God's Law in the New Testament

The Ten Commandments Repeated in the New Covenant

I want to say this is critical because the Ten Commandments are repeated throughout the New Covenant. So I want you to consider now, post-cross, post resurrection, and post-ascension, the New Testament documents are actually filled with references to the Ten Commandments.

So they're just assumed throughout the New Testament. So here's the critical part of how we need to think about this as Christians and be Bereans and actually test all things here and actually see if what Andy Stanley is saying is so.

Remember what happened in Thessalonica and Berea, when Paul goes into Berea and says they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what the Apostle Paul was saying was true. They were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica.

By the way, also, this is a critical point. Andy, if you see this, my friend, I want you to consider this. It says that the Berean Christians searched the Scriptures daily to see if what the Apostle Paul was saying was true.

So these early Christians are complimented in the Word of God for searching the Scriptures to test Paul's claims about Jesus Christ. Now, which Scriptures do you think they were searching, Andy? Which Scriptures?

They knew the Old Testament Revelation. They knew the Greek Septuagint. It was the Bible of the first century for the early Christians and Jews, the Greek Septuagint. They knew which books were in the Old Testament Revelation.

The Old Testament was laid up in the temple. They knew which books were there. Paul refers to Timothy in 2nd Timothy 3, 16 through 17. He says, "...all Scripture is theanoustos, it is breathed out by God, profitable, correction, teaching, reproof, that the man of God may be complete.".

Right? So, which Scriptures are being referred to there in the first century? The New Testament canon wasn't even finished yet. Well, Paul's talking to Timothy about the Scriptures that were known, the Word of God, the Old Testament Revelation.

Ephesians 6 and the Fifth Commandment

Now, what's important here to recognize is that when you look at the New Covenant documents, they refer to the Ten Commandments and they draw them in with this kind of mindset. Not, now, hey guys, we know that those aren't our commandments.

They're not our commandments. Ours are better. These are irrelevant now. We're New Covenant believers. Jesus has come. That's all gone. It's all completely gone and done away with. We're New Covenant believers.

It's never done like that. When the inspired apostles bring the Ten Commandments into the New Covenant documents, what they do is they assume the continuity. They just assume it. Never with, now, everyone we know, this is all gone and it's defunct now.

This is not your commandment, but I'm gonna go ahead and bring this one over for good measure. They just assume the continuity. I'll give an example, and I talked to Andy about this today, more could be drawn from.

In Ephesians chapter 6 verse 1, the Apostle Paul just assumes this one. Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. This is present tense. This is right. Present tense. Honor your father and mother.

He doesn't say, this was right. He says, this is right. Honor your father and your mother. This is the first commandment with a promise that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.

Ephesians 6 verses 1 through 2. Again, if that's not our commandments, Andy, then what's the Apostle Paul doing bringing that over into the life of the New Covenant believer? Why is he talking to the children in the church and saying, obey your parents in the Lord, honor your father and your mother, and he's even mentioning the promise there.

If those aren't our commandments, then why is it being mentioned? I thought our commandments were better. I thought that we're not under those commandments. Those aren't our commandments. And Paul just assumes the continuity of that commandment from the Ten Commandments.

And he doesn't say, I'm just tossing this in for good measure. He assumes the continuity. Now, somebody could say, well, yes, Jeff, because you see, here's the thing. That's just such a good law. We really want kids to honor your father and your mother.

Maybe Paul was a dad and he knew that, you know what, dang it, we need this one of all things. We've got to have this one. No, that's actually not what takes place, because you see more than that in the New Testament.

Paul’s Appeal to Moses’ Law in 1 Corinthians 9

Now, I want you all, please, to come with me on this. I want you to think about the timeline here. This is post-cross, post-resurrection, and post-ascension. So we're not in the middle of Jesus' ministry here, what I'm going to show you next.

We're not even shortly afterwards. This is after, long after the mission of the Messiah, and he's ascended. He's seated on his throne. His kingdom is expanding in the world. The Apostle Paul writes this in 1 Corinthians 9, verse 8.

Please listen to this, because I think this is so critical and so powerful. Do I say these things, Paul says, on human authority? Mark that down. He's giving them instruction. He's not saying, I'm on my authority, y 'all.

He's saying, do I say this on human authority? Is that where this is coming from, human authority? He says, does not the law say the same? For it is written in the law of Moses, you shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.

Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak? Listen, for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.

If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? Watch what he did there. The Apostle Paul takes, get this, an animal husbandry law. How to care for your animals.

After the resurrection of Jesus, after the ascension of Jesus, Pentecost is broke out, the Spirit of God filled believers, they're going out with power in the gospel, preaching the gospel, the church is growing now and they're being sanctified, and Paul has to deal with an issue in Corinth.

And what does he do to deal with it? He refers to the law of God from Moses, and he says this is what the law from Moses says. Don't muzzle the ox while it treads the grain. Is God concerned simply with animals there?

He says no, the principle there is what? Take care of the people who are working for you. That moral law, that love your neighbor law, is relevant in the New Covenant. Go to ApologiaStudios .com, get signed up, partner with us on all access, you get all of the radio programs, you get the TV show, you get the after show, including Apologia Academy, and you partner with us in ministry, bringing the gospel around the world.