Must a Christian read the Ten Commandments to Know How God wants them to live?
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L
Laodicea
Guest
2 Kings22:10-11 KJV
10. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
11. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
What was the result of reading the book of the law? A great reformation.
10. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
11. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
What was the result of reading the book of the law? A great reformation.
For them to know it's wrong? No. It would seem to me that any person who has reached the age where they choose to dedicate their lives to being disciples of Jesus Christ would be mature enough to know these things are wrong long before becoming born again. We are taught from an early age what is right and what is wrong.
M
Mitspa
Guest
No what a Christian needs to know is the commandment of Christ to love...and in love they keep all the commandments of God...its call the simplicity of Christ...In as much as the Ten witness to Christ and love, that's there value to a believer.
O
oldthennew
Guest
michael56,
a good question.
Romans 3:20.
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:
for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
LUKE 18:18.
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
the definition of 'sin' is 'transgression of the Law - for by Law is the knowledge of sin',
Paul, when talking to 'believers', he says, 'I had not known sin except the Law had said,
'thou shall not covet'.
in the verses in Luke 18, the ruler asked Christ, 'what much I do to inherit eternal life' -
and Christ answered, if you will enter into life, keep the Commandments' -
and the rich young ruler asked, 'which', and Jesus answered, quoting some 'thou shall nots' -
and the young ruler answered saying that he had done ALL of those things since his youth -
and our Lord told him that he lacked one thing, that he must go and give away all of his
wealth to the poor and then 'he would be perfect' -
if we study this account, we see that Christ caught him in the breaking of at least (2)Commandments -
1. he is coveting his wealth, 2. he was caught in a lie by saying that he had indeed Kept the Commandments -
and further, covetousness is idoltry, seems the list is growing!
the Law teaches us what sin is, and this story is teaching us how we can so easily deny the reality
of our own sinful behavour, or self-justification =(rude awakening)
for my wife and myself, after studying the scriptures over many years, we were led to the reality of our
'worldly, sinful, nature' and could easily understand why our Father has to
continually REPEAT, over and over throughout His Word, how we must behave in
order to be in His will and walk in His Light, and this must be,
through the depths and riches of His Holy, Spiritual, Eternal Commandments.
a good question.
Romans 3:20.
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:
for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
LUKE 18:18.
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
the definition of 'sin' is 'transgression of the Law - for by Law is the knowledge of sin',
Paul, when talking to 'believers', he says, 'I had not known sin except the Law had said,
'thou shall not covet'.
in the verses in Luke 18, the ruler asked Christ, 'what much I do to inherit eternal life' -
and Christ answered, if you will enter into life, keep the Commandments' -
and the rich young ruler asked, 'which', and Jesus answered, quoting some 'thou shall nots' -
and the young ruler answered saying that he had done ALL of those things since his youth -
and our Lord told him that he lacked one thing, that he must go and give away all of his
wealth to the poor and then 'he would be perfect' -
if we study this account, we see that Christ caught him in the breaking of at least (2)Commandments -
1. he is coveting his wealth, 2. he was caught in a lie by saying that he had indeed Kept the Commandments -
and further, covetousness is idoltry, seems the list is growing!
the Law teaches us what sin is, and this story is teaching us how we can so easily deny the reality
of our own sinful behavour, or self-justification =(rude awakening)
for my wife and myself, after studying the scriptures over many years, we were led to the reality of our
'worldly, sinful, nature' and could easily understand why our Father has to
continually REPEAT, over and over throughout His Word, how we must behave in
order to be in His will and walk in His Light, and this must be,
through the depths and riches of His Holy, Spiritual, Eternal Commandments.
K
keeth
Guest
No, the Holy Spirit convicts the unsaved of sin, that they might seek repentance and forgiveness. Can anyone really be considered a born again Christian if they have and maintain no desire at all to read and study the word of God?
These are notes from a sermon one of my good friends taught about 8 years ago.
The 10 Commandments as a Promise of New Possibilities.
It must have been a strange feeling for Moses to return to the place where God had spoken to him out of the burning bush. On his first visit, a flock of sheep had surrounded him. Now, two million people surrounded him. God called him back up Mount Sinai to give him the commandments by which His people are to live. The Law of God was never a ladder for unsaved people to climb to heaven. It was always a pattern of life for God's people who had been saved from judgment by the blood of the Lamb.
A New Dimension of God's Grace
God was not saying, "I'm giving you these commandments, so that by keeping them you may become My people." He was saying, "I am giving you these commandments because you are My people." The message of the Law to us today is NOT that we must keep the laws in order to be saved, but rather that, because we are saved, we should keep these laws. The Law tells us how people who belong to God ought to live.
