The Ten Commandments

In our last morning series of sermons (God’s Presence in History) we traced out the scope of the history of redemption, from the first to the last things (protology to eschatology). The richness of this history is seen in the multiple strands of revealed truth that run the length of its course. The theme (or motif) of God’s presence is but one of many.

 For the foreseeable future, it is my plan, Lord willing, to follow up God’s Presence in History with consecutive Sunday morning series on the major blocks of truth encountered along the trajectory of the history of redemption: e.g. the Ten Commandments, the Tabernacle, the sacrificial system, the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer, Paul’s treatment on love, and so forth. This is a major project, but one I trust will enrich over time our understanding of God’s Word and our appreciation of its abiding relevance to us, regardless of our individual circumstances.

We begin today with the Ten Commandments. To do so we return to the days of Moses and the giving of the law at Mount Sinai (Ex. 20:1-21; cf.  Deut. 5:1-33). Obviously, the very structure of what is known, from Greek, as the Decalogue (the ten words) determines the length and shape of the series. You will not be surprised to learn, then, that the series will last for twelve weeks. We start with an introductory sermon ~ “What’s All the Fuss About?” ~ followed by a sermon on each of the commandments, and ending with a concluding sermon.

In today’s introductory sermon we look at the rich historical, theological and practical issues the Ten Commandments raise.

The Law in History

In a very real sense, man has always possessed the law of God. Paul tells us that it has been written on our hearts, such that had we never been given the law in a public fashion we would still be responsible for keeping it (Rom. 2:14-16). Our possession of the law is doubly attested: by our consciences and by history (specifically the history of the Exodus). After redeeming his people from enslavement in Egypt, God gave them at Sinai an external summary of his will. The giving of the law coincided with the inauguration of Israel as a nation.  

The Law in Theology

Theologians have historically distinguished three types of law given God’s people at Sinai: Judicial, ceremonial and moral law (see, for example, the Westminster Confession of Faith 19:3-4). Given that the Bible is not a textbook of theology (it is a history of redemption and a rescue manual for God’s people), these distinctions may be a bit neat, and come across as rather absolute. Nevertheless, they are useful in shedding light on the original context of God’s revelation of his will by means of law.

Whereas the Judicial law refers to the regulations that governed Israel as a nation (a theocracy [i.e. rule by God]), the ceremonial law has reference to the sacrificial system. It was good for the church in its old testament administration (i.e. in its infancy), for the law spoke pictorially of the person and work of the coming Christ. The Ten Commandments are included within the moral law, and unlike the Judicial and Ceremonial Laws which terminated by the end of the old covenant era, they remain in force today.

The Law in Life

Reformed theologians have generally understood the Ten Commandments to possess a threefold function (see, for example, Westminster’s Larger Catechism Q&A 96-97). First, they serve, to mirror God’s holiness and righteousness, thereby, under the blessing of God’s Spirit, awakening consciences and pointing the way to Christ.

Secondly, the Ten Commandments are a reminder to the unbeliever and, retrospectively, to the believer of the curse of God against sin. They also remind the believer of the need for thankful obedience.

Thirdly, the Ten Commandments are to the believer a rule of life. Without this structure our liberty in Christ would degenerate into anarchy. In the end, anarchy turns out to be no liberty at all, but a continued entrapment in sin. The structure of the believer’s liberty is what helps maintain our genuine freedom. We understand this by ever recalling that our freedom in Christ is a freedom from sin, and not a freedom to sin. To maintain this freedom we look not so much at the details of the law as at the Christ who kept the law perfectly as an expression of his love for his Father.  

First-Century Lessons for the Twenty-First Century Church

Today, Easter Sunday, we begin a new evening series of sermons. There is surely no better day on which to commence a series on the book of Acts than Easter Sunday. Not only does the book begin with the immediate aftermath of the resurrection, it also teaches us how Christians of the first-century lived thereafter in its light. But what other reasons are there for studying Acts?

First, a study of Acts serves the ongoing ministry of the Word at Seventh. For the foreseeable future we shall be considering during our morning services significant tracts of Old Testament history and theology, applying it to the present. Recall how we first painted in broad strokes the history of redemption (God’s Presence in History). We have since set out to retrace that initial journey more slowly, looking together at the major blocks of teaching that God gives us along the way. Currently we are nearing the end of the first block, the Ten Commandments, and will surely commence a series on the Tabernacle. This project will keep us in the Old Testament for some time. Given this, it is important to balance out the morning teaching by opening up the New Testament in our evening services. This we have done by looking at large portions of Luke and John (Jesus the Evangelist [The Good News of Adoption was an interlude, by request]). Thus it is fitting we now turn to the book of Acts ~ a book that is both informative and thrilling.

Second, a study of Acts serves the fresh phase of building we are undertaking at Seventh. Behind the details of the building is the need to lay a solid foundation for the spiritual and numerical growth of the congregation to last the remainder of the twenty-first century, should our Lord tarry. In this we recognize not only our needs, but those of our children and grandchildren, and of the city and state we serve in Christ’s name. Our service is of a general Christian character but arises especially out of our Reformed convictions.

We remember the Reformation as a time in which God moved by his Spirit to lead his people back to Scripture. Scriptural teaching had become greatly obscured by layers of ecclesiastical tradition, so much so that even the gospel was misunderstood. The Reformers were greatly opposed by the ecclesial authorities of the day, but they stood their ground arguing that they were merely returning to the simplicity of the gospel and to the principles of church life as found in biblical times. When accused of creating new teaching they insisted that what they taught was ancient but had existed as the sun does when out of sight behind the clouds.          

Next year, 2009, will be the five hundredth anniversary of the birth of John Calvin. Over these centuries it is clear that Protestants have not been entirely immune from creating their own layers of tradition. Don’t misunderstand me. Traditions are good when they retain the backing of Scripture, but once they gain a self-perpetuating life they begin to thwart the gospel and hinder its spread. We need, therefore, to follow the practice of the reformers, and return to Scripture. This is what it means to be Reformed: to keep fine-tuning our belief and practice according to the Word of God. We turn to the book of Acts then, because it is so indispensable to our understanding of the message of the gospel and the priorities of church life, given Christ’s resurrection from the dead, his Ascension, and outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Thirdly, a study of the book of Acts serves to propel us forward as a church in the proclamation and defense of the gospel. During the series we shall learn how an unbelieving and timid group of young Christians were transformed by the Spirit of the risen Christ into a force that turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). The book of Acts strips us of so many of our excuses for ineffectiveness in the service of Christ. We have the same Spirit as the Christians of the first-century church, only greater resources: a complete canon (rule) of Scripture, far greater finances, and massively improved means of communication. Is there anyone who would say that the social challenges of the gospel are greater for us than for them? There is far more of a remnant of Christian faith and understanding in Grand Rapids than in Jerusalem of old. The narrative of Acts begins, let’s remember, a mere seven weeks after Christ’s crucifixion. We dare not claim, then, the pluralism of the present age as reason for limited gospel success today. The first-century Christians knew a breadth and depth of pluralism we are only beginning to encounter.

May God use the exposition of Acts to make us more informed, wiser, more zealous, and concerned not only to be faithful but to be fruitful. In going forward we are set upon sticking to the old paths; nonetheless the book of Acts depicts the new shoes we should be wearing as we tread them.