People who count on keeping the Ten Commandments as their ticket to heaven are barking up the wrong tree. It cannot happen because God, the lawgiver, is so holy that all our efforts fail to satisfy His demands for gaining eternal life. It’s why Jesus came and said to Nicodemus, the only way you can get into the Kingdom is by being born again, and the only way that can happen is by placing your faith in the one and only person God has appointed to pay our sin debt. The Apostle Paul explained why trying to find acceptance with God by keeping the Ten Commandments will not work. He wrote in Romans 7, “I discovered that the law’s commands, which were supposed to bring life, brought spiritual death instead. Sin took advantage of those commands and deceived me; it used the commands to kill me. But still, the law itself is holy; its commands are holy and right and good.” Yes, the Ten Commandments show us our sinfulness, but only the blood of Jesus the Christ can atone for them and bring us into the family of God. That happens when we repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
