Why is it that people do not read the beginning of the chapter 3 and obey what Jesus said? John 3:16 is true but we must read the beginning first. Especially John 3:3-7.
Sorry, but water baptism IS most certainly in the new testament. It is about water baptism AND being spirit filled w the Holy Ghost, as we live a holy life for Christ with love.
John 3:3-5 & Matthew 28:19 is fulfilled in Acts 2:38.
From what I know, one can marry a Catholic and not be required to become a Catholic. This happens all of the time. The matter is that of whether the marriage is considered am approved "Catholic" marriage or not, and this varies from priest to priest, or from bishop to bishop in this denomination.
Also on what you said concerning the commitment of Catholics to true faith, while this is often the case, this is also true of people in other denominations. There are devote and sincere believers in all denominations. And there are those in every denomination who are what is often termed "nominal" or in name only.
A person who is sincerely committed to Jesus should seek to marry someone who is also so. But thinking of the age at which most people marry, both people usually are somewhat immature in life and in faith. So, we marry whom we have chosen and mature in Christ and life together.
Do you mean a christian Catholic or just somebody who has the name "christian" but doesn't practise a christian life? Is the other person saved or not? The problem is not marrying to a christian from any another church but marrying to somebody who is christian as a custom (because their parents were and baptized them when babies) but doesn't really believe in Jesus, their lives show no real faith, no change, no fruit. And Catholics are ususally like that (but not always).
Anyway a marriage between a believer and a non believer(I am putting a question mark on that) may be a big problem. How can two different lives, beliefs, practises be compromised together? A common life has to rely on some standards, some common rules etc. What are those going to be? Somewhere in between? Can the light be compromised with darkness, purity with sin, truth with lie? Such unions often lead to difficult situations. You will want to go to the church and she will want to go to a club, you will wish to hear christian music and she will want to watch some worldly sinful moovies, you will not say lies but she will do that. What will the rules that you will raise your kids with? You may believe that you will attract her to the real faith but often the opposite occurs. Sin is powerful and if you are not careful then you may find yourself in a big big trouble. Now if she is a believer but the Catholic way then things are better ...
The above are general things, it is you who knows the other person and know what to expect from her. Why don't you ask for God's advice, ask for His guidance. He knows better than our heart. Pray to God and if you are in a church consult your pastor, the elders etc. especially those who know that other person and can tell you a few things.
(I think that if you want to be married in a Catholic church then you must become a Catholic yourself and be baptized in water in the Catholic church, but I am not so sure about that)
Catholics believe you can marry a baptized Christian. Yet on the other hand, Christ died for our sins therefore, baptism of water is NO longer a factor. ONLY spiritual baptism.! If we reject His victory over the grave, we deny ourselves a place in eternity. But if we accept the truth, Paul assures that we will be saved. Having ever lasting life.!
Hello Darryl. As you know, in Exodus chapter 20, God delivered the Ten Commandments to Moses, to give to the people. Then in verse 23, God reiterates the command given in verses 3 to 5, that the people must not make idols, as representative of God (which the heathen do), rather that an altar be made so that sacrifices can be made to the LORD of Heaven - the Almighty unseen God - not prefigured in idols of stone & precious materials.
And when this altar is built, it must be built from naturally found stone & not shaped or cut in any way (v25). God has deemed that if any tool is used on the stones of the altar, it will be considered polluted & hence rejected. I think these observances show that man must do nothing of himself in coming to worship God & be acceptable to Him - but to obey God & use those materials & animals that God alone has produced to be used.
In verse 26, we read that there should not be steps, or a stairway, to the top of the altar. It is understood that because of the nature of the clothing, before breeches were introduced, the priest might subject himself to exposure & immodesty. And it is possible that the construction of the steps, by virtue of the altar position, may have subjected him to such view, whereas in later constructions of the altar, the climb was more gradual, even though it was much higher at ten cubits. Maybe others may you give different views on these verses.
Thanks Grae, I was giving commentary on the chapter in Exodus. I was not adding to Scripture. But I understand your comments about those who are new to the site or young in their walk with Jesus. Not everyone can detect nuances in speech and written words to discern when one is musing, giving sage advice as opposed to laying down a law or doctrine to be followed. So, I will take your advice and try to be more distinct in identifying that what I am writing is my viewpoint or is advice.
