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The Ten Commandments are well known
to most people, whether they are Christian or not. Many people believe
that the Ten Commandments represent major sins against God and society, and that
the Commandments may not really apply to them, because they do not steal from
others, commit murder or adultery, etc. However, several of the Ten
Commandments are not well understood, and are more far reaching than may be
superficially believed. Rather than replacing the Ten Commandments, Jesus
clarified and brought new understanding to the Commandments.
A Brief History of the Ten Commandments:
The Ten Commandments
were given to Israel by God through Moses at Mount Sinai, probably around 1450
B.C. The Commandments are ten rules of living that express the core of
what God requires of those who believe and worship him. On Mount Sinai,
the Commandments were engraved by God on two stone tablets, which were later
placed in the ark of the covenant. In the Bible, the Ten Commandments
appear twice, in Exodus 20:2-17 and in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. The Ten
Commandments speak not only to Israel, but to all persons of every age
throughout history. Except for one, all of the Commandments are restated
in the New Testament.
And God spoke
all these words:
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of
slavery.
You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven
above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down
to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,
punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth
generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations
of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not
hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do
all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it
you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your
manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your
gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and
all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the
Lord your God is giving you.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.
- Exodus 20:1-17 (NIV)
Jesus Brings Understanding to the Ten Commandments
While the Ten Commandments seem negative in nature
("You shall not . . ."), the Commandments are positive in intent. They are
meant to guide God's people into a rich and fulfilling fellowship with God, and
with other people. They provide divine moral guidance for the individual
and for society. While most people remember the commandments not to
murder, steal, commit adultery, or lie, the first four commandments are often
forgotten: The
first four commandments describe our relationship with God. In the Book of
Matthew, Jesus was questioned about the "greatest commandment" by an expert in
the law:
"Teacher, which
is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all
your soul and with all your mind.’
This is the first and greatest commandment." - Matthew
22:36-38
Here, Jesus essentially summarizes the first four of
the Ten Commandments. If we believe in and worship God, we are to love
God, and we owe our allegiance to God alone. While the early Greeks and
Romans worshipped an abundance of different gods, we are to worship the one and
only true God. In our society today, there are many distractions which
pull our attention away from God: obtaining material wealth, relationships
with other people, careers, education, sports, and entertainment. However,
even our own families and church related work can pull us away from our personal
relationship with God. God is to be first, before everything and everyone
else. Furthermore, there is no physical
representation of God that we can create that perfectly represents God. God
has revealed himself through his Word and miracles. Statues and figurines,
religious leaders, evangelists, and pastors cannot compare to God. We are
not to worship them. The only physical representation of God that
perfectly captures the essence of God himself is Jesus Christ, the Son of God
and God-in-the-flesh.
The remaining six commandments deal with our
relationships with other people. Jesus summarized these commandments,
continuing from Matthew 22:
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first
and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as
yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two
commandments.” - Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus commands us to love others as ourselves.
If we do this, we will honor our parents. If we do this, we will not
murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, or value material possessions above people.
However, Jesus goes further in describing a Christian's relationship with other
people. In the Book of John, just before his crucifixion, Jesus said:
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As
I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know
that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John
13:34-35
It is important to note the motivation behind a
Christian's love toward other people. The purpose of this love is not to
gain worthiness in the eyes of God. It is not to gain forgiveness for the
times that we have broken the Ten Commandments in the past. The only way
to gain worthiness in the eyes of God and to obtain salvation from our sins is
to place our faith in Jesus Christ.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
- John 14:6
Our love as a Christian then comes
from our gratitude to Christ and God who have forgiven our sins. The purpose
of our love as Christians is to glorify God, and bring others to Jesus Christ.
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