten Commandments. It means that we too, by faith, gladly receive and submit to "the commandments of God" as we also hold fast to "the testimony of Jesus," (Rev. 12:17).

The Scriptures are so helpful to us, aren't they? They really do give us light by which to see and wisdom upon which to build our lives, (Psalm 119:105; Matthew 7:24-27). Let us, therefore, listen carefully to the Bible and allow our understanding to be wholly shaped by all that God teaches us therein. For all the things which God commands of his people are for our own good not our harm, (Deuteronomy 10:13). They are things which bring life, blessing, peace, and joy, (Exodus 20:12). To believe that obedience to all God’s laws is somehow in the way of your best life is to repeat Adam and Eve’s folly in the Garden by believing a lie that can only bring destruction, (Genesis 3:1-7).