Hello again Gigi , giving sage advice is fine by me , especially if u have tried and tested it before u give it . I feel that we need to remember the newbies on here , some of whom may b looking to this site for guidance and may take our words as gospel . It did seem to me that u were not just expounding on the ten commandments but actually adding to the laws of Moses .Not a good idea for many reasons that I'm sure I don't need to explain to an intelligent lady like yourself . Sound advice is good , I think it's a good idea that we make sure that our advice is just that , and not biblical doctrine , and that we make such things clear in our posts , for the sake of the newbies . Glad to c u back on here regularly .
Hi Grae, good to hear from you. I was not laying down any kind of law or requirement in my statement. It is just sage advice. so chill, not meaning to offend anyone. I have no problem interacting with Muslim people. I always hope to have an opportunity to share about Jesus with them. But if that doesn't happen, that's o.k. I must say that I have not had contact with very many Muslim people.
Grae, I hope you are doing well. I don't know if you are married or not. I have been married for almost 43 years. I live by the sage advice I wrote in my post. I am not saying that it is wrong to be alone with someone of the opposite sex as a married person, I am meaning that if one is to be alone with another in such a scenario, one should be very careful not only of their own words, gestures, and behaviors so as to not give off any unwanted indications of being interested in adultery, but one should be very observant of the other person, being aware of any cues they give off that they may have an interest in adultery. Also, one needs to consider one's spouse, who may not be comfortable with their spouse meeting alone with someone of the opposite sex. Is it o.k. to go ahead and make a habit of doing this it would cause discord in a marriage? I think it is unwise to do so.
We are to have pureness in our relationships with anyone. And guarding one's marriage is a good thing to do, in my opinion. But, I am interested in knowing more of your thinking on this. So, I welcome your response.
We should not keep company alone with some one who isn't our spouse (opposite sex) Hello Gigi , I have a couple of friends who r muslims , once they gave up trying to convert me we have learned to accept each other as friends . I don't know if u r aware but not being alone with opposite sex that isn't a close relation is actually part of muslim , or sharia as it's called , law . That's not for me . As far as we can tell ,Jesus was alone with the Samaritan woman at the well .
The rest of the chapter speaks about how to build an altar, offer sacrifices, and warns against making anything manmade for worship, whether it is an idol or a graven altar. Both are not allowed ever. The last command is to not have steps to ascend to an altar because this may expose the priest's nakedness. So, altars are to be ground level, priests are to dress modestly so that they are not exposed in approaching God for their duties. I like this idea of having our worship, worship aids, and attire be "down to earth" level. I think that we are to be humble and not fancy, not showy, not immodest, not ornamented, when we worship, whether we lead worship or lift our worship up in the congregation. Our worship should be lifted up, not ourselves, our altar (our heart), our skills to create fancy things.
The last commandment is concerning covetness. This is a "thought" sin. It is desiring in our hearts to have what rightfully belongs to another. We are not to scheme ways to acquire such things or person by deceit or wrong dealings. We are to not be envious of others or jealous of what they have, thinking that they should surely be made to share their wealth with others. (It is up to the wealthy to decide what to do with their wealth, not us or the government.) It is to think snarkily about others who are prospering. It is to encroach on a property line inch by inch. There are so many ways to covet. It begins in our minds and then moves to scheming to find ways to obtain what they have and then acting on these schemes. We get to keep what we have earned and worked for and others get to do the same with their own property, wealth, family, and "stuff" (even job position, if you work with someone-even a promotion or honor given to another).
These are the 10 commandments. These are not the whole of the Law God gives to the Israelites, but it is the basic tenets that keep a society civil and moral. If God had said, "Love God and love your neighbor" without spelling it out as He did, people would redefine this in so many nefarious ways, allowing for multitudes of sinful ways to be seen as o.k.
Jesus later takes theses commandments down to even a finer detail in the Sermon on the Mount.
