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Keeping the Ten Commandments by J. I. Packer
They're often mistakenly considered God's "rules"-his outdated list of do's and don'ts that add up to a guilt-ridden, legalistic way of life. But as beloved author and Bible scholar J. I. Packer probes the purpose and true meaning of the Ten Commandments, you'll discover that these precepts can aptly be called God's blueprint for the best life possible. They contain the wisdom and priorities everyone needs for relational, spiritual, and societal blessing-and it's all coming from a loving heavenly Father who wants the best for his children. Not only does Packer deliver these truths in brief, readable segments, but he includes discussion questions and ideas for further study at the end of each chapter. This book will challenge you to view the commandments with new eyes and help you to understand-perhaps for the first time-the health, hope, and heritage you're offered there.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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About the author
J.I. Packer
449 books912 followersWhat do J. I. Packer, Billy Graham and Richard John Neuhaus have in common? Each was recently named by TIME magazine as among the 25 most influential evangelicals in America.
Dr. Packer, the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College, was hailed by TIME as “a doctrinal Solomon” among Protestants. “Mediating debates on everything from a particular Bible translation to the acceptability of free-flowing Pentecostal spirituality, Packer helps unify a community [evangelicalism] that could easily fall victim to its internal tensions.”
Knowing God, Dr. Packer’s seminal 1973 work, was lauded as a book which articulated shared beliefs for members of diverse denominations; the TIME profile quotes Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington as saying, “conservative Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists could all look to [Knowing God] and say, ‘This sums it all up for us.’”
In a similar tribute to Dr. Packer almost ten years ago, American theologian Mark Noll wrote in Christianity Today that, “Packer’s ability to address immensely important subjects in crisp, succinct sentences is one of the reasons why, both as an author and speaker, he has played such an important role among American evangelicals for four decades.”
For over 25 years Regent College students have been privileged to study under Dr. Packer’s clear and lucid teaching, and our faculty, staff and students celebrate the international recognition he rightly receives as a leading Christian thinker and teacher.
(https://www.regent-college.edu/facult...)
Dr. Packer, the Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology at Regent College, was hailed by TIME as “a doctrinal Solomon” among Protestants. “Mediating debates on everything from a particular Bible translation to the acceptability of free-flowing Pentecostal spirituality, Packer helps unify a community [evangelicalism] that could easily fall victim to its internal tensions.”
Knowing God, Dr. Packer’s seminal 1973 work, was lauded as a book which articulated shared beliefs for members of diverse denominations; the TIME profile quotes Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington as saying, “conservative Methodists and Presbyterians and Baptists could all look to [Knowing God] and say, ‘This sums it all up for us.’”
In a similar tribute to Dr. Packer almost ten years ago, American theologian Mark Noll wrote in Christianity Today that, “Packer’s ability to address immensely important subjects in crisp, succinct sentences is one of the reasons why, both as an author and speaker, he has played such an important role among American evangelicals for four decades.”
For over 25 years Regent College students have been privileged to study under Dr. Packer’s clear and lucid teaching, and our faculty, staff and students celebrate the international recognition he rightly receives as a leading Christian thinker and teacher.
(https://www.regent-college.edu/facult...)
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 27, 2021
Great. This book would be good for a group study.
September 26, 2018
Short and to the point. A great read for someone wanting to understand the heart of the 10 Commandments.
October 3, 2021
This book wound up being very disappointing. I know I've read J.I. Packer before and thought his books were decent, but this book just struck a very sour note for me. It just tended to feel condescending, focused on the wrong thing, and really too brief to do the commandments the justice they deserve.
I realize those are pretty big charges, but let me explain my thoughts behind each one. I felt his book was very condescending for a number of reasons. In the first few chapters, the idea that nobody at all knows the Ten Commandments and how law isn't in style today is repeated far more than it really needs to be.
It's also just done in a very condescending way. He's not at all interested in understanding that the Old Testament can be very difficult for today's reader, and that even that the Ten Commandments aren't the only commands in the Old Testament. I do give him credit for mentioning that using the word commandment isn't entirely accurate and that instruction or teaching is a better word, but he then treats them more like commands than instruction for the rest of his book so even this credit is very limited.
He also rails against the idea of "situational ethics," but honestly has a hard time wiggling his way out of it in later chapters. I feel that the Bible is filled with situational ethics. If you read many of the laws in the Bible it gives all kinds of situations where the punishment would be different. If you intend to kill someone the punishment is much different than unintentional. This is situational ethics.
