Are Christians Supposed to Keep the Ten Commandments Today?

Many believers today speak confidently about grace while quietly setting aside the very commandments God wrote with His own finger. Yet the New Testament never treats obedience as optional, cultural, or outdated. When Jesus and the apostles spoke about God’s law, they did so with urgency, clarity, and authority, not hesitation.

Christians often hear conflicting messages about the Ten Commandments. Some say they’re still binding, others say they were nailed to the cross. This study examines what the Bible truly teaches about God’s law, grace, and the believer’s responsibility today. The real question is not whether the commandments have changed, but whether our hearts have. God has not lowered His standard of holiness, and the call to obey Him has not faded with time.

If we claim to follow Christ, we must face what the Bible actually says about the Ten Commandments, and whether we are willing to submit to it.

What Does the Bible Actually Say About Keeping God’s Commandments?

The Bible consistently connects love for God with obedience to Him. This theme appears throughout both Testaments and is foundational to understanding Christian discipleship.

1 John 2:3–4 “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

John makes it unmistakably clear. Obedience is evidence of knowing Christ. A person who claims to know God but refuses to obey Him is deceiving himself.

1 John 5:2–3 “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

According to Scripture, keeping God’s moral law is not burdensome; it is the natural expression of love for Him. Obedience is not legalism. It is love in action.

Even Paul, often misunderstood as being “against the law,” taught the opposite:

Romans 3:31 “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

Faith does not cancel God’s law. Faith establishes it. The New Testament writers consistently affirm that obedience to God’s moral standard is central to Christian living.

Do All Ten Commandments Still Apply to Christians?

I’ll get right to the point. What does the Bible actually say about the Ten Commandments? These New Testament verses are directed to Christians by Jesus and the apostles:

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

“He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me…” (John 14:21)

“And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments…” (1 John 2:3–4)

Jesus never separated love from obedience. He defined love by obedience. The question is not whether Christians should obey, but which commandments Jesus and the apostles are talking about.

How Does This Apply After Being Saved by Grace?

Christians do not keep the law to earn salvation. We are saved by grace through faith:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ…” (Galatians 2:16)

Most Christians understand that salvation is a gift, not something we earn. Yet Jesus also teaches that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. So which ones?

In Matthew 5, Jesus magnifies several of the Ten Commandments and calls them “these” commandments:

“Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 5:19)

Jesus did not abolish God’s moral standard. He deepened it, showing that obedience includes both outward actions and inward attitudes.

Did Jesus Teach That Christians Must Keep the Ten Commandments?

Jesus Tied Love Directly to Obedience

John 14:15 “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”

John 14:21 “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me…”

Jesus did not separate love from obedience. He defined love by obedience. To claim to love Christ while refusing His commandments is a contradiction.

Jesus Kept the Commandments and Taught Others to Do the Same

John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.”

Jesus kept God’s moral standard and expects His followers to do likewise. He is our example of perfect obedience.

Jesus Affirmed the Ten Commandments When Asked About Eternal Life

Matthew 19:16–17 “Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? … If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”

Jesus then listed several of the Ten Commandments, showing clearly which commandments He meant. He did not say they were abolished or irrelevant.

Jesus also taught the two great commandments in Matthew 22:35–39, to love God and to love our neighbor. These summarize the law, but they do not replace the Ten Commandments. The law “hangs” on them; it does not disappear.

Jesus added a new commandment in John 13:34: “Love one another; as I have loved you.” This adds to the commandments; it does not remove the original ten.

Jesus never taught that the Ten Commandments were temporary, optional, or abolished. Instead, He upheld them as God’s eternal moral standard and called His followers to obey them from the heart.

Literal and Spiritual Obedience to God’s Law

Jesus magnified the commandments by showing that obedience includes both actions and attitudes:

“Ye have heard that it was said… Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27–28)

“Ye have heard that it was said… Thou shalt not kill… But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment…” (Matthew 5:21–22)

Jesus did not need to list all Ten Commandments again. He affirmed them in passages like Luke 18:18–20 and magnified them in Matthew 5. His examples show that all ten still matter, both literally and spiritually.

Do the Apostles Teach Commandment Keeping After Salvation by Grace?

Many Christians believe that because we are saved by grace, obedience to God’s literal eternal moral standard is no longer required. But the apostles consistently taught that grace leads to obedience, not freedom to sin.

John Taught That Obedience Is the Evidence of Knowing Christ

1 John 2:3–4 “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

John does not say obedience saves us. He says it reveals whether we truly know Christ. A life of deliberate disobedience exposes a false profession.

John Taught That Love for God Is Expressed Through Obedience

1 John 5:2–3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

Obedience is not Pharisaical. It is love. It shows our love for God. Keeping His commandments is the natural fruit of a heart transformed by grace.

Paul Taught That Faith Establishes the Law, Not Negates It

Romans 3:31 “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

Paul rejects the idea that faith cancels God’s eternal moral standard. Instead, faith establishes and upholds it in the believer’s heart.

