ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE TEN COMMANDMENTS QUIZ
1. You can get to heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments:
A. True B. False
2. According to Jesus, the greatest of all the commandments is to:
A. Love your neighbor as yourself
B. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind
C. Be good stewards of planet earth
3. The sin of adultery:
A. Violates the covenant of marriage between one man one woman for one life
B. Can be committed in the heart alone
C. Distorts God’s purpose for the family
D. All of the above
4. Murder takes place when a police officer kills someone in the line of duty.
A. True B. False
5. When Jesus died on the cross, He died for:
A. The sins of the whole world
B. Only for some sin
C. For your personal sins
D. A demonstration of God’s love for all mankind
(Answers to the quiz are found below at the bottom of this post.)
Our culture is becoming more ignorant of what the Scriptures say and there is an organized effort on the part of some to totally erase any vestige of God-given morality. The one thing man cannot erase is the fact he is created in God’s image. Though he fights against this reality, he cannot escape it. Like a shadow which follows him around, his conscience is constantly reminding him of a Creator which has a claim on his existence. The Bible says the law of God is written in our hearts. Romans 2:14 “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
A couple years ago a lady had a booth next to our fair booth. She was showing me all her wares and how much they cost. So, when she got done with her pitch, I wanted to share Christ with her. When I asked her if she was going to heaven when she dies, she said, “Yes, I believe I am.” Then I asked what her belief was based upon. She replied, “I am a good person.” “How do you know you are a good person?” I questioned. Her answer was “I keep the ten commandments.” I proceeded with three questions to demonstrate to her the very law she appealed to proves just the opposite. I asked her if she had ever told a lie, stolen anything no matter how small, or disobeyed her parents. She got a bit upset and retorted, “What is this? Confession?” I had to explain her own mouth condemned her as a lying thief who disobeyed her parents and if she was going to get to heaven by keeping the Ten Commandments she was in trouble. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Galatians 3:21-22 “Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” The purpose of the Law is not to save but to prove us all sinners and point us to our need of a Savior. Galatians 3:24 “Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
Until Jesus saves us, we are all sin practitioners.
1 John 3:4 “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
But after the law leads us to our personal need of Christ, we can be brought to a place of repentance, faith, and forgiveness. 1 John 3:6 “Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” To claim Christ and live in sin is to defy our faith. No Christian is sinless or perfect, but with a relationship with Jesus Christ we can experience the forgiveness of sins and ask God’s help in overcoming them.
1 John 1:8-10 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
The Ten Commandments are divided into two responsibilities: Godward and manward.
▪ Godward: We are to have no other gods, not worship any graven (manmade) images, not take His name in a vain or empty way, and remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. (The Sabbath principle still stands today – one day in seven for rest and worship of God). Man’s first responsibility is to put God first in his life. Colossians1:17-20 “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” When we put our Creator on the back burner of our lives, put material manmade things as more important to us than Him, use His name as an explanation point, or a cussword, and deny Him a day of worship and rest, then we are exposed by the above commandments as sinners in opposition to our God. Jesus warns us about claiming a relationship with Him and then doing the opposite of what He says. Luke 6:46 “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
▪ Manward: We are to honor and obey our parents, not murder our fellow man, respect God’s marriage covenant and not commit adultery (God defines marriage as one man, one woman for one life until death do us part: read Genesis 2:18-25, Mark 10:6-9). We are not to steal, lie, and covet or desire to have that which does not rightfully belong to us. If we respect each other as God-created human beings, then we will fulfill God’s law in regards to how we treat each other. Isn’t it interesting what is happening to our society – how people are treating each other since we have kicked God and His moral code out of the public schools, our parks, and now the effort is to get Him out of the courtrooms, and even the public square? Somehow, mankind thinks being free from the laws of his Creator liberates him for an autonomy which brings him a greater good. What is good about millions of babies being aborted, teenage girls trying to be moms, men and women abandoning their children, and a host of diseases that can kill or maim one for life? (Thou shalt not commit adultery). What is good about the killings in our schools and theaters and domestic violence in our homes? (Thou shall commit no murder). What is good about politicians, preachers, judges, lawyers, and others who hold positions of authority if they willfully lie? (Thou shall not bear false witness or lie). This freedom apart from God results in accelerated pain, a path to self-destruction and ultimately death. (Not just death in the grave. The word ‘death’ means separation. Sin is a separator. How many children are in foster care separated from their parents? How many spouses are separated by divorce? How many people are separated from society in jail or prison? How many are there that throw up their hearts and hands in despair and separate themselves from their bodies in suicide?). Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
What do you and I learn from studying God’s Ten Commandments?
- The first thing is we cannot keep them. James 2:10 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.”
- Secondly, no matter how good or bad we may think we are, all of us have a universal problem. We are all sinners. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
- Thirdly, we learn sin is a killer. Ever since our first parents broke the first law in the Garden of Eden, death has reigned through Adam to us. Parents know they do not have to teach their children to be naughty. It comes built right in to their little souls. And when sin is left unrestrained and not corrected, an innocent little child can become the monsters we are reading about in the daily news. But if you and I look in the mirror, we can see the darkness of sin in our own lives. Maybe you have not committed outright murder, but your heart is full of hatred for someone. Maybe you are not sleeping around on your spouse, but your heart is consumed with lust and you are slave to porn. Maybe you are not robbing banks, but you are cheating on your income taxes. According to the Scriptures, one thing is certain: you are a sinner and there is a terrible price to pay. Ezekiel 18:20 “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
What do we learn from the Bible about God and His attitude towards sin and sinners? Sin can never be accepted in the presence of God. Sin results in the death of all people infected with it. God’s hatred for sin did not stop Him from providing for the sinner. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
God has an answer for you and for me. It is not found in religious practice, denominational affiliation, good works, or following after charismatic personalities. God’s remedy for our sin is wrapped up in a person and His name is Jesus Christ. John 3:16-21 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”
Sinner, God loved you so much He gave His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for your sin. Won’t you go to Him by faith, repent of your sin and ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior?
Because of Christ’s Love,
Pastor John Schofield
Recent Comments