By Jonathan Keller
Happy New Year! With each new year comes a new slate of dreams. 2025 (or 2024, or 2023, or…) wasn’t quite everything you hoped it would be, but 2026 is your year to make that one change you’ve always wanted to make. You’ll finally figure out your meal prep plan. You’ll finally budget. You’ll finally learn how to train your pet the right way. You’ll actually sit down to do your devotions this year.
Many Christians attempt Bible reading plans to read through all of Scripture by the end of a year because it seems like a goal that could be accomplished. The longest books of Scripture take a few hours (see this chart for average reading times), and some take just a few minutes. Many make it through Genesis with all its narratives. Some brave the plagues of Exodus, but few make it past the gauntlet of the rest of the law from the middle of Exodus through the end of Deuteronomy. What would be a better faith workout plan this year?
The 10 Commandments: God’s Workout Plan
Over the next couple months, I aim to meditate on the 10 Commandments for this exact purpose! Found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, these laws govern much of life for the people of Israel, yet most people today find them archaic or overly restrictive. I would contend with you, though, that these commands may restrict our foolishness, but turning them over will show their ability to guide us toward righteousness and faithful living. Even more, the law reflects the heart of the lawgiver, so we will find some of the heart of God in these words etched in stone.
I’ll first work through commandments 5-10 (commands to love one’s neighbor), then I’ll work through commands 1-4 (commands to love God).
To elaborate further on other uses of the law, there is a set of three images that Reformed theologians have used for hundreds of years to reflect on the law, all of which come from Scripture. The law of God, including the 10 Commandments, can be a mirror, a restraint, and a light to us.
A Mirror of Our Souls
How are these harsh words a mirror? In James 1, the law is described as a mirror, reflecting with its righteousness what we look like naturally. Compared to this bright law, we see tons of imperfections in us, what Scripture calls sin, producing marks of misery and unrighteousness in us. In other words, the law of God is the standard by which we know what evil is. The law’s job here climaxes in its ability to show our need for a savior because the person we see in the mirror cannot rid himself of those stains. Only the Lawmaker Himself can undo our taint of sin.
A Restraint to Evil
The law of God has a second job: restraining sinners. Like Paul describes in 1 Timothy 1, the law isn’t given for the righteous but the unrighteous. In the Old Testament, there are many civil punishments for breaking this law, but the effect of those punishments binds the hearts of others. If I hear and read that stealing my neighbor’s things will wind up removing my own stuff and body parts, I am far less likely to commit, much less think about, robbery. The 10 Commandments also hold back sinners from starting the sins described in the law.
A Light to Our Path
Finally, the law guides our way by lighting up our path according to righteousness. The famous verse in Psalm 119 says that God’s Word is a “lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” While the commandments may say, “Thou shall not,” turning them around one by one shows that they also say, “Thou shall.” For example, the Sixth Commandment says, “You shall not commit murder.” These words reveal God’s care for human life, and He wants lives protected and only ended when necessary. Turned around, the commandment says, “You shall protect your life and the life of your neighbor.” We should care about car safety features like seatbelts, airbags, and backup cameras to protect our lives and those around us. We should care about our own bodies to sustain our own lives through diet, exercise, and rest.
What are your New Year’s resolutions? What are your big plans to renew your spiritual life with the Lord this year?