Who among us has not been taught from our earliest memories that sin is bad? We all know God hates sin! But how many know what sin IS?

Some say that sin is going against your own conscience; some say that doing what “feels wrong” is sin. Others believe that there IS no such thing as sin – or if there is, it doesn’t matter – since the law was done away, and sin is now a moot point! But what does the BIBLE say? After all, where did we first hear of sin, if not from the Bible?

And if sin is such an important thing to God, surely the Bible would have made it CRYSTAL CLEAR, beyond even a hint of doubt, exactly what SIN is! And God DID make it clear! But do YOU know what sin is? Have you been taught the clear, simple, Bible definition of sin?

1 John 3:4 (Phillip’s Translation) Everyone who commits sin breaks God’s law, for that is what sin is—a BREAKING OF GOD’S LAW.

How often have you heard THAT scripture quoted – the ONLY ONE that defines sin in the ENTIRE BIBLE? Look it up in your own Bible – make sure for yourself that it really IS there! Each translation is a little different, but all agree that SIN IS THE BREAKING OF THE COMMANDMENTS!

1 John 3:4 (Weymouth) Every one who is guilty of sin is also guilty of violating Law; for sin is the violation of Law.

The KJV reads “sin is the transgression of the law”!Could any words be clearer? Sin is breaking God’s law! But which law?

Romans 7:7 (NKJV) What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, "You shall not covet."

Paul asked “Is the law sin?” And responded “Certainly not!” or as the KJV says “God forbid!” No, on the contrary, Paul said that if it weren’t for the law, he could not have known what sin WAS! Why not? Because “by the law is the knowledge of sin”! (Romans 3:20).

Sin is the BREAKING of the law, so without knowing what the law says, you can’t know sin because sin IS breaking the law! So Paul said he KNEW sin “through the law”. Which law? Can we tell for SURE? Yes, because he gave us an example by saying he wouldn’t have known covetousness except the law had said “thou shalt not covet”! Now where can you find “thou shalt not covet”? Only two places in the Bible – look them up! Exodus 20:17, Deuteronomy 5:21. The last of the Ten Commandments!

So it was THAT law – the Ten Commandments – that told Paul what SIN was. It was the Ten Commandments that told JOHN what sin was (1 John 3:4). It was the Ten Commandments that told Israel what sin was at Sinai, and those same Commandments tell US what sin IS today! Sin IS the breaking of that law, the Ten Commandments!

WHY are so many deceived today? WHY do so many teach that the law does not apply today? It’s time to find out what the Bible REALLY teaches about sin and the law.

That reminds me of a story of a young evangelist out to spread the Word who walked up to a man and said, “Hi there, do you know the Lord?”, hoping to find a new convert. “Well”, the man responded, “Why yes I do! Do you?” And the evangelist said, “Oh, of course I do!” So the man responded, “Great! Do you keep God’s commandments?” The evangelist was shocked and said, “Oh, no, no, we don’t have to keep those any more – the commandments are done away in Christ!”

The man smiled and said, “Is that a Bible you have there in your hand? Open it to 1 John 2:4. Read what it says aloud”. The evangelist looked up the verse, then his eyes bugged out a little. He closed his Bible and walked away, refusing to read it out aloud. Have you read it? Read it now. This man said he knew Jesus, as so many do today! And he BELIEVED, and was SINCERE in his worship of Jesus!

But this scripture called that man a liar. John, speaking long, long after the death of Christ supposedly “did away” with the commandments, and speaking to Gentiles, was inspired BY GOD to say “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth NOT his commandments, is a liar, and THE TRUTH IS NOT IN HIM.” (1 John 2:4).

God said that ANYONE who says “I know the Lord” and does NOT keep God’s commandments – is a LIAR. And the truth is NOT in that person! Those are sobering words – not mine, but straight from the Bible – that should give you pause for thought. Do you claim to be a Christian? Do you keep His commandments? Do YOU want God calling you a liar?

Before this lesson is through, you’ll see that everything you have probably been taught on this subject is DIRECTLY contrary to the absolutely clear, easy to understand words of your Bible.

One of the keys to Bible study I didn’t mention earlier, is that to understand a subject you must take EVERY WORD in the Bible on a subject, heap it all up into a pile, and then sort it out – see what ALL the scriptures say. Most false doctrines are built out of one or two half-verses, often out of context – you’ll see several examples in this lesson. So to TRULY understand the Bible, you must use the WHOLE BIBLE – and then every word becomes plain as day!

LESSON 3: WHAT IS SIN?

To understand something, it always helps to understand its opposite. If sin IS the transgression of the law, then what is the opposite? Romans 6:20. So if servants to sin are free from righteousness, then servants of righteousness are free from sin? Romans 6:18. So then if sin is the opposite of righteousness, is UNrighteousness sin? 1 John 5:17.

So what IS righteousness? Psalms 119:172. And how do you become righteous? Deuteronomy 6:25. Are the righteous saved? Matthew 25:46. Are they barely saved? And what about the sinners? 1 Peter 4:18, Proverbs 13:21. So are those who break the commandments – those who commit sin – saved? 1 Corinthians 6:9. How can you tell if you know Him? 1 John 2:3. Is it still a sin whether you realize it or not? Leviticus 5:17.

