Christ's Righteousness Becomes Ours

[james1523]

I have news for you. At both Baptists and Pentecostal Bible school, I was taught the 10 commandments still apply. Not in the sense that that our salvation is dependent on them.
But that they define what sin is. I also attended a Lutheran church for several years and I assure they believe the 10 commandments still apply.
But I digress. They don't focus so much on each individual thing... i.e. don't covet, don't bear false witness, etc... as the total being... "love one another" (as Jesus put it).
Some sins you know by experience. If you've ever been lied to, or stolen from, you know it hurts. Some take this to mean "they are written on your heart".
Other sins, such as adultery and homosexuality may not have been taught to you by past experience. We know these are wrong because of the Bible.

Rom 3:20; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

Without the law, we wouldn't know certain things are sin.

Some people argue that the "knowledge of good and evil" is passed on from generation to generation. If this were true, we wouldn't have different opinions of what sin is.
In the state I live in, abortion, same sex marriage, and viewing pornography that exploits children is legal. Over a million people voted that they wanted these things.
Does that mean they aren't sin? Who defines what sin is, man or God. Does God lower his standards to meet what the flesh and satan want?

I think we can know sin in 3 ways: written law, experience of sin, knowledge of other's sin.. and God's nature within us.
Even if we know that certain things are sin due to the written law, it does not ensure that we truly know they are sins in our experience. We can know that something is a sin in our mind, but it may not be fully realized in our heart...and it is in the heart that really matters.
It is true that the commandments give us revelation so that we know what sin is. But this does not mean that if we don't have the written law we will not know what sin is. If this is the case then God cannot judge anyone who lived prior to Moses or anyone who does not have a bible or internet access. But the bible says are all without excuse (Rom 1:20). Sin is not only revealed by the written law, but also by the conscience and revealed nature of God in creation.

Sin can be taught by our own experience or the experience of others. But we don't have to commit a sin before we know it is wrong. As Christians we have received the life and nature of God, and so by His nature in us, we will know those things that please Him and those that don't.. as it says we can "have the mind of Christ" 1 Cor 2:16.

As the experience with the Pharisees shows.. merely teaching and preaching the law and having the written law does not ensure the keeping of the law or the knowledge of God.

In as much as the 10 commandments coincide with God's moral law, in that sense yes they still apply. All except the one about keeping the Sabbath. I've always found it strange how we quote the 10 commandments but ignore 1 of them. Keeping the Sabbath is not part of God's moral law. So is it 10 -1 = 9 commandments for Gentiles. God's moral law is spiritual and written on the heart, the Law of Moses is of letters written on stone tablets, or paper or iPads (these days).

I believe many denominations do not understand the law of the Spirit of life and living in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like the forgotten 3rd person of the Trinity. Can we find anywhere in the book of Acts where it says as a command, to love God and love neighbor as ourself? Despite all of the ministry to the Jew and Gentile recorded in Acts, it should be there.. but I know for a fact you won't be able to find it there. Do you know why? I think because no one had to be told to love God or love their neighbor. 1 John 4:19 says "we love Him because He first loved us". God loved us by sending His Son. Love is no more an explicit written commandment that has to be taught from generation to generation, but an implied consequence of receiving God's love by accepting Christ.

 

[B-A-C]

This does not mean the Gentiles were without law, nor does it mean they were allowed to not love God or not love others. It was because the Gentiles had already received the Holy Spirit by faith and the law of the Spirit of life in their being and the apostles knew this

My feeling on Acts 15 was that the church was about to split.
Acts 15:1; Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
Acts 15:2; And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue
Act 15:5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses."
Act 15:6 The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.
Act 15:7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe.

They resolved this, by both sides compromising a little bit.

Acts 15:19; "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles,
Acts 15:20; but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.
Acts 15:21; "For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath."

The Jews agreed circumcision wasn't required, and Peter and Paul agreed some commandments should still be followed.

and so preaching the 10 commandments is not required.

Perhaps you are right, but this is slightly different from saying they don't apply at all.

 

[james1523]

My feeling on Acts 15 was that the church was about to split.
Acts 15:1; Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
Acts 15:2; And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue
Act 15:5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses."
Act 15:6 The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.
Act 15:7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe.

They resolved this, by both sides compromising a little bit.

Acts 15:19; "Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles,
Acts 15:20; but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.
Acts 15:21; "For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath."

The Jews agreed circumcision wasn't required, and Peter and Paul agreed some commandments should still be followed.

Yes I think you are right. Even Peter and Paul were compromising at times to appease the Jews.

Originally Posted by james1523
and so preaching the 10 commandments is not required.
Perhaps you are right, but this is slightly different from saying they don't apply at all.

If I live in the UK and I have a copy of the laws of France I would not say the laws of France applies to me, even though many of those laws are the same (e.g. pay your taxes, do not murder, do not kidnap, do not go over the speed limit, do not drink and drive, etc). Similarly if I live in the New Covenant Kingdom of God, in the church, I would not say the laws of Old Covenant Israel apply to me, even though many of them are the same.

God had to give the Law to Moses otherwise He would have been unable to judge His people Israel for their sins. This included the ceremonial law and the moral law. The purpose of the Law of Moses was really for administrating and governing His people Israel, so that they would be different from all the other nations. Yet the Law was to cease when the Seed had come...that is Christ:
Gal 3:19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.

The Law of Moses no longer applies since Christ as Gal 3:19 says. The purpose of the Law was to show the Israelites their need for a Savior, their need for Christ. But God's moral law still applies. God's moral law has never ceased, and always existed.

