By William R. Cunningham
January 23, 2000

How do the Ten Commandments apply to the Christian today? We are told that we should obey God and we are told that we don’t live under the Law. We also know the importance of the Bible in the life of a Christian. So how do we place the Ten Commandments in proper context in the life of a Christian knowing that the New Covenant has freed us from trying to obtain salvation (righteousness) by obeying a set of rules (laws)?

The purpose of this lesson is to reveal the purpose and message of the Ten Commandments. We will see that the Ten Commandments do have their place in the life of the Christian though all of the literal statements may not necessarily apply to us today. However, the Ten Commandments as well as the entire biblical message apply in principle to all people for all times.

The Ten Commandments can be found in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. The Ten Commandments were not a series of laws as many assume or believe. The word Law or Torah actually means teaching or instruction. The purpose of the Torah (Law) was to instruct us how to live according to God’s WAY. We will see how this was done later in this lesson. The Law was also designed to reveal God’s standard and expectation. We must realize that the Ten Commandment, as well as the other Mosaic Laws, was given to an unrighteous people. These people where children in regards to God’s expectation and WAY. Therefore, in order for them to properly relate to God, worship God, and bring praise to God, they must be transformed. This transformation was accomplished by first establishing the standard by which to live.

The Law (Torah) reveals the character of God. We can get a very good idea of what God is like and who he is by understanding the laws that he established. He did not establish the laws in order to control people. The laws were designed as a means of transforming people. As a whole, the law was designed as a schoolteacher until Christ came (See Galatians 3:24).

Ancient codes state laws in conditional form whereas God’s law was given as absolutes. They were to be followed not because of the dire consequences that would result in not following them. Instead, God’s law was to be followed because it was the right thing to do. In effect, God’s laws were righteous.

The Hebrew words for "Ten Commandments" literally mean "Ten Words." The Greek word Decalogue was used as a synonym for "Ten Commandments." In Greek, the word "word" represented the thought behind a statement in addition to the statement spoken. It was the concept or the topic (subject of discourse) as well as the motive behind a statement.

God speaks the words that follow for the people of Israel specifically. Note that the word "words" is used instead of commandments. This illustrates the deeper implications of the "Ten Commandments" than just a series of rules that the people were to follow.

Exodus 20:2 (NKJV) "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

God identifies himself as the one who delivered the people of Israel. He brought them out of Egypt where they were slaves. It is interesting that God identifies himself as the one who brought salvation to a people that were in bondage. God also brings salvation to us by Jesus Christ. So throughout time God has brought deliverance to his people in many ways until the ultimate salvation provided through belief in Jesus Christ.

Exodus 20:3 (NKJV)3 "You shall have no other gods before Me.

Strictly speaking, this verse does not mean that we are not to have any other gods above the LORD. That would imply that we could have gods below him in priority and therefore mean that we could have other gods. Consider that many religions during this time had a pantheon of gods with one god, along with a female counterpart, at the top of the chain. This verse literally means that there was to be no other gods in the presence of the LORD. Therefore, the LORD instructed Israel not to have any other gods—period. There is only one true God and Israel was to worship him alone.

The main objective of this instruction was to teach the people that there was only one God and the LORD was He. We take it for granted because we grow up in a society that either believes in one god or not at all. However, there are many cultures and people that believe in many gods. The standard for relating to God is that we relate to Him and only Him. There are no other god(s) that we should worship or praise. Consider what Jesus said.

Matthew 4:10 (NKJV) Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’"

There is only one God whom we should worship and whom we should server.

Exodus 20:4 through Exodus 20:6 (NKJV) "You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

This does not refer to idols of other gods since the previous "word" instructed the people not to have any other gods. This would be redundant if it referred to idols of other gods, since the prohibition of other gods meant that there would also be no idols of other gods. Instead this "command" refers to idols (images) of the LORD made of any image in heaven or Earth. The word "graven" used in the King James Version means carved. The people were simply not to carve anything as an idol of God in order to worship it, control others, or attempt to control God.

The gods in some cults/religions in the Near East were believed to manifest in a carved or constructed idol. That is, the idol or image became god on special occasions. Various rituals were associated with this manifestation and were designed to bind or compel the deity (god).

The word "jealous" means to be intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness and a disposition that is suspicious of rivalry or unfaithfulness. Basically, God demands total faithfulness (loyalty) of His people.

We also see that the sins of the father affect future generations (third and forth) of those who hate him. This doesn’t mean that descendants are automatically and unconditionally cursed because of ancestors’ sins. Obeying and loving the LORD God can break the curse. God will therefore show love to a thousand generations of those who love him. This shows the power of God’s love above sin and its consequences (see 1 Peter 4:8).

