Why can't the Ten Commandments make a person love and obey God?
The Ten Commandments are external rules written on stone; they can only command and condemn, not empower. The law had no power to prevent stealing or adultery, and love cannot be forced—it must spring from within. Obedience therefore comes from faith and God's inner power, not from commandments.
Les explains that the law gave the Ten Commandments, and they were set in stone—cold, unmovable tables of stone, not something soft to cuddle. The law could do nothing but condemn; it had no power to help a man keep from stealing or committing adultery. It could only say, 'Don’t do it,' or 'You’d better do it.' Even the first commandment, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God,' cannot be enforced, because love must spring from within. So the whole gamut of the Ten Commandments stood in stark reality to convict and condemn. By contrast, when a person believes and experiences the power of God, it changes their life and produces obedience from the power God has put within, without needing a list of rules and regulations. It starts with faith.