The Moral Law in Summary Form: WLC Question 98

In the previous section of the catechism, the Westminster divines sought to reinforce the continuing importance of the moral law. The law is not a means of salvation. No sinner can earn a right standing before God through obedience. Nevertheless, the moral law remains essential because it reveals the holy character of God and teaches us what He requires of us as His creatures.

The usefulness of the moral law is not limited to those who are in Christ but extends to all mankind. It exposes sin, awakens the conscience, leaves the sinner without excuse, and reveals our need for a Savior. For those who have been united to Christ, it also provides a trustworthy guide for a life of grateful obedience.

Having explained the usefulness of the moral law, the divines now turn to where that law is most clearly outlined in Scripture. The Westminster Larger Catechism asks in Question 98, “Where is the moral law given in summary form?” It answers, “The moral law is given in summary form in the Ten Commandments, which were delivered by the voice of God on Mount Sinai and written by him in two tables of stone. They are recorded in the twentieth chapter of Exodus. The first four commandments contain our duty to God, and the other six our duty to mankind.”

God has not left us to determine for ourselves what is right and wrong. He has graciously revealed His moral will, and in the Ten Commandments He has given us a clear summary of our duty to Him and to one another.

The Moral Law in Summary Form Comes from God

The Ten Commandments are unique because of the manner in which they were given. They were not created by Moses or developed gradually by the nation of Israel. God spoke these commandments to His people from Mount Sinai and then wrote them on tablets of stone.

Moses later reminded Israel:

“And he wrote on the tablets, in the same writing as before, the Ten Commandments that the LORD had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly. And the LORD gave them to me.”—Deuteronomy 10:4

The authority of the Ten Commandments rests in their divine Author. They are not based on human opinion, cultural preference, or political agreement. They come from the Creator, who has the right to govern those He has made.

Therefore, we do not have the authority to revise God’s commandments whenever they conflict with the desires of our hearts or the expectations of our culture. God’s moral law remains constant because God’s holy character does not change.

Yet the divine origin of the commandments should not cause us to view them as harsh or cruel. The God who gave Israel His law was the same God who had redeemed them from slavery. Before announcing the commandments, He declared, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2).

Grace came before obedience. God did not command Israel to earn redemption. He redeemed them and then taught them how a redeemed people should live.

The Moral Law in Summary Form Was Written on Stone

The Ten Commandments were written on two tablets of stone. When Moses broke the original tablets after Israel worshiped the golden calf, God commanded him to prepare two new ones.

The Lord said:

“Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you broke.”—Exodus 34:1

Moses obeyed and went up Mount Sinai early the next morning, carrying the two stone tablets as God had commanded (Exodus 34:4).

Writing the commandments on stone emphasized the lasting authority of the moral law. Human customs change, governments rise and fall, and societies redefine acceptable behavior. God’s standard, however, remains firm.

The stone tablets also remind us that God has spoken clearly. His moral will is not hidden or unknowable. We may struggle to obey His commandments, and we may attempt to explain them away, but we cannot honestly claim that God has failed to reveal what He requires.

The problem is not that God’s law is unclear. The problem is that our sinful hearts resist it.

This is why Scripture speaks of the greater work God performs under the new covenant. God does not merely place His law before His people; He writes it upon their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). Through the Holy Spirit, believers receive new desires and are increasingly enabled to walk in obedience.

The Moral Law in Summary Form Teaches Love for God

The catechism explains that the first four commandments contain our duty to God. They teach us to worship the true God, reject idols, honor His name, and set apart the time He has appointed for worship and rest.

Jesus summarized this part of the moral law when He said:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”—Matthew 22:37

The first four commandments show us what love for God looks like. Biblical love is not merely an inward emotion. It expresses itself through worship, loyalty, reverence, and obedience.

We cannot claim to love God while placing other things above Him. We cannot love Him faithfully while treating His name carelessly or approaching worship according to our own preferences rather than His Word. Love listens to the one who is loved.

These commandments therefore confront the idols of our hearts. Money, comfort, success, family, work, entertainment, and even religious activity can take the place that belongs to God alone. The moral law calls us to give God our highest affection, deepest loyalty, and wholehearted worship.

The Moral Law in Summary Form Teaches Love for Our Neighbor

The remaining six commandments contain our duty to mankind. They teach us to honor rightful authority, preserve life, maintain sexual purity, respect property, speak truthfully, and resist covetous desires.

Jesus summarized these commandments by saying:

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”—Matthew 22:39

He then declared, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40).

Love for our neighbor involves more than avoiding obvious acts of harm. The commandments call us to actively seek the good of others. The command against murder requires us to value and protect human life. The command against adultery calls us to honor marriage and pursue purity. The command against stealing requires honesty, generosity, and respect for what belongs to another.

The tenth commandment reaches even deeper by forbidding covetousness. God’s moral law does not govern only our outward behavior; it also addresses the desires of the heart.

We may avoid visible acts of sin while still harboring anger, lust, envy, dishonesty, or selfishness. The commandments reveal that true righteousness concerns both our actions and our affections.

The Moral Law in Summary Form Leads Us to Christ

When we understand the true depth of the Ten Commandments, we quickly recognize that we have not kept them. We have not loved God with all our heart, soul, and mind. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

The moral law exposes our sin, but it cannot save us from our sin. It shows us our guilt and strips away confidence in our own goodness. It reveals that we need a Savior who has obeyed the law perfectly and endured its curse in the place of sinners.

Jesus Christ is that Savior. He loved His Father perfectly and loved His people to the point of giving His life for them. Through faith in Christ, sinners are forgiven and counted righteous before God—not because of their obedience, but because of His.

For those who have been saved, the moral law continues to teach and guide. We do not obey in order to earn God’s acceptance. We pursue obedience because, through Christ, we have already been accepted. The commandments become a pattern for grateful, Spirit-empowered living.

Living According to the Moral Law in Summary Form

The Ten Commandments provide a clear summary of our duty to God and our duty to one another. They reveal God’s holiness, uncover our sin, direct us to Christ, and guide us in Christian obedience.

We should therefore read them carefully, examine ourselves honestly, and pray for grace to obey them faithfully. We should also remember that obedience is ultimately an expression of love.

To love God is to desire His glory above everything else. To love our neighbor is to seek another person’s good rather than simply serving ourselves. These two great commandments summarize the moral law because every commandment teaches us how love should shape our worship, thoughts, words, desires, and actions.

God’s law is holy and good, but we cannot keep it in our own strength. Our hope rests in Christ, who fulfilled the law for us and gives His Spirit to work within us. As we rest in His grace, we can pursue obedience—not as servants attempting to earn a place in God’s household, but as beloved children who have already been welcomed home.

Soli Deo Gloria