Robertson said:
I know us Christians have a faith in Christ and believe that He came to fulfill the law and we no longer are required to keep it, but where do the 10 commandments come in. Those seem to be pretty strong in the churches even today, but were they not part of the law of Moses? Why do we say that we don't have to keep the law of Moses, but we must keep the 10 commandments that Moses gave? This is a question I have in my mind right now and I have not thought of a suitable answer as of yet. I was hoping a few of you had some ideas.
Before you offer some ideas, let me just clear something up. I am not suggesting that we need to go back to the Law of Moses or that we need to keep all or none of it. It just seems to me that a lot of attention is put on the 10 commandments and yet no other consideration is given to the other parts of the law of Moses and I've never heard a reason as to why. Thanks!
Paul wrote this...
Rom 7:4 Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become
dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Rom 7:5 For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
Rom 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should
serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.
Paul also wrote this...
Gal 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Gal 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the
law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Gal 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Paul taught that faith WORKS BY LOVE...
Gal 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Gal 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but
faith which worketh by love.
Paul taught that LOVE WORKS NO ILL...
Rom_13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Paul taught that LOVE FULFILLS THE LAW...
Gal 5:14 For
all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this;
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
If one is to love do they need a commandment telling them not to lie, cheat, steal or kill?
No. Love by its nature fulfills those things apart from being "under law." The law of love is a law unto itself.
The Ten Commandments are a SHADOW of love.
Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment.
Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 22:40
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Hence...
Gal 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance:
against such there is no law.
Which is why Paul would write...
2Co 3:2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
2Co 3:3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
2Co 3:4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;
2Co 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
2Co 3:7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
2Co 3:8 How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
2Co 3:9 For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.
2Co 3:10 For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
2Co 3:11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
The Ten Commandments and all the rest of the Mosaic Law are done away in Christ for the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us who walk after the Spirit.
Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Thus whilst the LETTER of the law is done away with the RIGHTEOUSNESS of the law is not.
The difference is this...
LAW = External Governance by Rules and Regulations
SPIRIT/GRACE = Internal Governance via abiding in Christ whereby the heart is made pure.
A pure heart does not produce evil fruit and thus does not need rules written on stone as a means to regiment conduct.