He even deals with this when talking about the commands not to kill or bear false witness. Capital punishment and war are given passes from Packer with barely a thought, but others disagree with him on this. He says that lying to save people is still evil, like lying to the Nazis to save Jews you're hiding, but that it is less evil than giving them up to those who would do them harm. I would disagree with this position pretty strongly, but even then I feel he's dealing with situational ethics and simply getting out of it by calling both evil.
He just takes this very antagonistic approach that just makes it seem like he's talking down to people. I just don't find that helpful. I would say though that if he actually brought some good content to the table that I could overlook some tone issues. However, I don't feel like he really does this very well.
This leads to my second complaint about the book. He focuses on the wrong thing. Instead of focusing on following Jesus and relying on the grace that He has provided us, he focuses on our need to follow these commandments (which aren't really commandments by his own admission), so it all gets messy quick. He brushes over the idea that we can't really follow these commands, especially with the way that Jesus tends to add to them in his Sermon on the Mount, and goes right to how we should be following them.
I do agree that following what we call the Ten Commandments are good, but I also feel that the importance is also in admitting how much I fail to do so and how much I have to rely on God's grace and forgiveness. It is this combo that makes us fully Christian. Just being moral isn't the ultimate goal of the Christian faith. That seems to be his main focus here though.
This leads to my final complaint, he doesn't even do a great job digging into the commandments. He brushes over complex issues with one paragraph of text and makes it seem like he's said all that needs said on the issue. It just got frustrating. There was no nuance, no real digging into other viewpoints, it was pretty much his interpretation of the commandment and that's all.
I get that this book may only have been an introductory work for people, but the combination of his approach, focus on keeping the law, and the way too simplistic presentation of the commandments themselves make for a book that doesn't really work that well as an introduction. It's one of those books that feels like you'll only really like it if you already agree with him. I can't say there is a lot to learn here and the style is just going to turn a lot of people off who aren't already on the same page as him.
I realize those are pretty big charges, but let me explain my thoughts behind each one. I felt his book was very condescending for a number of reasons. In the first few chapters, the idea that nobody at all knows the Ten Commandments and how law isn't in style today is repeated far more than it really needs to be.
It's also just done in a very condescending way. He's not at all interested in understanding that the Old Testament can be very difficult for today's reader, and that even that the Ten Commandments aren't the only commands in the Old Testament. I do give him credit for mentioning that using the word commandment isn't entirely accurate and that instruction or teaching is a better word, but he then treats them more like commands than instruction for the rest of his book so even this credit is very limited.
He also rails against the idea of "situational ethics," but honestly has a hard time wiggling his way out of it in later chapters. I feel that the Bible is filled with situational ethics. If you read many of the laws in the Bible it gives all kinds of situations where the punishment would be different. If you intend to kill someone the punishment is much different than unintentional. This is situational ethics.
He even deals with this when talking about the commands not to kill or bear false witness. Capital punishment and war are given passes from Packer with barely a thought, but others disagree with him on this. He says that lying to save people is still evil, like lying to the Nazis to save Jews you're hiding, but that it is less evil than giving them up to those who would do them harm. I would disagree with this position pretty strongly, but even then I feel he's dealing with situational ethics and simply getting out of it by calling both evil.
He just takes this very antagonistic approach that just makes it seem like he's talking down to people. I just don't find that helpful. I would say though that if he actually brought some good content to the table that I could overlook some tone issues. However, I don't feel like he really does this very well.
This leads to my second complaint about the book. He focuses on the wrong thing. Instead of focusing on following Jesus and relying on the grace that He has provided us, he focuses on our need to follow these commandments (which aren't really commandments by his own admission), so it all gets messy quick. He brushes over the idea that we can't really follow these commands, especially with the way that Jesus tends to add to them in his Sermon on the Mount, and goes right to how we should be following them.
I do agree that following what we call the Ten Commandments are good, but I also feel that the importance is also in admitting how much I fail to do so and how much I have to rely on God's grace and forgiveness. It is this combo that makes us fully Christian. Just being moral isn't the ultimate goal of the Christian faith. That seems to be his main focus here though.
This leads to my final complaint, he doesn't even do a great job digging into the commandments. He brushes over complex issues with one paragraph of text and makes it seem like he's said all that needs said on the issue. It just got frustrating. There was no nuance, no real digging into other viewpoints, it was pretty much his interpretation of the commandment and that's all.