So clearly, God likes righteousness and hates sinning. These are some shocking scriptures, but they’re in your Bible and I didn’t put them there, God did! And you will see hundreds more today – and they may get more shocking as we go along, as you discover simple verses in the Bible that you never knew existed!

Is it possible to break ANY commandment and still get into the Kingdom of God? James 2:10-11. What about lying – does the law command us not to lie (bear false witness)? Exodus 20:16, Leviticus 19:11. Will liars be in the Kingdom of God? Revelation 21:27. Is stealing a part of that law? Exodus 20:15. Will those who steal be in the Kingdom of God? 1 Corinthians 6:10. Adultery? Exodus 20:14. In the Kingdom? 1 Corinthians 6:9. Murder? Exodus 20:13. In the Kingdom? 1 John 3:15. Covetous? Exodus 20:17. In the Kingdom? Ephesians 5:5. Idolatry? Exodus 20:4. Idolaters in the Kingdom? Revelation 21:8. Are sorcerers, witches, mediums, astrologers, psychics and the like condemned? Deuteronomy 18:10. Will they be in the Kingdom? Revelation 22:15.

Which of those commandments can you break, and still enter the Kingdom of God? These are all NEW Testament scriptures saying that you CANNOT enter the Kingdom if you are an adulterer, idolater, fornicator, thief, liar, murderer, covetous, have other gods – basically breaking ANY of the commandments keeps you out of the Kingdom!

So even if you wrongly assume the law was “done away in Christ”, the New Testament still SPECIFICALLY says that anyone who breaks those seven commandments WILL NOT BE SAVED! The scriptures above included commandments #1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. The New Testament also mentions the other commandments, but these are enough to prove the point for now.

CAN YOU KEEP THE LAW?

A common belief today is that it is IMPOSSIBLE to keep the law of God, and so all we can do is let Christ keep it for us. Again, is this what the Bible says – or what men who didn’t even TRY to keep the law teach? I’ll get to the scriptures in a moment, but first let me ask you some common-sense questions. I’ll assume you believe it is impossible for any man to keep the law. Ok then.

Who did you kill today? I’m serious. Who did you kill? Anyone? Well, that’s one commandment you’ve kept!

With whose wife did you commit adultery today? None? That’s two you’ve kept – maybe it’s not as hard as you’ve been taught!

What did you steal today? Did you bow down to any idols? Which other gods are you serving? Right there that’s three more! So far, it looks like you’re ALREADY keeping five of the ten, and you aren’t even trying yet!

Keeping the commandments is NOT that hard! It takes commitment, and you have to make a decision to stand apart from your habits and your friends, but it’s JUST A DECISION! It doesn’t take the power of God to say, “No, sorry, I won’t work on the Sabbath, that breaks commandment #4”. It doesn’t take someone like Jesus to see an opportunity to lie and say, “No, I’ll just tell the truth this time”. Is that really so hard? No! So the commandments CAN be obeyed! You, yourself, are proof of that!

Why would God be angry at us for failing to do something that is impossible? Does God say it is impossible to keep the commandments – or that man just REFUSES to keep them? Exodus 16:28. Does God give any examples of people who have – past tense – KEPT His commandments? As proof that it IS possible? Genesis 26:5. So IS it possible? 1 Kings 11:34. It is possible to keep these commandments perfectly? Job 1:8. Did Satan contradict God? (and surely, if Job were not perfect, Satan would have!) Verse 9.

Did Jesus expect us to keep the commandments perfectly? Matthew 5:48. Did Jesus tell us how? Matthew 19:21. Did that advice come AFTER the young nobleman said he ALREADY kept all the commandments? Matthew 19:16-20. Did Paul say it was not only possible to obey the law perfectly, but THAT HE HAD HIMSELF DONE IT? Philippians 3:6.

There is a difference between keeping the commandments perfectly, and BEING perfect. This must wait for a later lesson, but Paul makes it clear there IS a difference in Philippians 3:12-15.

Is the Bible given to help Man be perfect? 2 Timothy 3:17. Is it possible to abide in Jesus’ love WITHOUT keeping the commandments? John 15:10. So then IS it possible to obey the commandments, or not? Psalms 119:166-167. Do even the Gentiles, who don’t know a thing about the law, accidentally keep many of the laws? Romans 2:14.

IS THE LAW BAD FOR YOU?

Many also say that keeping the commandments is BAD. That somehow these laws actually HURT you. Is this what the Bible says? What do the commandments produce, and are they GOOD or BAD?

Are the commandments bad for us to obey? Proverbs 19:16. Are they grievous, HARD to keep? 1 John 5:3. Are they awful, or wonderful? Psalms 119:47. Are they perfect, or flawed? Psalms 19:7. Do they bring life, or death? Proverbs 12:28. Does Paul say that he who keeps the law would live? Galatians 3:12.

Does Paul say those who DO the law will be justified? Romans 2:13. Does Paul say the law has been nullified? Romans 3:31. What is sin, again? 1 John 3:4. So is it alright for us to break the law (to sin) since we are under grace? Romans 6:15. What does Paul say sinning – even under grace – will lead to? Verse 16.

So is the law sin? Romans 7:7. What does Paul say the law is – does he say it is harmful, bad, and despicable? Romans 7:12. So Paul – the man most people believe HATED the law – said it was “holy, just, and good”? Did Paul in fact LOVE the law, as David did? Romans 7:22. What did James say about the law? James 1:25.

