From the time of Moses to the time of Jesus, the Ten Commandments were the foundation. They were mandated by God for His people. The Ten Commandments were not guidelines and they were not an issue of morality. They were the laws. No one could break one and expected to get away with it.
It seems like the most Christians' sentiment of the Ten Commandments was thinking like they were rules or works or outdated or not important. What they failed to realize that these commandments were summed up by Jesus' Greatest Commandment: Love God and love your neighbors as you love yourself. These commandments are actually practical when we try to follow the Greatest Commandment. Jesus fulfilled the Ten Commandment by showing how he served God and people in the Gospel along with a completion of crucifixion and resurrection.
If you look at them from God's perspective, you will understand why the Ten Commandments were necessary as to why God made them. Think of the world in the long run instead of short run. What would happen if every single one of us followed them? What would the world look like if no one broke the Ten Commandments at any time?
The world would look like heaven. Seriously. No pain, no sorrow, no unnecessary deaths, no grief, no corruption, no dramas, no bad things. Think about the consequences of each commandment (loving your neighbors part) if it is followed by everyone. God made them to protect us from ourselves (our sinful natures).
- No unnecessary and sudden deaths, that lives were taken by someone else. (6. You shall not murder.)
- No hurt, betrayal, confusion, and broken relationships. (7. You shall not commit adultery.)
- No one had to worry about things and their loved ones taken away. No house was broken into. No life savings were scammed. No lives would be ruined. (8. You shall not steal.)
- Justice would work perfectly. No innocent people would go to jail or prison or get punished. No slander and no lies. No evil people would get away with their evil deeds because they would lie and hurt people in the process. (9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.)
- No jealousy, no drama, no hurt. Everyone would be grateful and got to keep one's own earnings without worry. It would give everyone a chance to share gladly. (10. You shall not covet anything of your neighbor's.)
See how much better the world would be if the commandments were kept? See how loving and good God is?
In order to keep the loving your neighbor commandments, we have to keep loving God commandments because we are sinners. If we focus on God, God helps us to be not self-centered since God is love and all things good. That's the first half of the Ten Commandments. Remember that God has created us and has delivered us. We must honor Him for He is our God. Anything that distracts us from God is an idol. An idol is what we focus on rather than on God which turns us into selfish beings. If we are selfish, then we break the rest of the commandments in one way or another. That is why Jesus said, "Love God" first and then "love your neighbors."
Jesus showed us the way. When we are forgiven of our sins by his death and resurrection, we can start anew and be overwhelmingly grateful of God's love for us. Would it make sense that we want to do what God commands of us because what of God has done for us? For Him to have done for us, wouldn't we want the same for others? That's why he is the way, the truth, and the life. That's why he commanded us to do the Great Commission. Imagine the world would be like if we teach others about God and to follow Him.
I want to implore to you to change your mentality from "God and me" to "God and His wonderful creation".
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