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Love codified in the Ten Commandments
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You say the Ten Commandments “don’t belong to Sinai,” but Scripture itself says the opposite. Deut 4:13 doesn’t just say the 10 “belong to God”—it explicitly defines them as the covenant God made at Sinai. That doesn’t make them “man-made” or “un-moral”; it simply means the tablets were the covenant document of a specific covenant relationship. Hebrews 8 builds directly on Deuteronomy’s definition when it says that covenant is now obsolete and passing away (Heb 8:13). That’s not lowering God’s righteousness—it’s exactly the covenant transition God promised.
Genesis never shows anyone “keeping the Ten Commandments before Sinai.” It shows moral behavior and sin, but never a codified 10-command law. And Exod 20:11 isn’t a statement that the 10 existed before Sinai—it’s the reason God gives Israel for the Sabbath command He is giving in that moment. Even SDA scholars acknowledge Genesis contains no Sabbath command.
None of this says we can worship other gods or live in sin. The NT ethic is not moral relativism. It is obedience to Christ (John 15:10), walking by the Spirit (Gal 5:16–25), and fulfilling the law through love (Rom 13:8–10; Gal 5:14). The New Covenant calls us to holiness, but it does not place Christians back under the Sinai treaty. The issue is covenant, not morality.
Revelation’s “commandments of God” are defined by John himself as faith in Jesus and love for one another (1 John 3:23). James uses two commandments as moral examples, not as a statement that the Sinai covenant continues unchanged. And nowhere does the NT say the tablets of stone become the New Covenant law. That’s an assumption you’re reading into the text.
I’m not asking anyone to “rewrite the Bible”—I’m simply taking Hebrews, Paul, and Jesus at face value when they say the covenant engraved on stone has ended, and the Spirit writes the law of Christ on our hearts. God’s righteousness is unchanged, but His covenant administration has. That’s not rebellion; that’s the very thing the New Testament teaches.
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No where in the entire Bible does it say God's laws written in the heart are a different law of God or the Law of Christ as if there is dichotomy between God and Christ and their laws. If there is than one automatically disqualifies themselves because the Scriptures say God's saints keep the commandments of God Rev14:12 and only those are reconciled back to God Rev22:14 those outside the comamndment breakers quoting directly from the Ten Commandments.
In Jesus own teachings He said when we lay aside the commandment of God and quoted directly from the Ten Commandments ones heart is far from Him, Mark 7:7-13 Mat 15:3-14 because they have rejected the law of God and has made one an enmity to God Rom8:7-8. No wonder Jesus said when we do this it makes the word of God of no effect, because if we aren't believing God's Words- whose words are we replacing them with. Jesus did not say the Ten Comamndment ended not once nor did Paul. The definition of how to love God Exo20:6 John14:15 1John5:3 , did not get replaced by mans feelings. Love fulfills the law because when we love Jesus we keep His commandments John14:15 Exo20:6 1John5:3 and want to obey Him and allow Him to define His own Laws that He did plainly and claimed as His Exo20:6,. But believe as you wish, we will all have to be accountable for our teachings Mat5:19 and He will sort this out soon enough. Its time for me to move on but I wish you well .
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No where in the Bible does it say that God will write His commandments contained in the covenant made with His people, Israel, on Mount Sinai, on Gentile hearts.
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He said He writes His laws in the hearts and minds of the NC believers heart.
God said this in the Ten Commandments
Exo 20:6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
God's name is in each one of these commandments, not Moses, not anyone else.
Exo 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of [a]bondage.
3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor [b]serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting[c] the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
So who defines what God's laws are He, or man. Sad this is even such a debate.
The only correct answer is God. God wrote them God spoke them He claimed them as His, He numbered them by design Deut4:13 Exo34:28 as He had the foresight that man would tinker with them Dan7:25 its the Testimony of God Exo 31:18 the works of God Ex32:16 there is not much more God could have done had He not come down from heaven and personally wrote them out and He did that too. If we can't believe God to define His owns laws, than I don't think we need Bibles anymore, its basically a free for all. No wonder why there is so much sin in the world because man has taken it upon themselves to replace the law of God, with their own laws and determine right and wrong instead of God Psa119:172 Isa56:1-2 when His is everlasting Psa119:142 and the foundation of His throne Psa89:14 Guess it will get sorted out soon enough.
