The Commandments of God have a place in the life of the Christian. The New Testament makes that clear. But which ones? And how are they kept?
The Law is summed up in two great commands: love God, love your neighbor. These are fleshed out in the Ten Words. The first table, 1-4, deals with loving God, the second, 5-10, with loving men. These are fleshed out further in the 600-odd examples in the rest of the Torah.
Seeing this structure enables us to understand what the New Covenant requires of us in our lawkeeping. The New Testament teaches us that the ceremonies and sacrificial system were types and shadows of Christ's redemptive and restorative work on our behalf. They deal primarily with the first table of the Law. The apostles teach that we no longer follow the typological system, because those shadows are taken up into Jesus' High Priesthood in Heaven.
But then they also teach us to adhere to the same moral commands as before. Notice that that which they teach us to do pertains to the second table of the Law. These commandments are oriented man-to-man, not man-to-God. The relationship we hold to one another is the same as it has been, and therefore the requirements God has of us regarding our neighbor remain the same.
When we transgress the first table, we have a means of restoration that is applied differently this side of Christ's Advent. But what about when we transgress the second table? Ah, that will be answered next time...
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