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s the whole Bible relevant to a Christian world we "are not required to obey any
view? One well-known pastor recently suggested of the commandments found in
Iit isn't. But I beg to differ. the first part of our Bibles."
What's the only passage in Scripture personally I think Stanley is wrong on this,
written down by God? If you answered "The Ten very wrong in fact. But to be clear,
Commandments" you're right! Exodus tells us that it's not personal. I'm not trying to
God audibly spoke these laws at Mount Sinai and single him out. I've heard many
inscribed them on tablets of stone with His Own evangelicals suggest, in one way
Finger! or another and at various levels of
theological sophistication, that
Of course, that's not the only reason the Ten the Old Testament just isn't
Commandments have a central place in the Judeo- relevant to us any longer because
Christian tradition. Christians have long under- all of that was done away with by They're part of God's eternal character which He
stood them to be the clearest expression of God's Christ. built into the very fabric of reality itself! Even more,
eternal moral character. Not to mention, they played Jesus relied on the Old Testament throughout His
an instrumental role in shaping Western civilization, This is a tragic misreading of the ministry and in His teaching, especially when
including forming the foundation of our legal Scriptures! making the moral case for something.
system and our understanding of justice. That is
why Moses and those tablets can be found at the In the Sermon on the Mount, The reason, from a Christian world view, is clear:
apex of the U.S. Supreme Court. Jesus told his listeners, "Do not Whether we're talking about the moral principles
think that I have come to abolish expressed in the Ten Commandments which Christ
Recently in Relevant Magazine, Georgia pastor the Law and the Prophets...but to perfectly kept, or the ceremonial regulations of
Andy Stanley argued that we shouldn't build fulfil them." And in Matthew 22, He Leviticus which foreshadowed our perfect High
monuments to the Ten Commandments in churches says the commands to "love the Priest, all of the Old Testament is relevant to
or courthouses because these rules are "from the Lord your God" and "love your Christianity.
Old Covenant." neighbour as yourself" - quoting
from Leviticus and Deuteronomy - Jesus affirmed that the God of the Old Testament is
The article was a follow-up, in a sense, to something summarize, not replace, the Law our God still, that the Creator of the world and the
that Pastor Stanley said back in May when he and Prophets. Giver of the Law is our loving Father Who is both
advised his congregation to "unhitch" their faith just and the justifier of the ungodly. And Who
from the Old Testament. In this latest article, Stanley In other words, Christ's command promised to write His Law a second time - not on
writes that "Jesus' death and resurrection signalled that we love one another isn't an tablets of stone, but as Hebrews says, on our hearts
the end" of God's Old Covenant with Israel and its alternative to the Ten Command- and minds.
regulations, "including the Big Ten." ments. It restates them in simpler
terms. So with all respect to Pastor Stanley, if we're going
Now, Stanley argues, Jesus' "new commandment" to "unhitch our faith" from anything at all, it should
to "love one another," which is found in John 13:34, The moral principles expressed in be the notion that any part of Scripture is irrelevant
should replace the Ten Commandments. If the Ten Commandments didn't to us!
Christians obey the new commandment, he says, come into existence at Sinai. - John Stonestreet / www.Breakpoint.org
