Why Still Read the Ten Commandments?

By Wes Bradenhof - Posted at YINKAHDINAY:

In Reformed churches it’s normal to hear the Ten Commandments read during the morning worship service. This is a historic practice going back to the Reformation. Yet, sadly, there are churches claiming to be Reformed that have dropped this practice. There are individuals in Reformed churches which still do it who question why it continues to be done in their churches. They look at it as unnecessary, repetitive, or creating an unhealthy sense of guilt and maybe even shame. Some also object to it because, they say, it adds a legalistic flavour to our worship. So why still read the Ten Commandments?

Let’s start from the way Scriptures teach Christians to regard the law of God. Think of Psalm 119:97, “Oh how I love your law! It is my mediation all the day.” That is not just a statement of how that one Psalmist felt — rather, it’s a vision for how all believers should regard God’s law. It’s a vision that was perfectly fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ, and to be fulfilled in all the disciples united to him in true faith. Similar sentiments are expressed elsewhere in Psalm 119: “I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law. Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules. Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” Psalm 119 teaches believers to have a positive attitude towards God’s law — to love it and, as part of God’s Word, to treat it with respect. So, from that perspective, what problem could a Christian have with hearing God’s Law read to him or her on a weekly basis? If we were meditating on it regularly throughout the week because we love it so much, why would we object to hearing it in the holy presence of our God on Sunday morning?

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