Chapter
One
Why
The Ten Words
—they are A Guide To Successful
Living
“In the beginning the Word already existed. The
Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God.
God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him”
(John 1:1-3 New Living Translation).
Jesus said to those who professed to know God in
His day that they knew neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. Knowing one
without the other is bad enough; not knowing either is worse. To know the power
of God but not the Scriptures would be like living on a volcano without knowing
what to do when it erupts. Conversely, to know the Scriptures but not the power
of God is like having architectural plans for a house but no materials with
which to build—not to mention the skills required of a builder.
Many claim they know the Scriptures, yet
observations of their lives indicate they do not have the skills to interpret
them. This is because interpreting the Scriptures is an applied science and not
a theory—despite what many scoffers would have us believes.
Often, different views create problems for people.
At one discussion group I attended, two diametrically opposed views were
expressed, creating a volatile situation. One person believed that it is
negligent and irresponsible stewardship not to insure one’s house and
belongings against loss from fire, theft, or acts of God. The other person
claimed that taking out insurance demonstrated a lack of faith in God. These
individuals had different world-views, even though they both claimed to be
Christians who justified their positions from Scripture.
Another person I know severely injured his
shoulder. Instead of having an X-ray to discover the extent of the injury, he
claimed he was going to believe God to heal him. The last time I saw him, six
months later, his shoulder appeared to have gotten worse, and his agony was
more excruciating. Surely, in this person’s case, a better option would have
been to find out exactly what the problem was with his shoulder and then
express his faith in God to show him how he would be healed.
Knowledge and faith go together; we cannot have
faith without knowledge. The more sound our knowledge, the more effective our
faith.
When Moses was up on Mt. Sinai getting
instructions from God, the people below became impatient and built a golden
calf to worship. Moses came down, broke the tablets upon which God had written
the Ten Commandments, and ordered the sons of Levi to slay people. About three
thousand people were slain that day because they chose to rebel against God
(Exodus 32:7-28).
On the day of Pentecost (approximately 1500 years
later), three thousand souls were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ[i]
for the forgiveness of sins in order to receive the promised Holy Spirit (Acts
2:37-41).
One preacher I heard, comparing the two
aforementioned passages of Scripture from the books of Exodus and Acts, claimed
this demonstrated that the old covenant of the Law could not bring life; only
the new covenant of the Holy Spirit could bring life and the power to heal.
Evidently, this preacher overlooked the promise of healing that was made at
Marah (Exodus 15:26) before the Law was given to the Israelites.
The truth is that the three thousand people who
were killed by the sons of Levi had not yet been fully instructed in the Law.
They perished through a lack of knowledge. The Law did not bring death then—nor
does it now!—since death reigned before the Law was introduced. What the Law
does is provide people with the knowledge of the salvation of God.
Knowledge is an important element in understanding
how we can apply our faith. Incorrect interpretation of events and a lack of
applied knowledge result in merely a theoretical faith in God, which is
ignorance. Ignorance is not what faith is about. Faith is not wishful thinking.
Faith is not blind devotion. Faith comes from applied knowledge—the
understanding that arises from experiencing the principles of salvation found
in the Word of Life, the Word of God.
When the Word became flesh, no one had seen God
with their physical eyes. To quote that very literal English translation, The Emphasized Bible: 'No one hath seen God at any time: An Only Begotten God, The
One existing within the bosom of the Father, He hath interpreted Him' (John
1:18). Jesus effectively interpreted how to live a righteous life in accordance
with the Ten Commandments by loving the Father and His neighbor as Himself.
Jesus’ interpretation of the Scriptures was not a theoretical display of
knowledge; rather, it was a demonstration of the power of a Godly life. From a
modern perspective, we can say that Jesus demonstrated that applied science is
living the truth of the Scriptures.
In the book of Romans, chapter two, verse twenty,
we learn that the Law has the 'embodiment of knowledge and truth' (ESV). Since
the Law of God embodies knowledge and truth, and Jesus demonstrated the
powerful benefits of living in accordance with the Law by not transgressing the
Ten Commandments once, surely this is good reason for us to desire to know the
words written by God Himself. What other guide to successful living exists? The
promise of Psalm One is that all who meditate on the Law will prosper in what
they do.
These Ten Commandments are essential, for had
Jesus not kept them, He would not have been able to bequeath, in His last will
and testament, life to every human being at His death (Hebrews 9:15-17).
However, this life is conditional; it is only available to whosoever is willing
to accept the truth and grow in the knowledge of our Savior, Lord Jesus Christ
(John 3:16; 2 Peter 1:2; 2 Peter 3:18; John 8:31-32). If we are to partake of
the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and yet do not understand the just requirement
of the Law, we are like people seeking to harness the power of a volcano
without the required knowledge. This is something the people of Thera, living
on a volcano now known as the Greek island of Santorini, once tried to do
before an eruption destroyed their civilization. In other words, without the
words written by the Finger of God, there is no hope for true success in life.
We are beaten before we start. Fortunately, we can thank God that this need not
be the case.
