The Bible Ten Commandments

Romans 7:7-12 ...'What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet ... Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.'

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The Bible Ten Commandments are slowly being erroded away in society today, and even many professing Christians believe that Christ Jesus abolished the Ten Commandments at the cross. Many say that the it wasn't just the ceremonial laws which were nailed to the cross, but the moral law contained in the ten commandments also. But there is one major problem with thinking that the ten commandments were nailed to the cross. You see, the Son of God had to come and die for us sinning against God's commandments. This alone proves the eternal nature of God's holy, moral law. And if God could have simply done away with His moral law, then His Son never needed to have come to die for us!

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." (Hosea 4:6)

So that we are clear from the start, no one can "work" their way to heaven by keeping God's law, and we definitely do not teach that here. The ONLY way we can get to heaven and enjoy eternal life with God is through His Grace, and through faith in Christ Jesus His Son. Here, we do not keep God's law to be saved, we keep His commandments through the indwelling of Christ in us, and it is through the faith of Jesus Christ that we are able to keep God's law.

This is a love relationship between us and God, through Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour, and we want to obey Him and keep His commandments because we love Him, and because we have Christ dwelling in us day by day, He enables us to keep God's moral law. It's BY our works that show whether we are true Christians or not, because with Christ living in us, we will manifest obedience to the law of God. Remember what the Bible says in the book of James? ..... James 2:18 .....'Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith BY my works.'

Our "works" is what proves our faith in Christ. Anyone can say they have faith in Jesus, but if they do no works and don't strive to obey God and keep His divine law through faith, then what does that show about their faith? Does it not show their faith to be a false one? As it says in James, our faith is shown (proven) by our deeds and our actions. In the last days there will be two classes of people. Those who submit to the laws and traditions of men and receive the mark of the beast, and those who submit to the faith of Jesus which produces obedience to the will and laws of our Creator God, and receive the seal of God. Which camp will you be in?

"He continued his strict and self-denying life, not now as the ground, but the result of faith; not the root, but the fruit of holiness. The grace of God in Christ is the foundation of the Christian's hope, and that grace will be manifested in obedience." (E.White, Great Controversy, p.256)

When was God's moral law in force? Was it at mount Sinai that God's people first came to know about God's commandments? Or did they know about God's moral law before that? Well, first we need to look back in Genesis, at the story of Cain and Abel.

In Genesis 4, verses 8-10, we find that Cain killed Abel because God accepted Abel's offering, but He did not accept Cain's offering. And God said to Cain ..... Genesis 4:8-10 .....'"What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. So now you are cursed from the earth.' Now how could God judge Cain, if there wasn't a law already in place that said "thou shalt not kill"? Have a good think about it. We also have the story of Joseph being tempted by Potiphar's wife in Genesis 39:7-9. What did Joseph say to Potiphar's wife? ..... Genesis 39:7-9 .....'because you are his wife ... how can I do this great wickedness against God?' How did Joesph know that sleeping with Potiphar's wife was wrong unless there was a law already in place saying "thou shalt not commit adultery"?

There is evidence that God's moral law contained in the Ten Commandments is eternal and has always existed, will always exist and was binding before Sinai. In Ezekiel 28:12-17 God is talking about Satan, and says ..... 'Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God.'

So Satan, before he fell, was the covering Cherub. What does this have to do with the commandments? Well, if we find out the job of a covering Cherub, we will see the connection to the ten commandments. In Exodus 25:16-21, we find out ..... 'And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold ... And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings.' This is God telling Moses how to make the earthly sanctuary for God to dwell in, and as we can see, he was to make two golden Cherubims to cover the mercy seat of God. Please stay with us on this and really think about it, because this is key to understanding the eternal nature of the moral law of God.

Now in the book of Hebrews we find that the earthly sanctuary that Moses had built was a copy (or shadow) of the one already in heaven ..... Hebrews 8:4-5 .....'Who serve unto THE EXAMPLE AND SHADOW OF HEAVENLY THINGS, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make ALL THINGS according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.' Also we have in Hebrews 9:24 .....'For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the FIGURES OF THE TRUE; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.'

So the author of Hebrews confirms that the earthly sanctuary was a COPY of the one already in heaven where God dwells. So if the earthly sanctuary had covering Cherubims over the mercy seat, then the REAL sanctuary in heaven also has REAL covering Cherubim. And Satan used to be the covering Cherub over the mercy seat, the very throne of God in heaven.

Now this is the connection to the ten commandments; What was under the mercy seat of God in the 'copy' sanctuary on earth? The ark of His testament, which contains the Ten Commandments. Do you see this amazing truth? If the most holy place in the earthly sanctuary contained God's law inside the ark of the covenant, and was a COPY of the one already in heaven, then it proves that God's moral law written on the stone tablets, existed in heaven BEFORE sin entered this world, and even BEFORE Satan fell. Yes, the ten commandments written on those two tablets are a 'summary' of God's moral law, but there is no doubt that this law existed before the fall and is the foundation of God's character and government, which is love. God didn't think up His law at Sinai, no, rather His moral law that we find contained within the ten commandments is the very foundation of His heavenly throne. His law has ALWAYS existed, and WILL always exist.

"The law of God, being a revelation of His will and a transcript of His character, must forever endure." (The Great Controversy, p434)

John confirmed that the ten commandments is still the foundation and character of God's government in heaven, through what he saw in a vision in the book of Revelation ..... 'And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.' Revelation 11:19 ..... So John sees a door opened in the temple of God in heaven, and sees the ORIGINAL ark of the testament, which will be under the mercy seat of God, containing His moral law and covered by the covering Cherubs, which is the job that Satan used to have, as mentioned above.

God has always and will always hate sin, and what is sin? ..... 1 John 3:4 ..... 'Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.' ..... What law? The moral law found within the ten commandments.

Now keep that last Bible verse in your mind for a moment, and think about what happened to satan in heaven ..... Ezekiel 28:15 .....'Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.' ..... Now God in this verse is talking about Lucifer (satan), and look at what He says about Lucifer. "thou was perfect until INIQUITY was found in thee." What is iniquity? It's SIN! What did John say in 1 John 3:4? He said that sin is transgression of the law. So how was iniquity found in Lucifer? He transgressed God's eternal moral law by coveting God's position. There is no doubt that God's moral law which we find in His ten commandments, existed before this world was created and will continue to exist and be binding throughout eternity! As the Psalmist said, "forever O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven .... All God's commandments are sure, they stand fast forever and ever." (Psalm 119:89; 111:7,8)

Just take a look at what the Psalmist thought about God's divine law in Psalm 119 ..... "Blessed are they who walk in the law of the Lord ..... Make me to go in the path of Thy commandments ..... I will delight myself in Thy commandments ..... The law of Thy mouth is better for me than thousands of gold and silver ..... All Thy commandments are faithful ..... I will keep the commandments of my God ..... All Thy commandments are truth ..... Great peace have they that love Thy law."

As the morals of this world continue to disintegrate, God is looking for a people who will stand up for what is right. A people who will not bow down and give in to the sins and wicked ways of this world, but a people who stand firmly on the truth of His Word in the Bible. A people who are willing to keep God's commandments, through the faith of Jesus, no matter what the world says or does. Did you know that Bible prophecy in Revelation reveals God's saints in the last days are those who are keeping His commandments? (Revelation 14:12)

Let us be servants of the Most High God and obey Him. Let us follow in our Lord Jesus' footsteps and delight in His law of love.

Matthew 5:18-19 .....'For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.'