THE TEN COMMANDMENTS -( Exodus 20: 1 -17.)

And God spoke all these words, saying: “I am the Lord your God, who bought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage”.

“You shall have no other gods before Me”

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image”

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”

“Honour your father and your mother”

“You shall not murder”

“You shall not commit adultery”

“You shall not steal”

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour”

“You shall not covet”

God’s law still reflects His holy will and standard for human conduct.

What is the purpose of the law of God?

1. The Law shows the world its guilt before a holy God.

2. The Law gives us the knowledge of sin.

3. The Law shows us the depth of our sinfulness.

4. The Law is a tutor to lead us to faith in Jesus Christ.

The Law shows us the depth of our sinfulness.

1 Timothy 1: 8 – 9a says “ But we know that the law is good if one use it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless”.

The law of God is good or useful because it reflects God’s holy will and righteous standard which accomplishes its purpose in showing sinners their sin and their need for a Saviour. The law forces people to recognize that they are guilty of disobeying God’s commands, and it thereby condemns every person and sentences them to hell. But those who think they are righteous will never be saved because they do not understand the true purpose of the law.

The law shatters all of man’s attempts at self – righteousness. The old saying that “ignorance is bliss” is rarely true, and in the spiritual realm it is deadly.Millions today are tragically deceived. The deceitfulness of sin leads them to believe they can please God and obtain His favour by their good works and religious activity. Such trust in self -righteousness is the hallmark of all false religion.

The false teachers, with their works system of salvation show clearly that they totally misunderstand the purpose of the law. The law is not a means to self -righteousness, but a means to self – condemnation, sin, conviction, repentance, and pleading to God for mercy.

“But when John the Baptist saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3: 7, 8.)

John Denman

Photo by Clifton Franks