The Ten Commandments have received a bad rap in modern culture. Frankly, they’ve been mistreated by a wide-array of worldview persuasions. So I’d like to offer just two brief reasons we ought to hold The Ten Commandments in high regard.
First, they tell us what matters to God. God didn’t play a game the day he wrote these. He didn’t arbitrarily pull them out of a hat and say, “Good luck trying to obey these!” There is careful, divine intent behind them. They originate from the very heart and being of God. They tell us what God values. They tell us what God prizes. If he is the object of our love, what matters to him should matter to us.
Second, they show us what a saved life ought to look like. Keep in mind the context for The Ten. God didn’t say to his people, Israel, “If you can obey these, I’ll get you out of captivity in Egypt.” No! God saved them first. He rescued them first. He redeemed them first and THEN gave them the commands. Salvation first, obedience second; grace first, then holiness. If you are a Christian, you have been saved to live a holy life.
Remembering these two reflections can help restore a dignified treatment of these words from our Lord.
