The Moral Law and Divine Commandments

 

Part 2: The Moral Law and Divine Commandments

Opening Reflection

God’s commandments are not burdens to bear, but guiding lights for the soul. They direct our hearts toward love, mercy, and holiness. In exploring the moral law, we discover how the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes (አንቀጸ ብጹዓን), and Christ Himself provide the path to a virtuous life in communion with God.

---

1. The Ten Commandments in Orthodox Moral Theology

• Given to Moses, the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17) reveal God’s moral order.
• They teach us to love God and neighbor, forming the foundation for moral life.

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17) Breifly Explained :

Toward God

1.     No other gods (አማልክት)

2.     No idols

3.     Honor God’s name

4.     Keep the Sabbath holy

5.     Honor your parents

Toward Neighbor:

6. Do not kill
7. Do not commit adultery
8. Do not steal
9. Do not lie
10. Do not covet (አትመኝ፡ የባልንጀራህን ቤት፣ ሚስት፣ ገንዘብ፣ ንብረት ወዘተ)

Christ also summarized the Ten Commandments into love of God and love of neighbor.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  

“ኢየሱስም እንዲህ አለው፦ ጌታ አምላክህን በፍጹም ልብህ በፍጹም ነፍስህም በፍጹም አሳብህም ውደድ።…..…. ባልንጀራህን እንደ ነፍስህ ውደድ…በእነዚህ በሁለቱ ትእዛዛት ሕጉም ሁሉ ነቢያትም ተሰቅለዋል።” (Matthew 22:37–40).

It is important to understand that Christ did not diminish the Ten Commandments but revealed their true meaning. He summarized them into two guiding principles: love for God (commandments 1–5) and love for neighbor (commandments 6–10).

Practical insight: Obeying the commandments is not a mere legal duty—it is a path of transformation that renews our hearts, relationships, and character.

Patristic Insight:

“The commandments are the school of virtue (በጎነት፣መልካምነት); they teach us to direct our lives toward God and neighbor.” — St. John Chrysostom.

---

2. The Beatitudes as the New Law of Grace

• In Matthew 5:1-12, Christ presents the Beatitudes (አንቀጸ ብፁዓን), which fulfill and surpass the Old Law.

“ሕዝቡንም አይቶ ወደ ተራራ ወጣ፤ በተቀመጠም ጊዜ ደቀ መዛሙርቱ ወደ እርሱ ቀረቡ፤ አፉንም ከፍቶ አስተማራቸው እንዲህም አለ፦ በመንፈስ ድሆች የሆኑ ብፁዓን ናቸው፥ መንግሥተ ሰማያት የእነርሱ ናትና ።የሚያዝኑ ብፁዓን ናቸው፥ መፅናናትን ያገኛሉና። የዋሆች ብፁዓን ናቸው፥ ምድርን ይወርሳሉና። ጽድቅን የሚራቡና የሚጠሙ ብፁዓን ናቸው፥ ይጠግባሉና። የሚምሩ ብፁዓን ናቸው፥ ይማራሉና። ልበ ንጹሖች ብፁዓን ናቸው፥ እግዚአብሔርን ያዩታልና። የሚያስተራርቁ ብፁዓን ናቸው፥ የእግዚአብሔር ልጆች ይባላሉና። ስለ ጽድቅ የሚሰደዱ ብፁዓን ናቸው፥ መንግሥተ ሰማያት የእነርሱ ናትና። ሲነቅፉአችሁና ሲያሳድዱአችሁ በእኔም ምክንያት ክፉውን ሁሉ በውሸት ሲናገሩባችሁ ብፁዓን ናችሁ። ዋጋችሁ በሰማያት ታላቅ ነውና ደስ ይበላችሁ፥ ሐሴትም አድርጉ፤ ከእናንተ በፊት የነበሩትን ነቢያትን እንዲሁ አሳድደዋቸዋልና።” (Matthew 5:1-12)

• The Beatitudes call us to humility, mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking.
• Unlike the Old Testament Law, which prescribes obedience (መታዘዝ), the Beatitudes shape inner attitude and character.

Illustration:

• Blessed are the meek ( የዋሆች)— this is lived out by responding with patience rather than anger in times of conflict.
• Blessed are the merciful (የሚምሩ)  — this is practiced by forgiving colleagues, family, or friends when they cause offense.

Patristic Insight:

“The Beatitudes are a ladder by which the soul ascends to God.” — St. John of Damascus.

---

3. Christ as the Model of Perfect Virtue

• Christ demonstrates perfect obedience, love, humility, and holiness.
• He is the ultimate guide for moral life: His teachings, life, and example demonstrate how to live the commandments in spirit and truth.

“የተጠራችሁለት ለዚህ ነውና፤ ክርስቶስ ደግሞ ፍለጋውን እንድትከተሉ ምሳሌ ትቶላችሁ ስለ እናንተ መከራን ተቀብሎአልና።” (1 Peter 2:21).

• Practical reflection: In every choice—words spoken, actions taken—ask: Would Christ have taught this way?

Patristic Insight:

“He became human so that we might see how to live in God.” — St. Athanasius the Great.

---

Conclusion

In Orthodox Christianity, the moral law serves not merely as a set of rules, but as both instruction and inspiration for the faithful. The Ten Commandments reveal God’s moral order and guide our outward actions; the Beatitudes cultivate the virtues of the heart and shape our inner attitude; and Christ Himself demonstrates perfect virtue, showing us how to live in spirit and truth. Obedience to God’s law is thus a transformative journey—one that renews our character, guides our relationships, and draws us into deeper communion with God.

---

Reflection Question

How do the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes guide my daily choices?

Which of the Ten Commandments am I struggling to obey, and, with God’s grace, am I committed to following them this year?

In what ways can I imitate Christ in my words, thoughts, and actions this year?

Closing Prayer

Almighty God, we thank You for the light of Your commandments. Inscribe Your law upon our hearts and guide us to walk in the way of Christ. Through the grace of the Beatitudes, grant us humility, mercy, and purity. By the prayers of the holy Virgin Mary and all the saints, strengthen us to follow Christ, our Lord, in every word, thought, and deed. To You be glory, now and forever. Amen