Do New Testament Believers Need To Keep The Ten Commandments?
When the New Testament says that we do not have to do the law any longer, does that apply to the commandments? In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love Me, you’ll keep My commandments.” This is where I get confused.
You’re asking a great question. We are not under the Law of Moses as the rule of our life. The law of Moses was part of the Old Covenant that God made with the Jewish people. It’s true in Christ that we are set free from the Law. However, many of the moral commandments of the Law are specifically stated in the New Testament for believers to obey, which includes them as part of the New Covenant. These are all encapsulated in what Jesus explained to be the obligation of those who will follow Him: keeping the two great commandments. Jesus said that you can summarize all the law in those two commandments: first, that you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and second, that you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Christians are committed to keeping those commands.
For the Jewish person under the Old Covenant, the law meant not eating pork or shellfish, because God made His covenant with ancient Israel, the Jewish people. The New Testament very specifically states that those dietary obligations are not upon believers. Therefore, I can love the Lord God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and eat a pork chop or bacon because of what God has revealed about His relationship with us under the New Covenant.
Many aspects of the Old Testament law are repeated for us clearly in the New Testament. I’ll give you just a few examples. First, in the 10 Commandments, the Old Testament says, “Do not murder.” The New Testament also tells us, “Do not murder,” and further clarifies what the heart of murder is all about, not just the act of it. Secondly, the Old Testament law tells us, “Don’t commit adultery.” The New Testament commandments say, “Don’t commit adultery” again, and expands our understanding of the heart of adultery, which was present already in the Old Testament. Thirdly, the New Testament tells us “Don’t covet,” which is what the 10 Commandments say as well.
Many of the specific moral prescriptions of the Old Testament law are repeated as part of our New Covenant obligations. But all of that is encompassed in loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself. The Christian who thinks, “I’m not under the law, so I can live any way that I please, and God will be pleased with it,” is a person who is against God’s law. You could legitimately call them antinomian, which means against the law. The antinomian person is rejecting God’s law.