The Ten Commandments in the New Testament
The Ten Commandments are found in the New Testament. Please check the following carefully:
| THE LAW OF GOD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT | THE LAW OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT |
| 1. “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Matthew 4:10. | 1. “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3. |
| 2. “Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:21. “Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.” Acts 17:29. | 2. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:4-6. |
| 3. “That the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.” 1 Timothy 6:1. | 3. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Exodus 20:7. |
| 4. “For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.” “There remaineth therefore a rest [“keeping of a sabbath,” margin] to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.” Hebrews 4:4, 9, 10. | 4. “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11. |
| 5. “Honour thy father and thy mother.”Matthew 19:19. | 5. “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12. |
| 6. “Thou shalt not kill.” Romans 13:9. | 6. “Thou shalt not kill.” Exodus 20:13. |
| 7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”Matthew 19:18. | 7. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14. |
| 8. “Thou shalt not steal.” Romans 13:9. | 8. “Thou shalt not steal.” Exodus 20:15. |
| 9. “Thou shalt not bear false witness.”Romans 13:9. | 9. “Thou shalt not bear false winess against thy neighbour.” Exodus 20:16. |
| 10. “Thou shalt not covet.” Romans 7:7. | 10. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” Exodus 20:17. |
Jesus and the Ten Commandments
Jesus asserted, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Matthew 5:17,18). By fulfilling the law the Savior simply “filled” it “full” of meaning—by giving us an example of perfect obedience to the will of God, in order that the same law “might be fulfilled in us” (Romans 8:3, 4).
The Lord declared that the Ten Commandments cannot be changed. He said, “My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips” (Psalm 89:34). The Ten commandments are the revealed principles of God’s holy character and the very basis of His kingdom. They will be true as long as He exists (Psalm 111:7, 8).
When the rich young asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Then the man said, “Which ones?” Jesus pointed to the Ten Commandments and said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.‘ You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 19:16-19).
In the last verse, Jesus summed up the commandments that deal with our relationship with our fellow men by the words ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ which He stated in Matthew 22:39, 40. Similarly, the first four commandments that deal with our relationship with God are also summed with the phrase ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind‘’ (verses 37,38).
The Savior gave the New commands (John 13:34), not to replace any of the divine moral precepts, which reflected the character of the unchangeable God, but to emphasize that these commands should stem out of love.
Jesus magnified His law (Isaiah 42:21) as the perfect guide for right living. For example, Jesus pointed out that “thou shalt not kill” condemns anger “without a cause” (Matthew 5:21, 22) and hatred (1 John 3:15), and that lust is adultery (Matthew 5:27, 28). And He added, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
The Bible says that when we knowingly break any command of God, we are sinning (James 4:17). But God gives us all the needed grace, strength and ability to obey God’s law. John declared, “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:3,4).
Paul affirmed this same truth, “…for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefor, love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8-10). True obedience is a matter of the heart and of the spirit (Romans 2:28, 29).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team