So now let me ask you. If you don’t steal from anyone, WHO DOES THAT HURT? Does it hurt YOU not to take that which belongs to someone else? Is being bound by the command not to steal BAD for you? This is a deadly serious question! Many preachers out there would have you believe that to even TRY to obey the commandments is BAD for you!

Is it BAD for you NOT to kill someone? How does it harm you if you are prevented from being an axe murderer? Is this commandment AGAINST you, or FOR you? Does it PROTECT you from hurting yourself and others?

If you don’t commit adultery is that BAD? Does it harm you in ANY way if you DON’T cheat on your wife? Doesn’t that commandment actually PROTECT you from making a stupid mistake that would destroy your marriage, end in divorce, heartache, and broken homes as so many marriages do today? Wouldn’t that law do nothing but GOOD for you, and everyone on Earth, if they only OBEYED it?

I could go similarly through ALL the commandments, but the point is made. These commandments HELP you. They HELP you act like God, and they HELP you avoid pain and suffering yourself, and avoid causing it to others! They are your friends!

Does keeping the law make you happy? Proverbs 29:18. Is knowing the law a blessing? Psalms 94:12. Does it bring peace when it’s obeyed? Psalms 119:165. Are the commandments pure, enlightening? Psalms 19:8. How long do the commandments last? Psalms 111:7-8. Do they make you wise? Psalms 119:98. Is it the WHOLE DUTY of Man? Ecclesiastes 12:13. So then who can argue that the commandments are not GOOD for us?

Will those who OBEY the commandments enter the Kingdom of God? Revelation 22:14. Will the devil and his false churches HATE those commandment-keepers? Revelation 12:17. Are the saints those who believe the commandments are done away? Or those who KEEP the commandments? Revelation 14:12.

Did Paul say, to GENTILE converts, that THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERED, even to the uncircumcised, was keeping the commandments? 1 Corinthians 7:19. Did Paul write to do AWAY with the commandments, or write to TEACH them – to the Gentiles? 1 Corinthians 14:37. Is there a command to honor your parents? Exodus 20:12. Does Paul teach Gentiles that they MUST obey that commandment? Ephesians 6:2. And does he say that commandment is a GOOD thing for us? Ephesians 6:3.

Does Paul say those who sin, even without law, will PERISH? Romans 2:12. Does he say uncircumcised Gentiles who KEEP the law are better than circumcised Jews who don’t? Romans 2:25-27. Does James say that you DO WELL to keep the law? James 2:8.

DID THE LAW COME INTO EXISTENCE WITH MOSES?

If the Ten Commandments existed BEFORE Moses, as part of a DIFFERENT covenant, then nothing that happens to the Mosaic covenant can affect the earlier covenant, right? So did the Ten Commandments exist before Moses?

Did Joseph know breaking the law against adultery was a sin against God? Genesis 39:9. Was it wrong for Cain to murder Abel? 1 John 3:12, 15. Was Noah righteous (a keeper of the law)? Genesis 7:1. Did Sodom and Gomorrah sin (break God’s laws)? Genesis 18:20.

Romans 3:20 says “by the law is the knowledge of sin”. Without the law first being there, Sodom and Gomorrha could not be destroyed, for it is by the law that the knowledge of sin comes. Romans 4:15 says “where no law is, there is no transgression” – no sin. So they HAD to have the law.

Was Abel righteous? Matthew 23:35. What is righteousness? Deuteronomy 6:25. Did Abraham have God’s laws, and keep them – 400 years before Moses? Genesis 26:5.

THE LAW THAT IS AGAINST US

There are two reasons for confusion on this issue; two reasons why these simple, plain scriptures are not believed by most today. First, Man does not want to submit his will to the will of God. Man does not want to surrender his “right” to steal, lie, sleep around, kill, covet, hate his parents, have idols, and all the other things Man does! If Man obeys God, he has to stop all that, and Man doesn’t want to do that!

But second, the confusion comes from the writings of Paul. As I’ve already shown, Paul frequently said great things about the commandments. But he also said some confusing things as well. These confusing statements of Paul’s were causing trouble WHILE PAUL YET LIVED!

We have been taught today, based mostly on the writings of Paul, that we should not even TRY to keep the commandments – that to do so would actually INSULT God! So we have been taught to do evil (break the commandments) so that good (the blessings and salvation of God) might come!

Romans 3:8 (BBE) Let us NOT do evil so that good may come (a statement which we are falsely said by some to have made), because such behaviour will have its right punishment.

Notice! Even while Paul lived, people misunderstood him deliberately and FALSELY accused Paul of teaching that the law was done away! They slanderously claimed Paul taught “let us do evil, that good may come”, JUST AS MOST MINISTERS ARE TEACHING TODAY!

Romans 3:8 (GWV) Or can we say, "Let’s do evil so that good will come from it"? Some slander us and claim that this is what we say. They are condemned, and that’s what they deserve.

Such people deserve condemnation! Even Peter, a fellow apostle, had trouble understanding Paul’s writings and said that many people abused them even then, 1900 years ago!

2 Peter 3:16 (NKJV) as also in all his epistles [Paul’s letters; see vs. 15], speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

They TWISTED the words of Paul, EVEN THEN, to slanderously say the law was done away, and that grace meant no more obedience was necessary – even though these very letters continually stress the glory and beauty of the Commandments, and how those who don’t obey them will not enter the Kingdom of God!

Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Paul did NOT make the law void! He ESTABLISHED it! He made it MORE binding, which we’ll discuss in more detail a little later. But for now, let’s look at the exact scriptures Paul wrote which men have twisted to say “the law is done away”.

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

And there, says your minister, is proof that the law is done away. But WHY do they stop reading there? Why not go on, and read the VERY NEXT VERSE?

Galatians 2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

Paul continues to say that if you seek to be justified by Christ, by faith, AND YET CONTINUE TO SIN, and BREAK the law, that would make Christ the minister of sin! It would mean that Jesus, the minister and King of righteousness (Hebrews 7:2), would be TOLERATING, even ENCOURAGING sin – making Him the minister of sin! And Paul said GOD FORBID that be true!

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS CAN’T SAVE YOU

Now let’s make this plain. Are you obligated to keep the law? John 14:15. If you break the law, what penalty do you earn? Romans 6:23. Can you MORE than keep the law? Luke 17:10. So if you keep the law, you live? Galatians 3:12. And if you break the law, you die? James 1:15.

Let’s put this in modern terms. Suppose you kill someone in a state that practices capital punishment. Suppose you are convicted of breaking that law, and sent to death row. Now breaking that law earned you DEATH. If you DON’T break the law for the rest of your life, can you UNEARN that death penalty? No! Of course not!

Not breaking that law is what is EXPECTED of you – the basic minimum REQUIREMENT of the government. If you keep the law all your life, the law won’t bother you at all. But if you BREAK it even once, you earn the death penalty, and no amount of KEEPING it will EVER save you from that penalty! Once you break the law a single time, and earn the death penalty, NO GOOD DEEDS WILL EVER SAVE YOU! KEEPING THE LAW CANNOT SAVE YOU!

But let us now suppose that you receive a pardon from the Governor. Or suppose someone comes forward and said it was really their fault, they’ll take the blame and die in your place. And so you’re set free. You’re no longer under the penalty of death! The law no longer has any hold on you!

Does this mean you can kill someone else and not be put BACK in prison? Can you break any law, even speeding, without paying the full price like everyone else? Of course not! Being pardoned for one crime does NOT give you license to commit ANY future crimes!

Did Christ come to pay for future crimes, or ONLY past crimes? Romans 3:25. Did Paul say we were DELIVERED from the law? Romans 7:6. Did Paul conclude that meant we were allowed to sin now, without worrying about it? Romans 7:7.

Again, WHY does your preacher read Romans 7:6, then stop before verse seven, which TOTALLY reverses the meaning of the passage! In verse six, Paul simply says that Christ DELIVERED us from the law’s penalty – not from having to keep it! Hundreds of verses say we must keep it! No, Christ delivered us ONLY from the PENALTY of our PAST sins!

Does the fact that Christ is willing to cancel the penalty of the law for us, just this once, mean the law was sin, or bad for us? NO! Paul said he NEEDED the law to learn what lust was!

Understand! No law – not the law of Moses nor even the Ten Commandments – can save you FROM PAST SINS! They both require your complete obedience, and if you break them even once, they require your death – and no amount of renewed obedience can EVER work off that debt! It requires the blood of Christ, Him dying in your place, to pay for those sins!

But suppose you had never sinned in the first place. Would the Ten Commandments have saved you then?

What is the wages you earn by sinning? Romans 6:23. Is there ANY OTHER WAY to earn those wages? Or do you ONLY get the wages you earn? Matthew 16:27. Is the wages of righteousness, death? Galatians 3:12. If you keep the words of Jesus – who taught us to keep the commandments – will you EVER see death? John 8:51. So then is it even POSSIBLE to die if you never sin? What was the penalty for eating the forbidden fruit? Genesis 2:17. So then if they did NOT eat the fruit, would they have ever died?

Let us ask a new set of questions. Did Jesus EVER sin? 1 Peter 2:22. Did He EVER earn the death penalty? Did anyone take His life from Him, or did He VOLUNTARILY give it up to pay for YOUR sins and mine? John 10:17-18. But once Jesus died, of His own free will, was it POSSIBLE for Him to remain dead? Could death hold Christ? Acts 2:24.

Death could not hold Christ because Christ had NEVER earned the penalty of death! And since He had not earned it, the Father COULD NOT PERMIT it to apply to Him! So because Jesus had never sinned, He COULD NOT stay dead! WHY? WHY was Jesus unable to remain dead? Because He had obeyed the laws, and “the man that doeth them shall live in them”! So WHAT saved Christ? Isaiah 59:16.

Read that verse again! You can’t read it too often! HIS OWN arm saved Him! HIS OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS sustained Him! HIS OBEDIENCE to the TEN COMMANDMENTS SAVED CHRIST! And they COULD have saved you – IF you had never sinned! But since you have, NOW they cannot save you any more – only the blood of Christ can redeem you from the penalty of that law!

...But once you’re saved from those past sins, what do you suppose will KEEP you saved? Romans 6:2, Romans 6:11-13. If righteousness is what saved Christ, and you have been saved from your past sins and want to remain saved, what must you do? 1 John 2:6.

So no, keeping the commandments CAN’T save you from past sins – but once you’ve been saved, they are the ONLY THING that can KEEP you saved! Because once you have been forgiven, if you KNOWINGLY break the commandments, you CANNOT be saved! The sacrifice of Christ cannot apply to you if you break the law willingly! (Hebrews 10:26).

