Do the 10 Commandments Still Apply To Us Today?

So how many of the Ten Commandments did Paul quote?
Short answer: Nine out of Ten. And he didn’t just quote them—he wielded them like a scalpel, exposing sin for what it is and reminding saints that grace isn’t a license to go morally bankrupt. He never once says, “Don’t worry, the law’s old news.” He says, “The law is holy, and the commandment holy and righteous and good” (Rom_7:12)… but don’t try to get justified by it. That’s a dead-end.

  1. No other gods before Me?
    Oh yes. Gal_4:8 – “You were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.”
    Paul drags idols with theological side-eye in 1Co_8:5 and 1Th_1:9.
    Modern version? “Don’t act like Netflix or your emotions are your god.”

  2. No graven images?
    Rom_1:22–23 – Exchanging God’s glory for statues? Paul says that’s not spiritual depth, it’s regression.
    And in 1Co_10:14, he’s not shy: “Flee from idolatry.”
    Greek verb? φεύγετε (pheugete) – present imperative. In other words: “Run. Now.”

  3. Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain?
    Not a direct quote, but he’s not letting this slide either.
    1Ti_1:20 talks about blasphemers (βλασφημοῦσιν – blasphēmeousin),
    and Rom_2:24 hits the Jews hard: “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
    Paul says, “Don’t make God look bad. Your witness is either a window or a wall.”

  4. Keep the Sabbath?
    Nope. The only one Paul skips—and not by accident.
    He even tells the Colossians not to let people guilt-trip them over Sabbath days (Col_2:16).
    Sabbath is a shadow, Christ is the substance (Col_2:17).
    In Rom_14:5, he throws the ball in your court: “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”
    This is liberty, not lawlessness.

  5. Honor your father and mother?
    Eph_6:2–3 – he quotes it word-for-word.
    And reminds us it’s the first commandment with a promise.
    This ain’t just about kids—Paul knew grownups need to honor, too.

  6. You shall not murder?
    Rom_13:9 – “You shall not murder” (οὐ φονεύσεις).
    He’s not playing here—this is not just about homicide.
    Jesus said hatred counts (Mat_5:21–22), and Paul backs it.
    Life is sacred because the image of God is not a suggestion—it’s a birthright.

  7. You shall not commit adultery?
    Rom_13:9 and 1Co_6:9 both serve this straight.
    The word: μοιχοὶ (moichoi) – masculine plural for “adulterers.”
    Paul doesn’t water it down.
    Faithfulness in marriage is non-negotiable because covenant still matters.

  8. You shall not steal?
    Rom_13:9 again.
    Greek: οὐ κλέψεις (ou klepseis) – “You shall not steal.”
    And Eph_4:28 goes deeper: “Let the thief no longer steal, but let him labor…”
    In other words: “Stop taking. Start building.”

  9. You shall not bear false witness?
    Not quoted verbatim, but it’s all over his ethics.
    Col_3:9 – “Do not lie to one another.”
    Eph_4:25 – “Put away falsehood… speak the truth.”
    Greek verb: ψεύδεσθε (pseudesthe) – present middle imperative, “Don’t lie. Period.”
    Lying kills trust, and Paul guards truth like it’s the lungs of the Church—because it is.

  10. You shall not covet?
    Rom_7:7 – Paul gets personal: “I wouldn’t have known what sin was if the law hadn’t said, ‘You shall not covet.’”
    Greek: οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις (ouk epithymēseis) – future active indicative of ἐπιθυμέω, “to crave, to lust after.”
    Coveting doesn’t just break contentment—it shreds gratitude and sows bitterness.
    It’s not a small sin. Paul says it lit the fuse on his realization of guilt.

Paul ain’t tossing the law out like leftovers. He’s saying, “You’re not justified by it, but don’t act like you’re above it.”
He quotes 9 of the 10, skips the Sabbath on purpose, and uses the law to drive you to Christ, not to legalism.
If you’re using grace as an excuse to sin, Paul’s side-eye is eternal: Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid (Rom_6:1–2).
Don’t play cute with commandments. Christ fulfilled them—not to erase them, but to write them on your heart.

Shalom.

Johann.

3 posts were merged into an existing topic: What does the Bible really say about abortion?

@Rev12_11, Jesus came to abolish the outward, national form of the law, but the inner, motivational, international principles of the law are still in force:

Mat 5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Mat 5:18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Mat 5:19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
Mat 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.

Mat 5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
Mat 5:28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Thus, the inner principles of the two commandments about adultery and murder, lust and anger, carry on, but the outward, national forms with their legal penalties are gone, because Jesus nailed them to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).

