Moses on Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments
On this Sunday Morning Coming Down blog of faith, I want to keep it very simple and straightforward for I think sometimes we make our faith much more complicated than it needs to be. And as a Christian, I first want to state the one thing that will attain salvation for each of us, sinners that we are, because it is the sole requirement to gain Jesus acceptance of our devotion to Him. And that is the only way to truly commit to Him and receive the forgiveness that he freely gives us. It is just as simple as this: Believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior based upon faith, and faith alone, and your Savior accepts your offer and gives you a new life with forgiveness for your past.
Now that seems rather simple doesn't it? All we have to do is profess that He is our Savior and our responsibilities are done. But it isn't quite that easy. Why? Because God can see into our heart and He knows if we are just giving lip service to the requirement and that is not loving His Son at all, just words. So, we must be attuned to Him which is what drives us to make the real commitment. And then, while yes, our commitment, if from the heart, does the trick if we really believe it we will live it as well, it also means that we are serious about living His suggested way. That means following the teachings of Jesus, as well explained by the Sermon on the Mount, the words of Jesus offered to His disciples after the Last Supper in the upper room and before he walked to His late night capture in the Garden. And those things aren't so simple to do, for they require real love of self which then allows us to love others and treat them as we would want to be treated. And while God knows we will falter on such things, He just wants us to try as hard as we can to live by His word, not man-made creations like social justice and earthly things, but by His concept of love. For social justice in the secular sense has nothing to do with God and Jesus, but a concept born on man, not God. And love for one another is what Jesus even alluded to in His life and His life on earth was all about love. It also includes forgiveness of others, something we have so much trouble doing sometimes. But remember, Jesus forgave what the people did to Him before death and we can do so too with His help.
And here is where it gets very interesting, for God's personage of Jesus and what He wanted of us goes right back directly to the Ten Commandments, the Word emblazoned by God on two stone tablets which He gave to Moses on Mount Sinai to take down to His people at the base of the mountain. From this the basics of what He wanted out of us was established. Isn't it appropriate that the definition of Christian (and Jewish) rules for the road of life would come from the Jews. Well, we are cousins, our faith coming out of the original baseline of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which set the foundation of law to live by. The coming of Jesus just changed the approach by adding pure love and forgiveness to the equation and not just the harshness of the law. We should want to follow His wishes out of pure and abiding love. And so, here below is the complete Ten Commandments which are provided just as a quick refresher for all of us.
From Exodus, Chapter 20:2-17: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
2 “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me. 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. 7 “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. 8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. 12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 13 “You must not murder. 14 “You must not commit adultery. 15 “You must not steal. 16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. 17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
And that, my friends, is what God expects of us. It isn't easy, good things never are, but they work to keep societies harmonious instead of being filled with rage and hate. Can't you see why our loss of so much of our faith by so many has led us to where we find ourselves today? That's a question left for each of us to address individually and with prayer and discernment from God. Read and think about those words and bless you all and have a glorious Sunday.
Now that seems rather simple doesn't it? All we have to do is profess that He is our Savior and our responsibilities are done. But it isn't quite that easy. Why? Because God can see into our heart and He knows if we are just giving lip service to the requirement and that is not loving His Son at all, just words. So, we must be attuned to Him which is what drives us to make the real commitment. And then, while yes, our commitment, if from the heart, does the trick if we really believe it we will live it as well, it also means that we are serious about living His suggested way. That means following the teachings of Jesus, as well explained by the Sermon on the Mount, the words of Jesus offered to His disciples after the Last Supper in the upper room and before he walked to His late night capture in the Garden. And those things aren't so simple to do, for they require real love of self which then allows us to love others and treat them as we would want to be treated. And while God knows we will falter on such things, He just wants us to try as hard as we can to live by His word, not man-made creations like social justice and earthly things, but by His concept of love. For social justice in the secular sense has nothing to do with God and Jesus, but a concept born on man, not God. And love for one another is what Jesus even alluded to in His life and His life on earth was all about love. It also includes forgiveness of others, something we have so much trouble doing sometimes. But remember, Jesus forgave what the people did to Him before death and we can do so too with His help.
And here is where it gets very interesting, for God's personage of Jesus and what He wanted of us goes right back directly to the Ten Commandments, the Word emblazoned by God on two stone tablets which He gave to Moses on Mount Sinai to take down to His people at the base of the mountain. From this the basics of what He wanted out of us was established. Isn't it appropriate that the definition of Christian (and Jewish) rules for the road of life would come from the Jews. Well, we are cousins, our faith coming out of the original baseline of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which set the foundation of law to live by. The coming of Jesus just changed the approach by adding pure love and forgiveness to the equation and not just the harshness of the law. We should want to follow His wishes out of pure and abiding love. And so, here below is the complete Ten Commandments which are provided just as a quick refresher for all of us.
From Exodus, Chapter 20:2-17: THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
2 “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me. 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. 7 “You must not misuse the name of the LORD your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. 8 “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the LORD your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. 12 “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. 13 “You must not murder. 14 “You must not commit adultery. 15 “You must not steal. 16 “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. 17 “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
And that, my friends, is what God expects of us. It isn't easy, good things never are, but they work to keep societies harmonious instead of being filled with rage and hate. Can't you see why our loss of so much of our faith by so many has led us to where we find ourselves today? That's a question left for each of us to address individually and with prayer and discernment from God. Read and think about those words and bless you all and have a glorious Sunday.
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