Why Christians Need the Law | Exodus 20:1-2

A church I once attended used to have a big board at the back of the church which displayed the Ten Commandments. It had presumably been there since the church was built. But one Sunday I noticed that the board had been quietly removed. There was no explanation, no reason given. But one can only assume that the reason was that the leadership no longer believed that the law was relevant for Christians. Why else would you remove the Ten Commandments from a church?

This example reveals one of two common errors that Christians often tend toward concerning the law. The first is illustrated in the story I’ve just shared – the belief that the law is not binding upon Christians, instead it’s all about grace. This view has always been around, the apostles confront this view in the New Testament, and it's known as antinomianism (no law). The second view is that it’s our obedience to the law that makes us right with God, or salvation through law keeping. This is also known as legalism. Biblical Christianity is neither of these views.

In this sermon we are going to focus on the prologue to the Ten Commandments (the first two verses of Exodus 20), before getting into each of the Commandments. We will first get an overview before we take a deep dive. In doing this, we’re going to look at the authority and relevance of the law for us as believers in Christ. What we’re going to see is that because Christ has saved us, we have been set free to obey him.

Preacher: Rev. Antonio Coppola.

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