What’s So Great a Difference Between the OT Ten Commandments and the NT Commandments?

The New Testament Scriptures for Reflection: The beloved disciple of Christ Jesus, John, wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 Jn. 5:3). The Lord Jesus Himself said, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me” (Jn. 14:21).

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In the Old Testament, God’s people were obligated to keep the Ten Commandments (Exo. 20). In fact, they were required to keep the whole law (Gal. 5:3). I specifically mention the Ten Commandments because they are reflected in the New Testament, especially in the letters written to the young churches.

What may come to our mind is, when both the OT and NT have commandments on moral issues, what’s so great a difference between the OT Ten Commandments and the NT commandments? I will present five great differences for your consideration.

1. Cross

In the Old Testament, the law was given to Israel to expose the knowledge of sin and to show the depravity of man’s heart, ultimately leading people to Christ in order to be justified by faith, not by works (Gal. 3:24). The Gentiles had their own law written on their hearts, which they themselves could not keep (Rom. 2:12-16). Whether Jews or Gentiles, all have sinned and are in need of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:22-25).

Considering the Law of Moses, Paul argues 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.” The law is good, but since no one can keep the law in its entirety, none can be justified before God’s sight. In other words, the law was given to show our impotency in following it and our need for God’s grace.

Now, when it comes to the New Testament, the commandments were given, not to prove our impotency, but having found our sufficiency in Christ, we obey them. Because of the redeeming power of the Lord Jesus from the bondage of sin, we can say, “We keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 Jn. 5:3).

Paul wrote that God “saved us and called us to a holy calling” (2 Tim. 2:9). Observe the order—God has first saved us through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and then called us to a holy living. We can live holy because we are saved from the penalty and power of sin through the cross of Christ.

Besides, we do not keep the commandments of God to find our acceptance by Him. We are accepted by God only because of the sacrificial work of Christ Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins (Rom. 5:1). Nothing that we do causes God to accept us. Everything that we do flows out of our acceptance by God in Christ Jesus.

2. Christ Jesus

What is the source of OT law? Revelation through Moses. John writes, “For the law was given through Moses” (Jn. 1:17). Paul also mentioned, “Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read (i.e. a metaphor for the Law) a veil lies over their hearts” (2 Cor. 3:15).

But, what is the source of New Testament commandments? The Lord Jesus Christ. After mentioning to believers to abstain from sexual immorality, drunkenness, quarrelling and jealousy, Paul wrote, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Rom. 13-14). We are called to imitate Christ, and all our obedience to the commandments in the New Testament is with a purpose, i.e. to be conformed to Christlikeness. (1 Jn. 2:6; Rom. 8:29)

Although there are similarities between the Ten Commandments mentioned in Exodus 20 and the New Testament commandments in the letters to the churches, the point of reference is Christ, not Moses. We put on Christ, not Moses. Christ Jesus is our absolute source and standard (not Moses) for obedience to New Testament commandments. Paul elsewhere mentions that he is not under the law of Moses, but under the law of Christ (1 Cor. 9:20-21).

3. Grace

John wrote, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn. 1:17). Do you know that God’s grace in the Old Testament law was manifested only to some extent, but His grace is extensively shown in the New Testament?

For example, the fourth commandment in the Ten Commandments says to keep the Sabbath day holy (Exo. 20:8). And anyone who does not keep the Sabbath day, it is commanded that they must be put to death (Exo. 31:14). The seventh commandment in the Ten Commandments says not to commit adultery (Exo. 20:14). And anyone who commits adultery, it is commanded they must be put to death (Lev. 20:10).

Thankfully, in the New Testament, we have been given abundant grace in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. It is written, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9). There is no sin that cannot be forgiven, for “the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from ALL sin” (1 Jn. 1:7). This shows a radical shift in God’s administration of His grace.

Having said that, this does not mean one can casually commit any sin and simply seek God’s forgiveness. Those who are truly born-again love righteousness; they hate sin and wickedness (1 Jn. 2:29). And in their pursuit of righteousness, whenever they fall in sin, there is forgiveness for them in Christ Jesus and freedom from self-condemnation (1 Jn. 2:1-2).

4. Divine Empowerment

The OT law was kept by one’s own effort. Paul explained his struggle to keep God’s law in this way:

For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Rom. 7:15-17)

Finally, after Paul asking “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” he expresses, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:24-25). He then goes on in chapter 8 explaining how sin is mortified (put to death) by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As New Covenant believers, none of us can obey the commandments by our own effort. It requires divine empowerment. All our efforts flow out of divine empowerment by God. Observe the Lord’s New Covenant:

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (Eze. 36:26-27; cf. Jer. 31:33)

Moreover, God's Word says, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Pet. 1:3). The divine power has been given for godliness. A Christian, therefore, is not impotent for holiness. He is empowered by the Holy Spirit. He is mighty in the Spirit.

Because of the power that is in believers to live a godly life, the Word of God teaches, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16). And, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13).

The Christian life is not lived by just rules and principles; it is a Spirit-empowered life. The Puritan John Owen, recognizing a believer’s utter dependence on the Spirit, wrote, “A man may easier see without eyes, speak without a tongue, than truly mortify one sin without the Spirit.” Believers are called to live a holy life not by self-confidence and self-help, but by the Spirit’s enablement. No power, no purity.

5. Love

When the question was asked to Christ Jesus about which is the great commandment in the Law, the Lord said:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt. 22:37-39)

Paul also wrote:

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Observe, such emphasis and enlightenment on love is not emphasized in the OT law. It is in Christ Jesus that love was absolutely manifested towards us, and thus love was highlighted as a motivation for our complete obedience to the New Testament commandments. 

For this reason, Christ gave a new commandment, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (Jn. 13:34).

Further, the phrase “Love one another” is repeated at least a dozen times in the New Testament (Jn. 13:34; 15:9, 12, 17; Rom. 13:8; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 Jn.3:11, 23; 4:7, 11-12; 2 Jn. 5). And you will find more than one hundred New Testament references on love, not to mention the detailed description of love in 1 Corinthians 13.

The whole Christian life is a life of love. All the commandments are obeyed out of love for God and for others. So important is love in a believer that it is written:

By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. (1 Jn. 3:10)

Final Words

We have learned that despite the fact of having similarities between the OT Ten Commandments and the New Testament commandments, except the controversial issue on the relevance of Sabbath which requires separate treatment, there is a great difference between them. The following is the summary:

1. Our Christian obedience is built on the cross of Christ Jesus, which is the basis for our acceptance by God and justification before His sight.

2. Our Christian obedience has its point of reference to the person Christ Jesus. It is the Lord Jesus, not Moses, who is our source and standard.

3. Our Christian obedience has the riches of God’s grace available to us in Christ Jesus. Whenever we fail in our obedience, we don’t have to fall in self-condemnation or fear of losing our salvation. Instead, we must sincerely repent of our sin, receive forgiveness in Christ Jesus, and move forward in our growth in Christlikeness.

4. Our Christian obedience is practiced not by self-effort, but by Spirit-enablement. Although our responsibility in putting our effort is exhorted, all our energy flows out of God’s powerful work in us.

5. Our Christian obedience is manifested out of love for God and for one another. The love of God in our hearts is the motivation for all our obedience to New Testament commandments. We do not obey because we “have to” but because we “love to.”

May the Lord continue to shower His grace and power on us to live a life of obedience to His commandments for His glory, honor and praise.

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