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My point stands firm. "No where in the Bible does it say that God will write His commandments contained in the covenant made with His people, Israel, on Mount Sinai, on Gentile hearts."
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I agree there’s no dichotomy between God and Christ. That’s exactly why the New Testament consistently speaks of one law under the New Covenant, the law of Christ written by the Spirit, not the Sinai covenant written on stone. The issue is not “God vs. Christ,” but old covenant vs. new covenant, which Hebrews, Paul, and Jesus all address.
Hebrews 8:13 explicitly says the covenant defined by the Ten Commandments (Deut 4:13) is obsolete and passing away. That doesn’t contradict God; it’s the covenant change God Himself promised. The NT never says the Sinai treaty becomes the New Covenant law. It affirms God’s righteousness, not the permanence of the stone-written covenant document.
Revelation 14:12 and 22:14 don’t quote the Ten Commandments; John uses “commandments of God” the same way he defines them elsewhere (1 John 3:23)—faith in Christ and love for one another. That’s the New Covenant shape of obedience, not a reinstallation of Sinai. And nothing in Mark 7 or Matthew 15 says the 10 continue as the covenant document; Jesus is condemning human tradition, not describing covenant structure.
Saying that Christians are not under the Sinai covenant is not “laying aside God’s commandments.” The NT repeatedly says believers obey Christ, walk by the Spirit, and fulfill the law through love (Rom 13:8–10; Gal 5:14). That is not rejecting God, it is exactly what the New Covenant teaches.
I respect that you’re ready to move on, so I’ll leave it here too. But the distinction I’m making comes directly from Scripture: the old covenant engraved on stone has ended (Heb 8; 2 Cor 3), and the New Covenant law is written by the Spirit, not defined by the Sinai tablets.
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Thankfully God wrote a New Covenant and still includes God's Laws and only He can define those, not man because we are not God. Jesus was prophesied to magnify His laws Isa 42:21 not destroy Mat5:17 going from stone to heart is just that and showed examples of this from the Ten Commandments.
To make the claim the Ten Commandments is obsolete and no longer need to keep, we would no longer see them in the NT and that clearly is not the case. We would already know this because God out of His own mouth said He would not alter the words of His covenant Psa89:34 why the New Covenant is not established on new laws as people keeping trying to make, when God said its established on better promises Heb8:6 and has His laws now written on the heart. Heb8:10
And the "He who said" is God , He still has authority over His Laws in the NC and who is a transgressor (sinner)
James 2:11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
What is James quoting from verbatim Exo20:1-17
Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
What is Paul quoting verbatim Exo20:1-17
Mat 15:3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother is to [a]be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been [b]given to God,” 6 he is not to [c]honor his father or mother.’ And by this you have invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition
What is Jesus quoting from verbatim Exo20:1-17 and wow saying when we break the comamndment of God, we invalidate the word of God and people still keep going with this argument against God's Word. Yes, the commandments of God are still God's commandments unless we just do not believe Jesus anymore.
Mat 5:19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “You have heard that it was said to those [d]of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother [e]without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’[f] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, [g]‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of [h]hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
27 “You have heard that it was said [i]to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to [j]sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to [k]sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
What is Jesus quoting from verbatim again Exo20:1-17 and wow what a warning, breaking the least of these commandments one will be least in heaven, i.e. not there according to verse 20. Jesus never said we do not need to keep the commandments He plainly said the opposite.
One of the last verses before Jesus Christ comes ....
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers (Breaking commandment #1 Exodus 20:3) and sexually immoral (breaking commandment #7 Exodus 20:14) and murderers (breaking commandment #6 Exodus 20:13) and idolaters (breaking commandment #2 Exodus 20:4-6), and whoever loves and practices a lie (breaking # 9 Exodus 20:16 or any of the commandments 1 John 2:4) Breaking one we break them all James 2:11-12 Exo 20:1-17 .