This is important, because some people have the idea that the Old Testament is a book of law, and the New Testament is a book of grace, and that the OT has nothing to do with us because we're not under law, we're under grace. That is a complete misunderstanding of the Bible. The whole Bible is a book of grace. God has one plan from beginning to end, and it all fits together. God promised a Redeemer on the very day that sin entered the world. God has always saved His people by grace and through faith. We've seen this in the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, and the Exodus. There is one God, and there is one story.
Get a Glimpse of the Glory of God
In the NT, sin is defined as "fall(ing) short of the glory of God" and as "break(ing) the law" (Rom.3:23; 1 John 3:4). Put these two truths together, and we make an interesting discovery. The Law is an expression of God's glory. Every one of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:3-17) reflects some aspect of the character of God. When God declared, "You shall have no other gods before me" (v. 3), it was because: He is the only God. There is no one like Him. He said not to misuse His name because: His Name is above every name. The reason we should honor our father and mother is that: all fatherhood derives from God, and all authority, even within family life, derives from Him. Why should we not commit adultery? Because God is faithful. Why should we not steal? Because God is trustworthy. Why should we not lie? Because God is truth. Why should we not covet? Because God is at peace, and content in Himself.
The Ten Commandments are not an arbitrary set of rules. They are a direct reflection of the character of God. So as you think and meditate about the Law, let it lead you to worship and to the realization that the greatest challenge for God's people is to reflect God's character in the world. When we obey His law, we reflect something of His glory.
The Greatest Battles of Your Heart
A second reason for God giving these Ten Commandments is that they speak to the ten most significant struggles of human experience. Parents know all about this. They always give rules to their children to target areas of struggle. They give instructions like, "Eat your dinner!" or "Do your homework!" or "Clean your room!"… to help kids overcome their struggles. When God gave the Ten Commandments, He spoke directly to the primary struggles that all of us experience. Take a moment to read Exodus 20:3-17. These are the battle of our lives, are they not? The Law is like a light. It shines into our souls, and when we look at what God says to us, we have to admit that He is speaking directly to the primary battles of our own heart. This should drive us to God like nothing else.
The apostle Paul wrote that the Law is a good thing, just like X-rays are a good thing - even if they may bring us bad news. Through the Law of God, I discover that I'm a person who finds it difficult to let God be God, and I am a person who is naturally more interested in myself than in the interests of other people. The Law announces my need of Jesus Christ.
The Law is like a teacher to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). When you learn what the Law has to teach, you will, if you've learned the lesson properly, come to Jesus Christ. if the Law does not bring you to Jesus, then you have missed the greatest purpose God intended for it. This is the point of Jesus' statement to the Pharisees, "You diligently study the Scriptures...yet you refuse to come to me" (John 5:39-40). The first reason you need Jesus Christ is NOT that you'll have richer, fuller, and more satisfying life. It is that you are a sinner in nature and practice, and the X-ray of God's Law shows it, even if you feel no pain!
Laying Track for the Train
God's ultimate purpose is to restore in us the true refection of His glory. Since God's glory is expressed in His Law. That means that the purpose of the gospel is to bring us to the position where we begin to live according to the Law of God. This transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit, and is spoken of in the Old and New Testament. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you... I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
The Law of God is like the rails for a train. The rails give direction, but the train will not go anywhere unless there is power in the engine. It is the special work of the Holy Spirit to give God's people power to move in the direction that is laid out in God's law. The Christian life is not a matter of believing in Jesus and then trying your best to live according to God's Law. The Holy Spirit resides in your life and He will make the difference between a battle in which you are destined for defeat, and a battle in which there will be ultimate victory.
Delighting in the Law
If you have understood the Law of God, it should cause you to fall down in worship, because the Law shows us who God is and what He is like. It will make you cling to Jesus Christ because you will be absolutely clear about why you need Him. It gives you direction for a new life in the power of the Holy Spirit that is no longer a list of impossible demands, but a description of new possibilities!
The 10 Commandments as a Promise of New Possibilities.
It must have been a strange feeling for Moses to return to the place where God had spoken to him out of the burning bush. On his first visit, a flock of sheep had surrounded him. Now, two million people surrounded him. God called him back up Mount Sinai to give him the commandments by which His people are to live. The Law of God was never a ladder for unsaved people to climb to heaven. It was always a pattern of life for God's people who had been saved from judgment by the blood of the Lamb.
A New Dimension of God's Grace
God was not saying, "I'm giving you these commandments, so that by keeping them you may become My people." He was saying, "I am giving you these commandments because you are My people." The message of the Law to us today is NOT that we must keep the laws in order to be saved, but rather that, because we are saved, we should keep these laws. The Law tells us how people who belong to God ought to live.
