Yes — the Ten Commandments are still relevant for Christians, but not as a legal system or a means of salvation.
Les Feldick teaches that the commandments are the perfect, holy, righteous, and eternal mind of God, and that no society has ever survived without the fabric they provide. At the same time, believers are not under the law but under grace, so the commandments are no longer a 'thou shalt / thou shalt not' demand; they are fulfilled from a heart of love.
Romans 6:14-15 — Paul distinguishes life under grace from life under law and immediately rejects the idea that grace permits sin.
Romans 13:8-10 — Paul restates several of the Ten Commandments and says love is the fulfilling of the law.
The Bible directly addresses how a believer relates to the law. In Romans 6 Paul writes, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." He then asks, "What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid." Scripture never uses grace as permission to disregard the law. In Romans 13 Paul again brings in the commandments: "Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law." He then lists specific commands — not committing adultery, not killing, not stealing, not bearing false witness, not coveting — and says they are "briefly comprehended" in "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." The passage ends with "Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." So the Bible keeps the Ten Commandments present while framing them as fulfilled through love.
Les is clear that the Ten Commandments cannot be written off as Old Testament stuff. He says they are perfect, righteous, holy, and eternal, and that they express the eternal mind of God. Even an atheist cannot escape them, and those who come before the great white throne will be judged according to that law. No society has ever survived without a fabric like the Ten Commandments, although the law as a covenant was given specifically to Israel. At the same time, Les emphasizes that the believer is not under law but under grace. God is not demanding that Christians keep the Ten Commandments as a system of righteousness — the 'thou shalt / thou shalt not' demand is past. But grace is not license. The believer now lives by love, which is the fulfilling of the law, and automatically does not steal, commit adultery, kill, bear false witness, or covet. Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments in his letters; the only one he does not repeat is the Sabbath. The God of the Old Testament is the same God believers deal with today, and what He hated in the beginning He still hates.
Les says believers are not under the law but under grace. The old Mosaic system of 'thou shalt / thou shalt not' is a thing of the past, and God is not demanding that Christians keep the commandments as a way of being made righteous. But being not under law does not mean the commandments are worthless. They are still the perfect law of a holy God, and the believer now fulfills them from a heart of love rather than under external demand.
Les says the Ten Commandments lay out a fabric that no human society can survive without, even a society of pagans or atheists. The commandments are not merely Old Testament rules; they are the eternal mind of God revealed to mankind. Even a person who is irreligious or an atheist cannot escape them, and such a person will one day be judged according to that law at the great white throne.
Les explains that since believers are under grace, the dominant force is love, and love is the fulfilling of the law. When love is operating, the believer does not commit adultery, kill, bear false witness, or covet. Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments, the only exception being the Sabbath. This is why grace never gives a believer license to do as he pleases. Scripture says the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
The Wages of Sin vs. the Gift of God — Romans 6:23 Explained
as we can. We're not hoping to make money on them, but we do trust that if you can use them in a Sunday school situation or in a home Bible class or for your own private study, they're just word for word from the program. So what you hear here, you'll see in print or you'll have on the tapes.
Commandments Are Eternal and Perfect
Les teaches that the Ten Commandments are not obsolete Old Testament rules. They are the perfect, holy, righteous, eternal mind of God, and even an atheist will be judged by them at the great white throne; the only escape from their demand is to die in that old Adam.
The Same Unchanging God
Les reminds believers that although we are not under law but under grace, the God of the Old Testament is the same God we deal with today. What He hated at Sinai, He still hates, so the moral content of the commandments has not changed.
A Fabric No Society Can Survive Without
Les says every society, pagan or atheist, needs the fabric the Ten Commandments lay out for the human race, even though the law itself was given specifically to Israel. This keeps the commandments relevant beyond Israel.
The Believer Obeys from a Heart of Love
Les explains that under grace the 'thou shalts' become internal rather than external. The believer automatically does not steal, commit adultery, or worship idols, and Paul never says the Ten Commandments are of no earthly good.
Love Fulfills the Law
Les points to Romans 13 and Paul's command lists to show that Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments, omitting only the Sabbath. When love operates, the believer does not commit adultery, kill, bear false witness, or covet.
Grace Is Not License
Les says Scripture nowhere teaches that salvation by grace frees a person to do as he pleases. The Ten Commandments are still the perfect law of a holy God, and Paul keeps making reference to them.
Not Under the Demand of the Law
Les answers the objection that grace permits sin by saying 'God forbid.' The believer is not under the old 'thou shalt / thou shalt not' system, but grace does not give license; God is not demanding the commandments as a means of righteousness.
Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
This verse states the believer's position under grace rather than law.
Romans 6:15: What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
The Bible immediately rejects the conclusion that grace gives license to sin.
Romans 13:8: Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Paul connects love to the fulfillment of the law.
Romans 13:9: For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Paul directly restates several of the Ten Commandments.
Romans 13:10: Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
This completes the biblical argument that love fulfills the commandments.
Ephesians 6:2: Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
Paul again draws from the Ten Commandments when addressing children and parents.
Yes. Les Feldick calls them the perfect, holy, righteous, and eternal mind of God. They are not a means of salvation, and believers are not under them as a legal system, but their standards remain relevant and are to be fulfilled through love.
No. Les says grace does not give license. Even though believers are not under the old 'thou shalt / thou shalt not' demand, they are not free to do as they please; the believer now lives by love, which fulfills the law.
Les says no society on earth has survived without a fabric like the Ten Commandments. Even an atheist cannot escape them, and such a person will one day be judged according to that law at the great white throne.
Les says Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments in his letters. The only one he does not repeat is the Sabbath. Paul's point is that love is the fulfilling of the law.
Watch the Teaching: The Wages of Sin vs. the Gift of God — Romans 6:23 Explained