If any doubt Jesus teaches the moral content of the ten commandments still to the Gentiles as much as to the Jews, now, since his resurrection, see how he mingled them into the gospel he revealed to Paul, as seen in all of Paul’s epistles. I do not think anyone can truthfully tell me one commandment (as Jesus also taught them in his ministry recorded in the gospels) that is not there in the epistles of Paul: epistles to believers among both Jews and Gentiles together equally. Paul emphasised that they must be combined with the teachings and power of the Holy Spirit and such heavenly conviction to enable the practices of them, and cleanse from the practices of sins against them. Then they are fulfilled and rightly kept. He never taught against holding the words of them, but taught that the words of Christ, which include them, are to dwell in the believer richly, and find expression in the form of rebukes and corrections and encouragement. Then form a living part in the life of the body of Christ, as they should.
Paul presents the commandments in a new context—not as a legalistic system to achieve righteousness, but as part of the life of the body of Christ, where believers live by the power of the Holy Spirit.
In Romans 8:2-4, Paul explains that the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets believers free from the law of sin and death. The righteousness of the law is now fulfilled in those who walk according to the Spirit, not just by outward observance but by an inner transformation.
This new context—the body of Christ—means the commandments are no longer isolated rules but expressions of Christ’s life within His people. Paul constantly applies them in this way:
Ephesians 4-6 shows how they shape relationships (honoring parents, avoiding theft, speaking truth).
Galatians 5:16-26 contrasts the works of the flesh (which break the commandments) with the fruit of the Spirit, which enables believers to live out God’s moral will in love and holiness.
So, rather than discarding the law, Paul teaches that through Christ and the Spirit, believers are empowered to truly live out its moral principles in a way they never could under the old system.
Stephen D Green with ChatGPT, March 2025