But for Gentiles, whom the Law of Moses was not given.. the call is to repentance from ignorance in following idols, which God had previously overlooked (Acts 17:25-30). The Gentiles are not guilty because they have the Law of Moses telling them they have sinned, or because the Law of Moses applies to them.. but because God's nature is plainly evident in creation, and their conscience bearing witness.. they have turned aside to idols. Here Paul is not telling the idol-worshiping Gentiles that they are sinners according to the 10 commandments.., rather He is telling them about the one true God and how they must turn to Christ. Consider how different Paul's approach was to some of the evangelism approaches today. e.g. first we make people feel guilty about their sins by telling them they have broken the 10 commandments.. (which as Gentiles they never had to keep anyway)...and then after they are broken down in tearful repentance we tell them the good news about Christ. Rather, instead of using the 10 commandments, we should use an approach like Paul, explain there is only the one true God, His nature is clearly evident in creation, and that they must turn from idols to the living God. What idols do people follow today that we must tell them to turn from?: Entertainment, sport, movies, politics etc.. anything and whatever takes the place of God in a persons life.

 

[B-A-C]

If I live in the UK and I have a copy of the laws of France I would not say the laws of France applies to me, even though many of those laws are the same (e.g. pay your taxes, do not murder, do not kidnap, do not go over the speed limit, do not drink and drive, etc). Similarly if I live in the New Covenant Kingdom of God, in the church, I would not say the laws of Old Covenant Israel apply to me, even though many of them are the same.

This is taught as the difference between the "law" and the commandments. The commandments are in the law. But the "the law" was much more than the commandments.
i.e. priestly confession and sacrifice, stoning and penalty for failure, don't eat pork, circumcision, etc...
So we are no longer obligated to "the law", but we are obligated to the 10 commandments. If you want to say they are different from Jesus's commands, so be it.
But the end effect is the same. We are supposed to love one another.

 

[DHC]

]It means DHC that it is still a commandment. It has not been annulled, abrogated, compromised: the authority of the Lawgiver still stands. No DHC, you misunderstand what Jesus was saying to the lawyers and scribes etc. He wasn't changing anything. He was merely pointing out what the true meaning of the commandments were all along. That sin begins in the heart of man, the actions are merely the outworking of what has already been decided within. Which is precisley why God promises in the NT a new heart, with His laws written upon them, rather than on tables of stone. 2Corinthians 3:3
BTW DHC, what James quoted is not a constitution, the SDA church does not have a constitution or a creed. They prefer not to lock its members into anything which the Holy Spirit may at some time shed more light on. The church has 27 fundamental beliefs, all based on scripture, but are open ended inm as much as more may be added, or the existing ones broadened as the Holy Spirit sees fit.

Hello brakelite.

You indicated in your post that Jesus was pointing out the true meaning of the commandments.
Not altering the commandments.

Your misunderstanding the Covenant that God established with Israel.
As I have said before, the Mosaic Covenant was a national legal system.
Here is a vivid example of legislation that has been radically changed.

Read the following;

Exodus 21
22 “If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives
birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband
may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide.
23 But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life,
24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

The legal principle involved is the compensation awarded to victims
of crime. This compensation is equal to the damage received. Eye for Eye.
Now we will examine the new legal system implemented by Christ.

Matthew 5
38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’
39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.
40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
41 Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.
42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

This is the opposite of the previous legislation brakelite.
Compensation or retaliation in any equal extent to
the actions of the aggressor, is disqualified. Forgiveness
and kindness become the benchmark for the assessment
of damage done. Jesus pronounced a rule contrary to
the original national rule or commandment given by God.

Here is another alteration to the national legal system of Israel.

Leviticus 19:18
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people,
but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

Well this commandment is easy to understand. Look at the phrase
"sons of your people", this refers to a Jew and his fellow countrymen.
An Israelite must love a fellow Israelite.

Jesus alters this law completely.

Matthew 5
43 You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise
on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have?

The national law has been abolished, replaced with a new command.

Love your neighbor and love your enemies. Did you notice in both cases
presented the transformation of the commands. From a national legal
requirement to a personal legal requirement. This in itself is a profound
change not only to the foundation of the legal system. But also to the
commands themselves.

 

[james1523]

This is taught as the difference between the "law" and the commandments. The commandments are in the law. But the "the law" was much more than the commandments.
i.e. priestly confession and sacrifice, stoning and penalty for failure, don't eat pork, circumcision, etc...
So we are no longer obligated to "the law", but we are obligated to the 10 commandments. If you want to say they are different from Jesus's commands, so be it.
But the end effect is the same. We are supposed to love one another.

But it's not usual to extract certain commands from a law which has ceased or does not apply, and say these parts still apply. The Law of Moses was a complete unit and included the 10 commandments plus the 600 others as a whole. Extracting parts of this Law, the 10 commandments, and saying it "still applies" is not the revelation of Scripture which says the Law ceased after Christ (Gal 3:19). Jesus came to fulfill the Law (Matt 5:17) so after Christ the Law is already fulfilled...this is all of the 600 laws and the 10 commandments. Many Christians say they believe the 10 commandments still apply but they have no intention of keeping the Sabbath, so they really only believe in 9. At least the SDA's are consistent in this respect in attempting to also keep the Sabbath. Since Christ there is no written law that applies to everyone, but only the moral law written on men's hearts. Otherwise He would have to judge all of the Gentiles and all of the Christians for not keeping the Sabbath which is the 4th commandment. God cannot judge Gentiles and the pre-Moses people by the Law of Moses, because He never gave it to them. He judges according to His moral law.

