Great Resources to Study the Ten Commandments
Since we began the new series “Fire on the Mountain, Fire in our Hearts”, several people have asked me about helpful books for further study on the subject. Thankfully, there are many excellent titles to commend, and I thought I’d list a few here that have proven to be some of the most personally beneficial to me over the years. I hope some of this helps you in your pursuit of wisdom as well.
There’s no better place to start than the Westminster Standards. The seven paragraphs of Chapter Nineteen, “On the Law of God,” are surely one of the finest short summaries of a great theology of the Law of God ever penned. Add to this the detailed explanation of the Ten Commandments under the heading "The Duty of Man before God" in questions 91 through 151 of the Larger Catechism for a thorough study that will challenge mistaken notions and clarify the truth in remarkable ways. The standards are easily accessible online for free, but I sure commend a print version for your own study and devotion.
Other Catechisms are also profoundly helpful: I grew up on Luther’s Small Catechism, and it offers a brilliant and beautiful explanation of the Commandments (though you might be thrown off by the Lutherans counting the ten words differently than other communions). The Heidelberg Catechism is equally a joyful source of wisdom and practical godliness.
I really appreciate several short volumes that offer great biblical and theological insight and depth, combined with a lively, accessible, pastoral style. Here are some of my favorites:
The Ten Commandments: What They Mean, Why They Matter, and Why We Should Obey Them, by Kevin DeYoung (Crossway).
How Jesus Transformed the Ten Commandments, by Edmund Clowney (Presbyterian and Reformed).
Keeping the Ten Commandments, by JI Packer (Crossway)
The Ten Commandments, by Peter Leithart (Lexham Press)
Written in Stone, by Philip Ryken (Presbyterian and Reformed)
Here are some longer studies that are worthy of your effort and attention. You can always count on Thomas Watson and Tim Keller to deliver!
The Ten Commandments, by Thomas Watson (Aneko). Watson’s A Body of Divinity is also a primary source for study and devotion on the Ten Words.
Counterfeit Gods, by Tim Keller (Viking Press) - this book offers an in-depth look at the nature of idolatry in our hearts and society, exposing the deception and destruction in which false gods traffic to trap us. This survey beautifully points us to Christ as the living and true God who liberates us from the idols and gives us true life.
Life in Christ, Sermons on 1 John, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (Crossway). Five Volumes in one, these messages explore the great first epistle of John and, noting its summons to Christian faithfulness as we obey his final exhortation, “Little children, flee from idols.”
There are great big beautiful wonderful books, too, but I don’t think anyone can beat the five-volume set Reformed Ethics, by Bavinck (Baker). It’s as masterful as it is exhaustive, wise, and detailed. Volume Two is the primary study of the Ten Commandments. Many commend John Frame’s Doctrine of the Christian Life, and while I agree it is a book worth consulting, I always find Bavinck more helpful. Lastly, one should not overlook John Calvin’s Sermons on the Ten Commandments (Battles translation; Wipf & Stock Publishers).
Tomorrow I’ll offer some commentaries on Exodus and Deuteronomy, and on Friday, I’ll list some books on the theology of Law and Gospel that I hope will provide guidance as well.