Published by Moody Press

Looking at the title, one isn't sure what one may find inside. Will the book be recommending Dominion Theology (which advocates implementing God's laws as the laws of the US)? Will it be a legalistic diatribe attempting to place Christians in the straight-jacket of Old Testament law? I am happy to say the book is nothing of the sort.

Horton writes from a Reformed theological perspective. He is very aware of the Bible's words, "...for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! (Galations 2:21 NIV)." In the first chapter he lays out the course he will follow for the rest of the book, "Even Christians cannot conform perfectly to this law, and they ought never to approach the law as though they could even come close to its moral excellence." His goal is to bring God's law back to the forefront of Christian thought--because it has taken a back seat. Many Christians cannot even list the Ten Commandments.

In the next ten chapters Horton covers each of the Ten Commandments. Chapter by chapter he dissects, explains, and applies each commandment to the Christian. He demonstrates the many ways the commandments are broken, even by those who claim to uphold them. For instance, in Chapter Two, "No Other Gods," he nails the "prosperity preachers" that are so prominent on the Christian airwaves. "The...prosperity preachers, in attributing to faith the attributes of deity, are propagating idolatry." Horton does the best job of expositing the commandments of any Bible teacher I've read or heard. He also does a fine job of exposing the many ways God's commandments are broken through false teaching, false worship, and self-centered actions on the part of Christians.

In expositing the commandments, Horton not only explains the negative prohibitions--which should seem fairly obvious--he also lays out the positive actions he believes are required for the living out of each commandment's purpose. In dealing with "You shall not murder" (chapter 7), he says, "positively, the commandment requires us to do everything in our power to see to the health and welfare of our neighbor."

It's not all bad news. In the final chapter, "Good News for Law-Breakers," he points out, "In the law, the righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that condemns all our pretenses of righteousness as 'filthy rags.' But in the gospel, a righteousness that is from God, that is, a gift of righteousness, is revealed."

In a fine summation Horton states, "We need to constantly hear the law of God, in spite of our own failure to conform to it, so that we will be running to Christ."

The book will leave the reader with a greater understanding and appreciation of the Ten Commandments. It the process, the willing Christian will be drawn closer to God, have a greater reverence for His wonderful ways, and, hopefully, walk closer to Him in a new way.

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