 

[james1523]

Reasons why the 10 commandments no longer apply or carry over into the New Covenant

a) Because if the 10 commandments still apply today, then the other 600 laws exist as well, because the 600 or so laws explain how to keep the 10 commandments in more detail and the associated penalties (Exodus 20-23). The 10 commandments were a summary of the whole law, and carried penalty of death for disobedience. If we say the 10 commandments still apply today, we must also believe that the penalty of death for breaking them also still applies. We cannot have the same law without the same penalties.


b) Because we live in the New Covenant not the Old.
The Old Covenant and the 10 commandments are the same. Each of the 10 commandments are part of the Old Covenant that God made with Israel. If they broke any of these commandments they broke His covenant:
Deuteronomy 4:13, "So He declared to you His covenant which He commanded you to perform, the Ten Commandments; and He wrote them on two tablets of stone."


c) Because no man is justified by the law, and we are of the faith of Abraham, not the Law of Moses:
Gal 3
7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

12 And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.
13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.



d) Because the Old Covenant, and the 10 commandments were only for a specific time - it was not made with those before Moses. And because the whole law including the 10 commandments was only for Israel. No other nation were given these commandments:
"Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your hearing today, that you may learn them and be careful to observe them. The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The LORD did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive" (Deuteronomy 5:1-3)

e) Because the apostle Paul said the old covenant is obsolete and outdated. This also includes the 10 commandments (according to Deut 4:13).
Heb 8:13 By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.

f) Because the old covenant was nailed to the cross, we are no longer subject to it:
"And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross" (Colossians 2:13-14)

g) Because the 10 commandments was "ministry of death written on stones": "But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?" (II Corinthians 3:3, 6-8)

h) The existence of the 4th Sabbath commandment is proof that the the 10 commandments were specifically for Israel. The Sabbath was specifically to the Israelites to commemorate being brought out of Egypt: "And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day" (Deuteronomy 5:15)

If we believe that the 4th commandment, the Sabbath, is still applying today, then we should keep it according to how God requires us to keep it. This includes no traveling (Exo 16:29). Technically if SDA's travel more than a mile to go to church on a Saturday, they have broken the Sabbath according to the law of God.

It is true that Jesus quoted from the 10 commandments in His earthly ministry. But we must realize the context: Jesus was a Jew ministering chiefly to the Jews...and the New Covenant was not yet enacted until His death.

Some Christians are following the Earthly ministry of Jesus in the Gospels and the 10 commandments as if they were a Jew living in the times, not realizing they are Gentiles under a New Covenant, and are to live and walk in the Spirit.

Some have even thought that Paul's letters are secondary to the gospels, or believe that the apostle Paul was deceived, because they see a difference between Jesus's Earthly ministry and Paul's Gospel. They fail to realize that there was a New Covenant after Christ's death, which is revealed in Paul's Gospel and is a ministry of, in, through and by the Spirit.

 

[B-A-C]

Gen 17:10; "This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.
Gen 17:11; "And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.

The land God promised Abraham didn't have any dependency on anything Abraham did, it was just a promised gift.
The second part of the covenant depended on Abraham doing something.

 

[brakelite]

Because if the 10 commandments still apply today, then the other 600 laws exist as well, because the 600 or so laws explain how to keep the 10 commandments in more detail and the associated penalties (Exodus 20-23). The 10 commandments were a summary of the whole law, and carried penalty of death for disobedience. If we say the 10 commandments still apply today, we must also believe that the penalty of death for breaking them also still applies. We cannot have the same law without the same penalties.

James, the Ten Commandments prexisted the laws of the ceremonies etc contained in the law of Moses. Although the decalogue is included in the law of Moses as a reference point, it predated the law of Moses for as long as God has lived. As for transgrewsion against them being the penalty of death, it still is. Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death. Sinners still die James, and it is a direct result of sin, and their unbelief in a Saviour, who can save them from that penalty. The law still stands, as does the consequence of transgression.

 

[brakelite]

Because if the 10 commandments still apply today, then the other 600 laws exist as well, because the 600 or so laws explain how to keep the 10 commandments in more detail and the associated penalties (Exodus 20-23). The 10 commandments were a summary of the whole law, and carried penalty of death for disobedience. If we say the 10 commandments still apply today, we must also believe that the penalty of death for breaking them also still applies. We cannot have the same law without the same penalties.

James, the Ten Commandments prexisted the laws of the ceremonies etc contained in the law of Moses. Although the decalogue is included in the law of Moses as a reference point, it predated the law of Moses for as long as God has lived. As for transgrewsion against them being the penalty of death, it still is. Romans 6:23. The wages of sin is death. Sinners still die James, and it is a direct result of sin, and their unbelief in a Saviour, who can save them from that penalty. The law still stands, as does the consequence of transgression.

The existence of the 4th Sabbath commandment is proof that the the 10 commandments were specifically for Israel.

This falsehood has gained such strength that multitudes of Christians refer to it as the "Jewish Sabbath." But nowhere do we find such an expression in the Bible. It is called "the sabbath of the Lord," but never "the sabbath of the Jews." Exodus 20:10. Luke was a Gentile writer of the New Testament and often made reference to things which were peculiarly Jewish. He spoke of the "nation of the Jews," "the people of the Jews," "the land of the Jews," and the "synagogue of the Jews." Acts 10:22; 12:11; 10:39; 14:1. But please note that Luke never referred to the "sabbath of the Jews," although he mentioned the Sabbath repeatedly.

Christ clearly taught that "the sabbath was made for man." Mark 2:27. The fact is that Adam was the only man in existence at the time God made the Sabbath. There were no Jews in the world for at least 2,000 years after creation. It could never have been made for them. Jesus used the term "man" in the generic sense, referring to mankind. The same word is used in connection with the institution of marriage which was also introduced at creation. Woman was made for man just as the Sabbath was made for man. Certainly no one believes that marriage was made only for the Jews.