Well, the people saw all of the thunderings of the trumpets and lightning flashes and the mountain smoking. They trembled and drew farther back away from the base of the mountain, telling Moses to have God speak to him, not to them, fearing they will die if God speaks directly to them. Moses tells them not to fear, for God has come to them to keep them from sinning. Moses then returns and draws near to the thickening darkness where God was. Are we willing to go into such a state as Moses did to be where God is and is ready to meet with us personally?
As a spouse, we are to love our spouse even when we don't "feel" like it. In such times we should pray for God to create a deeper love for our spouse than we currently possess. We should be willing to go the distance with our spouse, never giving a foothold for the devil to tempt us away from our commitment to him/her. We should guard what we see, hear, do as well as who we spend time with. We should not keep company alone with someone who is not our spouse (of the opposite sex). This is a doorway to temptation to adultery, whether physical or emotional.
The next one: You shall not steal (they neighbors wife/husband-for one). We are to be honest in our business dealings with others. Respect the business owner by paying fairly for goods and services. Don't excuse cheating someone out of what they are owed because "they are rich and can afford to have me steal this." Do not steal other people's time by not paying them for work done that you hired them to do. Also, don't steal away someone's opportunity to learn, such as disrupting class in school regularly. We are to value the time, effort, and skill of others and be willing to pay a fair compensation for these. We are to make proper use of office or work supplies, not taking some home for private us or mismanaging equipment for private use.
We are to do the work we are hired for with diligence, not be a loafer. We are to honor the hiring contract of our boss and work the specified hours without taking short cuts or doing sloppy work. This is stealing company time.
We are to keep from lying to or giving false information about someone else. We are to tell the truth. We should not withhold truthful information and so implicate another by ommission of information that can clear them. We are not to over-embelish the truth, exaggerate, or skew the information to make us look good. This commandments is mostly about testifying for or against another in court. But it applies to all areas of life.
The seventh day is to be reserved for rest from work. Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. God did not need to rest. He has no need for the Sabbath, but man needs such rest and time to focus on rejuvenating his strength and refocusing his life onto God. God refers back to the order of creation from Genesis and the establishment of the seventh day rest for the first time in history.
Honor thy father and mother. This command comes with a promise of long life in the land God brings them to. We are to obey our parents as children as unto the LORD. (as if we are obeying God). But honoring them is an additional matter. We honor them by speaking well of them to others, by being grateful to them, by taking care of them as they age, and remembering them with respect after their passing.
Then we come to the prohibition against murder. This is not referring to self-defense nor to war. But it is about the preserving of life as much as we are able to do. It means we do not do anything to do harm to another's body/health/ or life. WE do not do anything to hasten the death of another. We do not actively do anything that will end a life. We recognize that each person is made in the image of God and therefore worth preserving and upholding. This commandment is all about loving others. It is about respecting others and refusing to dehumanize anyone no matter if they are in the womb, very impaired, or very aged. It means that we recognize that all life comes from God and He alone is the one to determine when a life begins and when a life will end.
Next, we come to adultery. This command covers all sexual sins. It limits sexual expression to marriage between one man and one woman. Anything done sexually outside of marriage is sinful and harmful to those engaging in it. it defiles the marriage bed, whether this exists to the person at present or is in the future. As a married person, we are to honor our spouse all of our life.
God goes on to warn that He is a jealous God. This is saying He claims the Israelites as His own people; they need to claim Him as their only God. He has every right to claim them and to set them apart for His glory. He warns them that the iniquities of those before him will be visited upon their future generations if they come to hate Him by worshipping other gods. This is interesting. The Bible is clear that each person is guilty of their own sins, not those of others. So what does He mean by this? I think it means that breaking these first commands concerning worshipping Him alone without images will be hard to break from the practice of their families coming after them. It will have a devastating effect on their future generations. It is difficult to undo such sin in ones family line. Tradition is hard to break.
But to those who stay true to Him, He will bless them with mercy upon mercy, time and time again. Those who love Him and keep His commandments will be favored by God. Jesus is the only one who kept these commandments perfectly. He was the Beloved Son in Whom the Father is well pleased.
