Do we still need to follow the 10 Commandments? | The Christian King

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Are Christians Under the 10 Commandments or the Law of Moses Today?

For centuries, the question of whether Christians are under the 10 Commandments or the Law of Moses today has been a significant theological issue debated and discussed by scholars, pastors and believers. It is important to look at biblical context, teachings from Jesus and apostles to understand this.

These 10 commandments found in Exodus 20:1-17 as well as Deuteronomy 5:4-21 are moral principles given by God to Israelite people on Mount Sinai. They encapsulate God’s ethical standards and form an integral part of ethics in Judeo-Christian faith.

The Law of Moses also known as Mosaic Law or Torah contains not only the 10 Commandments but also many religious, civil, and ceremonial laws found in the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). This law governed even what they eat about worship and society among other things.

Coming of Jesus Christ was a significant turning point in understanding the Law. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” The fulfillment here implies that Jesus had accomplished what he had set out to do with regard to fulfilling God’s design for mankind through his life.

In addition, apostles brought more clarity about how Christians relate with the law. The Council of Jerusalem (Acts15) was convened specifically because this matter arose regarding whether Gentile converts ought to follow Mosaic Law. Paul clarifies that Gentiles were therefore required to abstain from those observances which were particularly offensive to Jewish members in the faith, but not from the whole Law.

Paul's letters also shed some light on this. In Galatians 3:24-25 Paul writes, "Therefore the Law was our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor." He said that it was through Jesus Christ and not by keeping of the law man would be saved.

“But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6). This means that Christians are called upon to live according to guidance from Holy Spirit and not the Mosaic Law.

The New Testament talks about a New Covenant which was established through death and resurrection of Jesus. Jeremiah 31:31-34 foretells this New Covenant where God will write his law on people’s hearts. Hebrews 8:6-13 affirms Jesus as mediator of this better covenant.

In addition, believers under New Covenant are indwelt by Holy Spirit who enables them live in accordance with God’s will. The moral principles of the 10 Commandments are followed but they do not form legal obligations, since their compliance is natural result for righteous heart transformation in Christianity.

It is a fact that Christians are not under the 10 Commandments or Law of Moses in a legalistic sense. The Law and the commandments was a covenant specifically between God and the decendents of Jacob. Christians today are under the new testament, where God’s law is written upon their hearts by the Holy Spirit. This does not mean the moral teachings of the Old Testament are irrelevant; rather, they are filled and surpassed in Christ who strengthens believers to live righteously.

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