The fact is that two beautiful, original institutions were set up by God Himself before sin ever came into the world - marriage and the Sabbath. Both were made for man, both received the special blessing of the Creator and both continue to be just as holy now as when they were sanctified in the Garden of Eden.

It is also interesting to note that Jesus was the One who made the Sabbath in the first week of time. There was a reason for His claim to be Lord of the Sabbath day (Mark 2:28). If He is the Lord of the Sabbath day, then the Sabbath must be the Lord's day. John had a vision on "the Lord's day," according to Revelation 1:10. That day had to be the Sabbath. It is the only day so designated and claimed by God in the Bible. In writing the Ten Commandments, God called it "the sabbath of the Lord." Exodus 20:10. In Isaiah He is quoted as saying, "The sabbath, my holy day." (Isaiah 58:13).

But we must not overlook the fact that this God who created the world and made the Sabbath was Jesus Christ Himself. John wrote: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. ... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth." John 1:1-3, 14.

Paul clearly identified Jesus as the Creator, "... his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood. ... For by him were all things created." Colossians 1:13-16.
For Christians to separate Jesus from the Sabbath is a tragic mistake. For He is the Author, the Maker, the Sanctifier, and the Architect of the Sabbath. To discount the blessing which He placed on that day is to deny His authority.

This argument has led many to believe that the Sabbath existed only for a limited period of time following creation. But is this a fact? Actually, the Sabbath could never be just a type or shadow of anything, for the simple reason that it was made before sin entered the human family. Certain shadows and typical observances were instituted as a result of sin and pointed forward to the deliverance from sin. Such were the sacrifices employed to symbolize the death of Jesus, the Lamb of God. There would have been no animal sacrifices had there been no sin. These offerings were abolished when Christ died on the cross, because the types had met their fulfillment (Matthew 27:51). But no shadow existed before sin entered this world; therefore, the Sabbath could not be included in the ceremonial law of types and shadows.

Paul referred to the temporary system of ordinances in Colossians 2:14-16 as being "against us" and "contrary to us." He tied it to the meat offerings, drink offerings, and yearly festivals of the law that was "blotted out." It is true he referred to sabbaths also in the text, but take careful note that he called them "sabbath days which are a shadow of things to come." Were some sabbath days blotted out at the cross? Yes, there were at least four yearly sabbaths which came on certain set days of the month, and they were nailed to the cross. They were shadows and required specified meat and drink offerings. All of these annual sabbaths are described in Leviticus 23:24-36, and then summarized in verses 37 and 38: "These are the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, and a meat offering, a sacrifice, and drink offerings, every thing upon his day: beside the sabbaths of the Lord."

The Scripture plainly differentiates between the annual, shadowy sabbaths and the weekly "sabbaths of the Lord." The ceremonial sabbaths were blotted out at the cross; they had been added as a consequence of sin. But the Sabbath of the Ten-Commandment law had been hallowed before sin was introduced and was later incorporated into the great moral law written by the finger of God. It was eternal in its very nature.

 

[james1523]

I'm sorry but you're mistaken Brakelite. Even Jews do not believe what you have just stated. The 10 commandments, the Law was not given to Adam and Eve, nor to Noah, it was given to Moses, all 613 commandments, the 10 commandments were categories, from which the rest of the 613 were derived. Jews believe that the only laws binding upon gentiles are the 7 Noahic commandments...and the Sabbath is not one of them, because this was to commemorate God leading His people out of Egypt. If even the Jews know the difference between the 10 commandments for themselves, and the moral law for Gentiles, why cannot many Christians?

Now coming back to Christianity, there was a change from the old dispensation to the new, as stated by Jesus, the law and prophets were only until John:

“The law and the prophets were until John: from that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached, and every man entereth violently into it” (Luke 16:16)

Regarding the penalties.. if the law is still existing then the penalty for breaking it must still exist too. The penalty is not just death, as in eternal separation from God in hellfire, as you allude to...it is to be "put to death": Exo 31:15 For six days work is to be done, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day is to be put to death.

This is why the Jews wanted to stone Jesus for breaking the Sabbath. Anyone who broke the Sabbath was to be taken out and stoned.

We cannot believe the 10 commandments still apply and yet not carry out the associated penalties as they are written.

Do you believe in putting to death those who do not keep the Sabbath? If not.. to disobey God's decree concerning the penalties, is just as much a sin as disobeying the law itself.

But the New Testament offers a different standard by which God judges mankind, this standard is whether or not we have believed in the Son:
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.

 

[B-A-C]

I'm sorry but you're mistaken Brakelite. Even Jews do not believe what you have just stated. The 10 commandments, the Law was not given to Adam and Eve, nor to Noah, it was given to Moses, all 613 commandments, the 10 commandments were categories, from which the rest of the 613 were derived. Jews believe that the only laws binding upon gentiles are the 7 Noahic commandments...and the Sabbath is not one of them, because this was to commemorate God leading His people out of Egypt. If even the Jews know the difference between the 10 commandments for themselves, and the moral law for Gentiles, why cannot many Christians?

You obviously don't know the same Jews I do.
A.W. Tozer, Billy Graham, Dwight Moody, John Piper, John Wesley, John Calvin, Martin Luther, C. H. Spurgeon, all taught the 10 commandments are still relevant for the Gentiles.

Rom 2:9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Gentiles,
Rom 2:10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Gentiles.
Rom 2:11 For there is no partiality with God.
Rom 2:12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;
Rom 2:13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

(NLT)
Rom 2:12 When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God's written law. And the Jews, who do have God's law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it.
Rom 2:13 For merely listening to the law doesn't make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in His sight.

