Recently there's been a lot of talk regarding the christian and their connection with the old testament, specifically, the 10 commandments.
While this discussion is usually had in heady theological circles, it has recently come down to laymen circles due to false teacher Andy Stanley's comments about "unhitching the old testament from our faith".
While that is unbiblical and directly goes against what the scripture tells us to do, there is a point to take away from the nonsense.
Many christians look to the 10 commandments as the law governing their lives.
It's often referred to as the moral law and all commandments have been in effect since the beginning of creation and for all people everywhere.
That is the general position of believers today.
It is even the position held by the reformers and one cannot be considered reformed if they don't hold to this position.
Unfortunately, I do not hold to this position.
The reason for this is simple. The scriptures does not present the 10 commandments as that.
Moses himself states that the patriarchs did not have these commands and that they were unique to the children of Israel.
Although I'm not looking to give a complete defence of my position here, I thought it would be helpful to look at a verse that I came across in my daily reading.
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Exodus 34:28 (KJV) And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
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Here, we see that the words of the mosaic covenant, aka the old covenant, are the ten commandments.
This is not the only place it says this.
So when scripture says the old covenant is done away with, it Is indeed referring to the 10 commandments, and everything that comes with it.
This is clear and straightforward.
In instituting the new covenant, Jesus re-enacts the event of Sinai, by going on the mount and giving the law for the new covenant.
It's these laws that christians should be looking to rather than the 10 commandments in mosaic law.
It's not that we can't reference the 10 commandments, but that isn't the covenant that we are under today.
If one maintains that the 10 commandments haven't been done away with, are should be our focus, then they are saying that Jesus didn't do away with the old covenant.
It is still in effect and we are bound by it as we are not dead to it in Christ
This of course makes Jesus a liar, and we are still in our sin.
While this may or may not affect our daily christian walk, it is a theological position that we should understand.
What is the old covenant? What is the new covenant? How do they differ?
It's in understanding these things that we have a better grasp on what Christ has done for us and what God has been doing throughout history.
It also helps us to work out our salvation more accurately.
Maranatha
