Paul wrote in Romans 3:20, "For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." He further explained that the law was given "in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure" (Romans 7:13). Rather, they were in place to demonstrate the reality of sin as well as to show us what righteous behavior toward God and others looks like. The Ten Commandments were never intended as a means to salvation or to making ourselves righteous. Jesus was the only one able to perfectly keep the Law of God. 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). So God has been intent on capturing people's hearts and not on simply modifying their behavior. God also stated, "I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).
"The LORD looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7) and is not pleased with a people who "draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by man" (Isaiah 29:13). Jesus showed that God's standards include the attitudes and motives behind the behaviors and not just the behaviors themselves. Jesus not only affirmed the Old Testament commandments, but often pointed out that the standard of behavior was even higher than originally understood. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27–28). Ultimately, He reminded onlookers that "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Jesus also discussed the commandment about keeping the Sabbath in Matthew 12:1–8 and Mark 2:23–27. The young man did not choose to follow Jesus, thereby revealing that his money and possessions had become a god he loved more than the Lord, thus breaking the first commandment about having no other gods before Him. The young ruler believed he had kept these commandments, so Jesus challenged him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven and come, follow me" (Matthew 19:21). When the young man asked which commandments he needed to keep in order to gain eternal life, Jesus said, "You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 19:18–19). With the rich, young ruler, Jesus exposed the man's sin without directly mentioning the commandment he was breaking. "For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother'… So for the sake of your tradition you have made void the word of God" (Matthew 15:4–6). He pointed out that those who set aside money for God but did not care for their aging parents were guilty of breaking the fifth commandment. In Matthew 5:21–22 He said, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder'… But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment." He went on to say, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27–28). When Jesus did refer to specific commandments, He often pointed out how people were guilty of breaking those commandments in ways they had not even considered. The first four of the Ten Commandments would fit under the command to love God and the last six commandments would fit under the command to love others. Those two commandments were: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37) and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39). Jesus summed up all the commandments into only two when He said, "On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:40). More specifically, nine of the ten commandments are repeated as characteristic of appropriate Christian behavior. Although the complete list of Ten Commandments is not repeated verbatim anywhere in the New Testament, both the list as a whole entity as well as specific individual commands are referenced throughout the New Testament. Even today we look to these commandments to help us understand not only God's character but what righteous and moral behavior looks like. These commandments are somewhat of a summary of the 613 commandments in the Old Testament Law God gave to Israel. Lists of the commandments are found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5.
The Ten Commandments were given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai and inscribed on two stone tablets. Are the Ten Commandments repeated in the New Testament?
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