While the newly liberated Israelites camped at Mt. Sinai, God made his covenant with them, birthing them into a nation with a system of law and order which included the 10 commandments. But the Mosaic Covenant was conditional and temporary—foreshadowing the new covenant that Jesus inaugurated.

By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, the law had expanded into 613 burdensome behaviors intended to (hopefully) make sure the law was obeyed to the letter. But Jesus fulfilled the law declaring it finished (Jn 19:30).¹

So, how does Jesus want us to live in his new kingdom? Do the ten still apply?

So I searched the teachings of Jesus and the other New Testament writers. I found that some of the 10 commands are clearly repeated. Others are expanded and given a higher standard than originally stated. Remember, Jesus always dug deep and focused on heart attitude rather than actual human behavior. (“For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person” Matt 15:19–20.)

1. Do not have other gods besides me (Ex 12:3)

• Jesus said, “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” (Lk 4:8)
• No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Matt 6:24)
• For us there is one God, the Father. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ. (1 Cor 8:6)

2. Do not make an idol for yourself (Ex 20:4)

• The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Col 1:15)
• Keep yourselves from idols. (1 Jn 5:21)
• Do not love the world or the things in the world. If you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you. (1 John 2:15 NCV)

3. Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. (Ex 12:7)

• Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? (Lk 6:46)
• This, then, is how you should pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name (Matt 6:9)

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (Ex 12:8)

• The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. (Mk 2:28)
• Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. (Mk 6:31)
• Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matt 11:29)

5. Honor your father and mother (Ex 20:12)

• Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. (Matt 12:50)
• Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right (Eph 6:1, Col 3:20)
• When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is our son, and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on this disciple told her into his home. (Jn 19:26–27)

6. Do not murder (Ex 20:13)

• But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matt 5:22)
• Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and no murderer has eternal life residing in him. (1 Jn 3:15)
• Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. (1 Jn 3:12)

7. Do not commit adultery (Ex 20:14)

• Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Mt 5:28)
• The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. (1 Cor 6:13)
• If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. (2 Tim 2:13)

8. Do not steal (Ex 20:15)

• You cannot serve both God and money. (Matt 6:24)
• Let the thief no longer steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share. (Eph 4:28)

9. Do not give false testimony against your neighbor (Ex 20:16)

• For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (Jn 1:17)
• Keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. (1 Pet 3:10)

10. Do not covet (Ex 20:17)

• For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt 6:21)
• Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have. (Heb 13:5)

While Jesus agreed with the religious leader that the greatest commandment in the law was “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…(Mt 22:38–39),” he was quoting the law to teach a point, to show them how greatly they had failed to keep any of the commandments, to help them see they needed a savior. To pave the way for his new commandment which rendered the old one obsolete (Heb 8:13).²

A new command I give you: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

My command is this: “Love each other as I have loved you.”

John 13:34–35; John 15:12

I think the apostle Paul explains most clearly what we do with the 10 commandments:

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:8–10

Let’s not spend our energy preserving ten laws from a old covenant. Let’s instead focus our attention and effort on following Jesus in our new covenant. Let’s talk about the new one more than we do the old one. Let’s concentrate on loving others as Jesus loved us.

1. “Fulfilled” in Greek means “to complete, to carry into effect, to bring to realization.” (Mt 5:17) ↩︎
2. no longer produced or used; out of date ↩︎