Are the Ten Commandments Still Relevant Today?
God gave us the Ten Commandments thousands of years ago. We are much more advanced and sophisticated than people were back then. So do the Ten Commandments still apply to us today? Are they still relevant? Let’s go over them to find out.
The first commandment is, “You shall have no other gods before me.”
The second commandment is, “You shall not make for yourself any graven image.”
The third commandment is, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.”
The fourth commandment is, “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy.”
The fifth commandment is, “Honor your father and your mother.”
The sixth commandment is, “You shall not kill.”
The seventh commandment is, “You shall not commit adultery.”
The eighth commandment is, “You shall not steal.”
The ninth commandment is, “You shall not lie.”
The tenth commandment is, “You shall not covet.”
In Luke 10:27 Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments in two commandments. In the first one He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.” This covers four of the Ten Commandments. The second commandment Jesus gave says, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This covers the remaining six commandments.
Back to our original question, “Are the Ten Commandments still relevant today?” Another question is, “Are the Ten Commandments still important to God?” Malachi 3:6 says, “I am the LORD, I change not.” God is never changing and he gave us the original Ten Commandments. So we can safely say that they are important to Him.
Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment.” God is going to judge us by the Ten Commandments on Judgment Day. 1st John 3:4 says that “sin is the transgression of the law.” In Romans 7:7 the apostle Paul said, “I had not known sin, but by the law.” In other words, the Ten Commandments showed him that he was a sinner.
So you need to ask yourself if you have kept the Ten Commandments. Have you always honored God and put him first in your life? Some people change God to fit their own desires. They may not even realize it, but they are making a false idol. Have you made yourself a false idol? Some people make a false god that allows them to keep on sinning and the false god is alright with that. Have you ever used God’s name as a cuss word. The Israelites in the Old Testament reverenced God so much that they wouldn’t even say His name. Now days, people use God’s name as a cuss word or they say God’s name when they are disgusted.
Do you rest on the Sabbath Day, do you reflect on God, read the Bible, pray, draw closer to God? Have you always honored your parents? Jesus said that if you are angry with your brother you have committed murder in your heart. Jesus also said that if you look at someone with lust, you have committed adultery with that person in your heart. Almost all of us have taken something that didn’t belong to us. Even if it was something small like an ink pen or a paper clip. We have all told lies in our lives. Even if it was a white lie, a half truth or a fib, we have all lied before. Most of us have wanted something that belonged to someone else and that is called coveting.
We have all broken the Ten Commandments. So are they still relevant today? Yes they are! God is righteous, just and perfect. He is going to judge us by His perfect law, the Ten Commandments. None of us have kept them our whole lives. Romans 3:20 says that no one will be justified in God’s sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
We will be found guilty on Judgment Day. Hebrews 10:31 says, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Because He is a good judge, a just judge, He will have to find you guilty of breaking the Ten Commandments. Because He is a good judge, He will have to send you to Hell. God doesn’t want to do that.
Do you know what God did so He wouldn’t have to send you to Hell for eternity? Because He is loving, merciful and forgiving, He sent his Son Jesus to come down to earth, where he lived a perfect, sinless life. Jesus didn’t sin in thought, word or deed. Jesus was falsely accused, beaten and suffered and died on the cross for sinners. He rose from the grave on the third day. Jesus took our punishment for us, because of our sins. Our sin separates us from God.
To be saved from eternal damnation, we need to believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The Bible says that even the demons believe that Jesus is the Son of God. So believing is more than just saying,” I believe in Jesus.” You need to ask God to forgive you of your sins (for breaking the Ten Commandments) and you need to Repent –turn away from your sins and turn toward God. You need to put your Faith and Trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Surrender your will completely to Him. Please don’t delay. Do this today.