The next command is to not take the LORD's name in vain. Not only does this address using the LORD's name in a cursing way, but also in a flippant way, or as an expression of surprise or shock, as is common in our society today. We should always use our God's name reverently and with sincerity. If we call on Jesus to help us, we do so in faith. If we exclaim in wonder using the LORD's name, we should be sure that we are honestly praising Him. I think that being a guard over our speech is very important. It is a witness to others concerning our value of our God and our commitment to Him and His ways. Jesus never said an idle word, a wrongly applied word, an unnecessary word. May we also, keep a close watch over our conversations.
The next command concerns the keeping of the Sabbath. It is to be taken after six days of work.
This is the chapter where God gives the Israelites the 10 commandments for the first time. First of all, Verse one says that God SPOKE all of these words of the commandments. These commands did not come from the mind of men, but rom the wisdom and perfect will of God. He didn't impress onto Moses' mind to inspire Moses to write these commands. God TOLD Moses audibly. It think this is significant. God wanted to make it plain that it was Him and Him alone who determined these commandments. And since He is the originator of these commands and the true God, He alone has the right to demand obedience to them.
He clearly states that He is THE LORD (the Supreme One) who brought the Israelites out of Egypt. It was he Who performed the great miracles and deliverance for the people, not Moses. Moses was His instrument that He worked through. We should always remember that it is God Who is at work in us to do His will and works. God brought them out of bondage. They are now free, but this freedom must be used to obey God and serve Him alone. Verse 3 commands that the Israelites are to refuse to accept any other gods but Himself. They were familiar with the many gods of Egypt and will encounter the polytheism of the Canaanites soon enough. In our society today we are being pressed to "accept" the religious beliefs and practices of non-Christians as being "on par' with Christianity. We are to not compromise on this! Not tolerate, nor accept anything pagan.
Verse 4 absolutely prohibits the manufacture of any graven image to be used as an idol in worship, even if it is an "image" for Himself. They are not to carve or mold anything in the likeness of any created thing, either of heaven or of earth. So, this leaves out images of angels, animals, ancestors, idealized humans, hybrid creatures, or any image of the imagination. We are to not give any form of worship to such things, whether bowing down, setting up in a niche. NO, NO, NO! NEVER
You are conflicting 2 different seeds; Psalms 82:6 does not mean we are GODS but we all belong to GOD. All souls belong to GOD; Ezekiel 18:4
Luke 8:11 Is a parable; and a very different seed=Gr. sporos (seed planting eg) where our English word spores come from. Seed of Abraham Romans 11:1 is Gr. sperma
Amen ELB...GBU....I will MULTIPLY thy seed as the stars of Heaven...And that was the only Promise where God swore by himself.
Gen 22 : 16 - 18 kjv...Thus Christ will be multiplied as the stars of heaven...And thats y the sower will go forth to sow his SEED in HUMANITY....Resulting in our heavenly birth...Thus that New COVENANT....
......She brought forth a man Child Rev. 12 : 5 ...The Child is the result of that GOOD SEED which is the H.G. that Child of PROMISE....The multiplication of very GOD IN HUMANITY....That good seed is Spirit the LIVING Word thus the WHEAT IS THE H.G
..That Child of PROMISE....Behold i send the PROMISE of my Father upon you which was the H.G. the multiplication of very GOD IN HUMANITY.....That which is born of the spirit is spirit a baby Christ the H.G...She brought forth a man Child a baby Christ the H.G.....Thanks Bro. Earl...GBU Exceedingly in Jesus NAME
"One who intervenes between two persons who are at variance, with" a view to reconcile them. This word is not found in the Old "Testament; but the idea it expresses is found in Job 9:33, in" "the word "daysman" (q.v.), marg., "umpire." "This word is used in the New Testament to denote simply an "internuncius, an ambassador, one who acts as a medium of" communication between two contracting parties. In this sense Moses is called a mediator in Gal. 3:19. "Christ is the ONE AND ONLY mediator between God and man ( 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). He makes reconciliation between God and man by his all-perfect atoning sacrifice. Such a mediator "must be at once divine and human, divine, that his obedience and" "his sufferings might possess infinite worth, and that he might" possess infinite wisdom and knowlege and power to direct all things in the kingdoms of providence and grace which are "committed to his hands ( Matt. 28:18; John 5:22, 25, 26, 27); and" "human, that in his work he might represent man, and be capable" of rendering obedience to the law and satisfying the claims of "justice ( Heb. 2:17, 18; 4:15, 16), and that in his glorified" humanity he might be the head of a glorified Church ( Rom. 8:29). "This office involves the three functions of prophet, priest, and "king, all of which are discharged BY JESUS both in his estate" of humiliation and exaltation. These functions are so inherent in the one office that the quality appertaining to each gives character to every mediatorial act. They are never separated in the exercise of the office of MEDIATOR
Galatians 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, but it (the inheritance) is no more of PROMISE, but God gave it to Abraham by PROMISE.