Is it okay to murder now? Is it okay to steal now? Is it okay to commit adultery now? Is it okay to bear false witness against you neighbor now? Etc.

I think you’ll find the 10 Commandments are still in effect.

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3 posts were merged into an existing topic: Jesus, the Anointed Man—Not God?

You are a man with discernment brother @Bruce_Leiter

J.

OK I posted to the wrong place will try again.

The 10 commandments guide all people in how to have the good life.

Yes, absolutely — I have no doubt about it.
God’s commandments reflect His heart and holiness, and they still guide us today as we walk in love and obedience through Christ.

@Johann @SincereSeeker
The Ten Commandments as revealed in Exodus 20:1-7 and Deuteronomy 5:4-21 are not merely a set of moral injunctions but a covenantal framework emanating from the divine will of YHWH, the transcendent source of being.

  1. Divine Ontology and Covenant
    The commandments originate from God’s self-disclosure at Sinai, where the eternal intersects the temporal. Theologically, God’s immutability as seen in Malachi 3:6 suggests that the principles underlying the commandments rooted in God’s holy nature are not contingent upon historical or cultural flux. They reflect divine intentionality:
    to order human existence toward communion with the divine and harmony within creation. The question of their applicability, is not about temporal relevance but about whether humanity remains bound to a covenantal relationship with God. In Christian theology, the new Covenant does not abrogate the Law, but fulfills its deeper intent, transforming its eternal observance into an internal disposition of love.
  2. Distinction between Moral and Ceremonial Law
    Theologians like Thomas Aquinas (one of the greatest theologians to walk on the Earth) distinguish moral law from ceremonial and judicial laws specific to ancient Israel. The moral law, grounded in natural law and the imago Dei, is universally binding because it reflects the eternal structure of human nature and divine order. For example, prohibitions against murder or idolatry align with the intrinsic dignity of human life and the exclusivity of divine worship. Even in dispensationalist frameworks, which emphasise shifts in divine economy, the moral law remians normative, as it expresses God’s unchanging character.
  3. Eschatological Continuity
    The Commandments point to an eschatological reality where human flourishing aligns with divine justice. In Revelation 21-22, the restored creation reflects the principles of the Decalogue, no false gods, no murder, no covetousness, indicating their teleological permanence. Their applicability today is thus tied to their role in orienting humanity towards this ultimate end, even as grace empowers obedience through the Holy Spirit.
    The Critics might argue that the Commandments are culturally conditioned, rooted in a nomadic, theocratic society. However, their universal principles like sanctity of life, truth and covenantal fidelity transcend context. Theologically, their divine origin precludes obsolescence, as God’s will is not subject to human relativism. Yet, applying them requires hermeneutical care:
    The Sabbath, for instance, may be reinterpreted in light of Christ’s rest (Heb 4:9-10), but its principle of rest and worship endures.

    Ethical Universality and Natural Law
    From a philosophical standpoint, the Commandments align with the natural law traditions (Aristotle, Aquinas, Locke), which posit that moral truths are discernible through reason as inherent to human nature. Prohibitions against murder, theft and false witness, for example, correspond to rational principles of justice and social order. Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative that “act only according to that maxim, whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law” echoes the Decalogue’s universalisable norms.
    Metaphysical Grounding
    The Commandments presuppose a metaphysical framework in which moral obligations derive from a transcendent source. In a Platonic sense, they reflect the Good as an eternal form, instantiated in human conduct. For existentialists like Kierkegaard, the Commandments confront the individual with the “absolute” (God) demanding a leap of faith that transcends rational ethics. Their applicability depends on whether one accepts a theistic metaphyscis or reduces them to pragmatic social contracts as in Hobbes or Rousseau, which risks diluting their authority.
    Existential and Phenomenological Dimensions
    The Commandments engage the human condition at an existential level, addressing desires, identity, and ultimate allegiance. Martin Heidegger’s concept of Being-toward-death illuminates their call to live authentically, in light of finitude and divine accountability. Phenomenologically, they structure human experience by delineating boundaries that foster freedom within limits, countering nihilism of unbounded choice (Sartre). Their relevance persists as long as humans grapple with meaning, community and transcendence.
    Postmodern philosophers like Foucault might challenge the Commandments as power structures embedded in religious discourse, arguing they suppress individual autonomy. Yet, their countercultural force like resisting idolatry in a consumerist age, offers a critque of modernity’s relativism. The Commandments’ insistence on objective moral truths challenges the fragmentation of contemporary ethics, making them philosophically potent even in secular contexts.