Exodus 20:7 (NKJV) "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

The phrase "take the name of the LORD your God in vain" means to use the name of the LORD thoughtlessly. This does not refer to blasphemy or foul language. Instead it refers to preventing the thoughtless use of "Yahweh," name of the LORD, from being used in hexes, spells, magic, and swearing falsely by it.

Exodus 20:8 through Exodus 20:11 (NKJV) "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

It should be noted that the New Testament Christians did not practice the Sabbath "law." The early Christians honored the first day of the week in honor of the Jesus resurrection Instead of honoring the seventh day of the week. The purpose of the Sabbath was to teach the people to honor God as the creator of all things. They were to rest as God rested on the seventh day. They were to abstain from normal work as well as everyone in the household. The Sabbath may be thought of as a memorial day to remember the LORD God.

Exodus 20:12 (NKJV) "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

This is an extremely important commandment that goes well beyond the superficial act of respecting one’s parents. Consider that the commandments that the LORD gives were to be passed on from generation to generation. These commandments were therefore passed down from parent to children and so forth. If a child neglects the respect and honor of parents then the perpetuation of God’s commandments, and thus the revelation of his character and standards, would be in jeopardy. Therefore, it was very important, and still important, for the children to honor the instruction of their parents. This also implies that the parents are to provide godly instruction to their children.

If the authority of the parents is challenged or forsaken, then future generations will suffer from ignorance of God’s WAY. This applies to us today in principle. The respect and honor given to parents are a crucial part of the family structure. The family structure is integral to the structure of the nation and ultimately affects the entire world.

This commandment has an associated promise associated with it. God says that you will live long in the land that he promised if the parents are honored. Dishonoring parents would include hitting your parents, cursing them, neglecting to care fore elderly parents and failing to provide adequate burial.

Exodus 20:13 (NKJV) "You shall not murder.

Murder was prohibited within the covenant community. This referred to homicide.

Exodus 20:14 (NKJV) "You shall not commit adultery.

This was a very serious commandment. However, the purpose of this commandment may not be what you expect. It was not a commandment to necessarily protect a marriage relationship. Rather, this commandment was designed to more specifically protect the family structure. It was to ensure that a husband’s children were his own. As a matter of fact, a man having an affair with an unmarried woman was not considered to have committed adultery. He simply had to pay damages to the woman’s father (Exodus 22:16-17). Consider also that this was a polygamous society.

A man’s name is damaged through adultery because the wife is considered an extension of the husband. Therefore, the family structure would be tainted by adultery.

So this commandment is not one to guarantee marital fidelity. Rather it was focused on the issue of paternity rather then sexual ethics or standards.

Exodus 20:15 (NKJV) "You shall not steal.

The context of this commandment goes beyond the simple act of stealing something from someone. It includes the theft of property, kidnapping (Deuteronomy 24:7), stealing dignity, self-respect, freedom, and rights. The word "steal" is also used for cheating. Cheating someone out of something is another form of stealing from him (by deceit).

Exodus 20:16 (NKJV) "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

The Israelite people were not to tell lies about their neighbors. This included slander and libel and was focused on legal issues. Justice is maintained only if witnesses are trustworthy and therefore telling the truth. The legal system would be ineffective if witnesses lied. This applies even today.

Exodus 20:17 (NCV) "You must not want to take your neighbor’s house. You must not want his wife or his male or female slaves, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Coveting begets many kinds of evils. To covet someone’s wife may lead to infidelity or causing that wife to commit adultery. In any sense, the thought prompts or induces a corresponding action. The crux of the problem is to deal with the covetousness, which will in turn short circuit any actions that may result from coveting. Jesus taught this very same thing in Matthew 5:27-28.

You will not steal your neighbor’s property if you do not covet it. You will not induce adultery, either of yourself or your neighbor’s wife, if you don’t covet her or vice versa. The important point here is that damaging actions are the results of covetous thoughts. We tend to do what we think and act on the thoughts of our minds.

The Ten Commandments is actually only part of the overall "Law" of God. It gives us insight into God’s WAY by revealing his character, expectation, and standard for godly living. The Law of God provides instruction for unrighteous people to live a righteous life. The Law, according to Paul the Apostle, was necessary to teach us until Christ came. The writer of Hebrews said that God talked to us by various means in the past but now he talks to us through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Christians today can still learn from the Ten Commandments. We can still get much instruction and revelation of the "mind" of God via the Ten Commandments though it is not specifically addressed to us today. Yes we are no longer under the Law (Torah). However, the knowledge of the Law has many benefits for us to understand who God is and what he expects of us.