The purpose for the Ten Commandments

Proverbs 6:23 "For the commandment is a lamp, and the whole teaching [of the law] is light" (Quick Amplified Bible)

Light is necessary for illumination in the natural world. When we venture outside our dwelling place after the sun goes down, we need some form of light to see where we are going and to prevent us from accidents or injury. All forms of our transportation e.g., buses, cars, trains, planes, etc. all are equipped with artificial light to guide the operator through his/her various travel paths timely and safely. Light is an absolute necessity in this natural world we live in for us to maneuver and function effectively.

Imagine our world becoming void of any sunlight or artificial light. Without light the entire natural world would come to a complete stand still. No goods could be transported. All types of transactions or communication would be non-existent and the world as we know it would quickly perish.

Now transfer this to the spiritual world, and imagine if the Law (Ten Commandments) were never given to Moses, or if Christ never came and the Holy Spirit was never sent to convict the world of sin righteousness, and pending judgment. The Law of God is like the sun light and the artificial light. It shows the way we should go and does nothing more. The Law was not given to change man, but to school, teach, or tutor man until that fullness of time brought the Savior of the World.

In the natural, we cannot see where we are or where we are going without sunlight or artificial light. The same is true in the spiritual and even more so, because our spiritual sight has been ruined by the fall or corruption of our nature. We can see, but our sight is like swimming in the muddy and murky waters of the Mississippi River with less than a foot of visibility. The Law of God comes along and shows us clearly where we need to be and what we must be, but it has no power to enable us to conform.

If we are out at night with only a small flash light trying to find a tiny object lost in a large field, we do not throw away the flashlight and say that it is no good because it cannot illuminate a larger area of the field. On the contrary, we go and acquire a larger form of light that will help us see clearer and cover more ground quickly in order that we might find our missing object. The Law of God is perfect and it shows us the way. It cannot be ignored or tossed aside for any reason.

Light is always needed when darkness is present in the natural world. Also the light of God's Law is always needed to illuminate this secular carnal world we live in today. The Law of God cannot be changed or modified to suit the fleshly desires of sinful carnal man. Christ plainly and forcefully informed us that He did not come bringing His grace to destroy His Law but on the contrary, His coming was to fulfill His law and make it possible for the first time in human history for man to keep His Law. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the Law and all that the prophets have ever spoken. He is the Law and the end of the Law which is a light to every soul that opens to Him on earth.

Isaiah 51:7-8 Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, you people in whose heart is My law: do not fear the reproach of men, nor be afraid of their insults. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool; But My righteousness will be forever, and My salvation from generation to generation. (NKJV)

Adam Clarke (1715-1832) had this to say; "The fountain of life thus communicating its vital energy to the dead body. Where death has already taken place, no power but that of the great God can restore to life; in such a case, vain is the help of man. So the soul that is dead in trespasses and sins - that is, sentenced to death because of transgression - and is thus dead in law, can only be restored to spiritual life by the mighty power of the Lord Jesus; because He alone has made the atonement, and He alone can pardon transgression. If the spiritually dead person be utterly unconcerned about the state and fate of his soul, let a converted relative either bring him to Christ by leading him to hear the unadulterated Gospel of the kingdom; or bring Christ to him by fervent, faithful, and persevering prayer."

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.
Author, Silent Assassins of the Soul (not yet published; coming soon)