Rom 2:17 You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God's law, and you boast about your special relationship with Him.
Rom 2:18 You know what He wants; you know what is right because you have been taught His law.
Rom 2:19 You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness.
Rom 2:20 You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God's law gives you complete knowledge and truth.
Rom 2:21 Well then, if you teach others, why don't you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal?
Rom 2:22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples?
Rom 2:23 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.
Rom 2:24 No wonder the Scriptures say, "The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you."
Rom 2:25 The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God's law. But if you don't obey God's law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile.
Rom 2:26 And if the Gentiles obey God's law, won't God declare them to be His own people?
Rom 2:27 In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God's law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God's law but don't obey it.

Jesus preached the 10 commandments.
Paul taught the 10 commandments.
Between Jesus and John we are told to keep the commandments over 10 times in the new testament.

To say that they don't apply anymore, is to say that God's morality for us doesn't apply anymore. We make ourselves God and we decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong.
The last half of Romans 1 talks about people like this, "even though they know the ordinances of God". (Some versions say the law of God)
Man cannot be trusted to set his own morality. Man doesn't even have the capability, without God we are evil.
All through the Bible it mentions the wickedness of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Philistines, Greeks, Gentiles, etc.. what wickedness did they do?
If God doesn't determine what sin is, who does? Us? We have legalized homosexual marriage, abortion, pornography and just about everything else God is against.
If God isn't who decides what sin is, how can he judge us? If God isn't who decides what sin is, we can all just make up our own rules and decide for ourselves what sin is or isn't.

Romans 2 makes it clear the Gentiles will be judged just like the Jews, there is no partiality with God. There is no different rules for different people.
He is a fair and just God and he holds us all equally accountable.

 

[james1523]

You obviously don't know the same Jews I do.
A.W. Tozer, Billy Graham, Dwight Moody, John Piper, John Wesley, John Calvin, Martin Luther, C. H. Spurgeon, all taught the 10 commandments are still relevant for the Gentiles.

Rom 2:9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Gentiles,
Rom 2:10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Gentiles.
Rom 2:11 For there is no partiality with God.
Rom 2:12 For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;
Rom 2:13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

(NLT)
Rom 2:12 When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God's written law. And the Jews, who do have God's law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it.
Rom 2:13 For merely listening to the law doesn't make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in His sight.

Rom 2:17 You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God's law, and you boast about your special relationship with Him.
Rom 2:18 You know what He wants; you know what is right because you have been taught His law.
Rom 2:19 You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness.
Rom 2:20 You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God's law gives you complete knowledge and truth.
Rom 2:21 Well then, if you teach others, why don't you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal?
Rom 2:22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples?
Rom 2:23 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.
Rom 2:24 No wonder the Scriptures say, "The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you."
Rom 2:25 The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God's law. But if you don't obey God's law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile.
Rom 2:26 And if the Gentiles obey God's law, won't God declare them to be His own people?
Rom 2:27 In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God's law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God's law but don't obey it.

Jesus preached the 10 commandments.
Paul taught the 10 commandments.
Between Jesus and John we are told to keep the commandments over 10 times in the new testament.

To say that they don't apply anymore, is to say that God's morality for us doesn't apply anymore. We make ourselves God and we decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong.
The last half of Romans 1 talks about people like this, "even though they know the ordinances of God". (Some versions say the law of God)
Man cannot be trusted to set his own morality. Man doesn't even have the capability, without God we are evil.
All through the Bible it mentions the wickedness of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Philistines, Greeks, Gentiles, etc.. what wickedness did they do?
If God doesn't determine what sin is, who does? Us? We have legalized homosexual marriage, abortion, pornography and just about everything else God is against.
If God isn't who decides what sin is, how can he judge us? If God isn't who decides what sin is, we can all just make up our own rules and decide for ourselves what sin is or isn't.

Romans 2 makes it clear the Gentiles will be judged just like the Jews, there is no partiality with God. There is no different rules for different people.
He is a fair and just God and he holds us all equally accountable.

God does not judge the Gentiles by the written Law of Moses which they did not have, but by the law of nature. There is no need for the written law of Moses to tell them that. It is common for a person to feel shame and guilt after fornication or adultery, it is quite obvious that homosexuality is against the way God created things to work, it is quite obvious that killing a person is wrong.. even many atheists know this. Morality did not come from the written law.. it is the other way around.. the written law is from and reveals more clearly God's moral law. Have you heard of Confucius? The Israelite's were not the only peoples on the Earth to live moral lives. Whole civilizations have been built upon morals and the good law in the conscience, without the Law of Moses. This is a clear example of the law of nature at work in creation, without the Law of Moses and 10 commandments.

Rom 2:12 which you quoted, and Rom 2:14, says precisely what I am saying, that Gentiles do not have the law of Moses, including the 10 commandments:
Rom 2:14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law.

Rom 2:12 says that it is the Jews who are under the law and will be judged by the written law, not the Gentiles. The Jews are under it, but the Gentiles are without it. Now Jews having the law (written Law of Moses), and Gentiles not having the law (written Law of Moses), sounds like different standards to me?

Now God is impartial in the sense that just because the Gentiles do not have the law (of Moses), does not mean the Gentiles will not be judged as sinners.
To the contrary, they will be judged by the moral law of God in their conscience (vs 15):
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another


As you alluded to, God is fair and just. It is not fair and just to judge the Gentiles by the written law of Moses that they did not have, nor were given.
But it is fair to judge the Gentiles by the moral law of God , His nature plainly evident in creation, and the fact that their fore-fathers, Adam and Eve, DID know the true God before they turned to idols, written in their conscience, a law which they DO have.
It is entirely possible for a Gentile to keep the law of God to an extent, by following their good nature in their conscience, their thoughts condemning or approving them. Yet they suffer from the same problem as the Jew - the law of sin and death in the flesh, rendering them powerless to live a sinless life.

