Blog Thirty-Five Part Six After Salvation How Shall We Live?

The Basics of Christianity:

Is The Ten Commandments for us today?

What are the specific named Biblical sins?

God gave Moses a list of ten, and called them "The Ten Commandments."

Nowhere, does the New Testament say that these commandments are valid. I would like to address them one at a time, followed with The Ten Commandments for Kids as part of its explanation. These laws of God are a great place to start in studying the moral conduct that is best for the wellbeing of all mankind. They are for our protection and peace.

This begins the change of thinking or new paradigm for the new convert of Jesus Christ as well as a refresher guide for all who follow Christ.

1) Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

For kids: You may not love anyone or anything more than you love God, (meaning Jehovah, The Great I AM, the creator of the universe.)

2) Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven 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:

For kids: You may not worship, or put more importance on, any person or thing, as (money), other than God. You must worship only the Lord, not your parents, not a friend, not a movie star or sports hero, not a car, boat, skateboard, bike, games, not even your cell phone, nothing. God is more important.

From the New Testament; When Jesus was asked which one of the commandments were the most important, He answered, "TO know that God is ONE Lord, (One Spirit), and to Love God with all our soul, (spirit) mind and strength; and the second is to LOVE others as our selves, which means serving others by encouragement and lending a helping hand."

Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

3) Exo 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

For kids: You may not swear. Use God’s name only in a loving way, never to express anger or frustration.

Again in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, He taught from the Old Testament Ten Commandments:

Mat 5:33 Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:

Mat 5:34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

4) Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

For kids: One day of the week should be set aside for rest and the worship of God. Work six days of the week only. You need a special day set aside to relax and meet with other Christians.

(of course there are some people with special jobs that must work on Sabbath day: some are doctors in emergency rooms, nurses in Hospitals, firemen….)

5) Exo 20:12 Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

For kids: Be respectful to your parents. Love them, and the Lord will reward you with a long life.

(Means: Appreciate all they do for you, speak to them respectfully. Do not boss them around; but ask them for their help when needed. Listen to them and allow them to teach you the important things of life, which will help make your life’s journey a little easier;) for this is the ONLY commandment that if kept, promises a long life.

When we grow up respecting our parents in these ways, it is much easier to respect all people, our friends, and teachers, those over us in the work place and our companions when we get married. No one wants to be bossed around, ask for help and always say thank you. It is up to us to be enjoyable to be around.

6) Exo 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.

For kids: You may not hate other people. Don’t ever think of hurting someone else, in any way.

(Means: We are to respect others feelings and their lives. We don’t have the right to hurt or take another’s life from them.)

You may ask, What about war? This is a different subject; I can only share my view. The Bible says obey the laws of the land. Since there is so much violence, many times our law keepers like "police" and "soldiers" have to war against evil people who are full of hate and Satan’s lies and deception who want to hurt and kill innocent citizens.

In war our soldiers have to fight to protect our God given freedom to worship Him, freedom to speak, write and publish our own beliefs in America; as well as helping peoples of other nations get and keep their freedoms too.

Is war God’s perfect will? Is it God’s will that our soldiers give their lives and limbs for this freedom? NO, I don’t believe it is. If the church had done all the commandments of the Lord and had stayed the course that the first church of the Book of Acts of the apostles were on because of Jesus’ life and ministry, there would have been far less evil people in the world today.

I have heard it said that you can look at the spiritual temperature of a nation and see the spiritual temperature of the church with in that nation. Oh my, let us not judge and blame the liberals and sinners in this nation for its downward sliding moral condition.

"Lord, may we take a good look at where we, (the Body of Christ) are and where we need to be to catch up with your plan for defeating evil on this earth. "

7) Exo 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Webster’s Dictionary: Adultery = n. sexual unfaithfulness of a married person.

Simply put, it is breaking the loyalty of the covenant of marriage, by engaging in sexual activity with someone other than husband and wife.

For kids: Keep your thoughts and actions pure according to God’s Word. Sex is a special gift from God for married couples only.

Jesus taught from the Old Testament:

Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

This means: Satan puts that thought in a person’s mind, but when that thought is pondered on and visualized, Jesus said it becomes a seed of sin. This is why pornography is a sin.

(Sex was created for two purposes; God’s perfect plan for Adam and Eve/ male and female was:

1. To be fruitful and multiply a human race on earth. Have children together.

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

("Own image" was not our body, but that He created us with a spirit like Him. He is a Spirit. We are a three part person; we have a spirit and a soul (which is our mind, will and emotions), housed in a body.)

Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion…

2. And to leave mother and father and become ONE in spirit, soul and body, for a loving caring relationship in marriage to bring up children in a protected loving atmosphere with the stability of both a Mom and a Dad.)

Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

8) Exo 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.

For kids: You may not take and keep anything that does not belong to you.

9)Exo 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

For Kids: You may not tell lies, especially when that lie will hurt someone else.

(Means: Do not talk against others, nor judge others. Remember the Second Commandment of importance was to love others as ourselves; in which if kept, all of the Commandments would be kept.)

10) Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

For kids: You may not be jealous of what others have. You may not be jealous of your friend’s new toy, or clothes, or the big house your neighbor lives in. Always be satisfied and thankful for what you have.

Jesus taught from the Old Testament so He taught the Ten Commandments. Mark records Jesus teaching :

Mar 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.

The New Testament is accounts written by eye witnesses (His disciples and Apostle Paul) of Jesus’ life and teaching as He fulfilled all the prophesies about Himself; He was the awaited Messiah. Jesus said:

Joh 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

I can’t figure out why these Ten Commandments of God could be offensive to anyone; or why anyone would want to remove them from public property. Human flesh needs rules and boundaries let we have a society that destroys its self.