Pod Prep: 12-1-17
Did Christ Say That Some of the Ten Commandments Were Outdated ?
SOME IGNORE WHO JESUS WAS ADDRESSING AND WHY HE WAS SPEAKING
Many will misunderstand the following scriptures based on their lack of knowledge and current biases.
Mt 19:16 And behold, one came up to him, saying, "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?"
17 And he said to him, "Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments."
18 He said to him, "Which?" And Jesus said, "You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,
19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
(RSV)
Why did Jesus only mention five of the ten commandments and loving neighbors? Was he really getting rid of the other five ? I don't think so! Such a position is outrageous. ALL of God's Commandments stand and are sure. They can always guide our living. The Bible says all of the Commandments are good for all times.
Ps 111:7 The works of his hands are truth and justice; All his precepts are sure. 8 They are upheld forever and ever; They are performed in truth and uprightness.
Christ is the God of the Old Testament see I Cor. 10:4 and He said in Mal 3:6 “ I am the Lord and I change not”. Further, note Hebrew 13:8.
Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.
9 Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings; for it is well that the heart be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited their adherents. (RSV)
Therefore we should ask who was Christ addressing and for what reasons? Jesus was speaking to a Jewish man who was in a Jewish society. He was not addressing people who grew up in a Protestant world that has inherited from Roman Catholicism an altered Sabbath and other doctrines from the Roman Empire. We can easily misunderstand Jesus if we wish to justify our present practices such as altered Sabbath or statues as worship icons. A Jewish man would have never thought Christ was removing these commandments.
WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER FIVE COMMANDMENTS ?
We need to look at the other five commandments not given, to understand Christ message fully. Was he saying it is OK with God if we break the other five? No one would really believe this. If that is true then we could have other gods before the true God. We could have graven images to bow down to as well. Idolatry would be a good way of life. We all know better than that. The world we live in has inherited certain doctrines before the Bible became widely disseminated. So, some in past must have obviously looked for verses to justify the status quo instead of looking for the truth.
If the other five are outdated then we could take the name of the Lord in vain and curse up a storm using God's names. This is obviously wrong. What about changing the Sabbath day the seventh day to the day of the sun god ? Many would say what difference does it make as long as we keep one day in seven. It makes a difference to God not us. Why? God rested during the creation week and thereby made this day a day of rest and worship holy. We people cannot make a day holy we just think we can make a day holy.
Ge 2:2 And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.
3 So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all his work which he had done in creation.
When we use the true Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, it acknowledges worshiping the God of creation. We worship the Creator of the universe including earth. It is a sign between God and us. The Sabbath marks us as God's people. It marks us as a unique people in this, Satan's society.
Ex 31:13 "Say to the people of Israel, 'You shall keep my sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you.
We should use God's rest and worship day to show our love and loyalty to Him for all His grace and love for us. He gave His only Son for us. Wow! God through Christ, will decide who will receive His grace and blessings. We better follow God's wishes, out of love for God to keep all His Ten Commandments including the Sabbath. Jesus came to call and save the spiritually sick and needy.
Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God
Return God's love by using His Holy Day even though it will put you out of step with this world. Jesus also did not mention thou shalt not covet. Clearly no one would assert that being greedy and covetous is good for a Christian.
WHAT DID THE YOUNG MAN NEED TO LEARN FROM CHRIST ?
THIS MAN NEEDED TO LEARN TO LOVE HIS FELLOW MAN. This rich man's refusal to use his wealth to help others proved he needed this lesson. He was no doubt a good man but this was the needed ingredient to make him much better. Christ was testing him. He failed this test. We can all understand how hard it would be to give away a fortune. It was a very difficult test.
Mt 19:20 The young man said to him, "All these I have observed; what do I still lack?"
21 Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."
22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
The first half of the Ten Commandments focus on how to show love for God. We need to put nothing before the true God and worship Him using the time He made holy to show Him love. But as a Jewish person in the first century he would have known all ten thoroughly unlike most today. Jewish people back then would support the true Sabbath. Therefore Christ mentioned commandments and verses regarding loving others. It is probable that if this man could have passed this test and made the great financial sacrifice he would have become one of the top disciples of Jesus maybe even Judas's replacement.
Mr 10:20 And he said to him, "Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth." 21 And Jesus looking upon him LOVED him, and said to him, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 22 At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
Some teach that all you need for salvation is faith. We are saved by grace; however Christ made it clear when asked the direct question that God expects us to try and obey the Ten Commandments. We do not earn salvation by obeying but God wants us to follow his magnificent spiritual laws as best we can. We then ask for his help to live a better life. A life that follows his ways not those of this sinful world. If one disobeys one of the Commandments he is just as guilty as if he broke them all. All ten need to be obeyed to live a Godly life.
Jas 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
The Ten Commandments also called the testimony of God are so important to God that they were the first things given to mankind from Mt. Sinai.
Ex 34:28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 And when Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.
Moses glowing face was God's way of underscoring the importance of his messenger Moses, and his message the holy Ten Commandments.