We have to know what this PROMISE is.
The PROMISE was A SEED.
Luke 8:11 ....THE SEED .....is THE WORD OF GOD.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the WORD (THE SEED), and the WORD (THE SEED) was with God, and the WORD (THE SEED) was God.
Now we know Christ is the SEED, but Christ is also the ANGEL of the Lord; therefore HIS SEED, those born of GOD will also be an angel, because we have become ONE.
Ephesians 2:15 ....for to make IN HIMSELF ONE NEW MAN.
Isaiah 63:9 ....and the ANGEL of HIS (the Father, SPIRIT) presence SAVED THEM.
Christ is the ANGEL.
A SEED always duplicates itself, wheat seed always makes wheat seed, it's a LAW of GOD.
When Christ the SEED is planted in you; at maturity you will be the exact same SEED: two; you and Christ, become ONE.
Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added for transgressions, till THE SEED (the WORD, Christ); could come to whom the promise was made; and it (the SEED) was ordained by angels (THE SEED of the SEED) in the hand of a mediator.
1 Timothy 2:5 For the is ONE GOD (ONE SEED), and ONE MEDIATOR, between God and MEN; the MAN Jesus Christ (the SEED).
Psalms 82:6 I (the WORD, the SEED) have said ye are gods (SEED made like the SEED planted), all of you are the children of the most HIGH (the SEED).
THE SEED IS ETERNAL LIFE.
1 Timothy 6:16, ...who (the SEED) only hath immortality, dwelling in the light ....
Yeah; I'm stumped on that one verse as well; can't seem to find commentary on it. I can think of when the angels enforced judgment more frequently as a role. I suppose conceivably they could have somehow explained it while God Himself; say carved it into the stone. Hope to find a response to this. Hebrews 2:2 seems also to show angels involved here. See also Job 33:22-26 in regard to an angel proclaiming the ransom (i.e. Christ); and a man arestored to God. Also we have Acts 7:53 which seems to state the same thing. I guess these cross references are enough to show a pattern; the important thing is to remember angels of God can only do His bidding. This is one role I wasn't familiar with until now.
What does Paul mean in Galatians 3:19 when he says the law was given by angels to Moses, when we read in Exodus that God gave Moses the 10 commandments? Is there not a contradiction as God spoke to Moses but Paul says the law was given by angels to Moses, the mediator?
Hello David. I think your question can best be answered by Jesus Who dealt with this same enquiry by a Jewish lawyer: Luke 10:25-37.
Other passages in the Bible that speak of 'neighbour', generally referred to those in one's own community, as that was what Israel was mostly concerned with. All others were Gentiles to whom Israel had no close dealings with. Unfortunately, they did sin by integrating often with them (idolatry, inter-marriage, slaves, etc.), but the idea of neighbourliness was generally confined to their community or tribe.
Therefore, Jesus' illustration is an apt example of who our neighbour is; not just in our neighbourhood or those we know, but includes all others who come across our life's path. Therefore, I could covet someone else's possessions (or bear false witness against him) even if he only came briefly into my physical view or brought to my knowledge.
Sorry, but water baptism IS most certainly in the new testament. It is about water baptism AND being spirit filled w the Holy Ghost, as we live a holy life for Christ with love.
John 3:3-5 & Matthew 28:19 is fulfilled in Acts 2:38.
