On the Law

Did you know that to be separated from God all you have to do is break one of His commandments?  It doesn’t matter which one.  The question is not whether we have sinned against God?  The real question is whether we are willing to change? In other words, repent. Many of us have struggled with the idea of being “sinners.” Sometimes it almost seems like an accusatory term used to condemn one another.  God isn’t interested in condemnation.  We stand condemned the second we break one of God’s laws.  In other words, it is not God who condemns, but our failure to act according to the commandments given to us.  God wants us to reconcile with Him.  He is not interested in “keeping a record” of our wrong doing.  God wants to forgive and help us change our lives for the better.   

 How many of you have heard of the Ten Commandments that were given to Moses by God? These laws hold us accountable to a standard of godliness.  We are to follow the commandments to maintain our relationship with God.  Seems simple enough, doesn’t it?  God did not overburden us with unreasonable demands or infinite commandments.  There are only ten.  How many of us can honestly affirm that we’ve followed all Ten Commandments without breaking one?  Let’s look at them (Ex. 20:2-17):

Commandment No. 1 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.”

We serve one God, right?  We are not tempted to follow any pop culture new age material or spiritual trends that are out there, or do we? 

Commandment No. 2 “You shall not make for yourself 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 nor serve them.”

Do we idolize our heroes, movie stars, favorite athletes more than we do God? (It’s not bad to have any of these, but do we worship any of these people, symbols or images?)

Commandment No. 3 “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.

Do we honor and revere the name “Jesus Christ” (or any variation) every time we use it?

Commandment No. 4 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath.”

I really like this one.  If God created everything in six days and took a day off, then he expects us to do the same.  We need rest and time to spend with our spouses, children and families.  God specifically set apart one day out of the week for us to do this.  How many of us fail at this commandment every week?

Commandment No. 5 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”

This is a two-fold commandment.  Children are to honor their parents.  Period.  Did you know that the Bible also says: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). And, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart”? (Col. 3:21). 

Commandment No. 6 “You shall not murder.” 

Did you know that Jesus considered anger the same as murder? (Matt. 5:21-28).

Commandment No. 7 “You shall not commit adultery.” 

Did you know that, “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28).   

Commandment No. 8 “You shall not steal.”  

That does includes the smallest of items like post-its and staplers from the office!

Commandment No. 9 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” 

Did you know this includes “gossip”?  Think about that.  If we help to spread rumors by repeating something we heard without having first hand information, how are we not hurting that individual?

Commandment No. 10 “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.” 

How many of us try to “keep up with the Joneses”? 

My point here is not to condemn anybody.  What I want is for you to think about what you’ve heard and determine for yourself if you’ve broken any of God’s laws.  Even the smallest one and even if it seems insignificant.  If you find that you have sinned, God doesn’t want to “come and get you” to seek revenge or punish you.  He wants to reconcile with you.  But like any transgression, there should be an apology and a change of heart (if you are genuinely sorry for your actions).  I don’t have a recipe for a perfect apology.  Most of the time I tell God that “I’m sorry.” And then I ask Him to “help me understand the error of my ways to cease engaging in that particular behavior or thinking.”  In other words, I ask God to change my heart in accordance with His Commandments.

Is it really that easy to reconcile to God?  It is.  Is it easy to make changes in our lives? Not always.  Sometimes sin becomes second nature and we don’t even realize it.  Usually, sin results in loss and suffering, and only through these difficulties do we reflect on the bad choices we allow into our lives.  God does not want us to suffer.  He wants us to live out the purpose He already has planned for each one of us, without exception.  But to do that, we have to stop being captive to our own bad habits and bad judgment. If we stop to reflect on how breaking these commandments breeds havoc on our lives, we’d understand why God put them there in the first place. 

God is not trying to restrict us from fun to turn us all into monks. He wants to help us achieve our goals, heal our relationships, and draw us closer to Him.  Where is the harm in that?  God’s commands are sensible.  Basically, He is asking that we honor Him and love one another.  In fact, this is how Jesus summed up all Ten Commandments: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt. 22:37-40).  Adhering to these Commandments shows God that we love Him: “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him” (John 14:21).

It is important to understand that obeying the Ten Commandments does not “earn” our reconciliation with God.  Reconciliation to the Father once a law is broken is only possible through Jesus Christ, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17).  While God acknowledges a change of heart, it is only through the sacrifice of His Son on the Cross that we are able to return to God.  Once we sin, we are separated from God for all eternity.  Sounds severe, doesn’t it?  It is.  Disobeying a commandment means that we are no longer in covenant with God.  It’s like being in violation of a stipulated contract.  If a party fails to comply with the terms and conditions of an agreement, then that deal is broken.  Once we break that covenant with God, we separate ourselves from His holiness, because we have literally sinned against Him by breaking His commandments even if in the smallest of ways.

We’ve all done it.  We’ve all sinned and separated ourselves from God.  It’s a logical sequence: If we break a commandment, then we transgress the Supreme Authority, which is God.  There is no jury, court of law or formal hearing to condemn us.  We stand condemned by knowing (in conscience and heart) that it was wrong to engage in the sinful behavior in the first place. We stand condemned by our own conscience (it’s why we feel guilt or regret.)  “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them” (Romans 2:14-15). 

God doesn’t sentence us to community service or jail.  Instead, the consequence of breaking a commandment is worse.  We literally become separated from God. This is why Jesus Christ suffered and died.  He paid the penalty for our sin.  When Jesus resurrected He defeated the punishment that was meant for those who broke God’s laws.  Jesus Christ defeated death, the penalty assigned to those who sin, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, died and resurrected for our sins, then we are reconciled to God (Romans 10:9).  We are reconciled to God by faith, because we believe that Jesus has “paid the price” for our lawlessness.  However, even though Jesus interceded on our behalf and defeated the penalty of sin, we are still expected to obey God’s commands.  

I am not ashamed to admit that I’m a sinner, because Jesus died for me.  I have a Savior in my life.  I cannot stand condemned for my sin, because I believe in Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross.  We all have sin in our lives.  Any claim to the contrary is simply not possible.  I sincerely believe that most of us want to be forgiven for the wrong choices we have made.  While an “I’m sorry” acknowledges a wrongdoing, it is not the same as having a change of heart.  And changing our heart is not an easy endeavor!  Sometimes anger, resentment or unforgiveness get in our way.  I can personally attest that through prayer and faith, God removes these burdens from us. Being under God’s grace is good for us.  

Only you know what stands between you and God.  As I conclude this message, I encourage you to search your conscience and talk to God.  Ask Him to help you see His presence in your life.  Or ask Him anything you want, He will answer.  God listens.  If you are under the erroneous belief that your transgressions are too great to forgive, you are wrong.  In fact, as Jesus was being nailed to the Cross, He prayed to His Father that we be forgiven, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:34).  That is a potent image.   God forgives.  I don’t have anything to gain by “selling” an idea or theory.  God is real, and when we allow Him in our life, He is able to fix even what is impossible.