This is important, because some people have the idea that the Old Testament is a book of law, and the New Testament is a book of grace, and that the OT has nothing to do with us because we're not under law, we're under grace. That is a complete misunderstanding of the Bible. The whole Bible is a book of grace. God has one plan from beginning to end, and it all fits together. God promised a Redeemer on the very day that sin entered the world. God has always saved His people by grace and through faith. We've seen this in the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah, and the Exodus. There is one God, and there is one story.
Get a Glimpse of the Glory of God
In the NT, sin is defined as "fall(ing) short of the glory of God" and as "break(ing) the law" (Rom.3:23; 1 John 3:4). Put these two truths together, and we make an interesting discovery. The Law is an expression of God's glory. Every one of the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:3-17) reflects some aspect of the character of God. When God declared, "You shall have no other gods before me" (v. 3), it was because: He is the only God. There is no one like Him. He said not to misuse His name because: His Name is above every name. The reason we should honor our father and mother is that: all fatherhood derives from God, and all authority, even within family life, derives from Him. Why should we not commit adultery? Because God is faithful. Why should we not steal? Because God is trustworthy. Why should we not lie? Because God is truth. Why should we not covet? Because God is at peace, and content in Himself.
The Ten Commandments are not an arbitrary set of rules. They are a direct reflection of the character of God. So as you think and meditate about the Law, let it lead you to worship and to the realization that the greatest challenge for God's people is to reflect God's character in the world. When we obey His law, we reflect something of His glory.
The Greatest Battles of Your Heart
A second reason for God giving these Ten Commandments is that they speak to the ten most significant struggles of human experience. Parents know all about this. They always give rules to their children to target areas of struggle. They give instructions like, "Eat your dinner!" or "Do your homework!" or "Clean your room!"… to help kids overcome their struggles. When God gave the Ten Commandments, He spoke directly to the primary struggles that all of us experience. Take a moment to read Exodus 20:3-17. These are the battle of our lives, are they not? The Law is like a light. It shines into our souls, and when we look at what God says to us, we have to admit that He is speaking directly to the primary battles of our own heart. This should drive us to God like nothing else.
The apostle Paul wrote that the Law is a good thing, just like X-rays are a good thing - even if they may bring us bad news. Through the Law of God, I discover that I'm a person who finds it difficult to let God be God, and I am a person who is naturally more interested in myself than in the interests of other people. The Law announces my need of Jesus Christ.
The Law is like a teacher to bring us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). When you learn what the Law has to teach, you will, if you've learned the lesson properly, come to Jesus Christ. if the Law does not bring you to Jesus, then you have missed the greatest purpose God intended for it. This is the point of Jesus' statement to the Pharisees, "You diligently study the Scriptures...yet you refuse to come to me" (John 5:39-40). The first reason you need Jesus Christ is NOT that you'll have richer, fuller, and more satisfying life. It is that you are a sinner in nature and practice, and the X-ray of God's Law shows it, even if you feel no pain!
Laying Track for the Train
God's ultimate purpose is to restore in us the true refection of His glory. Since God's glory is expressed in His Law. That means that the purpose of the gospel is to bring us to the position where we begin to live according to the Law of God. This transformation is the work of the Holy Spirit, and is spoken of in the Old and New Testament. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you... I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws." (Ezekiel 36:26-27)
The Law of God is like the rails for a train. The rails give direction, but the train will not go anywhere unless there is power in the engine. It is the special work of the Holy Spirit to give God's people power to move in the direction that is laid out in God's law. The Christian life is not a matter of believing in Jesus and then trying your best to live according to God's Law. The Holy Spirit resides in your life and He will make the difference between a battle in which you are destined for defeat, and a battle in which there will be ultimate victory.
Delighting in the Law
If you have understood the Law of God, it should cause you to fall down in worship, because the Law shows us who God is and what He is like. It will make you cling to Jesus Christ because you will be absolutely clear about why you need Him. It gives you direction for a new life in the power of the Holy Spirit that is no longer a list of impossible demands, but a description of new possibilities!
We always like to insert the word must into our questions about salvation. The only thing we must do is believe. After we have believed we certainly ought to read all of Gods word. All would include the ten commandments.
There are men who have read and studied the word of God and especially the ten commandments with an unbelieving heart to no profit. There are men who cannot read the ten commandments yet having heard the word of God and believing on Jesus have been redeemed and eternally saved.
For the cause of Christ
Roger
There are men who have read and studied the word of God and especially the ten commandments with an unbelieving heart to no profit. There are men who cannot read the ten commandments yet having heard the word of God and believing on Jesus have been redeemed and eternally saved.