If you go out and commit sin, thinking that grace gives you license to sin, you are INSULTING Christ! Hebrews 10:28-29. He came to die in YOUR PLACE, to pay for YOUR SINS! To think He did so to give YOU the right to commit the very acts that CAUSED your death in the first place, is to SPIT on His sacrifice! And to make Christ’s blood and the grace it bought UNHOLY, for if grace allows you to keep sinning, then grace permits evil! And men were teaching this heresy less than 30 years after the death of Christ! Jude 1:4. Don’t fall prey to those same lies that destroyed them! Verse 3.

MORE MISUNDERSTOOD VERSES

When trying to prove the law is done away in Christ, many pastors quote Romans 5:17. But WHY do they stop reading there, assuming that this “gift of righteousness” involves no action from us whatsoever? When the next verses clearly contradict that interpretation?

How does grace “reign” in our lives? Through what? Romans 5:21. What is righteousness? Psalms 119:172. And does Paul leave it at that, or does he realize that people might misunderstand and make CLEAR what he meant right away? Romans 6:1-2. Being saved by Jesus, does that mean it’s okay to follow sin? Romans 6:11. Does being “dead to sin” mean that it’s fine for you to sin now whenever you want? Romans 6:12-13.

And now we come to another favorite verse used to discredit the law – right in the midst of a dozen verses saying that it is NOT okay for us to sin, this verse is twisted to say the opposite! Romans 6:14 is a favorite scripture of those who misunderstand this topic. It says “ye are not under the law, but under grace”. But WHY don’t they read the next two verses with it, to get the true MEANING?

Romans 6:15-16 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Because we are not under the law, can we now sin freely? Paul, in the very next verse, gives us the CLEAR answer: GOD FORBID! We CANNOT sin now, any more than we could before! Because if you sin, you are a servant of sin, and will receive DEATH!

Lies are perpetuated by preachers and ministers because they read you one verse, or part of a verse, and never show you the next verses which often make PERFECT SENSE of that verse! Don’t let them do that to you any more!

TWO LAWS

The last few sections explained why most confusion about the law exists. But there is another reason, which is that two laws are mentioned in the Bible. The Law of Moses, and the Ten Commandments. These are separate and distinct.

Where was the law of Moses kept? Deuteronomy 31:24-26. [Note: OUTSIDE the Ark]. And is there a curse connected with this “book of the law”? Deuteronomy 27:26. Who wrote this book of the law? Deuteronomy 31:9. What did this law contain? Hebrews 9:10. And is this law carnal? Hebrews 7:16. Did it purify ONLY the flesh? Hebrews 9:13. Was this law containing sacrifices, washings, and so on abolished? Ephesians 2:15. Was this law a witness AGAINST the people? Deuteronomy 31:26. Can the law of Moses justify you? Acts 13:39.

So we know that the law of Moses was

1. Written by Moses

2. Outside the Ark

3. AGAINST the people

4. A carnal law

5. Only able to clean the flesh – the outside of a person

6. Not able to cleanse your spirit and justify you before God

Now let’s compare that to the Ten Commandments. Where were the Ten Commandments kept? Deuteronomy 10:2-5. Who wrote the Ten Commandments? Exodus 31:18. Were they AGAINST the people, or “for their good”? Deuteronomy 10:13. Are the Ten Commandments spiritual, or carnal? Romans 7:14. Can they purify the soul? Psalms 19:7. Can they justify you – IF you do them? Romans 2:13.

So we see a clear division; The Ten Commandments were:

1. Written by God personally

2. Inside the Ark

3. FOR the people

4. A spiritual law

5. Able to clean not only the flesh, but the soul as well

6. Able to justify the doers of the law

Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.

Notice that the CURSE comes from those things “which are written in the book of the law”. Which law had this curse? Deuteronomy 27:26. The Ten Commandments were NEVER written in that “book of the law” which Moses stored OUTSIDE the Ark. They were a completely separate covenant altogether!

Were the Ten Commandments given FIRST, long before ANY sacrifices? Exodus 20. Was the Law of Moses with washings, sacrifices, and so on added later? Galatians 3:19. Why? (Same verse). Did Christ redeem us from the curse of that covenant? Galatians 3:14. Are the Ten Commandments a yoke of bondage, or a law of LIBERTY? James 1:25.

This leads us to yet another scripture always quoted out of context!

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

WHY don’t they read the context, to see WHICH law is talked about – the law of bondage, or the law of liberty, of FREEDOM? The next verses make it clear!

Galatians 5:2-4 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

Paul wasn’t talking about the Ten Commandments! Nowhere in this discussion has Paul mentioned anything about THAT perfect law of liberty! He’s talking about the law of BONDAGE, of slavery to a law of ordinances and washings that CANNOT make its people clean! Hebrews 10:1. Trying to be justified by that old covenant defeats the purpose of Christ’s death! Because that covenant, which was AGAINST us, WAS abolished in Christ! But the Ten Commandments are NEVER to be abolished!

Are the Ten Commandments meant to last FOREVER? Psalms 111:7-8. Will David keep the commandments forever? Psalms 119:44. What about God’s testimonies? How long will they last? Psalms 119:152. What about God’s judgments? Psalms 119:160.

