Introduction
Epistles of Paul or Letters of Paul is the most voluminous part of the New Testament and occupies about one fourth of it (Bible Study Tools). The letters were initially circulated as separate documents, which were later compiled into the New Testament. These are one of the oldest existing documents of Christianity. They are regarded as the foundation of beliefs of Christianity. The letters have been written by Paul who is considered the greatest of all Apostles. Paul was born to Jewish parents in the city of Tarsus of Cilicia (Keathley).
Ten Commandments are principles from the bible about work and ethics that forms an integral part of Christianity. The belief of the Jewish tradition is such that Exodus 20 was the first writing of God of the Ten Commandments. It provides instructions on the way of living, on the right and the wrong of the society, and on the way of worshipping the God. The Ten Commandments are also known as Decalogue.
There are scriptural references in Epistles of Paul relating to the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20. The Letters of Paul make reference to five of the Ten Commandments of Exodus. The objective of the paper is to identify the Epistles of Paul that relate to the Ten Commandments and summarise their moral norms. The paper is divided into three sections. The first section identifies the scriptural references in Epistles of Paul that relate to the Ten Commandments. The second section summarises the moral norms of the identified Epistles. The third section concludes the paper.
References in Epistles of Paul Relating to the Ten Commandments
Scriptural reference relating to the Ten Commandments is present in the Epistles to the Romans of the Apostle Paul. Epistles to the Romans was not the first Letter of Paul, but it is placed first. There are five commandments mentioned by Paul in His Epistles to the Romans.
The first commandment is Thou shalt not kill (Exodus 20:13) that is mentioned in the Epistles to the Romans (13:9) as ‘Thou shalt not kill’.
The second commandment is Thou shalt not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14) that is mentioned in the Epistles to the Romans (13:9) as ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’.
The third commandment is Neither shalt thou steal (Exodus 20:15) that is mentioned in the Epistles to the Romans (13:9) as ‘Thou shalt not steal’.
The fourth commandment is Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour (Exodus 20:16) that is mentioned in the Epistles to the Romans (13:9) as ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness’.
The fifth commandment is Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour’s (Exodus 20:16) that is mentioned in the Epistles to the Romans (7:7) as ‘What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet’.
The Epistles to the Romans
The identified Epistles of Paul contain some moral norms provided to institute a harmonious and peaceful way of living, loving the neighbours, and emphasising of the right and the wrong. The letters provide instructions that theft, adultery, murder and agony neighbours are not good actions. They must be prohibited at all times and in all kinds of situations.
Context of Epistles to the Romans
It is important to understand the context in which the Epistle to the Romans has been written. The Epistle was written in Corinth just prior to the Apostle Paul’s last journey to Jerusalem (Bible Study Tools). As it was written to a church that contained a large number of memberships to experienced people, the founding ideas are written in a more profound manner. As explained by Paul Himself, these revelations were from deep meditation and earnest seeking (Scofield). Hence, this Epistle is placed before other Epistles of Paul. The most basic, yet the greatest, theme of the Epistle is the principle of ‘justification by faith’. The meaning of this doctrine is that our justification to God emanates from our belief in Him. The chapters 7 of the Epistle his dedicated to propounding of the doctrine, while chapter 13 is dedicated to strong arguments and narration of His experiences (Bible Study Tools). These five doctrines are based on the concept ‘love that fulfils law’. The teachings, thus, aim at bringing in commitment towards love in the followers.
Moral Norms of the Identified Epistles to the Romans
The five revelations of Paul in the Epistle to the Romans having reference from the Ten Commandments are ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’, ‘Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery’, ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’, ‘Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness’ and What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet’. In these revelations, Paul asserts that law, by itself, is powerless and cannot completely avoid a person to sin. Thus, He institutes moral norms regarding one’s responsibilities towards their neighbours. He mentions that fulfilment of responsibility emanates from love, and not from law. If we love our neighbour from the core of our heart, we can never think of harming him, killing him, stealing him, adultery, bear false witnesses against him or desire for his house, his assets, and his wife.
‘Love your neighbours’ is the second greatest doctrines, the first being ‘Love the Lord’. It means that sincere love for the Lord and neighbours will prevent us from doing the wrong. Thus, it is love that translates into the fulfilment of law, rather than the penalty of law.
Conclusion
Epistles of Paul are one of the oldest existing documents of Christianity and regarded as the foundation of beliefs of Christianity. The Ten Commandments are principles from the bible about work and ethics that forms an integral part of Christianity. There are scriptural references in Epistles to the Romans written by the Apostle Paul relating to the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20. These five revelations are ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’, ‘Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery’, ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’, ‘Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness’ and What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet’.
The Epistle of the Romans was written in Corinth just prior to the Apostle Paul’s last journey to Jerusalem The most basic, yet the greatest, theme of the Epistle is the principle of ‘justification by faith’ and ‘love your neighbours’. The revelation institutes moral norms of the society. It asserts that if we truly love our neighbours, we will not harm them in any possible way. Thus, the doctrine reveals that it is love that translates into the fulfilment of law, rather than fear of law.
Works Cited
Bible Study Tools. “Chapter 15: The Epistles of Paul”. Biblestudytools.com. Web. 20 May 2012.
Keathley III, Hampton J. “The Pauline Epistles”. Bible.org. Web. 20 May 2012.
Scofield. “The Epistles of Paul”. Christianity.com. Web. 20 May 2012.