I get that this book may only have been an introductory work for people, but the combination of his approach, focus on keeping the law, and the way too simplistic presentation of the commandments themselves make for a book that doesn't really work that well as an introduction. It's one of those books that feels like you'll only really like it if you already agree with him. I can't say there is a lot to learn here and the style is just going to turn a lot of people off who aren't already on the same page as him.
June 7, 2022
This is a helpful devotional overview of the 10 Commandments from a favorite Anglican/Reformed/Puritan perspective. Packer gives insights into the original meaning of the Decalogue and some contemporary applications then finishes each chapter with some questions for reflection. I disagree or would nuance some things in the application of each commandment, especially his thoughts toward the end that sound ominously theonomous. The 10 Commandments are a covenant document for a specific people, not something that is beholden to all humanity though, of course, it would be ideal if all lived by them. This gets into the uses of the law (from a Reformed perspective) and is highly influenced by one's eschatology and ecclesiology as well as one's view of the covenant structure of Scripture. I commend this to a broad readership with those minor quibbles about the end of the book.
August 8, 2018
Solid stuff from Packer. He does a good job unpacking the purpose of the commandments as an expression of God's grace that in turn invites our loyal obedience. He also shows how each commandment applies directly to several areas of our lives. This would be good for high-school teenagers to read, especially because Packer hammers home the idea that true freedom and contentment are not found in an open permissiveness, but rather in seeking and walking in the will of God.
December 6, 2019
J. I. Packer exposes the meaning of the 10 commandments. It's amazing how he can bring the historical, theological background of Decalogue in the light of the New Testament and provide the practical application. This book will be a great help for maturity in faith or discovery on the life principles of Christian. Each chapter is suitable for the daily meditation as well.
January 23, 2025
Excelente recurso para un bosquejo de la aplicacion practica de cada uno de los componentes del decalogo.
Util, si quieres un buen devocional un poco más profundo.
Pero importante entender el trasfondo de la unión que debemos tener con la trinidad para poder cumplir cada uno de ellos.
Util, si quieres un buen devocional un poco más profundo.
Pero importante entender el trasfondo de la unión que debemos tener con la trinidad para poder cumplir cada uno de ellos.
September 22, 2020
Good point that Christianity and society need to be more familiar with the 10 commandments, but a bit more introductory than I had anticipated.
December 7, 2020
Read as part of a book club at RCC. Good explanation and application of 10 Commandments.
February 20, 2021
A short quick read but unfortunately I didn’t get much out of it.
December 31, 2021
One of the basic teaching being explained in this book. Actually this is a quick read, but if you want to meditate it, there is study guide on every chapter.
January 18, 2023
I read this sometime in 2009 when I was reading nothing but Calvinists. There are much better books available on the ten commandments than this one.
June 18, 2025
Rich book
“Love and law are not opponents but allies, forming together the axis of true morality.”
“Love and law are not opponents but allies, forming together the axis of true morality.”
September 18, 2012
People ask whether God's law binds all men or only believers. The answer is that it binds all—first, because God made us all; and second, because we are so made that without learning to obey the law we can never find the happiness and fulfillment for which we were made. There is a paradox here, which it is best not to conceal but to parade. The fulfillment of which we speak here is known only from the inside, by those who taste and see; from the outside it regularly looks to us like its exact opposite. This reflects Satan's success in persuading us, as once he per-suaded Eve, that there is no fulfillment without unrestricted self-indulgence—one of the many optical illusions of the mind that he has spawned. But Jesus spoke parabolically of destroying one's own hand, foot, or eye in order to enter into life (Mark 9:43–48) and literally of forgoing marriage for the kingdom's sake (Matthew 19:12) and called all his followers to deny themselves—i.e., to be ready at his word to say “no” to anything and everything to which it would be most natural to say “yes.” Can this be fulfillment? Yes—because God uses our willed detachment to attach us to himself and fill us with himself, and that means life, light, and joy within. Christians jump into what felt to the probing toe like bitterly cold water and find it lovely . But the world cannot discern the optical illusion and remains skeptical.