Paul speaks of circumcision frequently in his books, and it was the primary facet of the law of Moses he was opposing. He opposed the whole law of Moses, and rightly so, but circumcision got the most attention because it was the symbol of that law which the Jews were wrongly trying to make the Gentiles receive.

Circumcision was the SYMBOL (Genesis 17:10-14) of accepting the old covenant of works – the covenant of washings and sacrifices. Once you signed that contract you were bound to obey the WHOLE law that went with it – all the rituals and washings of Moses.

All Paul was trying to convey was that the ritual law was done away, as was its symbol, circumcision, in favor of an EARLIER, BETTER covenant made 430 years earlier – one that did not involve circumcision, but FAITH!

Was this the ORIGINAL covenant, or a later addition? Galatians 3:17. Once the original covenant was confirmed and ratified by both parties, can anyone change it by making and changing a later covenant? Galatians 3:15. To whom was this original covenant made? Galatians 3:16. And what was that covenant? Galatians 3:6-9. Why did God make that covenant with Abraham? Genesis 26:5.

Why did God make that covenant of faith with Abraham? BECAUSE ABRAHAM OBEYED HIS LAWS! His TEN COMMANDMENTS! How neatly that fits with ALL the scriptures, not merely one or two verses but EVERY VERSE fits that truth!

Was this inheritance promised to Abraham because he obeyed the law (of circumcision), or because of his righteousness (commandment-keeping) and faith? Romans 4:13. Was it made because he KEPT God’s law (Ten Commandments)? Genesis 26:5. So to inherit this inheritance promised to Abraham through his faith, must we obey as Abraham obeyed? Galatians 3:7. Including the commandments AND faith? Romans 4:12. To be called Abraham’s children, must we do what Abraham did? John 8:39.

WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE PHARISEES?

Many times when these scriptures are presented, people reject them out of hand saying “Oh, you just want to be a Pharisee, handcuffed to the Ten Commandments!” – and it is commonly supposed that the Pharisees were condemned because they were too strict about keeping the Ten Commandments, and too adamant about the law, and didn’t have enough “love”. But is that REALLY why Jesus condemned them? Let’s see what He ACTUALLY said about them!

Did Jesus say “you Pharisees keep the law too rigidly”? John 7:19. Is covetousness condemned in the Bible? Deuteronomy 5:21. Does the Bible condemn the Pharisees for obeying that command too literally – or not at all? Luke 16:14. Did even the high priest issue commands contrary to the law? Acts 23:3-4. Did Jesus condemn the Pharisees for tithing? Matthew 23:23.

The last part of that verse says “these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” – He didn’t say it was wrong for them to tithe for He Himself had commanded it! He said it was wrong for them to tithe and NOT do the other things, specifically the weightier matters OF THE LAW! Again a condemnation for NOT keeping the law WELL enough!

Were the Pharisees righteous enough? Matthew 5:20. Were they TOO righteous? (Same verse). What was really their problem? Matthew 23:3. So they were hypocrites? Matthew 23:28. Does God like hypocrisy? Job 27:8. Did they practice what they preached? Matthew 23:4. Did they believe Moses? John 5:46. Did they obey God’s law, and fear to change it? Mark 7:7-9.

Did they in fact break the commandments so much, despite boasting in them, that they made God look foolish to everyone around Israel? Romans 2:17-24. So what was wrong with the Pharisees? Were they too righteous? Or not nearly righteous enough? Galatians 6:13. Were they too strict in obedience to the Ten Commandments... or not NEARLY strict enough? What do the scriptures say?

THE SPIRIT OF THE LAW

Another argument people use is “oh, we’re free from the LETTER of the law, we obey it in the SPIRIT!” This is a very common, but very flimsy, argument. The spirit of the law is the INTENT of the law – the spirit in which it was written. The letter of the law is the exact words it said. It is true that in Man’s documents, the letter and the spirit may be different, because Man is imperfect, and doesn’t always say exactly what he means.

Is God imperfect? To believe that the letter and the spirit are different is to believe that God was unable to accurately express His thoughts as words. But Jesus said “the scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35), God’s word is pure (Psalms 119:140), His word is true FROM THE BEGINNING, (Psalms 119:160), and His commandments are the most perfect thing David had ever seen! (Psalms 119:96). So God’s word does not change, and when God said “thou shalt not kill”, no amount of understanding it “spiritually” will allow you to kill someone!

Think this through carefully! If the LETTER says “thou shalt not steal”, will the spirit say “thou mayest steal occasionally”? Certainly not! But if the letter says “thou shalt not steal”, the spirit WILL say “thou shalt not cheat at cards, thou shalt not overcharge your customers, thou shalt not download Microsoft Office without paying for it”!

Get that! The spirit GOES BEYOND the letter – it doesn’t change it! IT ADDS TO IT! The spirit makes the Ten Commandments more binding on us than they EVER were before! Read Matthew 5:18-22, 27-28. Note how Jesus reads a commandment, then proceeds to explain the SPIRIT of that commandment!

Under the Old Covenant, under the LETTER of the law, Israel was permitted to hate their neighbor, as long as they didn’t kill him. They were permitted to lust after a woman, as long as they didn’t commit adultery. But in the new covenant, we must obey NOT ONLY the letter, but the SPIRIT as well! Not only are we not permitted to break commandments #6 and #7 by killing or committing adultery, we are not even allowed to WANT to kill or commit adultery! So not only did Jesus NOT do away with that old law, but He made it MORE binding, MORE pervasive, and MORE specific for us today!

