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A Closer Look at GOD's Law
The first commandment says that we're to have no other God before our Creator. We aren't to allow anything to come between us and our direct worship of God. Now certainly this rule is not in opposition to the desires of anybody who truly loves God with all his heart and wants to serve him. The second commandment forbids the worship of images or the making or serving of any images. This is certainly prevalent in the world today but surely nobody who is a true Christian would desire to worship any other God or bow down to any idol or image. The third commandment forbids the taking of God's name in vain. In other words, God is displeased by all the swearing and cursing which has become so much a part of our present-day conversation. But would any of us who love God supremely, desire this commandment to be taken away, making it alright for men to take God's name in vain? I don't think so at all. The fourth commandment tells us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. This reminds us of something that God made for those who love Him. He promises a divine rest if we'll remember His day and keep it holy. Surely this is for our best good and it's not against us in the least.
Now these first four commandments deal with our relationship to God and nobody could possibly improve on them. The last six deal with our relationship with our fellow men and if they were taught more fully, friends, what a tremendous change would come into this world of ours. The fifth commandment deals with our parents and commands us to honor and obey them. The sixth one says: "Thou shalt not kill." This certainly is not against any of us who are Christians. The seventh forbids immorality of every description. Jesus said the pure in heart shall see God. Surely this commandment is for our best good. The eighth says: "Thou shalt not steal." The ninth forbids the telling of lies, and the tenth requires us to be content with what we have and not covet the things of others. Now really friends, I fail to find anything at all in God's holy commandments that is against us. In fact, I believe they evaluate for us the kind of life God wants each of us to live.
The Bible tells us it is a mirror that reflects our characters in comparison with the perfect character of Christ. I read in James 1:22-25: "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straight-way forgetteth what manner of man he was. 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."
Now God says His perfect Law of liberty is like a mirror that shows how our life compares with the character of Jesus. God's Law will point out sin in our lives. It will show us wherein we fall short of being what God wants us to be. Just as a mirror is very useful to point out dirt on the face and to show us our need of washing our face, just so is God's Law very necessary to point out sin in our lives and to show us our need of making a change so that we'll be like Jesus. Truly, we might say that the Ten Commandments give us a picture of what God is like and what He want us to become.
The first commandment says that we're to have no other God before our Creator. We aren't to allow anything to come between us and our direct worship of God. Now certainly this rule is not in opposition to the desires of anybody who truly loves God with all his heart and wants to serve him. The second commandment forbids the worship of images or the making or serving of any images. This is certainly prevalent in the world today but surely nobody who is a true Christian would desire to worship any other God or bow down to any idol or image. The third commandment forbids the taking of God's name in vain. In other words, God is displeased by all the swearing and cursing which has become so much a part of our present-day conversation. But would any of us who love God supremely, desire this commandment to be taken away, making it alright for men to take God's name in vain? I don't think so at all. The fourth commandment tells us to remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. This reminds us of something that God made for those who love Him. He promises a divine rest if we'll remember His day and keep it holy. Surely this is for our best good and it's not against us in the least.
Now these first four commandments deal with our relationship to God and nobody could possibly improve on them. The last six deal with our relationship with our fellow men and if they were taught more fully, friends, what a tremendous change would come into this world of ours. The fifth commandment deals with our parents and commands us to honor and obey them. The sixth one says: "Thou shalt not kill." This certainly is not against any of us who are Christians. The seventh forbids immorality of every description. Jesus said the pure in heart shall see God. Surely this commandment is for our best good. The eighth says: "Thou shalt not steal." The ninth forbids the telling of lies, and the tenth requires us to be content with what we have and not covet the things of others. Now really friends, I fail to find anything at all in God's holy commandments that is against us. In fact, I believe they evaluate for us the kind of life God wants each of us to live.
The Bible tells us it is a mirror that reflects our characters in comparison with the perfect character of Christ. I read in James 1:22-25: "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straight-way forgetteth what manner of man he was. 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."
Now God says His perfect Law of liberty is like a mirror that shows how our life compares with the character of Jesus. God's Law will point out sin in our lives. It will show us wherein we fall short of being what God wants us to be. Just as a mirror is very useful to point out dirt on the face and to show us our need of washing our face, just so is God's Law very necessary to point out sin in our lives and to show us our need of making a change so that we'll be like Jesus. Truly, we might say that the Ten Commandments give us a picture of what God is like and what He want us to become.
