Are Christians to keep the Ten Commandments? I think both New Testament Christians and Torah Christians will agree that not all of the Torah is to be kept. What I mean is, do Torah Christians sacrifice lambs at a synagogue? Of course not. What makes them Christian, is that they claim Christ's sacrifice on the cross as their eternal sacrificial Lamb. Therefore, I think I can safely conclude that most Torah Christians and New Testament Christians agree that at least part of the Torah has been fulfilled in Christ, as Christ said in Matthew chapter five.

When I was studying this years ago, and attending a Seventh Day Baptist church, I personally concluded that the ceremonial and sacrificial laws were fulfilled in Christ, but that the moral laws and Ten Commandments still stand. And they do - just not how I thought they did at the time.

All moral laws in the Old Covenant are pretty much reiterated under the New Covenant, so none of those are up for question. We know that they are under both covenants and are eternal rules in all times and dispensations.

Therefore this article is going to hone in specifically on the Ten Commandments. Some may argue that the Ten Commandments are purely moral, therefore they apply, but that is not the case. What of the Sabbath Commandment? That seems to cross over into the ceremonial. Ones not keeping the Sabbath isn't going to affect other people's lives - generally - I know there are exceptions.

I believe the Ten Commandments are a basic summation of the Torah, minus the sacrifices and most ceremonial laws. So the question comes - Are Christians supposed to keep the Old Testament Ten Commandments?

I used to believe this (and still do) but I was confused on the Sabbath commandment. This was why I was a Seventh Day keeper for a long time, which also led to me referring to God and Christ only in their Hebrew names, which I no longer do every time anymore, either. I'm not going to get into the Sabbath and Yah-saying in this article, but be assured they will get written about in this series. Today, I just want to focus on the Ten Commandments.

The New Testament is the New Covenant between God and His people. This New Covenant began after Christ resurrected from the dead. Technically then, the New Covenant didn't start until the end of the Gospels, but we'll get into that more in a future article in this series as well. :-)

I earnestly was seeking for the answer on the Ten Commandments, and on my fourth time reading the Bible, God highlighted something that I never noticed before.

Before I show you that Scripture, let's define some terms. The only law that was written on stone and delivered by Moses, with Moses' face shining so bright that he had to veil it, was the Ten Commandments. Therefore, when we see, in the following Scripture quote, references to the law delivered by Moses that was written in stone, that is the Ten Commandments. Here is the Scripture the Lord gave me in my seeking:

"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished: But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it [he] shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." -2Corinthians 3:6-17

Did you see it?

"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life."

We are under the spirit of the law, and we are now under the New Testament.

"But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?"

The Ten Commandments were part of the ministration of death, and the glory of the Old Testament Law is not as glorious as the New Testament. The Law and Ten Commandments have been done away with.

"For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious."

The Law and Ten Commandments have been done away, but the New Covenant remains, and is more glorious than the Old.

"Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech"

In other words, there is no hidden meaning in 2 Corinthians 3. Plainness of speech is being used here. The Law has been done away with through Christ, and Christians are no longer under the letter of the Ten Commandments, but the spirit.

"And not as Moses, which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:"

The only time Moses put a veil over his face, was after he spoke with God, and delivered the Ten Commandments to the Israelites. The law delivered then was the Ten Commandments. The above scripture says that the Ten Commandments and Law have been abolished. This is "great plainness of speech." It's telling us straight out.

"But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ."

Even now, just like then, people get stuck in the Old Testament, and think they are supposed to keep the Laws of the Old Covenant. If they don't read and understand the New Covenant/New Testament, then they are "blinded" by their reading of the Old Testament. The Old Covenant Laws and the Ten Commandments are "done away in Christ."

"But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it [he] shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."

Those who think they need to keep the Law as well as be Christians have the veil upon their hearts, just like Moses had to wear a veil over his face to hide the glory of God. We no longer require a veil to separate us from God. We now have access to the Glory of God - the Holy of Holies:

"Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;" -Matthew 27:50-51

"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." -Hebrews 10:19-22

Christians are not under the letter of the Ten Commandments, but the spirit of them. Each of the Ten Commandments are taught in the New Testament, and how we should follow them under the spirit. One of the places where we see the spirit of the law, is in Matthew chapter five.

What commandments is the Christian under? There are only two:

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." -Matthew 22:37-14

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." -1John 2:3

What are "His commandments?" They are:

"And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." -1John 3:23

By following these two commandments, (believe on the name of Christ, and love one another) the Christian is automatically keeping all of the Ten Commandments, including the Sabbath commandment, without having to keep the Seventh Day Sabbath, which was of the Law. Confused? Don't be. I'll explain this in the next part of this series.

Next in this series - How do Christians Keep the Sabbath (and the Spirit of the Sabbath) Under the New Covenant?