The Ten Commandments were once taught in schools
everywhere in Western countries, but these days they are considered irrelevant,
no longer fashionable, antiquated, and even superseded—but by what? As we will
discover, if we ignore the Ten Commandments, there is no hope. These are the
only words on record that God wrote with His own Finger.[ii]
The
Apostle John
The Gospel of John states, 'the law came through
Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ' (John 1:17). Because of
this statement, many Christians like to think that the Ten Commandments have no
bearing on anybody today. Unfortunately, wrong interpretations of Scripture are
one of the main reasons why so many Christians fail to live up to what they
have been called to and fail to keep the blessings they have been promised.
Throwing out the Ten Commandments along with the ceremonial law (which
consisted of the blood sacrifices of bulls, goats, lambs, and doves, and grain
offerings) has led to Christians not acknowledging the requirements of God’s
law for life. These guidelines for successful living are clearly outlined
within the Bible. Besides, anyone who thinks the Law did not come through the
Word of God Himself has obviously missed the truth about who Jesus really is.
Jesus is the Son of God; the pre-existent Word of God made flesh.
The
Apostle Paul
Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, was not opposed
to the law. People wrongly accuse him of being antinomian (rejecting the moral
law of God). The truth is Paul was very much in favor of upholding the Law. He
understood that the Law came through the pre-existent WORD OF GOD, the Mediator
between the Father and Moses (cf. Gal. 3:19-20; Ex. 34:5; Pr. 30:4). In fact,
Paul sees the law being fulfilled when people do what the law requires. As Paul
states:
For the commandments, “You shall not commit
adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and
any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the
fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:9-10).
Jesus talks about how he came to fulfill the law,
and Paul says the just requirement of the law was fulfilled in Jesus. This was
completed when Jesus gave his life so that human beings could have access to
eternal life. Jesus was able to do this because he never sinned once; that is,
Jesus did not fall short of keeping all the Ten Commandments. However, if we do
not know the Ten Commandments, then we cannot understand what Jesus has done for
us, let alone know when we have transgressed them ourselves.
World
Recognition
The Ten Commandments are recognized the world over
as being the rules by which people should live. Yet most people only pay lip
service to these rules. What is surprising, though, is that those who claim to
know the Ten Commandments often have a very shallow understanding of what they
mean. In fact, I have not met one person who has been able to quote the
unexpurgated version of the Ten Commandments. I can only attribute this to the
fact that meditating on the Law of God, as expressed in the first Psalm, is not
high on people’s list of priorities. Nevertheless, I have met one or two who
can cite an abbreviated version, but not the unabridged version of the Ten
Commandments.
The
Abbreviated Version
You might think, “What is wrong with the
abbreviated version?” At face value, there does not appear to be much wrong
with it; however, like the Reader’s Digest
version of the Bible, it is very condensed. The abbreviated version goes:
1) You shall not have other gods before me.
2) You shall not make for yourselves any graven
images.
3) You shall not use God’s name in vain.
4) You shall remember the Sabbath.
5) You shall honor your mother and father.
6) You shall not kill.
7) You shall not commit adultery.
8) You shall not steal.
9) You shall not tell lies.
10) You shall not covet.
There are some variations to this. Commandment no.
4 is often recited as “You shall remember the Sabbath as a day of rest” or “You
shall remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy.” Commandment no. 5 is sometimes
stated as “You shall honor your parents” or “You shall honor your Father and
Mother.” Commandment no. 6 is sometimes stated as “You shall not murder.”
Commandment no. 9 is sometimes stated as “You shall not bear false witness.”
These might seem like minor points, but they do
have different connotations. In this exploration of the Ten Commandments and
what they really mean for us today, we will discover their significance, how
they can benefit us, and what their ramifications are. We will also see how
they can be misunderstood, distorted, overlooked, and dismissed.
The following full version of the Ten Commandments
has been taken from the English Standard
Version of the Bible.
Here is Exodus chapter 20, where the Ten Commandments are first mentioned in
the Bible. We shall consider the whole chapter to provide a little context and
shed some light on the awesomeness of the occasion when these great truths were
first presented to the people of Israel.
The
Complete Version
The First Commandment
And God spoke all these words, saying,
“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of
the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods
before me.” (Ex. 20:1-3)
The Second Commandment
“You shall not make for yourselves a carved image,
or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to
them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation
of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love
me and keep my commandments.” (Ex. 20:4-6)
The Third Commandment
“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God
in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”
(Ex. 20:7)
The Fourth Commandment
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep 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, you, or your son, or your
daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the
sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and
earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.
Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Ex. 20:8-11)
The Fifth Commandment
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days
may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.” (Ex. 20:12)
The Sixth Commandment
“You shall not murder.”(Ex. 20:13)
The Seventh Commandment
“You shall not commit adultery.” (Ex. 20:14)
The Eighth Commandment
“You shall not steal.” (Ex. 20:15)
The Ninth Commandment
“You shall not bear false witness against your
neighbor.”(Ex. 20:16)
The Tenth Commandment
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you
shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female
servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Ex.
20:17)
The
Israelite Response
“Now when all the people saw the thunder and the
flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the
people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, ‘You
speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.’
Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the
fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.’ The people stood far off,
while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was. And the LORD said to
Moses, ‘Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: You have seen for
yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. You shall not make gods of
silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. An altar
of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and
your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my
name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. If you make me an
altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your
tool on it you profane it. And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that
your nakedness be not exposed on it” (Ex. 20:18-26).
The
Only Time God Addresses A Nation
The Ten Commandments were given directly from God
to the people of Israel. This is the only time in the Bible where God has
spoken directly to a group of people of this magnitude. In fact, this is the
only time in recorded history that a whole nation has been addressed by God
Himself (Deuteronomy 4:32-36). As you can see, the people’s response was to be
fearful of God rather than drawn towards Him with hearts of awe and adoration.
Admittedly, the lightning and thunder might have had something to do with their
fearfulness. The historic event could be compared to witnessing the raw power
of a volcanic eruption during a thunderstorm filled with crackling lightning.
Rather than melt with fear, the Israelites’ hearts hardened—molten lava does set
like concrete. Perhaps the occasion would have been different if God had
appeared to them as a man; however, we cannot be sure of this, because when the
Lord God did appear in human form, as Jesus of Nazareth, the hardened-hearted
men of that time saw fit to crucify Him. Fortunately, Jesus really was God, and
death had no hold over Him. Jesus rose from the dead, proving Himself to be
truly the Son of God (Romans 1:4).
The
Rod Is The Staff And The Staff Is The Rod
The importance of the Ten Commandments, as has
already been stated, is highlighted by the fact that they were given to
humankind when God Himself addressed the nation of Israel. God has only done
this once in recorded history, and when He did, He gave humanity a guide to
life by giving us the Ten Commandments. Not only this, as you will find, these
Ten Command-ments (or “Words,” as the Bible calls them) encapsulate and explain
the truth of our existence. The Ten Commandments serve as a staff to help us
through life; however, if we ignore them, they can become a rod on our backs
that inflicts pain—Psalm 23 alludes to this.
Psalm
23
The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his
name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of
my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days of my life, and I
shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
The
Message Bible
This is a beautiful psalm and many people take
comfort from these words. It is probably the most well-known psalm. A
paraphrased version that is proving popular is The Message Bible, which states:
God, my shepherd! I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word, you let me catch my breath and
send me in the right direction.
Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m
not afraid when you walk at my side.
Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.
You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of
my enemies.
You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with
blessing.
Your beauty and love chase after me every day of
my life.
I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of
my life.
There is a poetic element in The Message Bible
that can capture our breath, so to speak, in a different way than do the other
versions. Though verse four of this psalm is what we are interested in. In most
translations of the Bible, the Scripture reads in the English Standard Version (which is a
literal translation) as follows: “Even though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your
staff, they comfort me.”
In The Message translation, the reading conveys
different thoughts and evokes different images within our minds. However, we
must admit that it is comforting to know that if we encounter the Angel of
Death or the Devil himself and simply raise our rod—that is, quote a
commandment—he will flee! We can be just as Jesus was in the wilderness; when
He was tempted; when He was tested; when He passed the triple test with flying
colors![iii]
The
Analogy Of The Shepherd’s Crook
A “trusty shepherd’s crook” looks different from
what we normally perceive as a rod, which might be a fishing rod, a narrow pole
used to prod or hit animals to get them to move, or a slender metal bar that
might be used for manufacturing or construction purposes. A shepherd’s crook is
often drawn or seen with a hook on the end (to easily catch a sheep). It looks
like a very tall walking stick—the kind we might expect only a giant among men
to use.
Shepherds, however, use their crook for two main
purposes. One is to assist them in walking up hills and controlling their
sheep, and the other is to fend off dangerous animals or defend themselves from
attackers—and shadows in the night. A shepherd without his crook (or staff)
will feel insecure due to his inability to protect himself and his
flock—especially in the valley of the shadow of death.
God’s
Law Gives Us Boundaries
The Ten Commandments are like a shepherd’s crook.
They provide us with moral protection and a means to live harmoniously with
others, helping us understand the boundaries of social interaction.
Today, there is much discussion about boundaries
in parenting. Teaching children about boundaries is essential for their
security and understanding of expectations, and it is recognized as one of the
most important legacies parents can leave. Without a moral and legal framework,
children may grow up recklessly, showing little regard for others—and often,
for themselves.
The
Golden Calf
Like a caring father, God spoke to the people of
Israel, offering guidance that they found difficult to accept. At that time,
God was expressing disapproval through Moses because the Israelites had built a
golden calf to worship. This situation is akin to parents who wish to reward
their teenage children but find them engaged in inappropriate behavior upon
returning home. Instead of speaking of the treat, the parents address the
disobedience, providing clear guidance on expected behavior. However, their
tone may not be soothing; under such circumstances it often reflects
disappointment and anger. Parents have every right to feel annoyed and
indignant at disobedient children. Similarly, God was indignant that the
Israelites, whom He had miraculously rescued from the Egyptians just days
earlier, were now forsaking Him out of unbelief.
God’s anger should not be confused with the “wrath
of God,” which involves punishment for wrongdoing (Romans 5:9). Many people
mistakenly interpret disapproval of their actions as hatred of themselves,
rather than recognizing it as a critique of their behavior. In the case of the
Israelites, God disapproved of their choice to create a calf as their god.
Wouldn’t we disapprove if our children made a sculpture and claimed they would
not listen to us, but instead follow whatever they believed the sculpture
represented?
The Israelites reacted to God’s voice as many
children do when faced with disapproval. They often withdraw, expressing
sentiments like, “I don’t want to hear you anymore.” This was the response of
the Israelites when they heard the authority in God’s voice; they cried out,
“We don’t want God talking to us anymore!” They sought a mediator between
themselves and God, a common reaction when individuals prefer to avoid
confronting the truth of their actions or changing their attitudes.
Abusing
Faith In The Garden Of Eden
When we go back to the Garden of Eden, we see a
similar reaction in Adam and Eve after they ate from the tree of the knowledge
of good and evil. Instead of displaying a confident, open attitude toward God,
they tried to hide rather than honestly confess what they had done. Adam and
Eve felt a sense of shame and distress from the knowledge that they had broken
faith with God. When they realized they had to confess, they became acutely
aware of the internalized pain from abusing the confidence and trust that God
had placed in them. This is akin to what happens with children when they let
their parents down; when they know they have done wrong, they feel distressed.
The same occurred with the Israelites when they demonstrated their distrust of
God by erecting a statue of a golden calf to be their god. Despite God
delivering them from their enemies and performing miracles on their behalf,
they failed to exercise faith in their Savior—Lord God Almighty.
Admittedly, there is a significant difference
between how God revealed Himself to the nation of Israel and how He revealed
Himself to Adam and Eve. God confronted Adam and Eve in a gentler manner than
when He spoke to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. He did not address Adam and Eve
from the clouds with deep rumblings of thunder that would have felt like an
earthquake rattling every cell in their bodies. In contrast, the Israelites had
to contend with lightning bolts that electrified the atmospheric molecules in
the wilderness—so much so that they likely felt as if the hairs on their heads
were numbered. The Israelites would have been terrified! When God angrily spoke
against the worship of the golden calf by amplifying Moses' voice, they would
have been mortified.
The
Testing Of The Israelites
God was testing the Israelites. Moses reassured
them that there was nothing to fear; God was simply letting them know that He
alone was Almighty and capable of fulfilling His promises. Yet the Israelites
were not prepared to take God at His word, even after witnessing miracles like
the parting of the Red Sea when all seemed lost. God knew this would happen;
just as Pharaoh was put to the test, the Israelites were to be tested as well.
Conversely, the Israelites would also be putting God to the test. We see this
testing when Pharaoh challenged God ten times before finally letting the
Israelites go. Likewise, the Israelites were to test God ten times (Numbers
14:22) during their time in the wilderness. Oddly enough, God gave them Ten
Commandments by which to live, and this cannot be mere coincidence.
These commandments were not tangible objects like
a golden calf; they were principles of behavior. Five of these commandments
relate to God, while five relate to human interactions. Some expositors may
disagree, arguing that six commandments pertain to humans and four to God.
However, it is worth noting that five of the commandments include the word
"God," while five do not. This signifies that the first five
commandments reveal how we are to honor God and show our love for Him, while
the other five instruct us on how we ought to honor and love each other.
The
Moral Distinction
Morality is the conduct that distinguishes humans
from beasts. Moral behavior requires us to reflect on our actions. Thus,
morality entails responsi-bility and accountability in the actions we perform.
However, morality can mean different things to different people. For some, it
is immoral to kill an animal, yet not immoral to kill a human to save an
animal. The simple concept of morality is rooted in reciprocity—that is,
treating others as we would like to be treated. Ironically, wild beasts do not
hesitate to kill a human; they act purely on instinct. Animals are irrational
creatures driven by instinct, which means that if one confronts us and we
remain calm, it is likely to be the one that flees. The animal instinctively
acts out of fear! (Some people still find it hard to understand that a lone
mouse is often more afraid of them than they are of the mouse.)
Thinking is the distinguishing feature between
humans and animals, and the inner recognition of right and wrong is evident
only in humans. While animals can be trained to imitate actions, there is no
evidence that they can genuinely think or are motivated by morality. Limited
displays of intelligence do not equate to the ability to discern right from
wrong.
A dog is supposedly man’s best friend. A dog will
be loyal to its owner. However, no dog has demonstrated the ability to think
for itself. Dogs have been trained to perform many tasks. The reality is, dogs
are trained to perform tasks that are an extension of what they would do
naturally. Some dogs are thought to be better suited to rounding up sheep
(sheepdogs), while other dogs are more inclined to find fox dens (fox
terriers). Yet all dogs need to be trained if they are to excel at what they
do. Guard dogs are trained to attack trespassers, and guide dogs are trained to
lead blind people safely. However, no dog has been trained to talk or write. No
dog has shown concrete evidence of actually thinking. Like all animals, dogs
can be trained to do what comes naturally to them to such high degrees of
excellence that it resembles a form of limited intelligence. The same applies
to great apes. Great apes will appear to outsmart a dog, not because they can
think, but because they have more capabilities. However, a two-year-old child[iv]
can evidently demonstrate more intelligence than a highly trained chimpanzee.
Emotive behavior that appears to suggest animals
are conscious beings capable of thinking is more about reactions that come from
trained responses or environmentally conditioned responses. There is no
evidence that emotive behavior in animals is the result of an ability to form
concepts of moral behavior; neither is there any evidence that emotive behavior
in animals comes from exercising the power of the will and choosing to respond
to selected criteria in a demonstration of moral willpower.
Humans, however, demonstrate irrational behavior
when their buttons are pushed. When people have their buttons pushed, the
response is an emotive reaction programmed from conditioning experienced in
childhood. Psychologists are aware of this and teach sales staff to utilize
human emotive behavior to secure sales. To counteract this, many governments
have introduced cooling-off laws so that people can have time to think about
what they have purchased, rather than being manipulated according to their conditioned
responses, just like animals do, each time a salesperson manipulates their
emotive responses.
The Ten Commandments are not about emotive
responses to environmental stimuli. The Ten Commandments are about having
principles by which we can live our lives in a civilized way without infringing
on the rights of other people. To understand what these principles mean
requires intelligence that goes beyond an emotive response, environmentally
conditioned responses, or artificially trained behavior.
True intelligence goes beyond the capacity to
demonstrate instinctive reactions to stimuli that give the appearance of
acquired knowledge. Animals demonstrate what appears to be knowledge when they
act on sense stimuli or perform trained behavior. They give the impression that
they are acquiring knowledge rather than functioning from instinctively
developed or conditioned habits. True intelligence requires the ability to
choose between right and wrong; that is, the power to exercise choice
(otherwise known as volition) based on the capacity to reason, which results
from knowledge, not emotion or instinctively conditioned responses. True
intelligence is a demonstration of the capacity to think and communicate with
words.
Physical
And Moral Breakdown Is Inevitable
Humankind is supposedly experiencing evolutionary
progress. Yet, socially, the problems that exist today suggest that human
behavior is getting worse—not better—and that people are becoming less
principled rather than more principled.
Actually, the Ten Commandments, which God Himself
declared to a nation that had been miraculously delivered out of slavery,
provide evidence that humans are not evolving into more intelligent, more
perceptive, and more knowledgeable beings. Indeed, humans have been failing to
live up to the requirements of the principles of life as outlined in the Ten
Commandments for the last three thousand five hundred years. The promise that
comes with the Ten Commandments is this: if they are not broken, death has no
hold over us. In other words, anyone of us who fulfills the requirements of the
Ten Commandments (or has them fulfilled within his or her being—Rom. 8:4,10;
cf. Heb. 12:23) will live forever.[v]
The reason we can live forever if we keep all the
Ten Commandments is that we will be in communion with God; for we will not have
broken faith with God, and we will be as Adam and Eve were in the Garden of
Eden before they sinned. To be in communion with God means that we have true
life in the eternal realm that transcends time and death. The eternal realm is
not governed by time because time is measured only by recurring differences,
such as day and night. Outside of this, there is no such thing as time, simply
because it cannot be measured. Only finite things can be measured. Death makes
time measurable by introducing a finite element known as the temporal. Death
comes from violating only one of the Ten Commandments. Anyone who does not
violate any of the Ten Commandments will live forever. Unfortunately, life on
Earth has become temporary instead of eternal because death reigns.[vi]
Eternity, like infinity, cannot be measured because both states of existence
have no end, but our lives on Earth will come to an end.
Only
Jesus Fulfilled The Law’s Requirements
Fortunately for us, Jesus did meet the
requirements of the Law and, by fulfilling those requirements, He has
bequeathed to us His righteous life. We do not have to meet the requirements of
the Law on our own merit. As it happens, this is something of which we are
incapable. The Bible is quite clear that all have fallen short of keeping the
Ten Commandments, and because of this, we are out of fellowship with God.
However, not all have been lost. God, in His divine wisdom and grace, has given
each one the opportunity to receive unmerited favor in His eyes through the
gift bequeathed to us as a result of Jesus’ death. When Jesus died, He left an
inheritance to all who want it. This inheritance is the right to eternal life
because Jesus kept all the commandments.
Now, according to the will and testament of Jesus
Christ, because of His death on the cross, it is possible for us all to partake
of the gift that has been left to us. If we accept Jesus’ offer of eternal
life, would it then be right for us to spurn this offer and abuse the grace
that has been extended to us? The answer to this is a resounding, “No!”
Our
Heavenly Advocate
The door that once was closed to us has now been
opened, so we can have a relationship with the Creator God. Where then is the
merit in spurning God’s grace by deliberately violating the very commandments
that offer life? The relationship we now have with God means we still need to
uphold the Ten Commandments. Jesus was very clear about this. He said that
those who relaxed the least of the commandments would be recognized least in
the kingdom of Heaven, and if our righteousness does not exceed that of the
hypocrites, we would not enter the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:19-20).
Fortunately, though, if we miss the mark and fail to uphold the Law, we now
have an advocate with the Father who intercedes on our behalf. In the event
that we do stumble, we can pick ourselves up and get back on track.
It sounds rosy to claim that the law cannot judge
Christians because the law is not applicable. However, there is a problem with
this hypothesis. One Holy Spirit-inspired New Testament writer says that if we
do sin, we are still in need of an advocate to represent us. From this, we can
assume that it is possible for us to be judged and thrown into prison—a place
Jesus said we will never get out of until we pay every penny (Luke 12:56-59),
which presents an everlasting problem if we have no way of paying the debt and
have rejected the only offer to cancel our punishment for sins committed.
If there is no law, then it cannot be broken, and
there is no need for an advocate to act on our behalf. If there is a law which
can be broken and we break that law, it is to our advantage to have an advocate
to defend us.
To quote the Apostle John:
“My little children, I am writing these things to
you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
God, in His divine grace, has given each one of us
the opportunity to receive unmerited favor. This God has done by bequeathing us
the gift of Jesus’ death. However, when the accuser[vii]
attempts to prosecute us for failing to live up to expectations, God has gone
even further than we would expect by allowing Jesus to be an advocate on our
behalf. How good is God!
A
Word From The Book Of Proverbs
God wants to bless us and give life to us with all
its riches. People might tell us differently, but we need not believe them.
Just read what is stated in the book of Proverbs, chapter twenty-two, verse
four:
“The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is
riches and honor and life.”
In the New
International Version, speaking about true wisdom, we read in Proverbs chapter eight, verse
eighteen:
“Riches and honor are with
me, enduring wealth and prosperity.”
In Proverbs chapter twenty-four, verse four, we
learn:
“By knowledge the rooms
are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
As for the law and having knowledge of the Ten
Commandments and understanding what they mean for us, we cannot afford to
listen to those who say they are done away with. In Hosea chapter four, verse
six, the Bible tells us that without knowledge, the people perish:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge;
because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me.
And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your
children.”
God never leaves us without hope and always has a
plan to help us because of our failings, as we find in Jeremiah chapter
thirty-one, verse thirty-three:
“But this is the covenant that I will make with
the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within
them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people.” However, we need to know what that law is exactly; if we
are to abide by it. And in the event we break the Law, we need to know how we
broke the Law before we can truly repent.
The
True Jew
The Bible says a true Jew is a son of Abraham, and
this has nothing to do with physical birth; rather, it is a matter of faith.
Being adopted into the family of God is the same as being adopted into the
family of Abraham. The Apostle Paul, in Romans chapter four, is very clear
about who the sons of Abraham are:
“That is why it depends on faith, in order that
the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only
to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of us all” (Romans 4:16).
Even those who adhered to the Mosaic Covenant and
called themselves Jewish were not true Jews, unless they had a spiritual
awakening that enabled God to circumcise their hearts, regardless of any claim
to physical descent (Romans 2:28-29).
To
Believe Or Not To Believe
We will find that the Ten Commandments have more
to offer us today than what most people think. Basically, Jesus even went as
far as to say that if we do not believe what Moses wrote, we would not believe
Him, even if He were raised from the dead (John 5:46-47; Luke 16:31). It is
always tempting to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and many people do,
by incorrectly saying that the Old Testament and the Ten Commandments have been
done away with. This is because many like to believe that there is no longer
accountability for sin. They like to believe that the New Testament and the
commandments to love God and our neighbors as ourselves, along with grace, have
superseded the Old Testament and the Ten Commandments.
What many people fail to realize is the greatest
commandment, which they call the first of the two new commandments, is actually
found in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy, chapter six, verses four and
five:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is
One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your might.”
A
Not So New Commandment
In the Gospel of John, we learn that Jesus spoke
of a new commandment (John 13:34). This commandment, to love one another, may
have been a new commandment to the disciples because they were unfamiliar with
its existence in the Mosaic writings, or it may have been a new commandment
because the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees were not teaching it, but it was
definitely an old commandment (1 John 2:7).
The commandment "You shall love your neighbor
as yourself" is known as the second commandment of the New Testament. This
commandment is actually a not-so-new commandment because it is also found in
the Old Testament, just like the First Commandment. In the Old Testament, there
is a negative connotation associated with this commandment, which speaks of not
hating anyone in your heart. It is found in the book of Leviticus, chapter
nineteen:
“You shall not hate your brother in your heart,
but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of
him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own
people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself, I am the Lord” (Lev.
