The Ten Commandments

Filed under Bible, Worship by on February 15, 2012 at 3:03 am {no comments}

The Ten Commandments

Enduring Elements of Public Worship (part 3)

In the past few weeks I have prefaced articles about the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer with this reminder:  Thomas Aquinas said we must know:

What to believe (The Apostles’ Creed)

What to pray for (The Lord’s Prayer)

How to live (The Ten Commandments)

These are the core issues of life and they are answered in the Creed (What to believe), the Prayer (What to pray for) and the Commandments (How to live). Peter Kreeft in Knowing the Truth of God’s Love 1988 p44-47   We serve people (including our children) well by incorporating these three elements in worship frequently that they know them from memory and can thus recall them in many other life-situations.

Today I wish to address the issue of the 10 Commandments . Following Christ means something and the Bible, including the law, tells us what it means. Obedience to the law is one way of bearing witness to the reality and beauty of God. We don’t only sing songs in our worship services we also obey God in our everyday lives. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Yes, that includes specific deeds (not lying, not stealing, etc) but it is so much more than mere compliance – it is a lifestyle reflecting our Lord to the world around us. Thoughtless children and legalists think only of complying with the letter of the law. One who loves God thinks of the spirit of the law as well.

The Bible is not a “morality manual with an index we flip through to find answers.” (Peter Enns in Romans p383)  God always meant for his people to love and obey HIM not just his laws. And he aways meant for it to be from our hearts. “Oh that their HEARTS would be inclined…to keep all my commands always…”  “These commands I give you today are to be upon your HEARTS.”  “I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my HEART.”

So what is my relationship to the moral law of God? That law expressed in the 10 Commandments and expressed in the commands of the New Testament gives us insight into the very heart of our Savior. Each command reveals the character of God and my privilege to bear his image in my life. My response is to the one who gives the law not to the law in and of itself. I must never detach my obedience to God’s commands from my relationship with Jesus; I am following HIM. And that means I want to know what he thinks, how he acts and what he loves, that I may think, act and love as he does.

As we look at each moral imperative, each written reflection of the character of God given in the 10 Commandments (and seen perfectly in the person of Jesus) we seek to know Him that we may be more like him. We are not legalists; we are lovers – lovers of God.  Is the moral law of God binding on us? Yes, because we are bound to Jesus. We are saved by his grace and desire to reflect his image.

While it is possible to summarize the commands as Jesus did to “loving God and neighbor,” it is also possible to recite lengthy lists of commands as in Romans 12:9-21 (Yes, the NT has commands).  But in both the Old Testament and in the New Testament the 10 Commandments were known to be brief enough and yet give sufficient specificity to form a memorable summary of the will of God.  For that reason and others the 10 Commandments have been recited by the Christian church for centuries. We would do well to emulate their example and include it often in our public worship so as to teach it and to remember the breadth of the will of God for our lives.

For further reading I recommend “The Law of God in the Life of the Christian” and “The Beauty of God in the Beauty of the Law”  found at www.soundliving.org  “Books” “Ten Commandments”

The Public Reading of the Bible

Filed under Articles, Bible, Church, Worship by on January 10, 2012 at 6:25 pm {no comments}

Bible

What happened to the public reading of God’s Word?

A visit to many “evangelical” churches will confirm how few give serious attention to this biblically mandated part of corporate worship.  Maybe some would suggest that in a highly literate culture where most have access to printed Bibles, public reading of the Scriptures is not as necessary.  But the real issue is not whether people can read but do they read the Bible.

But whether people do read the Bible on their own or not, the Bible illustrates and declares that public reading is to be part of God-directed and God-centered worship.  Consider the following passages:

1 Timothy 4:13 “Until I come, devote your yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” (ESV) Though the Greek word “public” is not in the manuscript, almost all major English translations insert the word because of the definite article (“the”) used with the word “reading” and the context of the public acts of “exhortation” and “teaching.”

Luke 4:16-17 “And he (Jesus) came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Isaiah. And he opened the book, and found the place where it was written (and he read)…” (NIV)

Ezra 8:2-3 “And Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly, both men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month.  3 And he read therein before the broad place that was before the water gate from early morning until midday… (NIV)

It is important that we do not allow the sermon to become a substitute for the reading of the Bible.  Both are necessary.  Clay Schmit (author of The Public Reading of Scripture) points out that the sermon is really a secondary proclamation, God speaking through a preacher. “Reading the Word is God’s direct proclamation to us. You are called upon to be the human embodiment of the Word of God when you read Scripture publicly,” he says.

