Law and Gospel

Who can say that they have kept the Ten Commandments perfectly? Jesus of Nazareth and no one else.

And it doesn't matter which ones you do keep--if you break one, you are a criminal, just like in our system of Justice: You don't have to break all the Laws to be a law-breaker--you only have to break one. And God's Standard is higher than man's. David said, "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom." (Psalm 51:6)

Therefore, as Proverbs 24:9 says, "The thought of foolishness is sin," something Jesus acknowledged when He said that unjustifiable anger deserves the same punishment as murder and that merely looking at someone with a lustful heart is all the same to God as adultery (Matthew 5:21-30).

Which of God's Laws have you broken?

The First Commandment That means that God, not man, should decide for you in all things (Proverbs 29:25). Is this true for your life? Do you really love the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength?

The Second Commandment Do you serve a god that likes you and you like him? Does he love the people you love and hate the people you hate? Then your god doesn't exist. There is One God, the thrice Holy One of Israel. And He promises fiery indignation to all who invent their own gods.

The Third Commandment This means more than using God's name irreverently or as a curse word. It also means pretending to be His when you are not. It also means bringing reproach upon His name while you wear it because of your sin (e.g., King David, when he sinned against God with Bathsheba and murder her husband, 2 Samuel 11:1-12:14).

The Fourth Commandment The very God who daily gives you breath only asks for one day out of seven--and you are loathe to desist from your pursuits to give it to Him? What is more valuable than God? "What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" a Very Wise Man once asked.

The Fifth Commandment Have you always honored your parents the way God would want you to honor them? Why not? (Whoever says that he has is deceiving only himself--you broke this Commandment when you were two.) Don't you want long life in the Land?

The Sixth Commandment Knowing that God desires truth in the inward parts, and that the very thought of foolishness is sin in His eyes, who dares to claim that Jesus was exaggerating the Law when He said that unjustifiable anger deserves the same punishment as murder (thereby making them equal crimes in the sight of God Almighty)? And who can say that every time that he was angry it was justified? Who hasn't had to retract some angry thing they said once they discovered the truth? Moreover, the Bible says that hatred is murder (1 John 3:15), pointing to the fact that Cain murdered Abel, simply because he hated him (Genesis 4:1-15).

The Seventh Commandment God made one woman for Adam. Not two. Not a woman and another man. Not even one other man. Just a woman. And God made woman just for one man. Not two men. Not a man and another woman. Not even merely another woman. Just a man. And Leviticus 18-19 is full of other instructions and concludes that the death penalty shall apply to all who reject God's rules on His gift of sex. Furthermore, Jesus said that merely looking with a lustful eye is the same to God as adultery. Remember, even the very thought of foolishness is sin in God's eyes (Proverbs 24:9).

The Eight Commandment Have you taken or used even one thing that didn't belong to you and to which you had no right as recognized by God? A celery stick. a piece of cheese, a penny, a paper clip? Remember, God is thrice Holy: He sees all sin the same way. Whether you think it is little or not.

The Ninth Commandment Have you ever told a lie? How many lies must you tell to be considered a liar? Ten, then the bell rings, "We've got a new liar over here!!"? No matter the color, if I told you a lie, what would you call me? What does God consider you to be? Furthermore, the Bible says that a lying tongue shows hatred to those it afflicts (Proverbs 26:28). Now you're in BIG trouble.

The Nail in the Coffin Also known as the Tenth Commandment. Covetousness is the universal flagrant sin of all mankind. And it's quite amazing the things we covet. But we all covet something. And God says that covetousness is a sin. The Thrice Holy One of Israel will give you what you need. Don't be greedy for more--but we are.

So, having broken all these Commandments, just how good a person are you really? You need only break one Law to be guilty, and I guarantee that anyone reading this has broken all ten. What are you going to do about this? If God gives you Justice--Thrice Holy Justice--come Judgment Day, where will you spend eternity? Be honest with yourself. You deserve to go to Hell.

That is not God's will for you. That is why He sent Jesus to die for your sins. If you repent of your sins, Jesus will apply His righteousness to your account, and God will dismiss your case because your sins have been paid for. By the Blood of the Son of God, the Messiah to the Jews, and the Light to the Gentiles. This was God's promise to Abraham when He said, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 22:18). Read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 and see if this is not true.