FAQs Mondays: Where Can We Find a Summary of the Moral Law?

Last week, we answered the question, "What does God require of man?".  Ultimately, we concluded that God requires that man respond to the moral law with an obedience that comes from faith.  The moral law it the obedience of faith.  This week, we will seek to answer the question, "Where can we find a summary of the moral law?".

Where is the obedience of faith given in summary form?

A summary form of the obedience of faith is given in the Ten Commandments.  Exodus 34:28 explains, "So he [Moses] was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights.  He neither ate bread nor drank water.  And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments" (see also Deut. 10:4).  The author of Hebrews states, "And to whom did he [God] swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief" (Heb. 3:18-19, see also Heb. 4:2).  The generation of Israelites who rejected the Word of God perished in the wilderness, because they refused to believe God's Word, and thus, disobeyed him.   Concerning the reason the Jews were unable to attain righteousness, Paul states, "Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone" (Rom. 9:32).

What is the sum of the Ten Commandments?

The sum of the Ten Commandments is to love the Lord our God, with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and to love our neighbors as ourselves.  When asked which is the most important command, Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'  The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'"(Mark 12:29-31, see also Matt. 22:36-40).

Summary

The moral law is summed up in the Ten Commandments.  The Ten Commandments can be summed up by the Great Commandments: "Love God and love your neighbor."  God requires more from humanity than simple obedience to the moral law.  In order to please God, and be counted righteous, we must first trust him, and out of that trust, we must obey him.

Now that we know where we can find a summary form of the moral law, we will spend the next several weeks looking at the Ten Commandments.  Focusing on each of the commandments will give us a greater understanding of what God requires of mankind.  This increased understanding will, in turn, enable us to measure more accurately our own response to God's standard.  Next week we will begin our look at the Ten Commandments by asking, "How do the Ten Commandments begin?".