From what I know, one can marry a Catholic and not be required to become a Catholic. This happens all of the time. The matter is that of whether the marriage is considered am approved "Catholic" marriage or not, and this varies from priest to priest, or from bishop to bishop in this denomination.
Also on what you said concerning the commitment of Catholics to true faith, while this is often the case, this is also true of people in other denominations. There are devote and sincere believers in all denominations. And there are those in every denomination who are what is often termed "nominal" or in name only.
A person who is sincerely committed to Jesus should seek to marry someone who is also so. But thinking of the age at which most people marry, both people usually are somewhat immature in life and in faith. So, we marry whom we have chosen and mature in Christ and life together.
Spiritual reality and religion do not mix .
If you do it is the spiritual reality that is lost for you have married contrary to the will of God .
How can two walk together unless they agree ?
In marrying them what are you agreeing to ?
God is omnipotent and omnipresent
He loves us so much! ( John 3:16)
Do you mean a christian Catholic or just somebody who has the name "christian" but doesn't practise a christian life? Is the other person saved or not? The problem is not marrying to a christian from any another church but marrying to somebody who is christian as a custom (because their parents were and baptized them when babies) but doesn't really believe in Jesus, their lives show no real faith, no change, no fruit. And Catholics are ususally like that (but not always).
Anyway a marriage between a believer and a non believer(I am putting a question mark on that) may be a big problem. How can two different lives, beliefs, practises be compromised together? A common life has to rely on some standards, some common rules etc. What are those going to be? Somewhere in between? Can the light be compromised with darkness, purity with sin, truth with lie? Such unions often lead to difficult situations. You will want to go to the church and she will want to go to a club, you will wish to hear christian music and she will want to watch some worldly sinful moovies, you will not say lies but she will do that. What will the rules that you will raise your kids with? You may believe that you will attract her to the real faith but often the opposite occurs. Sin is powerful and if you are not careful then you may find yourself in a big big trouble. Now if she is a believer but the Catholic way then things are better ...
The above are general things, it is you who knows the other person and know what to expect from her. Why don't you ask for God's advice, ask for His guidance. He knows better than our heart. Pray to God and if you are in a church consult your pastor, the elders etc. especially those who know that other person and can tell you a few things.
(I think that if you want to be married in a Catholic church then you must become a Catholic yourself and be baptized in water in the Catholic church, but I am not so sure about that)
GBU
This happens very often.
And when this altar is built, it must be built from naturally found stone & not shaped or cut in any way (v25). God has deemed that if any tool is used on the stones of the altar, it will be considered polluted & hence rejected. I think these observances show that man must do nothing of himself in coming to worship God & be acceptable to Him - but to obey God & use those materials & animals that God alone has produced to be used.
In verse 26, we read that there should not be steps, or a stairway, to the top of the altar. It is understood that because of the nature of the clothing, before breeches were introduced, the priest might subject himself to exposure & immodesty. And it is possible that the construction of the steps, by virtue of the altar position, may have subjected him to such view, whereas in later constructions of the altar, the climb was more gradual, even though it was much higher at ten cubits. Maybe others may you give different views on these verses.
Grae, I hope you are doing well. I don't know if you are married or not. I have been married for almost 43 years. I live by the sage advice I wrote in my post. I am not saying that it is wrong to be alone with someone of the opposite sex as a married person, I am meaning that if one is to be alone with another in such a scenario, one should be very careful not only of their own words, gestures, and behaviors so as to not give off any unwanted indications of being interested in adultery, but one should be very observant of the other person, being aware of any cues they give off that they may have an interest in adultery. Also, one needs to consider one's spouse, who may not be comfortable with their spouse meeting alone with someone of the opposite sex. Is it o.k. to go ahead and make a habit of doing this it would cause discord in a marriage? I think it is unwise to do so.
We are to have pureness in our relationships with anyone. And guarding one's marriage is a good thing to do, in my opinion. But, I am interested in knowing more of your thinking on this. So, I welcome your response.