Did Jesus come to diminish the law, or MAGNIFY it? Isaiah 42:21. Did He come to destroy, or fulfill? Matthew 5:17.

Jesus spoke that last verse IMMEDIATELY before explaining to us how the SPIRIT of the law EXPANDS the letter in verses 18-27! Showing us exactly HOW He was fulfilling the law, by making it HONORABLE, and magnifying it, making the small great! So that no more is it one tiny commandment covering one thing such as killing, but now it is magnified into hundreds and thousands of commandments preventing all facets of hatred, murder and war!

Read 2 Corinthians 3:6-7, and UNDERSTAND! These tablets of stone COULD NOT save! They could only end in death, because the law was NOT INSIDE the people! It was outside them, on stone! It could never change their hearts, and make them think like God thinks!

But with the ministry of LIFE, with the laws in the SPIRIT, God puts His law INSIDE the people – written on their very hearts! And as is nearly always the case, the context shows exactly what Paul meant! 2 Corinthians 3:3

THE END OF THE LAW

Again and again we see that every verse used to support the destruction of the law is quoted horribly out of context – in most cases, the very next verse proves that the conclusion they draw is completely wrong! Another famous example is Romans 10:4. There, they say, is PROOF that the law is done away, for Christ is the END of the law! But what is the context? ALL the surrounding verses explain this one verse they use to discredit the law!

Romans 10:1-2 sets the context as REBELLIOUS ISRAEL. Israel which was NOT following the law of God, while claiming to do so!

Romans 10:3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

What is this righteousness of God? Not what someone’s opinion of it is, but what IS IT? You saw in the first few pages of this lesson it is KEEPING OF THE COMMANDMENTS. And you just saw in the section on the Pharisees that Israel DID NOT KEEP THEM!

They were IGNORANT of God’s righteousness – His commandment-keeping, and tried to set up their OWN righteousness by keeping their OWN commandments instead of His! Such things as washing to their elbows before eating and other made-up commandments they followed to make themselves appear righteous! Mark 7:8-13. So now with this context in mind, look at the verse they claim abolishes the law:

Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

Christ is the “end of the law” – does this mean all that talk about righteousness and commandment keeping was wrong? That now Christ HAS endED the law? Or does it mean that Christ IS the END (which is what it actually says)? The GOAL of the law – the target you look towards, the end of your journey that you aspire to reach!

The END of the law is the RESULT you expect to ACHIEVE by obeying the law! Not the destruction of the law, which Jesus said plainly HE DID NOT DO (Matthew 5:17), but the PERFECT PRODUCT OF COMMANDMENT KEEPING is the nature of JESUS CHRIST!

Proof of this comes from a nearly identical phrase used later in the Bible, also by Paul:

1 Timothy 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

Notice! Here he didn’t say that CHRIST was the end of the commandment, but that charity (LOVE) is the end of the commandment! Another translation makes it clearer:

1 Timothy 1:5 (NKJV) Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,

THE PURPOSE of the commandment – or as Weymouth puts it, the “end sought to be secured” by it – is LOVE. And GOD IS LOVE! Love out of a pure heart, with a good conscience and sincere faith! Both verses say, not that the law is destroyed, but that KEEPING THAT LAW will result in the creation of a NEW NATURE, the nature of CHRIST! The END of the commandment – the RESULT sought by keeping the commandments – IS LOVE, the very NATURE OF GOD!

DID JESUS COME TO DO AWAY WITH HIS FATHER’S LAW?

What did JESUS say about all this? Matthew 19:17. Jesus KNEW what the plan was, right? John 13:3. Why did HE say He came? John 6:38. Where did Jesus get the words He spoke? John 17:8. Does entering the Kingdom of Heaven DEPEND on doing the Father’s will? Matthew 7:21. So what was His Father’s will? John 9:31.

How many people don’t notice that there are TWO PARTS to pleasing God – worshiping God, certainly, but what ELSE? You must worship God AND DO HIS WILL for God to hear you! And God does not hear sinners – and who are sinners? Those who break the commandments! And so those who break the commandments are not DOING HIS WILL! And so His will must be keeping the commandments!

Did Jesus speak words of His own? John 14:10. Did Jesus come to tear down His Father’s words from the Old Testament, to replace them with His own words? Matthew 5:17. And are we to preach the words Christ gives us? Matthew 10:27.

Most preachers today teach that the commandments are DONE AWAY. That they don’t apply – that they are over, done with, gone. They teach that breaking the commandments is fine – nothing to worry about. What does Jesus – JESUS, your SAVIOR – PERSONALLY SAY TO THOSE PREACHERS??

Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever breaks the least – the tiniest little commandment, and teaches others to do the same – will be the LEAST in God’s Kingdom – the LEAST! But those who OBEY, and TEACH OTHERS to obey, will be GREAT! Has that changed? Did Jesus say that, and then only a few years later CHANGE IT ALL? The Bible tells us, NO!

1 John 5:3 For THIS is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

LOVE IS THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT

But some would say that love replaced the law. Has it? Let’s see! Does John 13:34-35 say that? How about Matthew 22:36-39? And John 15:12?

They all say that LOVE is the commandment of God! That’s absolutely right! But remember the key to Bible study: get ALL the scriptures on a subject, THEN decide what they mean! And you’re about to see why!

