[JP-Facebook-Like]
All that is good originates and flows from God, including His divine law. The 10 Commandments are a pivotal focus within the framework of all of God’s teachings.
In God’s infinite goodness He shares with us generously. His plans for us are far better than we could ever imagine, and they extend far past this temporary human existence into an eternity of pleasure.
While some in the non-Judeo-Christian community object to the 10 Commandments and seek to remove their credibility and presence in government, they have a long and honored legacy in many countries of the world. And many who believe in the God of the Jewish-Christian Holy Scriptures embrace them as holy and good and as God breathed.
The fullness of God’s gifts to mankind are yet untold. For one thing, God altered His eternal future existence to include those of us who will come to love Him and live in harmony with His will. That story is the beautiful story of God’s salvation that He is carefully working out, step-by-step, and revealing Himself and His salvation point-by-point as His plan proceeds.
As part of the glorious system (process, procedures) God set up to bring about the necessary features that He requires to create our pleasant future eternity with Him, God provided man with the 10 Commandments.
For God’s plan for mankind, it was absolutely essential that He would communicate these commandments. God is All-powerful and All-Wise. He is fully committed to order and protecting what He creates. Whenever God creates, He sets boundaries, rulers, guidelines, and laws into motion to regulate, to maintain, and to protect what He designs and creates. He is the Law Giver, not just to mankind, but to all His creation in eternity past, present, and future.
Consider how inanimate creations are easily in harmony with God. They do not disobey, because they cannot disobey. Little atoms and molecules and various energy forms scurry about, responding to the sound of the Creator’s voice, “Let there be….”
Only with beings created with “will” does the possibility exist where laws can be disobeyed or broken and exert a penalty. Beings with “will” are subject to a very special situation. They are required to submit to the will of their Creator. They are REQUIRED to choose. When a being of will disobeys God’s law, it is called SIN!
Thankfully, God truly is God the Creator, and He is completely good, loving and merciful. He understands the circumstances and challenges in what He created (and is further creating) when He gave “will” to angels and to mankind.
In essence, the law of God reveals much about the organized, protective nature of God. The law of God reveals issues of His will. And, the law of God is a very broad topic.
One of the key aspects in God’s plan for mankind is the giving of His 10 Commandments. The 10 Commandments were given to mankind (Adam). They are wise and wonderful. Followed judiciously, they bring about tremendous blessings. But, mankind has a difficult time with keeping the 10 Commandments.
The creative genius and power of the holy, righteous, generous God has provided temporary life (the human existence), “will,” time, space, and purposeful communication of His 10 Commandments.
The law of God is a perfect (complete, flawless) system. And, the 10 Commandments are crucial, fundamental and vital to God’s working with mankind. The Holy Scriptures are full of the law of God, which is more extensive than the 10 Commandments. But, the 10 Commandments have played a central role in His plan.
Exodus 20:1. I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it. 5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
What a different array of circumstances would exist in a society that fully kept any one of them. For example, if the law of not lying was followed by 100% of the members of a society, just think what could happen.
Yes, each of the 10 Commandments is an influential spiritual and physical power valuable to any human society all by itself, having a profound effect on relationships. Yet, the 10 Commandments are a whole law. They are unified. In essence, breaking one of them is breaking all of them because they are unified.
On this little blue and green planet earth, serving as a womb where God is developing His masterpiece of creation, God has placed mankind. The process He has devised was calculated and the outcome is known. God’s has spoken, and His Word never returns to Him void. God knows exactly where to tweak the system. Most will be saved. All who want to be saved will be. And, saved in this context means having the desire and the opportunity to live with God forever on His terms.
Through this set-up, God has revealed several precious aspects of Himself, apparently unknown to the angels in ages past. He has revealed mercy that rejoices against judgment. He has revealed His incredible willingness to suffer and sacrifice. He has revealed his courage, His firm faithfulness and perseverance in the face of what seems impossible to some. He gives us every good gift. God loves what He has created. He loves humanity. He wants us to live forever with Him, and He has set in motion His incredible plan of salvation. He has given us His one-of-a-kind Son in what must be the most valuable legal settlement that has ever existed. AWESOME!
Let us make no fatal error here! God is not mocked. He created law. And, real law ALWAYS has a penalty for being broken. When Adam and Eve sinned, God did not suspend the requirements of His law, but He did make arrangements for a full and perfect payment for the penalties of that broken law.
Yet, while God is truly merciful and generous towards mankind, let US not be FOOLS. Realize to the deepest degree possible that God Himself is NO FOOL. God will save no human whom He cannot and does not rule!
There are many arrogant men and women today who are quick to point out how smart they are. They proudly announce they have the intelligence to create commonsense laws like the 10 Commandments! They claim they have no need of a Creator God who would legislate laws for them. Some boldly claim that the 10 Commandments are JUST creations of men. But, the 10 Commandments are NOT one of man’s inventions. Yes, many men are intelligent enough to figure out societies must have law and order to exist. They even can “discover” that lying, stealing, and murder do not encourage long-lived, healthy, or happy societies. But, men are shortsighted, so without submission to God, they will surely be short-lived as well.
While it may be true that some men can figure out by experimentation that certain behaviors undermine a society, those who can even legislate good laws are partial, unjust or just plain inept at appropriate enforcement. Whatever system of rule that man can devise to govern by their own laws, another human can devise a way to get around it.
Yes, it is true that men know murder undermines a society, but they do not enforce their “no murder” laws appropriately. Of course, they may enforce “no murder” sometimes, when it suits their purpose, but at other times, governing bodies actually encourage “murder.” Sometimes, it is called war! Some societies have legalized the murder of unborn children (renaming the act “abortion of a fetus,” and defending the right to choose). Some societies have legalized killing the elderly (renaming it euthanasia or mercy killings).
It is truly foolish to deny the LAWGIVER (James 4:12 There is one lawgiver….) ! God created mankind and gave LAW to them. He communicated His expectations to man in many different ways.
For those of us who take the Genesis creation account seriously, mankind’s history on this earth about 6000 years old when God created Adam and Eve who then produced children. All of us are children of Adam.
God gave LAW to Adam and Eve. God educated them on what He expected, on what was acceptable and what was not! Later, God communicated His will to others. God provided enough of His LAW to mankind that Noah, as seven others before him, preached righteousness, telling mankind what God expected prior to judgment. The world of Noah’s time had ample warning of consequences of sin prior to the flood.
Later, God dealt with Abraham, calling him faithful regarding obedience to Him. He knew God’s LAW. He kept God’s commandments.
Genesis 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Notice in this description of Abraham’s obedience that God’s Word differentiates between direct words of God (His “voice”), His “charge,” His “commandments,” His “statutes,” and His “laws.”
And, God expects the same obedience of us when He reveals His will, His love, His law, His commandments, and Himself. Through God’s great plan of salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, the only human who lived completely without sinning, we have access to all of God’s benefits, including the desire and ability (by His Holy Spirit) to love and follow His law.
The law of God is referred to as being PERFECT (ideal, faultless, complete, precise).
Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
God is a great KING! He is the Sovereign God! We can know the God Who rules His creation with law based on His nature of love. And, we know the only wise God.
If you would like encouragement and further details on knowing and serving the God Who made you and loves you, please contact us.