Barnes's commentary on the term "without law" makes this clear. That Gentiles will not be judged by the law they do not have, but according to the knowledge and revelation of God which they possess, and because of this, they may not suffer as much as the Jews who did have the clear and revealed law of God:

Without law - That is, they shall not be judged by a law which they have not. They shall not be tried and condemned by the revelation which the Jews had. They shall be condemned only according to the knowledge and the Law which they actually possess. This is the equitable rule on which God will judge the world. According to this, it is not to be apprehended that they will suffer as much as those who have the revealed will of God; compare Matthew 10:15; Matthew 11:24; Luke 10:12.

Now Clarke's commentary on this verse:
For as many as have sinned without law, etc. - They, viz. the Gentiles, who shall be found to have transgressed against the mere light of nature, or rather, that true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, John 1:9, shall not come under the same rule with those, the Jews, who have in addition to this enjoyed an extraordinary revelation; but they shall be dealt with according to the inferior dispensation, under which they lived: while those, the Jews, who have sinned against the law - the positive Divine revelation granted to them, shall be judged by that law, and punished proportionably to the abuse of such an extraordinary advantage.

Gill's:
For as many as have sinned without law,.... This is an instance of the strict justice of God, and proves him to be no respecter of persons; for the Gentiles, who were "without law", the written law of Moses, not without the law of nature in their breasts, nor without some civil laws and statutes of their own; inasmuch as they "sinned" against the God of nature, and the law and light of nature, they

Wesley:
2:12 For as many as have sinned - He speaks as of the time past, for all time will be past at the day of judgment. Without the law - Without having any written law. Shall also perish without the law - Without regard had to any outward law; being condemned by the law written in their hearts. The word also shows the agreement of the manner of sinning, with the manner of suffering. Perish - He could not so properly say, Shall be judged without the law.

All these commentaries confirm that the Gentiles had no written law, and will not be judged by the written revealed law of God to the Jews, but by the law written in their hearts. Thus, it is confirmed that God will judge the Gentile and the Jew according to different standards - a high standard for the Jew, who had the revealed will of God, and a lesser standard for the Gentile. But both will be judged no doubt, and on that point, God is impartial.. yet also fair and just.

To use a common sense analogy for a moment: To say that it is fair that God would judge the Gentile by the Law of Moses which He gave to the Jew, .. is like saying it is fair for a person to be judged in their own country, by much stricter laws of a different country.

Now the term "10 commandments" has largely evolved to mean God's moral law which has always existed. But this is not strictly correct. The Law of Moses, the 10 commandments, was the written law written on stone and on paper. Given to the Israelites via Moses on Mt Horeb. The verses given previously say the Gentiles did not have this. This law was only given to the Israelites.
Let's take a look closer at the 10 commandments to confirm this:

1) I am the Lord thy god, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.2) Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.
4) Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
5) Honor thy father and thy mother.
6) Thou shalt not murder.
7) Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8) Thou shalt not steal.
9) Thou shalt not bear false witness against they neighbor.
10) Thou shalt not covet anything that belongs to thy neighbor.

We have to ask ourselves.. Did God bring us out of Egypt? Do we keep the Sabbath?

Probably 9 out of 10 Christians who say they believe in the 10 commandments, only practice 9 of them (not the Sabbath), and even fewer, if any, were actually brought out of Egypt. Thus proving it is not truly the 10 commandments they believe in, but God's moral law written on the heart, of which the 10 commandments are certainly related, but one is the spirit or intent of the law, the other is the written law.

The written law delivered to God's people, the Jews, was always more strict and comprehensive than the moral law that the Gentiles were expected to keep. This is revealed in Acts 17:30:
Acts 17:30 "God overlooked people's ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.

Even though the Gentiles committed idolatry, even more than the Jews, God did not punish the Gentiles as harshly as He did His own people. This is because God is fair and just, and He would not judge a Gentile by a standard that He did not give them. To use another analogy.. Israel was likened to God's wife.. The sins of a wife (Israel) against a person (God) is much more hurtful than the sins of a stranger (Gentile). For this reason Israel suffers the harsher punishment.

 

[brakelite]

God does not judge the Gentiles by the written Law of Moses which they did not have, but by the law of nature. There is no need for the written law of Moses to tell them that. It is common for a person to feel shame and guilt after fornication or adultery, it is quite obvious that homosexuality is against the way God created things to work, it is quite obvious that killing a person is wrong.. even many atheists know this. Morality did not come from the written law.. it is the other way around.. the written law is from and reveals more clearly God's moral law. Have you heard of Confucius? The Israelite's were not the only peoples on the Earth to live moral lives. Whole civilizations have been built upon morals and the good law in the conscience, without the Law of Moses. This is a clear example of the law of nature at work in creation, without the Law of Moses and 10 commandments.

I can agree with much of this James. Where does that law of nature you speak of, the law written on hearts Paul speaks of, come from? Is it not the remains and faint echo of the image of God's character man was created with? A quick look into Biblical history reveals how quickly that image was corrupted. Yet something of it remains, except when certain individuals have deliberately walk in evil and have 'seared their consciences with an iron' as Paul dexcribed it. By the time of Israel's captivity in Egypt, there was left no knowledge of God in the world with but few exceptions. Even Israel herself had forgotten the teachings of their forefathers, and had become almost completely im,mersed in pagan culture and false worship. This is the main reason why God needed to reveal Himself, and His laws, to Israel so soon after leaving Egypt. Up till that time they were in complete ignorance as to who God was and what He required of man. But God's intention was not to just single out one people and ignore the rest of the world. The purpose of raising up people like Abraham and sanctifying a people for Himself was for the express purpose of using them as a vehicle to reach the rest of the world. Just as it was with the gospel. He didn't single out the church in order for His love and grace to be kept "in house". It is to be shared, it was always intended to be that way. But Israel failed in this. They became an island unto themselves, and looked upon the Gentiles as 'unclean' and unworthy of salvation, forgetting that we are all unworthy, and that we all are dependent upon grace for salvation.

