But some of them are found in the NT as commentary and instruction. If you Love God and Neighbor, as Christians do, you will live in harmony with the several found in the NT.
So how does 'living in harmony' differ exactly from 'obeying'? And which of the commandments may I feel relaxed about breaking? And how would that work out in practice?
Can I say, if you obey the Commandments you will live in harmony with the 'Royal law'?
- "We are not under the law" (Rom. 6:14; Gal. 5:18).
Romans 6:15-18.
'what shall we say then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?' But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.' These are some of the verses that finally persuaded me that I am under the commandments of God. I am not under law as a matter of salvation, but having been saved and having become a willing slave of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is my delight to obey His righteous commands.
'For circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what matters' (1 Corinthians 7:19).
- We are dead to the law (Rom. 7:4).
- We are delivered from the law (Rom. 7:6).
Amen!
'Therefore my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ.' We are dead to the law in respect either of our justification or condemnation. On the one hand we cannot be justified by it because we have failed to obey it perfectly; on the other we cannot be condemned by it because Christ has taken upon Himself the punishment that the law demands and has borne in our stead the curse of Deuteronomy 27:26. But that does not mean that we are not to keep it. In Ephesians 4:25 - 6:4, the last six commandments may all be found, and the fifth one actually spelled out for us. And then notice the next two verses:
'Bondservants [Gk.
douloi, 'slaves']
, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ: not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.'
If we are employees of someone, it's no good declaring that we love our boss and then supposing that we don't have to keep his rules! No, no! If we realy love him then we will take extra pains to keep his commands, otherwise he will say to us,
"Why do you call Me, Lord, Lord, and not do the things which I say?' (Luke 6:46).
- Christ is the end of the law (Rom. 10:4).
- "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ .... we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (Gal. 3:24, 25).
- "The law" has been abolished (Eph. 2:15).
'Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.' The commandments are not our righteousness, but they are our rule.
'Not without law toward God, but under law toward Christ.'
The law is no longer our schoolmaster; it has become our trusted friend and guide (Psalm 119:1-8 and
passim).
Ephesians 2:15 speaks of
'the law of commandments contained in ordinances' which can only mean the ceremonial laws which separated Jew from Gentile. These are indeed abolished, so that the
'middle wall of separation' may be broken down and Jew and Gentile may be united in Christ.