Samuel_23, I see what you did there. You rolled out every theological heavyweight from Aquinas to Heidegger, tossed in some Kant, Locke, Kierkegaard, and even gave Foucault a cameo. You dressed the Ten Commandments in a metaphysical tuxedo and sprayed them with a fine mist of natural law cologne. Respect for the flair. But let’s not forget, truth doesn’t need a symposium to stand. It just needs the Word.

The question was whether the Ten Commandments still apply. Not whether they impress philosophy professors. And the answer is a resounding yes, but not as stone tablets chained to Sinai. They apply because the God who spoke them is still holy, still just, and still jealous for His glory.

Jesus didn’t toss them out. He internalized them. “You have heard it said… but I say to you…” was not Him revoking the law, but revealing its roots. The commandments were never just about external obedience. They were about a heart that loves what God loves and hates what He hates. When Jesus said the whole law hangs on loving God and loving neighbor, He wasn’t canceling the Ten. He was explaining them.

So no, the Christian isn’t under the law as a covenant of condemnation. But we are under Christ, who fulfilled the law and now writes it on our hearts. That includes honoring God above all, speaking truth, protecting life, preserving marriage, respecting property, and telling our greedy hearts to sit down and be still.

What we don’t need is more existential rambling about Heidegger’s “being-toward-death” when the real issue is being-toward-disobedience. The Decalogue isn’t some abstract philosophical archetype. It’s divine commands from a holy God who hasn’t changed and doesn’t negotiate.

So before we turn Moses into a moral metaphor or Kant into a prophet, maybe ask this: are we letting the commandments expose sin and drive us to Christ? Or are we using them as intellectual furniture in a room we refuse to clean?

They still apply because God still reigns. The question is whether we still listen.

—Sincere Seeker. Scripturally savage. Here for the Truth.

@SincereSeeker, This was fire, but when I read scriptures, there are three layers to know its meaning.
First, read the scripture as it is.
Second, look into the theological side, if there is any.
Third, relate it with philosophical topics to address moral tension.
Theologically, the Ten Commandments are not relics of a bygone covenant but the living words from the eternal God, whose holiness, justice and zeal for His glory remains unchanging. Your assertion that they apply “Because God still reigns” is theologically unassailable. The Commandments reflect God’s character, which is immutable. Their relevance is not contingent on human culture or philosophical validation but on the ontological reality of God’s sovereignty.
I would like to point out 5 important points from your answer.

  1. You rightly note that Jesus did not abolish the Law but revealed its roots. The Greek plēroō (fulfill) implies bringing to full expression, not cancellation. Jesus’ intensification of the Commandments like equating anger with murder or lust with adultery shows they are not external rules but heat-oriented principles. The New Covenant promise (Jer 31:33 “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts”) ensures their applicability, as the Holy Spirit enables believers to live out this internalized ethic.
  2. The Commandments function dually, as a mirror exposing sin, and as a grace-filled guide for sanctification. your question of “Are we letting the commandments expose sin and drive us to Christ” shows the diagnostic and redemptive role. The prohibition against idolatry for instance confronts modern worship of self or materialism pointing to Christ’s sufficiency. Their applicability endures because humanity’s need for conviction and redemption persists.
  3. The Commandments are eschatologically oriented, anticipating a creation restored to God’s design. Prohibitions against murder, theft, or covetousness reflect the values of the coming kingdom- life, justice, contentment. Their relevance today lies in their call to live proleptically, embodying God’s will in a fallen world. This teleological framework ensures their binding nature, as they align human conduct with divine purpose.

From a philosophical side, philosophy when tethered to Scripture, is not a rival but a servant, illuminating the Commandments’ rational coherence and universal force in a world skeptical of divine authority.
3 important concepts to note are:

  1. Theonomous Ethics:
    The Commandments derive their authority from God’s being, not human reason, aligning with a theonomous ethic. Philosophically, this counters autonomous systems like Kant’s categorical imperative or Mill’s utilitarianism, which falter without a transcendent ground. the prohibition against murder for instance, reflects the intrinsic dignity of the imago Dei (Gen 1:27), a truth reason affirms but cannot originate. Their applicability persists because human nature remains constant, requiring norms that uphold justice and relational fidelity.
  2. Moral Realism vs Relativism
    The Commandments embody moral realism, asserting objective truths rooted in God’s nature. This challenges postmodern relativism, which you implicitly reject by emphasizing God’s unchanging holiness. The Commandment against false witness for example, upholds truth as essential to human community, counter a culture of “post-truth” subjectivity. Philosophically, their relevance lies in their ability to anchor ethics in reality, resisting the fragmentation of moral relativism.`
  3. Existential Clarity Without Jargon
    Your critique of Heidegger’s “being-toward-death” is well taken. The Commandments need no esoteric lens to address human existence. They confront universal struggles like idolatry, envy, betrayal in plain terms, offering a framework for authentic living. Their prohibition of covetousness diagnoses the restlessness of consumerist desire, pointing to contentment in God. Their applicability endures because they speak to the human condition with timeless clarity.

