Cannot be done

[Ricky]

How do we live by 10 commandments and no free will to keep them. Cannot be done. Jesus says, No one is good except God. Why do we have them if they are what seems to be useless to us? What are we to do with them.   Ricky

[Extol]

Ricky,

They are there to show us that we cannot keep them. By giving us a law that is impossible to follow, God makes us realize our weakness, our futility. Our egos are deflated, we are humbled, we are driven to Christ on our knees. If we could really keep all the commandments, what need would there be for a Savior? What need would there be for faith? I encourage you to do a study on the book of Galatians; Paul discourses on how we are to live by faith, not the law. The law cannot save any of us. Our best hope--indeed, our only hope--is to have faith that Jesus Christ will overcome our sins, since we are helpless to do so ourselves.

Remember, the Law was not the original covenant. Before the Law, God made a covenant with Abraham. A snippet from Galatians 3:

16 The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.
17 What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise.
18 For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.
19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator.
20 A mediator, however, implies more than one party; but God is one.
21 Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.
22 But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Galatians 3:18-19, The Message: What is the point, then, of the law, the attached addendum? It was a thoughtful addition to the original covenant promises made to Abraham. The  purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until Christ (the descendant) came, inheriting the promises and distributing them to us.

Romans 5:20, New Living Translation: God's law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God's wonderful grace became more abundant.

Romans 3:20, NIV: Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin
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[lilitalienboi16]

How do we live by 10 commandments and no free will to keep them. Cannot be done. Jesus says, No one is good except God. Why do we have them if they are what seems to be useless to us? What are we to do with them.   Ricky

The law is spiritual Ricky. Paul kept the law blamelessly and flawlessly and yet still was able to, as he put it, "BREATH SLAUGHTER" against the church. Just imagine that. Breathing slaughter. The image is quite vivid.

Jesus said unless your righteousness surpasses those of the pharisees you shall in no wise see the kingdom.

Matthew 5:20 "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."

Why where these things true? How could that be? Its because the law was spiritual the entire time and the carnal mind is deep seated hatred against God. You cannot keep the law your own accord.

Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
Galatians 5:18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Romans 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, WHO WALK NOT AFTER THE FLESH, but after the Spirit.

Hope this helps answer your question.

God bless,
Alex

[John from Kentucky]

We do not live by the 10 Commandments, which were the core of the Old Covenant that no longer applies to those who are under the New Covenant.

We live by Jesus in us, the hope of glory. Col 1:27

[se7en]

Ricky,

The references to the Word that everyone gave really gets at the meat of why, but I wanted to add this as well...

1 Tim 1:8-11 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, 9 knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10 for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.

The ten commandments were given as it's part of the process we have to go through in salvation... in recocgnizing that we ourselves are beasts.  The ten commandments are for the old unrighteous carnal men in each of us. But the law of the spirit/Christ is for the new man to live by.


I hope that helped explain it a bit better?

[John from Kentucky]

The 10 commandments apply to those under the Old Covenant.

The Old Covenant has not been applicable since 70 A.D. when the Temple was destroyed, the animal sacrifices ceased, and the priests and Levites were no longer able to perform their duties.

Therefore no one is able to keep the Old Covenant today.

[lareli]

I couldn't even tell you what the 10 commandments are let alone the hundreds of other laws given through Moses. But I do know that Jesus said that all of those hundreds of laws are summed up in His command to love God with all our heart and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He tells us to keep His command and says His command is not burdensome.

[Kat]

Rom 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life IN Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
v. 3  For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh (my flesh - your flesh - all flesh, accept Jesus Christ), God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (a sin offering 2 Cor 5:21), on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
v. 4  that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

We are "free from the law of sin and death" when the Holy Spirit is indwelling, when we are IN Christ. We are already bought and paid for by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and we are given Life by that Spirit.

Rom 5:8  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
v. 9  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
v. 10  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
v. 11  And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Here is an excerpt from the Bible study transcript 'Was Christ made sin?'

http://forums.bible-truths.com/index.php/topic,6719.msg53824.html#msg53824 ---

BOUGHT AND PURCHASED

2 Peter 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Now I've read that Scripture a hundred times, quoted it a hundred, thought about it a hundred. But never bringing to bear the words "bought them" in connection with damnable heresy. Notice it, because I'm going to bring it in today. 

"Even denying the Lord that bought them." What does that mean? Ransom - redeeming. Jesus Christ redeems us! 

It's like if you pawn your ring at the pawn store, you can redeem it, but you got to pay for it. You can't say, 'you know I pawned my ring here last month and I want it back.' If you don't have any money, you won't get it back. If you want to redeem that ring, you've got to pay the money, you've got to pay for the redemption.

Jesus Christ is our Redeemer! Notice it He "bought them." You know He paid something. "Denying the Lord that bought them," because this kind of evil dirty religion, saying that Jesus Christ was made sin denies that Jesus bought us! It absolutely does. According to Jesus Christ being made sin, then He had to pay for His own sin. If He was sin, He needed to go to the cross and to be killed to pay for His own sin. Where do you read such damnable heresy, that Jesus went to the cross to pay for His own sin?  He paid for OUR sin, He bought US. We are bought and paid for.
v

For sure Christ's sacrifice for sin is the topic of the immediate preceding verses to 2 Cor. 5:21;

2 Cor. 25:14 ...if One (Christ) which died for all...
v. 15 And that He died for them...unto Him which died for them
v. 19 To wit [that is], that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them [but paying their sin debt FOR THEM, NOT having God's wrath poured out on Himself because Christ Himself was sin, or guilty of sin, or had incurred a sin debt]...
v. 21 For [or because] He has made Him a sin OFFERING for us, who knew NO SIN... (v.21, Concordant Literal New Testament and other translations).

Christ was the Lamb of God, He is our Passover sacrifice for us and we learn from the Old Testament that the Passover Lamb was an offering.
v

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with His own blood.

Did Jesus purchase Himself with His owe blood? If He was made sin He would have had to pay for Himself.  Where did you ever read such evil things in the Scripture? Nowhere. 

He "hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God..." It was the church of God that He purchased with His own blood, so He purchased US. Paul said He purchased us, Peter said He bought us. 
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mercy, peace and love
Kat