Do the Ten Commandments Keep Us From Sinning?

Adventist News

Some folks have told me they don’t keep the “ceremonial” laws in the Torah; they just keep the Ten Commandments. This claim immediately gets us all in trouble, because All the law is based on two “ceremonial laws” in the Torah, according to Jesus: 

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the “ (Mt. 22:34–40).

 Matthew 22:37, about loving the Lord with all one’s heart, soul, and mind, is a quote from Deuteronomy 6:5: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” 

Matthew 22:39, about loving one’s neighbor as oneself, is a quote from Leviticus 19:18: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”

Jesus declares in Matthew 22:40 that ALL the Law is based on these two great commandments, yet these commandments are not part of the Decalogue. In fact, these two ceremonial laws define not only the Ten Commandments but also every other law contained in the Torah. In other words, Jesus declares these two ceremonial laws to be greater than, “bigger” than the Ten Commandments because they actually explain God’s moral demands on His people. 

Those who say they have rejected the “ceremonial law” and “just keep the ten commandments” may want to rethink their decision. By rejecting the “ceremonial law”, they are rejecting what Jesus stated was the greatest law of all!

If someone decides just to observe the Ten Commandments, there are many commands in the Torah that they will have to reject. Let’s look at a few of those laws and commands of God that “Ten Commandments Only” people will have to reject because they are not commanded in the Decalogue:

  1. They will not marry. (Marriage was given in Genesis, and the rules for immoral relations are listed in Leviticus. Marriage is not commanded in the Decalogue.)
  2. They will not keep the Sabbath from “even to even” or from sundown to sundown. (This timeframe is not in the Ten Commandments. Only the Day of Atonement was commanded to be observed from evening to evening [Lev. 23:26–32]).
  3. They will not tithe or give offerings. (Tithing and giving are not in the Ten Commandments.)
  4. They will not study their Bibles. (Personal study is not in the Ten Commandments.)
  5. They will not have communion services (Communion is not in the Ten Commandments nor anywhere in the Old Testament.)
  6. They will not love God. (Loving God was commanded in Deuteronomy 6:5.)
  7. They will not love other people. (Loving one’s neighbor as oneself is commanded in Lev. 19:18.)
  8. They will not help the poor and needy. (The Ten Commandments do not address the poor and needy.)
  9. They will not be kind and gentle toward the unfortunate. (Again, this behavior is not commanded in the Ten Commandments.)
  10. They will not attend church. (There is nothing about meeting together in the Ten Commandments.)
  11. They will not “rebuke your neighbor frankly so that you will not share in his guilt” (Leviticus 19:17, not the Ten Commandments, gives this command.)

 However, on the other hand, if people are obeying the Ten Commandments and not the “ceremonial laws”, they will practice these behaviors: 

  1. They will seek revenge and be unforgiving toward each other. (Leviticus 19:18, not the Ten Commandments, addresses this behavior.)
  2. 2. They will show favoritism. (Lev. 19:15, not the Ten Commandments addresses this sin.)
  3. They will be unholy. (Lev. 19:2, not the Ten Commandments, commands personal holiness.)
  4. They will test God. (Deut. 6:16 commands Israel not to test God.)
  5. They will add to God’s Law with something that is man-made (Deut. 18:20 commands that nothing be added to God’s law.)
  6. They will ignore God’s voice when God speaks. (Deut. 18:15, not the Ten Commandments, addresses this sin.)
  7. They will practice magic/occultism. (Exodus 22:18, not the Ten Commandments, forbids the dark arts).
  8. They will disrespect government authorities. (Exodus 22:28, not the Ten Commandments, instructs Israel to respect authority.)
  9. They will mistreat orphans and widows. (Exodus 22:22,23, not the Ten Commandments, records the commands to care for the widows and orphans.)
  10. They will convict a person on the testimony of just one witness. (Deut. 19:15, not the Decalogue, commands the rules for witnesses.)
  11. They will NOT confess sins (Lev. 5:5, not the Ten Commandments, demands confession.)
  12. They will be unequally yoked. (Deut. 22:10, not the Ten Commandments, gives the law for not yoking unequal animals—and by implication, Israelites and gentiles.)
  13. They will not show mercy. (Lev. 25:35-43, not the Ten Commandments, discusses showing mercy between people.)
  14. They will indulge in immoral relations (Lev. 18, not the Ten Commandments, outlines immoral relationships.)
  15. They will enjoy eating unclean meat. (The Ten Commandments do not forbid unclean meat; the clean/unclean rules are in the ceremonial law recorded in Lev. 17.)
  16. They will enjoy thinking lust-filled thoughts. (Jesus, in Matthew 5:28-30, forbade lustful thoughts; the Ten Commandments did not.)
  17. They will resist helping their enemies. (Jesus in Matthew 5:39 gave the law for helping enemies; the Ten Commandments did not mention this behavior.)
  18. They will have temper tantrums. (The Ten Commandments did not forbid outbursts of anger; Jesus did in Matthew 5:22.)
  19. They will in danger of the fires of hell. (The Ten Commandments never mention hell; Jesus does in Matthew 5:22.)
  20. They will take people to court. (The Ten Commandments do not forbid law suits; Jesus teaches against them in Matthew 5:26.)
  21. They will be thrown into prison. (The Ten Commandments do not guard against being imprisoned for a legal offense against a brother. Jesus teaches against this situation in Matthew 5:26.) 

I do find it remarkable that the same folks who tell me the law has not been “abolished” also tell me that most of this law has been abolished. Strange, isn’t it?

Margie Littell
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