If you look again at the Ezra 8 passage you do have to ask yourself how practical it would be to read the Bible aloud each Sunday for 5-6 hours.  And if you read further in that 8th chapter you find that the people stood for the reading (for 5 hours?).

Some suggestions for making the public reading of Scripture a joy and not a burden for listeners:

  • Select readers whose voices are pleasant to the ear and easily understood and who are teachable as to public reading.
  • The reader should know the passage and context well to be able to accurately communicate the intention of the writer.
  • The reader should read the text with proper expression (the kind of expression that communicates the ideas accurately).  A monotone reading or, conversely, an overly dramatic reading will detract.
  • Select carefully the number of verses to be included in the reading. The passage needs to be long enough to capture the main idea of the text selected but not so long as to be difficult for people to maintain attention.
  • Encourage people to follow along in their own Bibles (best) or with the text projected for all to see – what we see and hear is usually better comprehended.
  • Use variety in the reading – responsive readings, two or more readers if it is a narrative dialog, etc.
  • If the reader is visible to the listeners they should dress so as not to distract thus detract.
  • Practice, practice, practice.

For more information see:

Reading the Bible and Praying in Public by Stuart Olyott (Banner of Truth)

The Public Reading of Scripture  Clay Schmit  (Abingdon)

 

What is Your Knowledge of the Bible? Part 8

Filed under Articles, Bible, Theology by on September 15, 2011 at 3:53 am {one comment}

Bible and Theology Audit

Over the next few weeks we will provide questions from an audit originally prepared by the Ligonier Study Center. There will be Old Testament questions, New Testament questions and theology questions.

The purpose of this closed-Bible exam is to give you an idea of the breadth and depth of your knowledge of the Bible; it is NOT a test of your relationship with Jesus. Some of the questions may be challenging to you but our ultimate intention is to encourage you in the pursuit of lifelong Christian education.

Whatever your audit results indicate, consider them positively as a new beginning point from which you can grow in the knowledge and understanding of the faith.

What is Your Knowledge of the Bible? Part 8

We began a Bible knowledge audit on July 12. Test your memory (not your salvation) by trying to answer the questions; you can get your results immediately.

This week and next week’s conclusion of the Bible/Theology quiz are questions on “theology”.

 

Based on Romans 8, place the following terms in the sequence in which they appear in the “Order of Salvation”.  Please place in logical sequence, not necessarily a time sequence.  (Some may occur simultaneously in time).  A. Faith B. Election C. Glorification D. Effectual Calling E. Repentance F. Regeneration G. Justification H. Sanctification  





True or False The doctrine of election teaches that God, before the foundation of the world, freely chose particular sinners to be saved by His grace.



True or False While justification is by faith alone, good works must flow from those who claim to be regenerate.



True or False The doctrine of irresistible grace teaches that the Spirit draws sinners to God, even while they are  unwilling to come to Him.



True or False God does not impute righteousness into the life of the believer.



True or False God’s sovereignty and man’s freedom stand in contradiction to each other, and will only be resolved in heaven. 



True or False “Total Depavity” means a person is as wicked as he could possibly be.



True or False The title “Son of Man: has no reference to the person of Jesus Christ.



True or False In Colossians, Paul depicts Jesus as the head of the body, the church.



True or False Sin may be defined as any and every lack of conformity with the moral law of God.



True or False The scriptures teach that God created the world “ex nihilo” – out of nothing.



True or False The person of, Jesus Christ is considered to have a confusion of two natures - human and divine.





 

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What is Your Knowledge of the Bible? Part 7

Filed under Bible, Theology by on September 10, 2011 at 9:53 pm {no comments}

Bible and Theology Audit

Over the next few weeks we will provide questions from an audit originally prepared by the Ligonier Study Center. There will be Old Testament questions, New Testament questions and theology questions.

The purpose of this closed-Bible exam is to give you an idea of the breadth and depth of your knowledge of the Bible; it is NOT a test of your relationship with Jesus.  Some of the questions may be challenging to you but our ultimate intention is to encourage you in the pursuit of lifelong Christian education.

Whatever your audit results indicate, consider them positively as a new beginning point from which you can grow in the knowledge and understanding of the faith.

What is Your Knowledge of the Bible?  Part 7  

This week and next week’s conclusion of the Bible/Theology quiz are questions on “theology”.

We began a Bible knowledge audit on July 12.  Test your memory (not your salvation) by trying to answer the questions; you can get your results immediately.

Please go to What is Your Knowledge of the Bible? Part 7 to view the quiz

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