For the cause of Christ
Roger
would you answer the question ? (doesn't matter actually if you do or not) (the previous post to this question had already answered it.)
the title and the opening post are two totally different questions.
can you tell why it is a vital difference ? (most people cannot) (a little child who is honest and raised in the truth can tell)
[h=2]TITLE: Must a Christian read the Ten Commandments to Know How God wants them to live? [/h]op:
the title and the opening post are two totally different questions.
can you tell why it is a vital difference ? (most people cannot) (a little child who is honest and raised in the truth can tell)
[h=2]TITLE: Must a Christian read the Ten Commandments to Know How God wants them to live? [/h]op:
Must a born again Christian read the literal words of the Ten Commandments in order to know it is wrong in God's sight for them to commit adultery, steal, murder, covet etc
Actually I only wanted to ask the second question, but couldn't type all of the words into the heading of the post, therefore I had to abridge the headline post, that is why two apparent questions instead of one are stated
K
keeth
Guest
Excellent presentation. Only one issue I would like to address, not because I disagree with what was said, but simply to clarify a very important point. God did not call Moses back to give him His law, He called him back to give an entire nation His law which He spoke audibly to all of them. God did not allow the Ten Commandments to come to us through humanity at all, not even through inspiration. One who messes with them, messes with that which was spoken to humanity directly from the mouth of God, and written twice with His very own hand with a couple of million witnesses of the same. There was and is obviously a very good reason for God doing so. All of humanity will decide whose authority they really valued, by their relation and and standing to the same. Thus are they maintained as the standard from one end of scripture to the other. They are especially identified with those true followers of Christ and God in the book of Revelation, in contrast with and opposed to those who worship the beast at the end of time.
Rev 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Rev 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
Rev 22:14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
These message boards and others like them are just some of the many battle grounds where the truth and error meet striving for mastery of individual souls. One group continually downplaying the significance of the commandments and one in particular by way of preparation for the establishment of the final beast of biblical prophecy, and the other maintaining the standard which God Himself spoke and wrote for humanity in opposition to the same. This war between truth and error will only rage the more as Christ's return becomes increasingly imminent.
M
Mitspa
Guest
Some can go all around the issue of the law and try to make legalism sound like faith...it is not...the law is not of faith! Its the ministry of death and condemnation....if some of you don't see or believe that, its because you don't believe the bible and your not really hearing the law...your hearing a watered down version taught by religion of man. If any of you "REALLY" loved Gods law and wanted to keep it all...you would understand that only in love, and that through Jesus Christ and the Spirit of God can the Law be fulfilled.
W
wwjd_kilden
Guest
"This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
K
keeth
Guest
You speak about love continually, as though whoever does not see it exactly as you do, cannot know or understand that love is the fulfillment of the law. This self imposed blindness is again on your part alone. The scriptures plainly state that love is the fulfillment of the law, and I have not ever seen anyone on these boards deny that. In your own head you have determined some deny this, simply because they do not agree with your assertion that love fulfilling the law means we no longer need to observe the fourth commandment in relation to the observation of the seventh day. What you determine in your own head, is certainly no authority regarding truth to me or anyone who will acknowledge the scriptures themselves as the final source of authority. Even during the old covenant, God repeatedly stated the motivation for keeping His commandments should be love. Yet you continually insist this is some new knowledge of the new covenant alone.
Ex 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of themthat love me, and keep my commandments.
Le 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD……………………………………………………………………………34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
De 5:10 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.
De 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
De 7:9 Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
De 10:12 ¶ And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?
De 10:19 Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
De 11:1 ¶ Therefore thou shalt love the LORD thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, alway……………………………………………………….13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day,to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul,……………………………..22 For if ye shall diligently keep all these commandments which I command you, to do them, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, and to cleave unto him;
De 19:9 If thou shalt keep all these commandments to do them, which I command thee this day,to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in his ways; then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three:
De 30:16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it………………………………………….20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
Jos 22:5 But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Ne 5:5 ¶ And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
Isa 56:2 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. 3 ¶ Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the LORD, speak, saying, The LORD hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. 4 For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; 5 Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. 6 Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people. 8 The Lord GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel saith, Yet will I gather others to him, beside those that are gathered unto him.
Da 9:4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
Love has always been pointed out as the prerequisite to proper observance or obedience to the commandments of God. Yet here you are repeatedly demanding that this is a new teaching from the new covenant which nullifies the observance of one of the commandments of God. If it means that now, why didn't it mean it then, when love was pronounced as a priority to the proper keeping of the commandments of God? You have invented this tangled web of a teaching to support your own rejection of one of the commandments of God, it has nothing to do with rightly dividing the word of God.
This is a good question. But the answer must be yes, because if you say "no, because they already know this from the Holy Spirit", then it will lead to a lowering the need for scripture reading and the due respect every believer must give the Holy Scripture. So, we will read all that is written, for our admonition (1Cor.10:11), understanding same through the help of God almighty.