Is the greatest commandment of all to love God? Mark 12:30. So how can we tell if we love God? 1 John 2:4-5. Is the second-greatest commandment to love our fellow man? Mark 12:31. How can we tell if we do that? 1 John 5:2. Maybe that’s an isolated scripture – are there any others that say the same thing? 2 John 1:5-6. So does love replace the commandments? And what IS love? Romans 13:10. Which commandments? Romans 13:8-9. Is this “love” a new commandment, or something that has been there all along? 1 John 2:7.

Can you love God, and hate your brother? 1 John 4:20. Does God say hating your brother breaks the commandment against murder? 1 John 3:15. Did Jesus Himself say that? Matthew 5:21-22. So hatred is breaking the commandments, and love is keeping them?

Does Paul really say that the law is the same as “love”? Galatians 5:14. Did Jesus say it? Matthew 22:40. And even the Golden Rule is nothing more than a summary of the entire law and prophets? Matthew 7:12.

Jesus said that on those two commandments – to love God, and to love Man – hang ALL the law and the prophets. Paul said that love IS the fulfilling – the keeping – of the commandments. WHY? How can LOVE be the same as obeying some stale rules? Paul answered that question in Romans 13:10: “Love works no ill to his neighbor”.

If you obey the law in the letter only, it is possible to do harm to your neighbor; the Ten Commandments don’t say “thou shalt not underpay your employees”! It only says “thou shalt not steal”. So you can obey the letter of the law and STILL own a sweatshop! The letter of the law does not promote perfect love, because you can still work some ill to your neighbor!

But if you obey the law of God in the spirit, you CANNOT hurt your neighbor. It is impossible! I dare you to do it! Think of something bad you can do to him – you’ll find it’s covered under one of the commandments. Burn down his house? Stealing. Gossip about him? Lying. Undermine him at work? Stealing the respect that he deserves. The list is infinite. But it is flatly impossible to do ANYTHING bad to your fellow-man without breaking a commandment in some way!

And so if you OBEY those commandments towards Him in the SPIRIT you cannot HELP but love Him! And now look at the opposite; what destroys love? Matthew 24:12. Iniquity – lawlessness, disobedience to the law DESTROYS love – because you can’t have a two-way loving relationship with someone who is stealing from you! Or lying to you! Or hating you! It just can’t be done, because love IS the keeping of the commandments!

John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, AND KEEPETH THEM, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: THE FUTURE OF THE LAW

If the law is as terrible as you’ve been told it is, surely once Jesus supposedly abolished it and nailed it to the cross, it would have been gone forever! But is it? What about the far-distant future, after His triumphant return to Earth? Will the law be forgotten, never to be used again?

Hebrews 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

No! The Ten Commandments are so important, so fundamental to the plan of God, that it isn’t good enough having them written on stone tablets anymore! (2 Corinthians 3:3). No, having them in some book someplace wasn’t good enough for God! He must have them written INSIDE YOU! On your heart! This is the future of the commandments, to be in the hearts of all mankind who will permit God to write them there! This is the law most preachers hate, and desperately want to see destroyed forever! The same law God intends to keep forever!

Psalms 119:126 It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law.

And so they have taught that the law is powerless, meaningless, empty! But John has an answer for you!

1 John 3:7-8 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

John, speaking decades after the resurrection of Christ put it simply; if you do righteousness you are righteous. If you keep the commandments, you are righteous. If you commit sin, you are of the devil. The same book, just one chapter away, said that if you break the commandments, you commit sin. Jesus came to DESTROY the works of the devil – the works of the devil are, in a single word, SINS! And anyone who chooses to follow that way and rejects the commandment of God, will be destroyed along with Satan, who sinned from the beginning!

Proverbs 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT?

But surpassing all of this truth, all the hundreds of reasons why you MUST keep the commandments, the happiness it brings, the future it brings, the fact that God will bless you and bring you into His Kingdom if you do – all of that and much more PALES in comparison with the REAL REASON why the commandments are so important!

What is God? 1 John 4:8. What is love? Romans 13:10. Therefore, how would you express the nature of God? Love. How would you express love? Keeping the commandments. So if you keep the commandments, what are you doing? ACTING LIKE GOD!

The Ten Commandments sum up, in ten short points, every important facet of the nature of God! They are not arbitrary rules which apply only to Man, but fundamental tenets that define the nature of God! Limits which God places on Himself! They ARE the very nature of God, and if you obey them, you are fulfilling the nature of God in yourself!

Jeremiah 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

You know Him because He is the Lord that executes kindness, judgment, and RIGHTEOUSNESS – commandment keeping! And dwelling on that law will reveal the nature of God becausethe commandments ARE the nature of God, and to do away with them would be to do away with every good thing in the universe, INCLUDING GOD HIMSELF! Every shred of decency would perish and we would be left with a universe ruled by the devil’s ideas – sin the more, that grace may abound!

Psalms 119:18 Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.

The commandments are a priceless opportunity to know God in a way that few Christians ever do, for as you look into them you see that the law is perfect, and that it is the expression of a nature that is perfect – a nature God has offered to you, one which if you accept it, will form the cornerstone of the second half of your Genesis 1:26 creation.

No, the law was not done away, and it is impossible for it to ever BE done away. And if anyone ever tells you otherwise, answer them as David did:

Psalms 119:115 Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.