Matthew 5:17-20 (ESV)
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Moses was divinely chosen by God to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt into the wilderness. It has been observed that Moses spent 40 years thinking he was somebody, 40 years realizing he was a nobody, and the final 40 years seeing what God can do with nobody's who surrender to His will.
Moses faced off with Pharaoh and fulfilled God's will. As the Hebrews came into the wilderness, Moses was compelled to ascend the mountain and there God revealed His will to him and wrote the Ten Commandments.
Interestingly, at the giving of the Law, 3,000 died. However, at the giving of grace and truth (Pentecost), 3,000 were born again. John wrote that the Law came by Moses and grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
The giving of the Law was a temporary covenant which pointed to and was fulfilled in Christ. The Ten Commandments are still relevant today, even though we are no longer under the Law. In fact, if you read through the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels, you'll find references to "keeping the commandments." Jesus even said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." The epistles also carried on this truth teaching us to love and keep the commandments.
The word commandments is used 88 times in 82 verses in the New Testament and the final one speaks volumes...
Revelation 22:14 (KJV)
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
It is quite obvious that one should abide by the Ten Commandments. They teach us life principles. I believe them to be quite relational, actually. The first four deal with our relationship with God: these are vertical. The final six deal with our relationships with others: these are horizontal.
Do you keep and love the commandments? Why must our righteousness exceed that of the Pharisees? The problem with the Pharisees was that they worshipped the fences they built to protect the Word of God, rather than God Himself. It's one thing to keep the commandments and love them, but if you fall out of love with the Commander, then your religion is in vain. That being said, the Pharisees did keep the practice of the Law and aided in the preservation of the Word of God. If we couple their fear of God with a deep love for God, then we will be covered by His righteousness!
Both Jesus and Paul expressed that love was the "hinge" and the fulfillment of the Law. Without love, the practice of the Law becomes mere tradition and religion. Tradition and religion may work for a while, but it's doubtful that it will last more than one generation. Do you love the Commander? Do you love His word? Love compels me to keep His commandments.
It's similar to my relationship with my bride. I am not necessarily in love with the vows we exchanged. I am, however, deeply in love with my bride. And since I love her, I am willing to keep the vows we made to one another. Fall in love with the Commander and keeping His commandments will be the result of your relationship.
