This Sunday, Pastor Jon Fiddy introduced what will be a series on the 10 Commandments which was given to Moses by God, and written in the book of Exodus in the Old Testament.

In Hebrews 1 v3, we learn that Jesus holds all things together by the Word of His power. The Word is powerful, it is eternal and though many may not realise it, the word, in the form of the 10 commandments, has brought order out of chaos in society and has affected legal systems throughout history. There is a right and there is a wrong, there are moral absolutes, and the 10 commandments are a gift to all mankind in order to bring about a stable society. They were written by the finger of God Himself on tablets of stone and God is the epitomy of them: they are the perfection of love. Jesus said in the New Testament that He did not come to destroy the law but to fulfil it (Matthew 5 v17)

We learn that the whole of the Old Testament points us to Christ. There were many sacrifices and rituals performed in the Old Testament which are no longer necessary today, for these were a shadow of what was to come: Jesus made the ultimate, once for all sacrifice to bring us to God. We were unable to fulfil the law, Jesus fulfiled it perfectly, died in our place, rose again, and comes to live by the Holy Spirit in all those who believe on Him so that we might live through Him (1 John 4 v9).

Through Him, we are delivered from the power of the sin nature and are made new creations, through Him and in Him we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. The law which was written on stone tablets is now written in our hearts, just as Jeremiah prophesied in the Old Testament. Jesus tells us that this law is the law of love, we fulfil the commandments when we love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind and when we love our neighbour as ourself (Matthew 22: 37-39.)

We read in 1 John 4 v7, 'beloved let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not not know God'. Napoleon once said that Jesus founded His Empire on love, not force or fear. This is not about a feeling or a sentiment, God's love paid a great price. The love of God has fuelled the martyrs; their blood is the seed of the church; out of every seed that has fallen to the ground and died fruit has come forth. True christianity is full of love. Love is the fulfilment of the law.

As Jesus fulfiled the law, (our salvation no longer depends on us gaining it through our own righteousness, indeed Jesus is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes (Romans 10 v4) ), and as love is the summation of the law, what relevance do the 10 commandments have for us now? As we shall see over the next few weeks, they are still relevant as a pattern for us to live by and we look forward to learning more through this study.

We meet every Sunday in Emmanuel Gospel Church, Station Road, Manorbier, at 10.30 am. Our web address is http://www.emmanuelgospelministries.org">www.emmanuelgospelministries.org.

We will be having a Bible week from Tuesday, August 6, to Sunday, August 11, with visiting preachers as well as our own, during which we will be studying the book of Ephesians. Details of the sessions and times can be found on our website. All are most welcome!