Today, after 6000 odd years of human history, that consciousness of good and evil is becoming a rare species. No longer is murder, violence, and immorality considered the evils they once were.People need to be reminded of God's laws, just as Israel was. No longer can we depend upon nature, or conscience, as a guide or foundation for morality. Look how that is getting us. Those laws , as I have proved in a former post, are a written transcript of God's nature and character. People are in complete ignorance as to who God is, the standards by which He judges, and the means by which He operates in human lives. Now we have not only the image of God in man so marred and corrupted to be virtually unrecognisable, the church itself has now thrown out the only written testimony, written by God Himself, as to what love truly is, claiming it to be now defunct, a means to bondage, an abrogated dinosaur of an age no longer relevant. This they write and speak of concerning God's righteousness, His character, His foundation of government in heaven.

When any group of individuals rebel against a present government, it is always instigated by dissatisfaction with the laws and statutes of the ruling power. They believe their own rules are better, their own laws will provide greater peace, harmony, and benefits for the populace, so they rebel. They topple the governing power, set up their own system, and life continues, for better or worse. And in a democracy where a new power is voted in, the same thing happens. There are new rules, new laws, all reflecting the character of the new party in power. As it is with all governments everywhere, whether democracy, theocracy, republic, monarchy, or dictatorship. The laws subsequently established by the ruling authority are a reflection of the nature of that same authority. It is no different with God. Those Ten Commandments are a reflection of the nature of love that underpins everything God does. The injunctions to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and you neighbour as yourself, are a summary of those laws. Just as you described those laws as being a summary of the laws of Moses, except for those laws and statutes regarding the services of the sanctuary.

So it was with Lucifer. He was dissatisfied with the way God ran things, and thought he could do better. One third of the angels agreed. And essentially this also was a rebellion against the laws of God. Which is why Jesus could rightly call Satan a murderer and a liar from the 'beginning'. And Satan's war against God's laws, in enticing and tempting people to transgress against those laws, has been a resounding success, to the point where he now has the vast majority of mankind enslaved to sin, and to the astonishing extent that even Christians no longer believe those laws are relevant. So instead of looking to the commandments as the foundation or mark and standard for morality, the entire world, with the church cheering on, is "doing what is right in their own eyes" (in other words according to the dictates of their seared consciences) and riding on a one way train to death and destruction.

All because very few believe any more the words of Jesus...Luke 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail....and the words of God through Isaiah Isa 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

 

[james1523]

I can agree with much of this James. Where does that law of nature you speak of, the law written on hearts Paul speaks of, come from? Is it not the remains and faint echo of the image of God's character man was created with? A quick look into Biblical history reveals how quickly that image was corrupted. Yet something of it remains, except when certain individuals have deliberately walk in evil and have 'seared their consciences with an iron' as Paul dexcribed it. By the time of Israel's captivity in Egypt, there was left no knowledge of God in the world with but few exceptions. Even Israel herself had forgotten the teachings of their forefathers, and had become almost completely im,mersed in pagan culture and false worship. This is the main reason why God needed to reveal Himself, and His laws, to Israel so soon after leaving Egypt. Up till that time they were in complete ignorance as to who God was and what He required of man. But God's intention was not to just single out one people and ignore the rest of the world. The purpose of raising up people like Abraham and sanctifying a people for Himself was for the express purpose of using them as a vehicle to reach the rest of the world. Just as it was with the gospel. He didn't single out the church in order for His love and grace to be kept "in house". It is to be shared, it was always intended to be that way. But Israel failed in this. They became an island unto themselves, and looked upon the Gentiles as 'unclean' and unworthy of salvation, forgetting that we are all unworthy, and that we all are dependent upon grace for salvation.

Today, after 6000 odd years of human history, that consciousness of good and evil is becoming a rare species. No longer is murder, violence, and immorality considered the evils they once were.People need to be reminded of God's laws, just as Israel was. No longer can we depend upon nature, or conscience, as a guide or foundation for morality. Look how that is getting us. Those laws , as I have proved in a former post, are a written transcript of God's nature and character. People are in complete ignorance as to who God is, the standards by which He judges, and the means by which He operates in human lives. Now we have not only the image of God in man so marred and corrupted to be virtually unrecognisable, the church itself has now thrown out the only written testimony, written by God Himself, as to what love truly is, claiming it to be now defunct, a means to bondage, an abrogated dinosaur of an age no longer relevant. This they write and speak of concerning God's righteousness, His character, His foundation of government in heaven.

When any group of individuals rebel against a present government, it is always instigated by dissatisfaction with the laws and statutes of the ruling power. They believe their own rules are better, their own laws will provide greater peace, harmony, and benefits for the populace, so they rebel. They topple the governing power, set up their own system, and life continues, for better or worse. And in a democracy where a new power is voted in, the same thing happens. There are new rules, new laws, all reflecting the character of the new party in power. As it is with all governments everywhere, whether democracy, theocracy, republic, monarchy, or dictatorship. The laws subsequently established by the ruling authority are a reflection of the nature of that same authority. It is no different with God. Those Ten Commandments are a reflection of the nature of love that underpins everything God does. The injunctions to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and you neighbour as yourself, are a summary of those laws. Just as you described those laws as being a summary of the laws of Moses, except for those laws and statutes regarding the services of the sanctuary.