Philosophy and Theology
Theology is the disciplined study of God’s self-revelation in Scripture, history and creation. It ensures the commandments are understood in their covenantal context, not as isolated rules. For ex, the Sabbath is not merely a day off but a sign of God’s rest (Heb 4:9-10) and liberation (Deut 5:15). Theology unpacks these layers, clarifying how the Commandments apply in Christ’s New covenant.
Philosophy provides tools to articulate the Commandments’ coherence to a skeptical world. In a pluralistic age, where divine authority is questioned, philosophy bridges faith and reason. For instance, the Commandment against theft aligns with rational principles of property and justice, defensible even in secular ethics. Philosophy equips believers to engage critics, showing the Commandments’ relevance beyond the church.
Together, they offer a holistic defense. Theology roots them in God’s Word and character, while philosophy demonstrates their alignment with human reason and experience. For ex, theological exegesis reveals the Commandment against adultery as protecting love, while philosophy shows its rational basis in preserving trust and social stability. Together, they compel both heart and mind to heed God’s will.
Theology and philosophy must bow to Scripture, not compete with it. When integrated humbly, they clarify the Commandments’ call to “love what God loves and hate what He hates” as you have said, without diluting their divine authority.

@Rev12_11, do you mean that Christians aren’t supposed to gather together in worship and rest from their daily work on one day out of the seven in the week? Those are the principles of that commandment that continue on for Christians, as I see it, while the external, national regulations for Israel have been abolished, as Colossians 2:11-17 clearly says.

In other words, it doesn’t matter which day of the week it happens. But the principles I have seen in the commandment are still important for us to obey.

Col 2:11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
Col 2:12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
Col 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
Col 2:14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Col 2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Col 2:16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.
Col 2:17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Brother, this was weighty in the best kind of way. You brought theological steel and philosophical scaffolding, and I’ll gladly build on that foundation. Let’s sharpen what’s already been forged.

You said there are three layers for understanding Scripture: read it as it is… dig into theology… then bring philosophy into the tension. Amen. That’s how you move from milk to meat. But only if every layer bows to the Word. Not just touches it. Not just quotes it. Bows to it.

You rightly affirmed that the Ten Commandments are not cultural artifacts. They are living words from a living God. Their authority flows not from how useful they are, but from who spoke them. That’s why they still confront us like thunder at Sinai. God didn’t stutter when He said, “You shall.” And He hasn’t softened His tone since.

Your focus on Jesus’ fulfillment of the Law is exactly where the weight belongs. He didn’t cancel the standard. He became the only one who met it. The commandments move from tablets of stone to hearts of flesh not by being edited, but by being embodied in Christ and written on us by the Spirit. That’s not abolition… that’s amplification.

Your point that they act as both mirror and guide is crucial. The commandments crush our pride before they shape our path. They’re not a sanctification shortcut. They are the path carved out by God’s holiness, and they’re navigable only by grace. The mirror doesn’t save… but it sends us straight to the Savior. And the guide doesn’t justify… but it keeps the justified in step with the Spirit.

You rightly pressed the eschatological thread. These aren’t just about past obedience. They are a foretaste of future glory. No murder, no theft, no lies… that’s not just good ethics. That’s a preview of the kingdom. When we obey, we’re not earning heaven. We’re echoing it.

Now your take on philosophy was surgical. The law of God doesn’t need Plato to feel eternal. But when philosophy serves Scripture, it sharpens the witness. You called out the theonomous ethic, and that’s the anchor. Without God, moral frameworks float until they flip. The commandments don’t wobble. They land with weight because they’re grounded in the character of the Creator.

You nailed moral realism. The commands are not preferences. They are pronouncements. They don’t ask for your truth. They declare The Truth. False witness, theft, adultery… these are not social mishaps. They are divine violations. Postmodern fuzziness can’t fog what God has made plain.

And thank you for not getting lost in the fog of existential buzzwords. The commandments are clear because God is not the author of confusion. They speak to envy, greed, and idolatry in the same language they always have… truth with teeth.

Finally, your synthesis of theology and philosophy hit the mark. One roots us, the other equips us. But both must kneel before the throne of God. The law doesn’t exist for academic applause. It exists to drive rebels to repentance and saints to obedience.

Keep that sword sharp, brother. God’s truth is timeless… and it still cuts.

