When Moses gave them the Ten Commandments, the children of Israel probably did not realize how well obedience to these would protect them from mistakes which would otherwise cause them trouble. The moral demand of the Commandments forbids not only a few evils but every one which mankind might be tempted to believe in or indulge.
A professor of law, upon introducing the subject of criminal law to a class, pointed out that the Ten Commandments were the basis of modern penal codes. Therefore, these Commandments are not outmoded. Their demands when obeyed still protect the innocent. Their moral requirements, together with the inevitable penalties for violation, still deter those who are tempted to break them. The Commandments serve as a protection to all concerned.
The advent of Jesus was destined to bring about a greater obedience to the Mosaic commands. After giving the Beatitudes, the Master said (Matt. 5:17-19): "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven."
Obedience to the Mosaic commands not only complies with the moral demand, but demonstrates the presence and power of the positive sense of spiritual good and the ever-presence of the kingdom of heaven. When one is obedient, the "Thou shalt not" becomes the "Blessed are ye" of the Beatitudes. For example, obedience to the commandment (Ex. 20:13), "Thou shalt not kill," becomes a positive power for good when followed by an understanding of such teachings of Jesus as (Matt. 5:9), "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
Through the teachings of Christian Science, one recognizes the Commandments not only as rules but as promises of the individual's immunity from evil of every sort. An understanding of the spiritual significance of the Commandments awakens one to the assurance that God and all that He creates are devoid of evil.
The student of Christian Science learns that the moral requirements of the Commandments must be met. He knows that he also must subscribe to the positive teachings of the Bible and learn the true Science of being. Through this Science he finds man in his wholly spiritual and sinless state, completely protected from danger, because man dwells in divine consciousness, in which no evil exists or could possibly enter. The understanding of this truth is an objective toward which our endeavor should be directed. Spiritual understanding of and obedience to God's commands bring complete protection. The law and the gospel of Truth work together as a unit, and the Ten Commandments are basic in Christian Science.
A student of Christian Science decided to consider the Ten Commandments each morning on the basis that this prayerful thinking would be a protection. He found it helpful to read with them the verses which introduce these commands. These verses, which serve to strengthen the significance of the Commandments, read (Ex. 20:1,2): "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."
Promises of protection such as the following began to unfold in his thought: When one learns not to make a graven image, he will not believe that man is material, finite, or corporeal. One will be conscious only of spiritual man. Immortal man cannot be touched by disease, accident, hatred, or fear; he is conscious only of God's presence and perfection. These concepts established a sense of peace and stability and dominated the thought of the student. This is but one of many instances of the benefits derived from a study of the spiritual significance of the Commandments.
The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, says (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 470), "The supposed existence of more than one mind was the basic error of idolatry." She continues farther on: "Divine Science explains the abstract statement that there is one Mind by the following self-evident proposition: If God, or good, is real, then evil, the unlikeness of God, is unreal. And evil can only seem to be real by giving reality to the unreal. The children of God have but one Mind. How can good lapse into evil, when God, the Mind of man, never sins?" What greater assurance of protection can one have than the fact that God is All-Mind and that He never sins?
We must find the positive truths underlying the Ten Commandments, truths which enable us to obey them. There is only one God. In reality there are no graven images, only Spirit's image and likeness; and Love's name cannot be taken in vain. The true Sabbath is a completely holy day, and God is man's only Father and Mother. Man, the idea of Soul, can only express Life, God, and hence cannot die or kill.
The real man's joy and satisfaction in purity can never deteriorate into adultery, and God's man, having by reflection all that God gives, cannot be tempted to steal. Expressing Truth, he can never bear false witness, but he is conscious only of the eternal goodness of his real neighbor. He does not covet, because he possesses all good and dwells eternally in the kingdom of heaven, the realm of the one eternal and omnipotent Mind.
Every commandment is in a sense related to the First Commandment. The recognition and demonstration of one God, one Mind, and the understanding of His perfect creation protect us from any and every belief that evil has existence or can come into our experience.
The Ten Commandments obeyed lead to the fulfillment in our lives of the gospel of infinite Love. With every new and wonderful lesson come protection, progress, and joy.
