Jul/Aug 2004
Can the Ten Commandments Save America?
by Steve Reynolds
Once upon a time there was a young man (to whom I’m very close) who kept a big plaque of The Ten Commandments on his wall. It was my own personal monument— a constant reminder of how I wanted to live my life. I was sincere. I really wanted to keep those commandments, but somehow not only did I fail, but I failed repeatedly, and I failed grossly, and I failed miserably.
We’re big on monuments in the U.S. of A. Take a trip to Washington D.C., and you’ll see monuments to our great leaders and our great government that are impressive reminders of our rich and varied heritage. You might not have to go that far. You may be able to ride down to the local courthouse and see a representation of the greatest laws ever written—the ones written by the very hand of God—the Ten Commandments.
I once saw a billboard that said something to this effect: “The Ten Commandments Will Save America.” With all due respect, my dear brothers and sisters, that’s about as likely as “when pigs fly.” In other words, it ain’t gonna happen.
Law
and Grace: A Tale of Two Covenants
What I didn’t know was that trying to live the Christian
life by focusing on the Ten Commandments is a little like trying
to put out a fire with gasoline. Paul said in Romans 7:9: “Once
I was alive apart from law; but when the commandment came, sin
sprang
to life and I died.” Bill Gillham, in his book, What God
Wishes Christians Knew About Christianity, puts it this way: “What
if you were to begin each day with repeating ‘Keep off the
grass’ ten times? This would tempt you to walk on grass that
you had hardly noticed before. Hammering away with oughts and ought
nots is not God’s plan for stimulating Christians
to do good works.”
So, what exactly is the purpose of the law if it is not
to be the focus of the Christian life? The law can be harsh,
demanding
and
intimidating for us flawed human beings. It’s no
wonder— it
represents the fullness of God’s demands for righteousness!
This is why some of the Lord’s sayings are so very,
very hard.
Jesus’ preaching was meant to bring the
people of his time to the end of themselves—to
leave them desperately looking for another way to be
saved other
than by keeping the law. And
then, at just the right time, the gospel was preached,
and 3,000 people were saved at Pentecost! Jesus did all
the work and Peter
got all the credit!
Jesus’ preaching took place under the old covenant—under
the law. The new covenant was instituted by the death, burial and
resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and not a minute before.
Jesus said, “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” (Matthew 5:17).
He fulfilled the law in two ways—in his preaching and in
his life. In his preaching he raised the bar so high that there
could be no mistaking that God’s salvation would be by grace
alone. As defined by Jesus’ preaching, there would
be no chance of attaining eternal life by works. He would
make it as
impossible as a camel going through the eye of a needle.
He also fulfilled the law in his life. He lived a perfectly
righteous,
self-controlled life. He was the unblemished, precious
lamb of God.
If you’ve ever wondered why some of Jesus’ sayings
seem so harsh and Paul’s, on the other side of
the cross, seem so full of grace, this is the answer.
Exit
Law, Enter Grace
The Old Covenant Law, including the Ten Commandments,
was fulfilled and ended at the cross (Colossians 2:14;
Hebrews
8:13). So, if
the Ten Commandments are not supposed to be the focus
of the Christian life, what then? In a word, it’s
Jesus. Jesus is the only one who ever kept the law
perfectly. He put his Spirit
into you
when you were saved so that you can keep his commandments.
This requires a fundamental shift in your thinking,
which by the way,
is the nature of repentance.
In the book of Galatians, Paul delivers a blistering
rebuke to the churches in Galatia, but mostly, his
harsh words
are directed
toward the legalistic teachers who were leading Paul’s
precious flock astray. These new Christians had abandoned
living by grace
and had made the focus of their Christian life the
law. Paul was livid. And, by the way, those words in
Galatians are not just Paul’s
words; they are the words of God.
The Christian life is to be lived by walking in the Spirit. It is a moment-by-moment dependence on Christ to live the Christian life through us. Jesus alluded to this in John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
This moment-by-moment dependence on Jesus is called “walking in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16). It is not an easy thing to get your arms around sometimes. I’ll admit a system of dos and don’ts is at least a little easier for me to understand (infinitely harder for me to live under, though).
My Monumental Failure
My attempt to lead the Christian life by keeping
the commandments was a monumental failure. How’s
your progress? Ready to try a different approach?
There is one true test of the system that I just
described to you. Does it work? Will it bring
victory over sin in my life? Will it
help me to face each day of my life with a sense
of peace and joy? My answer to these questions
is a resounding, whole-hearted “Yes!”
Needless to say, I don’t have a plaque of the Ten Commandments on my wall anymore. In its place there is a picture of Jesus—smiling, laughing, full of life (thanks Bruce Marchiano! You played a big part in this journey of mine). Bruce Marchiano’s depiction of Jesus in The Visual Bible was a godsend to this recovering legalist. If you have a warped view of God and Jesus from religion and legalism, it will be to you, too. You can probably find The Visual Bible at your local bookstore or check out Bruce’s ministry at www.brucemarchiano.com.
See folks, the Ten Commandments are indeed the greatest laws ever written. They are good, and they are worthy of respect. They represent moral virtues that are excellent and praiseworthy. But, for all that they are, they are not a savior. Jesus is the only savior, for America, for the world … forever.
Steve Reynolds is a recovering legalist in Tennessee.