—Sincere Seeker. Scripturally savage. Here for the Truth.

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No, that would not be “loving my neighbor as myself”.
We do not live by the written code but by Christ’s love in our heart. The Law brings wrath. We are commanded to love God and to love others not out of have to or ought to but because we want to. That through the power of the Holy Spirit.

An interesting question! ”Do the 10 Commandments still apply to us today?”

If you answer Yes, you must claim Judeism first. If you say No, you are a genital who has accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. I am in the process of putting together what I call:
A New Life Christian Bible. The scripture used is the New Testament from the American Standard Version (ASV). The reason that I chose the (ASV) is that it is “Public Domain.” Most other versions of the Bible have a copyright that prevents a cut-and-paste of large amounts of scripture without written permission. I have made requests, but have not received a reply.

A significant change has been made to (ASV); chapter and verse numbers have been replaced with Outlines from BibleHub.com.

The Gospels were written to attract Jews to be followers of Jesus, with the Old Testament providing bridges to make it easier for the Jews to change, something that didn’t occur. Read the Sermon on the Mount, and we are told not to hate those who have not accepted Jesus. We are told to pray for them. I once was, but by the grace of God, now I am.

Lol! @josephperryg4

Yes, the Ten Commandments still apply, but not in the same covenantal form they did under Moses. They remain morally binding, but they must now be understood through the lens of Christ, the cross, and the New Covenant. The Decalogue is not abolished, but it has been fulfilled, deepened, and internalized in Jesus.

Jesus did not come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). The Greek verb πληρόω (“plēroō”) means to fill up, to complete, to bring to full expression. This means the Law—including the Ten Commandments—reaches its true intent and highest form in Christ. For example, the command not to murder is expanded in the Sermon on the Mount to include anger in the heart (Matthew 5:21–22). The command against adultery now includes lustful intent (Matthew 5:27–28). Jesus intensifies, spiritualizes, and internalizes the moral core of the Law.

The Ten Commandments were given to Israel as part of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 20), which Hebrews 8:13 says is now “obsolete and aging,” replaced by the New Covenant. However, the moral essence of the commandments still reflects God’s holy character and still applies to His people, not as a means of justification, but as a guide for sanctification. Romans 13:8–10 summarizes several commandments and says, “Love is the fulfilling of the Law.” Galatians 5:14 likewise states, “The whole law is fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This is not license to sin but a deeper call to holiness empowered by the Spirit.

Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 9:21 that he is “not without the law of God but under the law of Christ.” That law is not the Mosaic code in its entirety, but the moral will of God as revealed through Jesus. Nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament in various forms, except the Sabbath, which is redefined in Christ as rest for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9–10) and not tied to a specific day. Did you know that?

In short, the Ten Commandments are not abolished but transformed and surpassed in Christ. We obey them not to be saved, but because we are saved. We are not under the Old Covenant, but under grace (Romans 6:14). Yet grace does not excuse sin, it trains us to live righteously (Titus 2:11–12). Christ fulfills the Law and then pours His Spirit into us to walk in His ways (Ezekiel 36:27).

So yes, the moral truths behind the Ten Commandments still apply, but they apply as law-fulfilled-in-Christ, no longer chiseled on stone, but written on hearts.

@Bobbyq, the law brings wrath, because if we try to follow it in order to be saved, God the Judge continues our “guilty” verdict (wrath), but after we are saved by his grace through faith, all the principles of the law and the whole Word of God are our ways to express our great gratitude for Jesus’ death and resurrection changing our lives.

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No, that is trying to put new wine into old wine skins. It destroys both. After you are saved by grace, unmerited favor, now I need to earn my way to heaven. It results in either self righteousness or causes you to give up. You are now a child of God. Jesus has paid your debt. It is finished! Live in freedom, not bondage. It really is Good News.

You’re talking religion not relationship.

@Bobbyq, after we are saved, God calls us to grow spiritually, and the standard for such spiritual growth is the principles and teachings of the Word of God; but we don’t earn our way to heaven, since Jesus has already earned it for us. Paul says it this way,

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Eph 2:9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Do you know that God calls you to constant joy, prayer, and thankfulness? Well, he does call us to live that way because of those commands through the Apostle Paul:

1Th 5:16 Rejoice always,
1Th 5:17 pray without ceasing,
1Th 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The ten commandments of Exodus 20 have their many counterparts in the New Testament, because we fallible people need God’s reminders. The credit all goes to him, because he gives us the resurrection power of Jesus to enable us to make progress, for example in Colossians 3:1, and follows his statement up with many commands in the chapter, our reminders:

Col 3:1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

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