The Ten Commandments and the New Covenant in Christ

The Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20, are central to the story of God’s covenant with Israel. These commandments were given as part of the Mosaic Covenant, setting Israel apart as God’s chosen people and providing a foundation for moral and spiritual living. However, with the coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the New Covenant, believers often ask: What is the relationship between these ancient commandments and the new life found in Christ?

The Ten Commandments: Foundation of God’s Moral Law

The commandments in Exodus 20 cover our duties to God and to one another:

• No other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3 ASV)
• No idols (Exodus 20:4 ASV)
• Do not take the Lord’s name in vain (Exodus 20:7 ASV)
• Remember the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8 ASV)
• Honor your father and mother (Exodus 20:12 ASV)
• Do not murder (Exodus 20:13 ASV)
• Do not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14 ASV)
• Do not steal (Exodus 20:15 ASV)
• Do not bear false witness (Exodus 20:16 ASV)
• Do not covet (Exodus 20:17 ASV)

These laws reflect the holiness of God and the need for righteousness in His people.

The New Covenant: Fulfillment and Transformation

Jesus Christ inaugurated the New Covenant through His sacrificial death and resurrection. The New Covenant was foretold by the prophets, such as Jeremiah:

Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah... I will put my law in their inward parts, and in their heart will I write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. - Jeremiah 31:31, 33 ASV

In the New Covenant, God’s law is written not on stone tablets, but on the hearts of believers. Jesus emphasized the heart of the law in His teaching:

Think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I came not to destroy, but to fulfill. - Matthew 5:17 ASV

He summarized the law with two commands:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets. - Matthew 22:37-40 ASV

The Role of the Ten Commandments in the Life of a Christian

Under the New Covenant, believers are not saved by keeping the law, but by faith in Christ:

For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory. - Ephesians 2:8-9 ASV

Yet, the moral principles of the Ten Commandments remain relevant as they reflect God’s unchanging character. Paul teaches that the law is holy and good (Romans 7:12 ASV), but it cannot justify:

By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for through the law cometh the knowledge of sin. - Romans 3:20 ASV

Instead, the Holy Spirit enables believers to live out the righteousness of the law as they walk by faith and love:

That the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. - Romans 8:4 ASV

Summary and Insights

• The Ten Commandments reveal God’s holy standard and our need for a Savior.
• In Christ, believers are freed from the law’s condemnation and empowered by the Spirit to live in loving obedience.
• The moral principles of the law are fulfilled as we love God and love others.
• The New Covenant does not abolish the law, but transforms our relationship to it through grace.

Related Questions

• What does it mean to be saved?
• Are Christians still required to keep the Sabbath?
• What is the difference between the Old and New Covenants?
• Why did God give the law to Israel?