These days, talking seriously about the Ten Commandments feels like walking into a room full of raised eyebrows. But let’s breathe.
From a Seventh-day Adventist Church perspective, the law isn’t a spiritual Fitbit tracking your moral steps so you can qualify for heaven. If rule-keeping could save us, Jesus would have mailed us a laminated checklist instead of going to the cross. Grace saves. Full stop.
But grace doesn’t shrug at transformation.
When God spoke in Exodus 20, He wasn’t inventing arbitrary restrictions to see who’d flinch. He was describing what love looks like in real life. Don’t murder. Don’t cheat. Don’t lie. Don’t build your identity on idols. Take a day off and remember you’re not God. Honestly, if that’s legalism, civilization is in trouble.
Jesus didn’t downgrade the commandments to “optional vibes.” In John 14:15 He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Notice the order. Love first. Obedience follows. Not to earn approval—but because you already have it.
And yes, Adventists have sometimes been misunderstood for actually meaning the Sabbath part. But a weekly ceasefire from hustle culture? A built-in reminder that productivity isn’t your savior? That’s not bondage. That’s freedom with boundaries.
Legalism says, “Obey so God will love you.”
The gospel says, “God loves you—now live like it.”
The law isn’t the enemy of grace. It’s the outline of the life grace produces.
So no, taking the commandments seriously doesn’t make us intense.
It makes us intentional.
❤️❤️❤️
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