So it was with Lucifer. He was dissatisfied with the way God ran things, and thought he could do better. One third of the angels agreed. And essentially this also was a rebellion against the laws of God. Which is why Jesus could rightly call Satan a murderer and a liar from the 'beginning'. And Satan's war against God's laws, in enticing and tempting people to transgress against those laws, has been a resounding success, to the point where he now has the vast majority of mankind enslaved to sin, and to the astonishing extent that even Christians no longer believe those laws are relevant. So instead of looking to the commandments as the foundation or mark and standard for morality, the entire world, with the church cheering on, is "doing what is right in their own eyes" (in other words according to the dictates of their seared consciences) and riding on a one way train to death and destruction.

All because very few believe any more the words of Jesus...Luke 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail....and the words of God through Isaiah Isa 51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

Thankyou for your post. I agree with much of your post. Mankind's nature was originally good, and agreed with God and His law, and this good nature remains mostly in mankind. The Law, the written Law, is a revelation of God's nature, His heart..and this was not just unconditional love, but conditional justice..disobedience to the Law meant immediate punishment. To those whom the Law has been given, including us, are held to a higher standard than those without the Law. And that higher standard is Christ! Who fulfilled the Law on our behalf, who paid the penalty for us all.

Rom 7:1-6 explains how we are no longer under law, because we are dead to it in Christ. It is not that the Law of God has ceased or been abolished, but that we have died to it. It no longer has any power over us..and we no longer depend upon the law.. we now depend upon Christ. For the Jew.. this law is the Law of Moses.. and for the Gentile.. this law is the moral law, the law of nature and conscience. As Rom 7:1-6 explains, we no longer depend upon the law, we now depend upon Christ as He is our new husband.

When a believer receives Christ's life, they receive the One who fulfilled all the Law, even the who who is the Law Himself. As you alluded to.. the law is revelation of God's nature. Well now Christians have God's nature installed into them! This is called the Law of the Spirit of Life. And this is not a law which functions according to the tree of knowledge of sin and death.. the concept of right versus wrong.. or the external written stone tablets the 10 commandments.. this is an internal Law which causes the believer to grow in life, and overcome death. We are all familiar with the concept of right versus wrong, and the concept of the written law. But now, having been grafted into the tree of life, Christ, we are not part of this right versus wrong system anymore. For us, it is no longer a matter of right versus wrong according to the written law, nor right versus wrong according to our conscience, but death versus life according to Christ. The Pharisees tried to live according to right versus wrong, and they had some righteousness.. but our righteousness must exceed their righteousness.. and this is only possible in Christ. Now it has become not a matter of what we do, or what laws we keep, but a matter of who we eat. Do we eat Christ or not? Do we receive His life, or do we attempt to keep the law in our own strength and remain in death? The Law of the Spirit enables a person to keep the Law to a much higher degree, since it not only deals with external actions, but the inward motives behind the external actions.

Romans 5 makes clear that sin is not charged to anyone's account when there is no law. And the law caused sin to increase. But this does not mean there is less sin without written law. It just means that there is less consciousness of sin. The problem is that the Law makes us more conscious of sin, as we then try to keep this law in our self effort we ultimately fail, whether Jew or Gentile.. but there is none good, not one. Before the Fall, Adam and Eve had no consciousness of sin, and thus no consciousness of Law. They did not receive consciousness of Law and Sin until they ate the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Then their eyes were opened, but they were poisoned by evil. The consciousness of sin brought the fear of God and hiding from Him. God's written Law is superior to the moral law, the law of nature, because it reveals more fully, more clearly, God's law. But the purpose of this increased revelation by written law, is not to bring us into bondage to a higher standard of written law, and hence more fear of God and hiding from Him, it is to cause us to experience the abundance grace in Christ Jesus..and experience the Law of the Spirit of Life. Those who are forgiven little, love little, but those who are forgiven much, love much. For this reason, God causes us, by the Law, to see our exceedingly sinful state, to be forgiven much, that we may turn to Him with great love. Both Jew and Gentile are unable to keep whatever laws they are judged by. The Gentile who was under the law of nature, and the Jew who was under the law of God now both have been grafted into the same tree - Christ, and drink of the same one Spirit etc etc. Under the written external law.. it was a matter of knowing, agreeing, obeying and doing. But with the law of the Spirit, it is a matter of eating and drinking. 1 Cor 12:13 "For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body--whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink"


In the Book of Acts which is the chief evangelical book in the Bible, spanning a few decades, and which is one of the longest books in the Bible, contains no evidence that the 10 commandments were taught to Gentiles.. and the commands to love God and love neighbor are not mentioned at all. In fact the word Love does not appear in the book of Acts at all. And this is important - the evangelistic efforts of the early Christians, was not about the 10 commandments or loving God or God loving them, it was all about Christ crucified Himself. They did not teach about love or the Law to Gentiles, they taught about Christ. There is no where that it says "and Paul took the new gentile converts and taught them the 10 commandments". There is no where that it says "You are all sinners because you disobeyed the 10 commandments". Many of the Gentiles would not have even known about the 10 commandments. In Acts 16:30-31.. when the Gentile Roman jailer asked "what must I do to be saved", the apostle did not say "love the Lord your God with all your heart.. and love your neighbor as yourself.." he was told "believe in Jesus Christ". That's all.

I believe that the emphasis of the 10 commandments in Christianity today, or Protestantism, is a carry over from Roman Catholicism which focused upon keeping the 10 commandments and self effort and works for salvation. In fact, the Catholic's reinvented the command about the Sabbath to "go to mass on Sunday". Which is why most Christians ( SDA's etc excluded) say they keep the 10 commandments, but in reality they only mean 9 of them.

Rom 5:
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—


13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.


15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.


20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.