To what degree should the Decalogue ( Ten Commandments ) be followed Essay

To what degree should the Decalogue ( Ten Commandments ) be followed by Amer. Christians - Essay Example ommandments impose certain spiritual and moral obligations upon the believers – as well as to arrive at the conclusion whether or not they still should guide a life of the New Testament Christians in modern America. The Exodus presents Ten Commandments as instructions by the God to His chosen people, the people of Israel, which they should follow due to the fact that God â€Å"brought [them] out of Egypt, out of land slavery† (Exodus The New International Version 20:2). These Commandments may be viewed as covering several inter-relating areas of concern: The worship of One God (Exodus The New International Version 20:3-7). The issues that are addressed here include the prohibition of veneration of images of bodies both earthly and heavenly (20:4-6), of the misuse of the Divine Name in public and private conversations (20:7), and maintenance of the Sabbath as the holy day reminding the believers of the rest taken by God on the seventh day of the Creation; The issues of public law and order (Exodus The New International Version 20:13-17). These include such Commandments as the prohibition of murder (20:13), adultery (20:14), robbery and theft (20:15), false testimony (20:16), as well as the desire towards the other’s property in general (20:17). In Deuteronomy, some further clarifications on this matter are given, with Moses emphasizing the prophetic and divine nature of his act of receiving of the tablets with Commandments (Deuteronomy 5:22 The New International Version). Moses reiterates the Commandments, while the text of Deuteronomy places still further emphasis on God delivering the Israelites from the Egyptian slavery as the reason they should be grateful to Him, and observe His Commandments (Arnold & Beyer, 2008, p.143). Having analyzed the Commandments and the act of their giving, one should now review the attitude that the New Testament Christians should exhibit towards them. The nature of the majority of the Commandments is such that they are