Why Do We Still Teach the Law and the Ten Commandments?
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In America, many local and state courthouses have the Ten Commandments posted outside, as a symbol of proper law and government. For many, God’s commandments form the basis of social life and justice, especially if we believe they came from the Creator.
Over recent years, however, as our culture has become more secularized and the “unchurched” population grows, posting these religious rules outside of courthouses comes under criticism. The ideas of separation of church and state has evolved, and many people resist placing a religious law in such places. Some Christians also challenge including the Ten Commandments, mostly based on what the New Testament says about the Mosaic Law and the new covenant of grace.
Did those New Testament writers then mean for us to completely dismiss the Law and the Ten Commandments? Do they have no value for us today?
Why Did God Give the Law?
The Law didn’t save the Israelites. God delivered them from Egypt with the blood of the lamb at Passover. After God’s deliverance, he entered into a covenant with them through the Mosaic Law. It was never just a set of rules; the Lord gave it as a gift meant to develop Israel into a people who reflected heaven on earth, at least a taste. It showed his desire for a close relationship. And ultimately, God gave the Law to show the need for a greater deliverance and covenant.
First, the Law reveals God’s character. The commandments express who he is. The moral laws show his justice and goodness. Laws about the poor, the foreigner, and the orphan reveal his compassion. The ceremonial laws point to his holiness and the cost for sin. Obeying the Law was never about earning God’s love but living in it.
Second, God gave the Law to set Israel apart as a special people. The Law created a whole culture unique from the nations around them. Unlike the pagan nations worshipping false idols with immorality and injustice (like sacrificing their children), God called Israel to be different. They were to be a people whose lives expressed the purity and creative order of heaven, from their worship to family life and their economic system.
Thirdly, God designed the Law to show the world what heaven on earth could be like. It all aligned with a heavenly principle to bless Israel and all nations they came in contact with. When Israel followed God’s commands, they flourished. Justice ruled, the poor were cared for, and they lived in peace and protection. Foreigners would see this and be drawn to Israel’s God. In Deuteronomy 4:6-8, God says Israel’s obedience would make the nations wonder and marvel, recognizing God’s wisdom and sovereignty. Israel’s faithfulness would turn the world toward the one true God.
Unfortunately, Israel continually disobeyed, worshipping the false gods and rejecting God over and over. Thankfully, this was part of God’s plan, too. It pointed to the reality that humanity (all peoples) needed another way of grace and faith rather than Law, fulfilled in Christ.
How Do the Ten Commandments Teach Eternal Truth?
While the old covenant wasn't based on faith and grace, God gave the Law and it revealed his character. We are no longer subject to the Law, but it taught eternal truth. Specifically, the Ten Commandments show us how to love God first and love others second.
When the religious leaders questioned Jesus about the greatest commandment, hoping to catch him in an argument and critique him, Jesus gave them two (Matthew 22:37-39). The greatest commandment was, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” The second, Christ said, was like the first: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He got these both from the Old Testament. He summed up the Law and the Prophets, essentially all of Scripture up to that point, with those two commandments. The ten commandments reflect these two.
Within the 10 Commandments, the first four focus on loving God. The first says, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). God alone is worthy of worship, which leads to the second commandment, to have no idols. The third commandment, “Do not take the name of the Lord in vain,” points to the idea of identity. The Israelites shouldn’t commit to being God’s special people for nothing. The fourth commandment established the Sabbath rest on one day, reminding believers to trust in God’s provision alone, not in human abilities. These first four laws show how to love God with everything.
The last six commandments teach how to love people. Honoring our parents recognizes respect for authority and where we come from. The sixth commandment protects human life, making it a crime to murder another made in God’s image. The seventh, “You shall not commit adultery,” asserts the sacredness of marriage and how it reflects God’s covenantal love. The eighth protects ownership and property with “You shall not steal.” The ninth commandment forbids lying, which comes from the Devil, the father of lies, while God is truth. Lies lead to death and destruction, while God’s truth results in life. The tenth and final command, “You shall not covet,” addresses the heart, forbidding jealousy and comparison. Instead, we should live with contentment and thankfulness for what we have.
We see each of these reiterated in one way or another in the New Testament, showing that while the covenant changed, we now live out the heart of the Law by the Spirit, affirmed by Jesus himself. Additionally, Christ lived these moral laws through his encounters with people, revealing his Father’s heart for all.
How Does the Law Reveal God’s Heart for People?
The Mosaic Law often gets a bad reputation, as if it’s all harsh and cruel. However, looking at the Law in depth, we see God’s compassionate heart for people.