Third, the Commandments show what sort of people we are in God's eyes—namely, lawbreakers under sentence, whose only hope lies in God's forgiving mercy. When we measure our lives by God's law, we find that self-justification and self-satisfaction are alike impossible, and we are plunged into self-despair. The producing of this effect is what the Reformers called the second use of the law. In Romans 7:7–20 Paul tells us from his own experience how it works. The law trains a searchlight on our motives and desires (Paul instances coveting) and makes us aware in ourselves of a lawless energy—you could almost call it an instinctual drive—causing forbidden motives and desires to keep bub-bling up, “making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members” (verse 23). Thus the law, by exposing us to ourselves as spiritually sick and lost, enables us to appreciate the gospel remedy
Third, the Commandments show what sort of people we are in God's eyes—namely, lawbreakers under sentence, whose only hope lies in God's forgiving mercy. When we measure our lives by God's law, we find that self-justification and self-satisfaction are alike impossible, and we are plunged into self-despair. The producing of this effect is what the Reformers called the second use of the law. In Romans 7:7–20 Paul tells us from his own experience how it works. The law trains a searchlight on our motives and desires (Paul instances coveting) and makes us aware in ourselves of a lawless energy—you could almost call it an instinctual drive—causing forbidden motives and desires to keep bub-bling up, “making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members” (verse 23). Thus the law, by exposing us to ourselves as spiritually sick and lost, enables us to appreciate the gospel remedy
August 28, 2012
The 10 Commandments have historically had an important place in the day to day life of the Church. Sadly, as a wide-spread tradition, this is a thing of the past. In this little book on the 10 Commandments, J.I. Packer has once again done a fantastic job of saying a lot in a small space. In this very accessable little volume (actually a section from a previously published book), Packer calls the modern Church to a recovery of the moral law of God in all of thought and life. Packer does a great job of shattering the false dichotomy of law/love, showing that the same God who gave the law also gave his Son, Jesus, who "republihsed" the law, restoring it to its rightful place in the thoughts and intents of the human heart and rescuing it from the "outward conformity only" of the Pharisees of his day. Packer demonstrates the simple beauty of the law as well as its practicality and enduring relevance. Along with a brief but convicting look at each commandment, Packer reminds us why the creator/redeemer God has a right to demand obedience of his creatures. He also briefly discusses the reformed understanding of the three-fold use of the law. This inexpensive little volume is ideal as a basic Bible study guide on the topic of the 10 commandments as it comes complete with further Scripture references and discussion questions at the end of each chapter. Plain and simple stuff, gracious in tone, and very much needed.
November 6, 2010
An excellent (brief) review of the ten commandments.
Previously I had been a little unsure of the role of the commandments today - but Packer gives a very accessible understanding of their function (in society, in the life of the unbeliever, and in the life of the Christian.
There is not even a hint of legalism here - but that is not to say you will not feel deeply challenged and convicted as you read. Packer has a wonderful way of getting under the radar to show how we often do break the commands, to our peril.
This book is short, accessible, informative, and packs quite a punch.
Perhaps my favourite quote in this little book:
"Gods love gave us the law just as his love gave us the gospel, and as there is no spiritual life for us save through the gospel, which points us to Jesus the Saviour, so there is no spiritual health for us save as we seek Christs strength to keep the law and practice the love of God and neighbour, for which it calls."
Previously I had been a little unsure of the role of the commandments today - but Packer gives a very accessible understanding of their function (in society, in the life of the unbeliever, and in the life of the Christian.
There is not even a hint of legalism here - but that is not to say you will not feel deeply challenged and convicted as you read. Packer has a wonderful way of getting under the radar to show how we often do break the commands, to our peril.
This book is short, accessible, informative, and packs quite a punch.
Perhaps my favourite quote in this little book:
"Gods love gave us the law just as his love gave us the gospel, and as there is no spiritual life for us save through the gospel, which points us to Jesus the Saviour, so there is no spiritual health for us save as we seek Christs strength to keep the law and practice the love of God and neighbour, for which it calls."
November 12, 2009
A solid overview of the Ten Commandments, by not making them simply legalistic rules. Packer builds from two basic foundational principles about God’s Law: that God’s Law expresses His character and that God’s Law fits human nature (as in, human beings are most fulfilled when living under God’s Law).
July 6, 2014
It accomplished its purpose very well: it explained the relevance of God's moral law for today and did so in a very concise yet comprehensive manner. One of the best (short) treatments of the ten commandments I've read.
May 29, 2008
Stimulating thought and awe is one of Packer's talents. I have never ready anything from him that did not sing to me
October 6, 2014
Very short, very clear, and very good for Teens!
June 25, 2014
When I read this book, I imagine aged Mr. Packer sitting in front of me with his intelligent speech (in which each word matters), trying to pass me invaluable things I need in my life.
June 25, 2016
this is a nice short devotional on inthe Ten Commandments from a reformed evangelical perspective.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews