THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST: The Ten Commandments (1)

According to the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament, God issued his own set of laws (the Ten Commandments) to Moses on Mount Sinai. And the Apostle Paul enlightens us in Romans 7:7 that the purpose of the Ten Commandments is to point out sin.

As children of God, it’s not simply enough to learn and recite the commandments. Ours study must be deeply spiritually hid and committed to our hearts.

And as we absorb these laws, one-by-one, we ought to try to commit to memory Matthew 5:17-18, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till Heaven and Earth Pass, one jot or one tittle shall in No Wise Pass from the Law, till all be fulfilled.” And there are verses from the NIRV Bible and the CEV Bible and Luke's account. Some believe that Jesus fulfilling the law brings an end to the law. The NIRV explains the meaning of fulfil thusly, “I have come to give full meaning to what is written” and the CEV reads, “I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning.” We are called to read the WORD for ourselves so as not to be fooled by the enemy.

Friends, there are numerous scriptures that use the same Greek word as what is translated “fulfil” in verse 17, and Matthew 3:15 is one instance, “…it becometh us to Fulfil all righteousness.” Thus, it is quite clear that If the fulfilling of the law brings an end to the law, then Righteousness, God's Word, Obedience, Joy and other things eternal in nature are also gone.

The Ten Commandments in order are:

1. Thou shall have no other gods before me.

Loyalty. The Creator of the universe declares He is our God and our deliverer and asks us to establish our love for Him by having no other God's. The First Commandment is the first of a series of four that define our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Establishing, developing and maintaining that personal relationship with the true and living God is the most important commitment we can ever make. We should love, honor and respect Him so much that He alone is the supreme authority and model in our lives. He alone is God. We should allow nothing to prevent us from serving and obeying Him.

v This commandment forbids idolatry, the worship of false gods and goddesses, and it excludes polytheism, the belief in many gods, insisting instead on monotheism, the belief in one God. This commandment forbids making golden calves, building temples to Isis, and worshipping statues of Caesar, for example.

v Any hobby, relationship, person or anything that comes before or between you and Jesus Christ in your life or part of your life is a god.

v Anything that occupies you more than God is a god.

v You can also be a god to yourself.

v The worship of creatures is here forbidden and it is idolatry.

2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

Reverence. God asks us to respect His Holy name and not to use it in vain. The focus is respect. It addresses the way we communicate our feelings about God to others and to Him. It incorporates our attitudes, speech and behavior. Respect is the cornerstone of good relationships. The quality of our relationship with God depends on the love and regard we have for Him. It also depends on the way we express respect for Him in the presence of others. We are expected always to honor who and what He is. On the other hand, the use of God's name in a flippant, degrading or in any way disrespectful manner, dishonors the relationship we are supposed to have with Him. This can vary from thoughtless disregard to hostility and antagonism. It covers misusing God's name in any way. The Hebrew name for "vain" is "shaw" and means vanity, falsehood, iniquity and emptiness. Simply summed up, "shaw" means showing disrespect and this is what we do when we take God's name in vain.

v The faithful are required to honor the name of God. If we’re to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, then we will respect the name of God with equal passion and vigor.

v If you swear in God’s name or lower what is Holy and perfect in His eyes, you have broken the third command.

v The Devil’s plan is to see God’s name stumbled and lowered to the lowest degree.

v All false oaths are forbidden and all light appealing to God, all profane cursing and hypocrisy is a horrid breach of this command.

v Praying and worshiping God without great faith is also a breach of this commandment.

3. Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image

Worship. Worship him with reverence and serious-

ness. God loves us so much that He is jealous of our love and does not want to share our love by us bowing down to meaningless idols. The Second Commandment goes to the heart of our relationship with our Creator.

It deals with several crucial questions. How do we perceive God? How do we explain Him to ourselves and to others? Above all, what is the proper way to worship the only true God? The Second Commandment is a constant reminder that only we, of all created things, are made in the image of God. Only we can be transformed into the spiritual image of Christ, who of course came in the flesh as the perfect spiritual image of our heavenly Father. This Commandment protects our special relationship with our Creator, who made us in His likeness and is still molding us into His spiritual image.

v It is forbidden to make any image or picture of the Deity in any form or for any purpose or to worship any creature, image or picture.

v In addition, images are created in imagination. If you create any image of God in your imagination (mind), you have broken the second command.

…to be cont’d

In Christ,