People sometimes rebel against moral codes such as the “Ten Commandments” (Exodus 20:1-17) and ask what gives Christians the right to tell people what to do. The answer is that Christians do not have that right. But the real question is what gives God the right to tell people what to do. The answer is that God created human beings and therefore has that right. Further, there is the answer given at the beginning of Exodus 20: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” God had just freed the Israelites from slavery. He was leading them to a Promised Land where they would enjoy prosperity and blessing. He offered them a covenant, an agreement (which we call the Ten Commandments). Under this covenant, the Israelites would agree to worship God and obey Him and God would agree to be with them and bless them and make them significant. They did not have to accept this agreement. But if they did not agree to the covenant, God would not be obligated to bless them. Left on their own, the Israelites would be in danger of falling back into slavery and suffering.

Today, in the modern world, God is offering us a new covenant through Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross to free us from the penalty for our sin and the bondage of sin. Under this covenant, God asks us to worship and obey Him. In return, He promises to be with us (in the form of the Holy Spirit) and to bless us and make us significant. We also do not have to accept this covenant. We do not have to do what God tells us to do. But, left on our own, we will inevitably fall back into sin, the bondage of sin, suffering, and death.