EDITOR: Ben Gilmore
’s well-meaning effort to promote the Mosaic Law and its core,
the Ten Commandments could stand to be led kicking and screaming
into a new Testament area. The Commandments are an important
feature of Christianity’s legacy. However, this famous Decalogue is
but a way-station in the progressive o
f Divine ethical guidance.
EDITOR:
Ben Gilmore’s well-meaning effort to promote the Mosaic Law and its core, the Ten Commandments could stand to be led kicking and screaming into a new Testament area. The Commandments are an important feature of Christianity’s legacy. However, this famous Decalogue is but a way-station in the progressive of Divine ethical guidance.
As a spokesman for some Christians, Ben must know that the Ten Commandments have been upstaged by a “Higher Law.” Jesus, the Christ, subsumed the Old Testament Commandments under his tons-more-positive “Two Great Commandments”: a whole-hearted love of God, and a sacrificial love for human kind.
Jesus’ ideals, however deep in complexity, serve the threefold purpose of showing us: 1. how short we come in practicing imperfect love; 2. how much we need the pardoning love of God incarnate in the Christ Event of Cross and Resurrection; and 3. promises of ethical powers of a indwelling Spirit of God, in pursuit of Christ-like living.
The other limitations of the Ten Commandments, given to Judaism, are the problems of applying them too literally.
For starters, the Sabbath command refers to treating sundown Friday to sundown Saturday as a special day of worship. For nearly 2000 years, however, many Christians have worshipped on Sunday in commemoration of Resurrection Day. Included with worship have been rest and recreation. Some Christians are not into the organized religion industry and see everyday as “The Lord’s Day.”
Relative to the Sixth Commandment there are a mess of protest signs that proclaim “Thou shalt not kill.” We always see them at anti-war rallies and prison executions. Yet the Scriptures are crystal clear about difference in interpreting the “killing commandment”. On the next page after Exodus 20, (the sight of the Decalogue) is Exodus 21, where five times the prescription, “Thou shalt put to death” is given in a context of civil justice.
David the king, is roundly condemned for his murder of a rival in romance, yet widely applauded, with God’s approval, for his slaying of Goliath, while at war with the Philistines.
Rahab and Michal are commended for their timely telling of a lie to protect human life. There are additional exceptions in the older Mosaic Law. Suffice it to say that in God’s time the Biblical drama unfolds and the Creator descends in the person, work and words of the Christ, whose teachings transcend the message of law in favor of love. Motivated by gratitude, “Christian Liberty under Lordship” becomes the new standard.
The Apostle Paul is even stronger in his declaration that the older Commandments are now obsolete; hence: “Christ forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code with it’s regulations … He took it away nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:14)
As Christians, desirous of making our faith attractive to seekers, we could stand to lighten up, and get off our high horses of judgmentalism, rooted in a legalistic mentality.
Oxford Professor, C.S. Lewis, who came to Christ out of lifelong agnosticism, writes in his best-seller, “Mere Christianity”: “A legalistic and self-righteous prig, who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to Hell than a prostitute. Of course, it is better to be neither.”
Bill Paterson, Gilroy
