Current Theme | September 2026
The Ten Commandments: Yesterday, Today, and Forever
Thunder. Lightning. Thick smoke and a loud trumpet blast, and then God spoke “ten words” to the sea of terrified Israelites at the foot of Mount Sinai. These Ten Commandments have echoed throughout history as a foundation for western law, as the pinnacle of the U.S. Supreme Court building, and even as a guiding moral principle in the classrooms of schoolchildren. But if Christians are not “under the law,” as the apostle Paul rightly says, then what do we do with this Decalogue? And what about the hotly debated Sabbath commandment? Join us this month as we consider the enduring significance of the Ten Commandments given by the One who brought us out of Egypt’s bondage.
Table of Contents
Concise
The Ten Commandments and the Literary Structure of Deuteronomy
By Josh Philpot• Concise Article • September 2
The book of Deuteronomy is structured after the Ten Commandments. Find out why this matters.
Concise
1 Timothy and the 10 Commandments
By Andy Naselli • Concise Article • September 3
What does Paul mean when he tells Timothy that the law is good if it is used lawfully? In this excerpt from his forthcoming book, Andy Naselli interprets 1 Timothy 1:8 - 11 and seeks to understand Paul's thoughts on the law.
Concise
Natural Law and Moral Law: How the Decalogue Retains Its Moral Relevance
By Andy Schmitz• Concise Article • September 4
God’s moral law is written on both soul and stone. Though Christ fulfills the law, the Decalogue still provides essential moral instruction for the church and bears witness to God’s enduring moral order.
Concise
Devotion to the Only True God
By Kaspars Ozolins • Concise Article • September 7
In the first and most pivotal commandment, Yahweh demands of Israel devotion to himself alone. How does this apply to New Covenant believers?
Longform
Reflections on the Law of God in Scripture and Theology
By Stephen Wellum • Longform Essay • September 8
What is the law of God? There are many answers to this question, but what does the Bible say, and how does God's law function within Scripture's covenantal structure?
Concise
No Idols
By Peter Gentry • Concise Article • September 9
Do you know the order of the Ten Commandments? Despite their fame, the ordering of the Ten Commandments is debated. Dr. Gentry initiates his readers into that debate and teases out some theological implications.
Podcast
5.47 Stephen J. Wellum • Reading • “Reflections on the Law of God in Scripture and Theology”
By Stephen Wellum • Reading • September 9
What is the law of God? There are many answers to this question, but what does the Bible say, and how does God's law function within Scripture's covenantal structure?
Concise
Hallowed be Thy Name
By Doug Ponder • Concise Article • September 10
Keeping the third commandment means so much more than not saying "oh my God." Find out how the holiness of God's name should shape our disposition toward God, and even our entire lives.
Concise
Why We Need “Cultural Christianity”
By David Mitzenmacher • Concise Article • September 11
Is it bad or good for societies to have cultural Christianity? David Mitzenmacher explores the common critiques against the goodness of cultural Christianity. He responds by meditating on the Second Use of the Law.
Concise
Remember the Sabbath: Israel’s Covenant Sign Fulfilled in Christ, Part 1
By Ardel Caneday • Concise Article • September 14
Should Christians keep the Sabbath? Yes—but that doesn't mean what you think.
Podcast
5.48 Stephen J. Wellum, David Schrock, & Trent Hunter • Interview • “Reflections on the Law of God in Scripture and Theology”
By Stephen Wellum, David Schrock, & Trent Hunter • Interview • September 14th
Listen in as David Schrock and Trent Hunter interview Stephen Wellum on his COA Longform Essay "Reflections on the Law of God in Scripture and Theology"
Concise
Remember the Sabbath: Israel’s Covenant Sign Fulfilled in Christ, Part 2
By Ardel Caneday • Concise Article • September 14
Christ fulfilled the Mosaic Law and brought it to an end. Now, we are under the Law of Christ. What does that mean?
Concise
Remember the Sabbath: Israel’s Covenant Sign Fulfilled in Christ, Part 3
By Ardel Caneday • Concise Article • September 15
Jesus is our Sabbath. So what should we do on Sundays?
Concise
Honoring Father and Mother in an Age of No Contact
By Trent Hunter and Christian Hunt• Concise Article • September 18
We all know we should honor our parents, but how does this apply to less than ideal parents?
Longform
Set Apart for Worship: Ten Words about the Fourth Commandment
By David Schrock • Longform Essay • September 21
The 4th Commandment instructs believers to "keep the Sabbath holy." But now that Christians are under the New Covenant, what does that command mean for Christians? Is the 4th Commandment fully fulfilled in Christ? Or does it have continuing moral authority over our lives? David Schrock explores these questions and the glorious reality of rest with God behind the commandment.
Podcast
5.49 David Schrock • Reading • “Set Apart For Worship: Ten Words about the Fourth Commandment”
By David Schrock • Reading • September 21st
The 4th Commandment instructs believers to “keep the Sabbath holy.” But now that Christians are under the New Covenant, what does that command mean for Christians? Is the 4th Commandment fully fulfilled in Christ? Or does it have continuing moral authority over our lives? David Schrock explores these questions and the glorious reality of rest with God behind the commandment.
Concise
Thou Shalt Not Kill: The Sixth Commandment and the Sanctity of Life
By Alex Tibbott • Concise Article • September 23
God plainly tells us, "thou shalt not kill," but how does this commandment apply to nuanced topics like Euthanasia and Abortion?
Concise
The State and the Sixth Commandment
By Levi Secord • Concise Article • September 23
What right does the state have to enforce the sixth commandment?
Concise
The Seventh Commandment: You Shall Not Commit Adultery
By Brandon D. Myers• Concise Article • September 24
Adultery is a sin that brings lasting shame, a ruined legacy, and numerous victims. Individuals, married couples, pastors, and local churches must actively fight against marital unfaithfulness and sexual immorality.
Concise
The Propriety of the Eighth Commandment
By E. Calvin Beisner • Concise Article • September 25
Want to know why stealing matters? Let's think about what it means to own something first.
Concise
White Lies and Carnival Mirrors: A Meditation on the Ninth Commandment
By Cory Chilcote • Concise Article • September 28
What does it mean to reflect an honest God's image in our everyday lives? In light of the 9th Commandment, Cory Chilcote explores this question by showing us the distorted nature of subtle, socially acceptable lies.
Podcast
5.50 David Schrock, Stephen Wellum, & Trent Hunter • Interview • “Set Apart For Worship: Ten Words about the Fourth Commandment”
By David Schrock, Stephen Wellum, & Trent Hunter • Interview • September 28th
Listen in as Stephen Wellum and Trent Hunter interview David Schrock on his COA Longform Essay "Set Apart for Worship: Ten Words about the Fourth Commandment" and speak on what it means to hold a Progressive Covenantal view of the Sabbath.
Concise
Gay Christianity’s War Against the Moral Law of God
By Rosaria Butterfield • Concise Article • September 29
Our time is marked by prolific and radical confusion over issues related to sexual morality. Christianity is not exempt from this confusion. In this article, Rosaria Butterfield critiques both sides of the A-side / B-side debate with the law of God.
Concise
One Indivisible Law Covenant with Three Discernible Aspects: Assessing the Moral, Ceremonial, and Civil Distinction in the Mosaic Law
By Brad Green & Ardel Caneday • Concise Article • September 30
Does the law have three parts, or is it one cohesive whole? Instead of focusing on a particular commandment, this article zooms out to the law in general, wading a historic debate on the nature of the law and its relationship to New Covenant believers.
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