To make the claim the Ten Commandments ended is not based on Scripture but mans testimony that they have taken above God's Testimony Deut4:13 Exo31:18 Psa89:34
To make the claim the Ten Commandments is obsolete and no longer need to keep, we would no longer see them in the NT and that clearly is not the case. We would already know this because God out of His own mouth said He would not alter the words of His covenant Psa89:34 why the New Covenant is not established on new laws as people keeping trying to make, when God said its established on better promises Heb8:6 and has His laws now written on the heart. Heb8:10
And the "He who said" is God , He still has authority over His Laws in the NC and who is a transgressor (sinner)
James 2:11 For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
What is James quoting from verbatim Exo20:1-17
Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”
What is Paul quoting verbatim Exo20:1-17
Mat 15:3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves also break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother is to [a]be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been [b]given to God,” 6 he is not to [c]honor his father or mother.’ And by this you have invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition
What is Jesus quoting from verbatim Exo20:1-17 and wow saying when we break the comamndment of God, we invalidate the word of God and people still keep going with this argument against God's Word. Yes, the commandments of God are still God's commandments unless we just do not believe Jesus anymore.
Mat 5:19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
21 “You have heard that it was said to those [d]of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother [e]without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’[f] shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, [g]‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of [h]hell fire. 23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.
27 “You have heard that it was said [i]to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to [j]sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to [k]sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
What is Jesus quoting from verbatim again Exo20:1-17 and wow what a warning, breaking the least of these commandments one will be least in heaven, i.e. not there according to verse 20. Jesus never said we do not need to keep the commandments He plainly said the opposite.
One of the last verses before Jesus Christ comes ....
Revelation 22:14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers (Breaking commandment #1 Exodus 20:3) and sexually immoral (breaking commandment #7 Exodus 20:14) and murderers (breaking commandment #6 Exodus 20:13) and idolaters (breaking commandment #2 Exodus 20:4-6), and whoever loves and practices a lie (breaking # 9 Exodus 20:16 or any of the commandments 1 John 2:4) Breaking one we break them all James 2:11-12 Exo 20:1-17 .
To make the claim the Ten Commandments ended is not based on Scripture but mans testimony that they have taken above God's Testimony Deut4:13 Exo31:18 Psa89:34
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You’re quoting NT verses that use moral commands (murder, adultery, honor parents) as evidence that the Sinai covenant remains unchanged—but that isn’t what those verses are doing. The NT quotes the Ten Commandments the same way it quotes Leviticus 19:18 (“love your neighbor”) or Habakkuk 2:4—because all Scripture teaches moral truth, not because every passage quoted remains part of a governing covenant.
The core question is not whether God’s moral will continues. Of course it does. The real question is: Does the NT say the Sinai covenant document written on stone continues as the New Covenant?’ The answer from Scripture is still the same: Deut 4:13 explicitly defines the Ten Commandments as the covenant God made at Sinai. Heb 8:13 explicitly says that covenant is “obsolete and passing away.” 2 Cor 3:7–11 explicitly says the ministry engraved on stone is what is fading—not its morality, but its covenantal role.
Nothing in the NT contradicts this. Quoting the Ten Commandments doesn’t make the Sinai covenant permanent any more than quoting Leviticus 19 makes the Levitical code permanent. “God’s laws in the heart” (Heb 8:10) never says “the Ten Commandments.” Hebrews never identifies which laws are written on the heart. It does not say “the Sinai covenant is transferred into the heart.” You are inserting that assumption because you believe it must be true, but the text doesn’t say it.
Hebrews does tell us what changed: Better covenant (not the same covenant relocated), Better promises, Old covenant obsolete. If God intended the stone-written Sinai covenant to become the New Covenant law, Hebrews would state that plainly. Instead it states the opposite.
Jesus quoting the 10 does not prove covenant continuity. Jesus also quotes Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Hosea, Exodus, Numbers, and Psalms. That doesn’t place Christians under those covenants. Quoting Scripture for moral truth ≠ reinstating a covenant structure.
Revelation 22 does not list the Ten Commandments. John uses “commandments” the same way he does everywhere else (1 John 3:23), faith in Christ and love, the shape of New Covenant obedience. And “idolaters, murderers, liars, sexually immoral” are condemned in every biblical era, long before Sinai. Their condemnation does not determine covenant structure.
James 2 does not define the New Covenant by the Ten Commandments. He uses two examples from the Decalogue to explain impartiality and moral consistency. He is not teaching covenant theology, he is teaching ethical integrity.