The Law shows God’s heart for the poor. He commands Israel to care for those in need. “If there is a poor man among you … you shall not harden your heart, but you shall freely open your hand to him” (Deuteronomy 15:7-8). This principle aligns with times the New Testament says we show love by caring for the needs of others (1 John 3:17). God established laws to prevent oppression, like forbidding excessive interest on loans to fellow Israelites (Exodus 22:25) He commands landowners to leave the edges of their fields unharvested so the poor can work and gather their own food (Leviticus 19:9-10). The amazing Year of Jubilee restored all family lands and gave freedom every fifty years, a completely unique and radical redemption, revealing God’s love and forgiveness.
The Law commanded Israel to treat foreigners well. Surrounding nations would mistreat outsiders, or enslave them like Egypt did, but God told Israel to treat them with fairness, even as a fellow Israelite. “The foreigner who resides among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt” (Leviticus 19:34). He meant for Israel to share heaven on earth with all nations who visited.
The Law also showed God’s commitment to justice and equality. Judges were to uphold truth and not take bribes (Deuteronomy 16:19). God condemned different scales and dishonest business methods that would exploit people (Leviticus 19:35-36). The Law treats all equally and protected the rights of the weak and the strong. God says several times how he hates oppression in all its forms (Isaiah 1:17).
These laws promoted reconciliation when a neighbor had been wronged. God gave rules to resolve these conflicts fairly between two people. The restitution always went to the wronged party, not the government or lawyers. Even when there was unintentional harm, cities of refuge provided a place where people found protection while they sought witnesses and justice (Numbers 35).
How Does the Law Reveal Our Sin and Inability?
While the old covenant failed, the problem wasn’t with the Law. The Law revealed righteousness. It was good, but it showed how people, in their own strength, couldn’t obey God. This points humanity to the ultimate and final solution in Christ.
Israel’s history demonstrated how, even with clear commands and amazing promises, humans can’t follow God. While the people promised obedience and committed to the covenant, they turned to idolatry only days later, making a golden calf while Moses met with God on the mountain. This pattern continued throughout Israel and Judah’s history from judges to kings. They would break the covenant, worship idols, and ignore God’s prophets sent to turn them back to the Lord. Over time, God promised a new covenant, not like the first one, which God would accomplish (Jeremiah 31:31-34).
The apostle Paul wrote how God knew the Law would fail and used it to expose the weakness of human power and ability. The Law exposed sin (Romans 3:20), both in nature and in practice. The Law became a mirror to reveal human flaws, but offered no power to fix them, condemning any who couldn’t keep it perfectly, which was everyone (James 2:10). Breaking one command broke the whole law. Therefore, the old covenant Law served as a guardian (Galatians 3:24), like a temporary parent, leading people to Christ.
Jesus fulfilled the Law, living in perfect obedience and then taking the punishment for disobedience on the cross. Through the Lord Jesus Christ, we can now live righteous by following him and allowing his Spirit to live through us, a new law of Spirit and life. Therefore, one reason we still teach the Law is to reinforce this truth: our absolute need of Jesus.
How Does the Law Reveal Christ?
The Old Testament rituals all symbolized Jesus Christ. They were symbol of a substance yet to come.
The three main festivals — Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles — each reveal different parts of Christ and God’s redemptive plan through him. First, Passover celebrates Israel’s deliverance from Egypt through the blood of a spotless lamb (Exodus 12:13). When Jesus arrives, John the Baptist prophetically declares him “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus was also crucified during Passover, further showing him as the true pure lamb of God.
Fifty days after Passover, Israel celebrated Pentecost, a harvest festival pointing to the time God gave the Law at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19), where God rested on the mountain in fire and cloud. In the New Testament, God sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, descending upon the disciples (Acts 2). This fulfilled Pentecost in two ways: revealing the new law of Spirit and Life (Romans 8) and the first harvest of souls with many coming to believe in Jesus in Acts 2.
The Feast of Tabernacles, the last festival, is another final harvest time celebrating God’s provision in the wilderness before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. The Jews would live in temporary shelters or tents to remember this time, and it came to further point to a future kingdom where God would restore an eternal Jerusalem. Jesus fulfills this by being God with us now, and in eternity. He will establish his forever kingdom, where he will dwell with his people forever (Revelation 21:3).
In addition, the temple system had symbols foreshadowing Jesus. The sacrificial system used blood to atone for sin and God’s remaining presence, but animal deaths couldn’t actually remove sin, which is why they had to be done year after year. They symbolized how Jesus, as the High Priest, offered himself as the only perfect sacrifice once and for all (Hebrews 9:12). Also, when Jesus died, the temple veil tore in two (Matthew 27:51), symbolizing full and free access to the Father through the Son by the Spirit.
Looking through the Old Testament still teaches us a great deal about God and his plan through the Son, Jesus. While we have a greater covenant in the new, we wouldn’t know that without looking at the old.
Peace.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/artisteer
