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The Ten Commandments
Have you ever wondered what society would be like if we had no laws? That’s one of the most important reasons why God gave us the Ten Commandments. The purpose of the Law is to curb evil and chaos in the world. The Law has a three-fold purpose. First, the Law checks the outbursts of sin and thereby helps keep order in the world. This is called the “curb”. Secondly, the Law shows us our sins, functioning as a “mirror”. Finally it tells us Christians what we should do to live a God-pleasing life, known as a “rule”.
The basic explanation of the Ten Commandments is that they were ten instructions written in man's heart when we were created at the beginning of time. The second time it was given to Moses on two tablets of stone at Mt. Sinai. After this Moses was to take them and tell God’s people about the Ten Commandments. But, when he went to tell them, many of the Israelites were worshiping a golden calf they had made. When Moses saw this he was furious, and ended up breaking the tablets of stone in half. It makes me wonder how God must have felt when He saw this happened. After this God told Moses to make another pair of stone tablets to put in the Ark of the Covenant where they still remain today.
A misunderstanding that people have about the Ten Commandments is that they’re just good rules to live by. But the truth about the Ten Commandments is found in Matthew 22:37-39. Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and with all your mind.” This is the focus of the first 3 commandments. Also, known as the first table of the Law. And the second table of the Law, which includes commandments 4-10, focuses on our neighbor: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus fulfilled God's Law perfectly. Never once, as a man, did He break any of the commandments. He died on the cross for us fulfilling what we could not do ourselves. So, whenever we break one of God's laws we are assured forgiveness because Jesus redeems us. The reason why Jesus can save us is because He’s the only one that fulfilled God’s Law perfectly. No one else can do that except for Jesus and that’s why He was the one who came and lived a perfect life and died on the cross for us all.
In my two years of confirmation I have memorized the Ten Commandments. This helps me realize when I have sinned. So, immediately, I can ask for forgiveness.
Being in a Christian congregation helps me learn more about the Ten Commandments and how it applies to everyday life. The congregation encourages me lead a God-pleasing life to the best of my abilities. I hope that this information encourages anyone who hears it to learn more about the Ten Commandments. I hope you remember that no one can keep God’s Law perfectly. That’s why God our Father sent his Son Jesus Christ to come and die on the cross for us, so He could take away our sins, and cover each of us with His perfect fulfillment of the Ten Commandments.
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Mitchell Flores, 5/23/2010 |
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