Paul Taught That the Law Defines Sin

Romans 7:7 “I had not known sin, but by the law…”

If all Ten Commandments were abolished, sin would have no definition. But sin still exists, therefore God’s laws still stand.

James Taught That the Ten Commandments Are One Unified Law

James 2:10–11 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill…”

James quotes directly from the Ten Commandments and calls them the “royal law” (James 2:8) and the “law of liberty” (James 2:12). There is no question he is talking about the Ten Commandments. Even if you keep nine of them perfectly, but break the fourth commandment to rest on the seventh day, the Sabbath, in God’s eyes you are guilty of sin.

The apostles never taught that Christians are free from obedience to God’s commandments. They taught that Christians are free from the penalty of the law, not the commandments themselves.

Moral Law vs. Ceremonial Law: What Was Abolished?

Some Christians believe the Ten Commandments were “nailed to the cross,” but this idea comes from misunderstanding Paul’s writings. The Bible makes a clear distinction between different kinds of law:

• Moral law, the Ten Commandments, written by God’s finger
• Ceremonial law, sacrifices, rituals, ordinances, and temple regulations

The hundreds of ceremonial laws and ordinances pointed forward to Christ and ended at the cross. The moral commandments are another story. They reflect God’s character and never change.

What Was Actually Nailed to the Cross?

Colossians 2:14 “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us… nailing it to his cross.”

Paul refers to “ordinances”, Greek dogma,which always refers to man‑made rules or ceremonial regulations, never God’s eternal moral standard. The Ten Commandments were not “handwritten” by Moses. They were written by the finger of God:

“And he gave unto Moses… two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” (Exodus 31:18)

The ceremonial ordinances were nailed to the cross. God’s moral law was not.

Jesus Said He Did Not Come to Abolish the Law

Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

Jesus’ own words make it clear. He did not abolish God’s eternal moral standard. He fulfilled it by living perfectly and teaching its true spiritual meaning.

Paul Taught That the Law Is Holy, Just, and Good

Romans 7:12 “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”

Paul would never call the commandments “holy, just, and good” if they had been abolished. That would make no sense.

The Ten Commandments Reveal God’s Character

They reveal who God is:

• God is truthful: “Thou shalt not bear false witness”
• God is faithful: “Thou shalt not commit adultery”
• God is holy: “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain”
• God is Creator: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy”

God’s character does not change, therefore His moral standards do not change. No New Testament writer ever abolished the Ten Commandments. No apostle ever taught Christians to ignore them. No Scripture ever cancels them. The idea that the Ten Commandments ended at the cross is based on human tradition, not the Bible.

Are Christians Free from the Law, or from Its Penalty?

Paul is often misunderstood as teaching that Christians are no longer required to obey God. But when his writings are read in context, Paul consistently upholds the Ten Commandments as God’s moral standard.

Free from the Penalty, Not from Obedience

Romans 6:14 “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

Many interpret this to mean Christians no longer need to obey God’s commandments. But Paul immediately corrects this misunderstanding:

Romans 6:15 “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.”

Grace is not permission to sin. And sin is clearly defined by the law:

1 John 3:4 “Sin is the transgression of the law.”

If the law were abolished, sin would no longer exist. But sin does still exist, therefore the law still stands for Christians who are saved by Jesus.

Paul Taught That the Law Is Spiritual

Romans 7:14 “For we know that the law is spiritual…”

Something spiritual cannot be abolished. Paul taught that the law reveals God’s character and exposes sin.

Paul Distinguished Ceremonial Law from Moral Law

1 Corinthians 7:19 “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.”

Paul separates ceremonial law (circumcision) from moral law (commandments). The ceremonial laws and ordinances ended at the cross. The moral law, including the Ten Commandments, remains.

Paul never taught that Christians are free from obedience. He taught that Christians are free from condemnation, because Christ paid the penalty for our disobedience.

Why This Matters for Christians Today

Many people prefer a relationship with Jesus that requires no obedience. This is often called “Easy Believism”, the idea that believing in Jesus is enough, without following Him as Lord. But true faith produces a changed life. Genuine followers of Christ desire to obey God out of love.

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” (1 John 5:3)

Grace does not replace obedience. Grace forgives our past sins and empowers us to live in righteousness:

Titus 2:11–12 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”

Grace teaches obedience, not lawlessness. The Ten Commandments were not given to save us; only Jesus’ shed blood can do that. They were given to show us how to love God and others.

Should Christians Keep the Ten Commandments Today?

YES. The Bible consistently teaches that God’s moral laws and commandments still apply to Christians today. Jesus and the apostles upheld them. The New Testament affirms them. From Genesis to Revelation, obedience to God’s commandments is presented as the foundation of a faithful life.

Jesus and the Apostles Upheld the Commandments

Jesus obeyed the commandments. Jesus commanded His followers to keep them. The apostles did the same. Grace does not cancel obedience; it enables it.

The Conclusion of Scripture Is Clear

Ecclesiastes 12:13 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

Your whole duty as a Christian is to fear God and keep His commandments. Christians today should keep the Ten Commandments, not to earn salvation, but because they love God, follow Christ, and desire to do what He says.

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