19:17-18).
The
Love Chapter
Many people take the view that the Old Testament
is about the negativity of God. The Ten Commandments supposedly demonstrate
this when they begin with the phrase "you shall not." The New
Testament, on the other hand, is supposedly about the positive view of God. The
New Testament is about what we can do rather than what we cannot do. Yet when
we read the famous chapter on love (which is often read at weddings), we find
that it speaks in negative terms to help us understand love or—more
importantly—how we should express love. In the English
Standard Version Bible, we find these words::
“…love does not envy or boast;
it is not arrogant or rude;
it does not insist on its own way;
it is not irritable or resentful;
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing…” (1 Cor.
13:4b-6a).
We have to admit that using the negative word
“not” is not exactly being positive. What is surprising is that, although this
is about loving one another, there are five negative expressions (using
"not") where we could write, “You shall not.” This somehow puts a
damper on our enthusiasm for crowing about how positive the New Testament is
compared to the Old Testament. However, in order to understand love, we need to
see both sides of the equation—positive and negative. We have to admit, this
seems to be more than a coincidence that the Holy Spirit inspired the writer to
include five negative expressions in the love chapter. Here are the five “you
shall not” expressions about love, as some would say, expressed from an Old
Testament perspective on the subject:
You shall not be envious or boastful.
You shall not be arrogant or rude.
You shall not insist on your own way.
You shall not be irritable or resentful.
You shall not rejoice at wrongdoing.
For some people, the above might seem quite
convincing in correlating to the five “you shall nots” found in the last five
of the Ten Commandments. However, for those who are a little more studious or
discerning, we must acknowledge that there are actually eight “you shall not”
commandments as expressed in the abbreviated versions of the Decalogue—the
exceptions being “Remember the Sabbath” and “Honor your father and mother.” In
the chapter about love, if we separate "envious" from "boastful,"
"arrogant" from "rude," and "irritable" from
"resentful," we identify eight distinct dispositions expressed
negatively to describe love, as follows:
You shall not be [1] envious.
You shall not be [2] boastful.
You shall not be [3] arrogant.
You shall not be [4] rude.
You shall not [5] insist on your own way.
You shall not be [6] irritable.
You shall not be [7] resentful.
You shall not [8] rejoice at wrongdoing.
Effects
Of Error
When we start to see the Finger of God in the
writing of the Scriptures, we begin to learn what it means to have the spirit
of the fear of the Lord upon us. Our delight should be in the fear of the Lord,
just as it was prophesied of Jesus: “There shall come forth a shoot from the
stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of
the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the
Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD…” (Isaiah 11:1-3a).
The idea that the New Testament is about what we
can do, while the Old Testament is about what we cannot do, is
false—absolutely! All too often, when partially rectified, something that has
caused people pain leads them into another error. Martin Luther, the famous
Reformer, is also known for rejecting the book of James as containing false
teaching because it speaks about our faith being justified by works and does
not say we are justified in God’s sight by faith alone. This is most likely due
to his painful experience within the Roman Catholic Church and its teachings on
salvation by works. Luther evidently had difficulty understanding how a
person’s faith is completed by action, and there is a difference between doers
who express faith and hearers who only profess faith with their lips.
Another example is when a person grows up being
taught that he must confess his sins to a priest. The priest then has him
perform unnecessary penance for his sins to free him of his guilt; however,
this does not actually free him, as the guilt remains. The person eventually
learns that we need to confess our sins to God to be set free from our guilt,
and that the price for sin was paid once for all by Jesus on the Cross of
Calvary. When the person confesses to God and accepts that Jesus paid the price
for sin on the Cross, he experiences freedom from guilt for the first time in
his life. On this basis, he may reject the idea of confessing his sins to
another Christian, believing that he needs to confess his sins to God alone.
Yet the Bible states that we are to confess our sins (or failings) to each
other.
“Therefore
confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16
NIV).
When people experience the effects of wrong
teaching and point their fingers at something that has caused them pain, they
often fall into a different error by drawing false conclusions that hinder them
from seeing the fullness of truth. It is true that we only need to confess our
sins to God for salvation and do not need to perform any penance. However, if
we truly want God’s full blessing and complete healing in our lives while here
on Earth, we need to confess our sins to one another as well—which is vastly
different from confessing our sins to a priest and then being given penance to
gain favor with God.
When we look at the world around us, we see the
obvious, but we do not see the principles that enable the world to function. We
are often oblivious to much of what is happening. However, if we desire to
understand the world in which we live, we need to look more closely at what is
occurring. This usually requires examining things in a little more detail than
simply observing that on a sunny day, in the blue sky, there is a dark cloud on
the horizon. Likewise, when we understand the Ten Commandments, we gain an
advantage over the Devil because they serve as a guide to a successful life—and
because of Jesus’ success, we now have an inheritance.
In the following chapters, we will explore what
each of the Ten Commandments means for us today, without the Mosaic rituals,
and uncover the hidden truths within the Ten Words from God. What may surprise
you is the extent of knowledge embodied in the only words written by the Finger
of God. Many people miss the following truth found in the Psalms:
“I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your
commandment is exceedingly broad” (Psalm 119:96).
The Amplified Bible provides additional clarity
and states:
“I have seen that everything [human] has its
limits and end [no matter how extensive, noble, and excellent]; but Your
commandment is exceedingly broad and extends without limits [into eternity].”
Indeed Heaven and Earth will pass away, but not
one dot or one iota of the Law shall pass away until all is accomplished
(Matthew 5:18).
Some individuals who grasp the implications of
what is written within these pages, after having read them, actually question
why they had not acquired the body of knowledge contained in this book after
ten years of formal study. What is the reason for their lack of knowledge? What
we learn from God must become applied knowledge.
The depth of truth contained within the only words
written by the Finger of God covers numerous disciplines. Yet these words are
the milk of the Word that is essential for us Christians to understand if we
are to truly walk in the victory of the Melchizedek priesthood that Jesus has
made available for all who believe (1 John 2:3-6; Hebrews 5:9-14; 1 Peter
2:2-9). Meat goes deeper.
A recently turned septuagenarian, a man who lacked
direction and willpower to overcome moral turpitude, even though he had
converted to fundamentalist Christianity forty-five years earlier, consequently
alienated his wife and children through his miserly, selfish misdeeds. He
believed that had he been exposed to the teachings found in this manuscript,
his wicked ways would have been easier to discard, for he would have had a map
to guide him. Not that the Bible cannot provide the direction and guidance he
sought, but those claiming to be leaders, elders, and pastors were inept at
distilling the message he needed to hear. They themselves did not know the way.
Caught up in dogma, they were lost—probably more so than he was.
While the Bible is sufficient and offers
direction, many find themselves lost not because of a lack of access to the
Scriptures, but because they are not shown the way clearly enough—especially by
those entrusted to lead them. The gap between truth and action is often where
many fall into despair or repeat cycles of moral failure. This manuscript,
however, offers practical theological insight—not only about moral behavior but
also about the heart, the mind, and the path to transformation. It doesn’t just
teach rules; it offers a framework for life. This book provides a map—one that
was missing for that septuagenarian for most of his life in his search for
redemption and transformation.
It’s devastating, but sadly true, that many
elders, leaders, and pastors fail to communicate the transformative power of
the Law and grace in a way that penetrates the heart. They may be steeped in
dogma but often lack the practical application or prophetic edge that can speak
to someone’s lived experience. The following pages articulate this gap—a gap
that you, the reader, are about to step into.
The leaders who fail, and who have failed to
provide the necessary guidance found herein, are indeed lost—not only because
they cannot and could not show the way, but because their focus has become
about doctrine alone, not life transformation. That septuagenarian’s desire
throughout his life for a map to help him discard his wicked ways underscores
something timeless about the human condition: the yearning for direction,
clarity, and redemption.
While this manuscript is deeply theologically
robust, it’s also profoundly practical. That balance is what allows it to speak
to people like the septuagenarian. His need was not just for doctrine, but for
a path to follow, steps to take, and a sense of hope that he could change his
ways—not by sheer willpower but by aligning with God’s Law, grace, and the
transforming power of the gospel.
***
[i] The apostles always
baptized people into the name of Lord Jesus Christ and did not use the formula
“Father, Son and Holy Spirit” and because of this, some people think Mathew
28:19 was changed from “baptize in my name” to “ baptize in the name of the
three titles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” This formula also being missing
in the oldest manuscripts.
[ii]Daniel 5:5-6:30
records Belshazzar observing the fingers of a man’s hand writing on the wall of
his palace. Daniel tells the king that this is a message from God telling him
that he has been judged. Belshazzar then dies. Some say that this is the finger
of God writing on the wall. If this is the case, then this would be the only
other time God has written anything with His finger. Others say that God is not
a man, so that was not the finger of God writing on the wall, and fingers are
not a solitary finger; at least not the Finger of God.
[iii] Jesus was tested three times (Matt. 4:1-11).
[iv] At 4 years of age, Stori Massa won first place at the World Open Online
Music Competition in March 2025 with stunning performance of Beethoven's
"Für Elise."
[v] Theologically, this
sounds like Pelagianism, but there is one difference—having a promise is not
exactly the same as actually fulfilling the requirements to obtain the promise.
Besides, Pelagius taught we did not really need Jesus as our Savior—but even
John The Baptist needed to be saved through Jesus’ atonement, and he was
surrounded by the Holy Spirit from birth.
[vi] Physical death reigns
because Adam’s blood became affected by sin. This has become a hereditary
genetic flaw passed down through every male spermatozoon.
[vii] Satan is still in
Heaven accusing the brethren—Rev. 12:10— but will be thrown out when the Day of
Atonement is fulfilled on the Christian calendar. So far, we have had the
Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits and Pentecost. Still to come are Day
of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, and Tabernacles.
