In Exodus chapter 20 we find what are commonly called the Ten Commandments or the Decalogue. Here God lays the basis for the detailed law which is to follow. In these commandments God tells His people some basic rules for dealing with Him, His Sabbath, family, and other people. There is much worthy of note in them. The holiness of God, the importance of worshipping only Him, the Sabbath as a reminder of His creation, and proper dealings with other people are all covered in these few statements.
Some people view God’s commandments as a basis for living, and in a sense they are that. However, the main purpose for giving the law, beginning with the Ten Commandments, is to teach us that no man can keep all the law. Even keeping the Ten Commandments completely is impossible, especially with Jesus’ new application of the Law. Having a lustful thought makes one an adulterer. Hating your brother makes one a murderer. No one can make it though life without violating one aspect of the law and to violate one aspect of it is to break all of it.
Why then would God give the Law? The New Testament tells us why. Without it we would not know what sin was. Without it we would never be aware of our need of a Saviour. Without it we may think that we can be good enough to earn our way to heaven. God gives us the Law as our schoolmaster, to bring us to Christ. Only Christ is perfect. No one can hope to keep God’s law, so Christ came to die for us and fulfil the Law for us. Only He could do so.
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