The real issue isn’t rebellion, it’s covenant distinction. No one claims the Ten Commandments are “bad.” No one claims morality changed. What changed is the covenantal framework God established:
The Sinai covenant (defined by the tablets of stone), The New Covenant (defined by the Spirit and the law of Christ), This is exactly what the NT writers say over and over.
You repeat the same verses because you’re assuming what you need to prove: that the Ten Commandments = God’s eternal covenant law = New Covenant law. But Scripture itself makes distinctions you’re refusing to allow: The Ten Commandments = the Sinai covenant document (Deut 4:13). That covenant = now obsolete (Heb 8:13).
The Spirit writes a new covenant law in the heart, Hebrews never calls that law the Sinai code. This isn’t “man’s testimony over God’s.” This is what the New Testament says about the covenant God Himself replaced. I’m content to leave the conversation here, but the text remains clear: Moral truth continues, but the Sinai covenant does not.
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So now we remove the "He who said" and replace what man says is moral or not. If the Ten Commandments ended as you keep claiming they would not be referred to any longer or who gave them in the NC, clearly that is not the case, its the testimony of man not God. Heb8:10 Deut4:13 Psa89:34 Jesus or the apostles as clearly shown
Removing God as the Author of His laws and reapplying the ones we feel is moral and telling Him which ones they are, is exactly what we are warned about, a form of godliness, without the power Exo32:16 Exo31:18 Exo20:11 Eze20:12 Eze20:20. Guess we shall see how that works out.
I have a feeling I am debating AI on this subject, what we are telling AI to say and argue against.
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I’m not “removing the He who said”—I’m simply letting all of Scripture speak, including the parts that explicitly define the 10 as the Sinai covenant (Deut 4:13) and the parts that explicitly say that covenant is now obsolete and passing away (Heb 8:13), Just because you refuse to acknowledge it doesn't mean man is deciding what is moral. That is the New Testament interpreting the Old.
Quoting or referring to the 10 in the NT doesn’t mean the Sinai covenant still governs Christians. The NT quotes lots of OT laws and moral teachings without putting believers under those covenants. Moral truth continues and covenant structure changes. That is the distinction Hebrews and Paul make repeatedly. No one is “deciding for God” which commands matter. The NT itself says Christians obey Christ, walk by the Spirit, and fulfill the law through love (Rom 13:8-10; Gal 5:14). That's not replacing God’s law, it’s following the administration of the new covenant God Himself established.
As for “debating AI”, I’m just giving you what the text actually says, not what anyone tells me to argue. You and I simply read the covenant passages differently, and that’s fine. You’re welcome to move on, and I’ll leave it here too.
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Well you didn't say you weren't using AI to help your posts and your style has completely changed. You are not giving me what the Text actually says, you left out a lot of context. I can put this argument into AI and it would give me a different version than you're getting. I always prefer prayerfully study more than anything.
We are governed by the New Covenant agreed Heb8:10 Established on better promises Heb8:6 not new laws as it still has God's laws written now in the heart and only God can define His laws, not man. The fact remains that the apostles and Jesus still quoted them as being law in the NT never once said the law of God changed or we don't have to keep them or parts of them changed, in fact NT plainly says not to break the least of these commandments Mat5:19 and breaking one we break them all James2:11. Because God- who there is no one above, said in His own Words- I will not alter the words of My covenant. Psa89:34 Exo34:28 Heb8:10 The words did not change, the location changed "magnified" Isa42:21 written in the heart of the New Covenant believers, those who do not have subject themselves to the law of God are the ones sadly in rebellion. Rom8:7-8
Jesus quoted verbatim from the OT on the greatest commandments Deut6:5 which was repeated after the Ten Commandments was repeated before entering the Promise Land. Many never entered due to disobedience Heb4:6 and God tells us verbatim why they did not enter Eze20:16 and in the NT we are told not to follow their same path of disobedience Heb4:11.
Love does fulfill the commandments because if we love God, we will not break the first 4 commandments of His laws on how we love and worship God, if we love our neighbor we are not going to break the last six commandments, the summary of the second greatest commandments Rom13:9 why this is the love of God we keep His commandments 1John5:3 and only God defines them Exo20:6, not man, because mans testimony will never be greater than God's Exo31:18
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