Commandments, laws, rules? 'No, thanks,' you might think. 'Then life won't be any fun! I want my freedom!'

Laws and regulations are not usually something that excite us humans. They sound like dry paragraphs and dusty files. Although we understand that they are important for regulating how we live together, they also sound like restrictions and sacrifices. When it comes to God's commandments, however, the opposite is true. Paradoxical as it may sound, God's commandments set us free! They change us from within.

We are talking about the Ten Commandments. Jesus lived these commandments perfectly in His life without ever breaking any of them. He also demonstrated the deeper meaning of these principles: they reach into our thoughts and motives. God's law is an expression of God's love and justice. It describes God's idea of how we can love Him and each other. This is what Jesus wanted to tell us.

It is interesting to note that the Ten Commandments have not lost their relevance over the centuries. They are meant to be the basis of God's covenant with humanity. Jesus did not change them while He was on earth. Rather, He confirmed them by His impeccable life and showed how they should be lived out in practice.

Without the Ten Commandments, we would not recognise that we have a problem with sin and that we need a Saviour. Without them, there would be no definition of good and evil. So in God's judgement, they are the standard by which our lives are measured. In our daily lives, they are like a mirror that shows us who we really are. We recognise our flawed character and turn to Jesus for help. We recognise that we are not God's ideal; we are sinners.

Each of us has transgressed God's commandments. Is there anyone who has never lied, or been envious, or spoken an unkind word? No one is sinless. The law of God holds up a mirror to us and shows us that we need salvation. But God's commandments cannot save us. A mirror is there to show us our true condition, not to cleanse us. It is therefore futile for people to try to earn salvation by keeping God's law. No one can earn eternal life; you can only let Jesus give it to you.

Having been given such a gift without doing anything in return, we want to keep God's commandments. This is simply an expression of our love for Jesus. He also helps us and makes obedience possible. The Bible describes this as God wanting to write His law on our hearts.

Doesn't that sound inviting? If Jesus was happy to live according to God's law, it must work for me too. Besides, we can be an example to others by showing that God can change your heart and mine.

One last thought: I believe in God. And I believe that He wants the best for us – and nothing less. I invite you to see God's law not as a prison, but as what it really is: a law of freedom.

And if we make a mistake, we can know that we can find forgiveness in Jesus. After all, the Bible says, "…though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again..." (Proverbs 24:16).

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Bible texts for in-depth study:
Exodus 20:1-17; Deuteronomy 5:6-21; 28:1-14; Psalm 19:8-15; 40:8-9; Matthew 5:17-20; 22:36-40; John 14:15; 15:7-10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Hebrew 8:8-10; 1 John 2:3; 5:3; James 2:12; Revelation 12:17; 14:12