It’s commonly taught among professing Christian churches that some or all of the commandments of God, especially the ten commandments given from Mt. Sinai, are not applicable to Christians. Christ, we are told, has “replaced the law,” including the ten commandments, thus they are no longer obligatory for Christians.
An example of this general idea is found in how the Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary interprets the meaning of Colossians 2:14: “The law (including especially the moral law, wherein lay the chief difficulty in obeying) is abrogated to the believer….” “The ‘handwriting’ (alluding to the Decalogue [i.e., the ten commandments])….” “Not only was the law against us by its demands, but also an adversary to us by its accusations.” “In His person nailed to the cross, the law itself was nailed to it.” For an explanation of what Colossians 2 actually teaches see our article: “Were the Commandments ‘Nailed to the Cross’?”
It is easy to be deceived about what the Bible teaches, and in fact, most people, including most people who call themselves Christians, as well as Jewish people who claim to follow the teachings of the “Old Testament,” are deceived about much of what is taught in the Bible. It’s much more difficult to find and hold to the truth of what is taught in Scripture. Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). The “god of this age [or world, KJV]” is Satan, and he “deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).
It’s quite common for individuals to attempt to justify their beliefs and practices not only by appealing to the authority of “Church tradition,” or some person of reputation, such as a minister or priest or scribe, but also by isolating one verse of Scripture, or a portion of a verse, or sometimes several scattered verses, and reading into these a meaning that conflicts with the context, both of the portions cited, as well as the overall context of Scripture. In some cases, faulty and misleading translations of a verse or portion of Scripture are relied on as well.
So it is with the idea that the commandments God gave to Israel at Mt. Sinai, particularly the ten commandments, do not apply to Christians. In the sermon titled “New Covenant Law,” I address the idea that these commandments are abrogated for believers under the New Covenant.
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