Mark Kelderman

Dear young friends, in this new series, we wish to begin exploring the ways in which the Decalogue or the Ten Commandments relate to our use of social media and technology. A foray into technology is important because we live every day with technology, interact with others via social media, do our shopping via technology, or even reach others with the gospel through technology. Technology has pervaded every area of our lives and so we need to form a biblical response in our ownership and usage of it. This is where the Ten Commandments are connected to our digital world. If the Ten Commandments are the eternal law of the eternal God, and they are, then they have something very important to say to us today. The Ten Commandments are as relevant to us today as they were to the Israelites on Mt. Sinai.

You might already be thinking that the Ten Commandments are simply rules that God has given to govern spiritual life and some other practical aspects of life, but with nothing to say to our world of technology. Actually the opposite is true; the Ten Commandments touch every area of our lives. They touch the gods we serve or where our heart settles in worship. They touch our worship of God, our thoughts towards God, our attitude to rest, and our attitude towards others in our thoughts and actions. Technology thus also needs to be governed and guided by the perfect law of the Lord (Ps. 19:7).

The Ten Commandments are more than just a set of rules by which to govern our lives. They contain rules and guidelines, but they reveal much more than that. They reveal the character of God—He is eternally holy, righteous, just, merciful, gracious, and full of lovingkindness. The law reveals our sinfulness. In other words, the law convicts us of our powerlessness to live as God wants us to, and the demands of the law are not lessened because of it! The law shows our great need of Christ’s obedience to be substituted for our disobedience. When the Spirit brings us to faith in Christ through the convicting power of the law and the sight of all that we need in Christ, the law also reveals a new way of life. It reveals a life of thankfulness and renewed worship to God as He intended.

If you do not believe in Christ, we pray that this new series would drive you to see your need of Christ’s perfect obedience regarding your sins in using technology and social media. And if you do believe in Christ, we pray that the Ten Commandments would serve as a light upon your path in honoring and serving God in your usage of social media and technology. The law reveals both law and gospel: it tells us how to live, but also points us to the perfect obedience of Christ.

So often we skip over the prologue, the first few verses of Exodus 20 which introduce us to the Ten Commandments, but those few verses are equally as important as the Ten Commandments. They ground the keeping of the law in the redemption that God has accomplished. He reminds young people today as He did the Israelites, “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage…” Has the LORD done that for you in Christ by His Spirit? Surely, if God has compassion on your soul, you ought to regulate your life according to His law as a fitting response to His gospel. May you find grace to regulate your lives in the digital age according to law and gospel.

Published by The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, used with permission.