The rest of the chapter speaks about how to build an altar, offer sacrifices, and warns against making anything manmade for worship, whether it is an idol or a graven altar. Both are not allowed ever. The last command is to not have steps to ascend to an altar because this may expose the priest's nakedness. So, altars are to be ground level, priests are to dress modestly so that they are not exposed in approaching God for their duties. I like this idea of having our worship, worship aids, and attire be "down to earth" level. I think that we are to be humble and not fancy, not showy, not immodest, not ornamented, when we worship, whether we lead worship or lift our worship up in the congregation. Our worship should be lifted up, not ourselves, our altar (our heart), our skills to create fancy things.
The last commandment is concerning covetness. This is a "thought" sin. It is desiring in our hearts to have what rightfully belongs to another. We are not to scheme ways to acquire such things or person by deceit or wrong dealings. We are to not be envious of others or jealous of what they have, thinking that they should surely be made to share their wealth with others. (It is up to the wealthy to decide what to do with their wealth, not us or the government.) It is to think snarkily about others who are prospering. It is to encroach on a property line inch by inch. There are so many ways to covet. It begins in our minds and then moves to scheming to find ways to obtain what they have and then acting on these schemes. We get to keep what we have earned and worked for and others get to do the same with their own property, wealth, family, and "stuff" (even job position, if you work with someone-even a promotion or honor given to another).
These are the 10 commandments. These are not the whole of the Law God gives to the Israelites, but it is the basic tenets that keep a society civil and moral. If God had said, "Love God and love your neighbor" without spelling it out as He did, people would redefine this in so many nefarious ways, allowing for multitudes of sinful ways to be seen as o.k.
Jesus later takes theses commandments down to even a finer detail in the Sermon on the Mount.
Well, the people saw all of the thunderings of the trumpets and lightning flashes and the mountain smoking. They trembled and drew farther back away from the base of the mountain, telling Moses to have God speak to him, not to them, fearing they will die if God speaks directly to them. Moses tells them not to fear, for God has come to them to keep them from sinning. Moses then returns and draws near to the thickening darkness where God was. Are we willing to go into such a state as Moses did to be where God is and is ready to meet with us personally?
As a spouse, we are to love our spouse even when we don't "feel" like it. In such times we should pray for God to create a deeper love for our spouse than we currently possess. We should be willing to go the distance with our spouse, never giving a foothold for the devil to tempt us away from our commitment to him/her. We should guard what we see, hear, do as well as who we spend time with. We should not keep company alone with someone who is not our spouse (of the opposite sex). This is a doorway to temptation to adultery, whether physical or emotional.
The next one: You shall not steal (they neighbors wife/husband-for one). We are to be honest in our business dealings with others. Respect the business owner by paying fairly for goods and services. Don't excuse cheating someone out of what they are owed because "they are rich and can afford to have me steal this." Do not steal other people's time by not paying them for work done that you hired them to do. Also, don't steal away someone's opportunity to learn, such as disrupting class in school regularly. We are to value the time, effort, and skill of others and be willing to pay a fair compensation for these. We are to make proper use of office or work supplies, not taking some home for private us or mismanaging equipment for private use.
We are to do the work we are hired for with diligence, not be a loafer. We are to honor the hiring contract of our boss and work the specified hours without taking short cuts or doing sloppy work. This is stealing company time.
We are to keep from lying to or giving false information about someone else. We are to tell the truth. We should not withhold truthful information and so implicate another by ommission of information that can clear them. We are not to over-embelish the truth, exaggerate, or skew the information to make us look good. This commandments is mostly about testifying for or against another in court. But it applies to all areas of life.
The seventh day is to be reserved for rest from work. Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. God did not need to rest. He has no need for the Sabbath, but man needs such rest and time to focus on rejuvenating his strength and refocusing his life onto God. God refers back to the order of creation from Genesis and the establishment of the seventh day rest for the first time in history.
Honor thy father and mother. This command comes with a promise of long life in the land God brings them to. We are to obey our parents as children as unto the LORD. (as if we are obeying God). But honoring them is an additional matter. We honor them by speaking well of them to others, by being grateful to them, by taking care of them as they age, and remembering them with respect after their passing.
Then we come to the prohibition against murder. This is not referring to self-defense nor to war. But it is about the preserving of life as much as we are able to do. It means we do not do anything to do harm to another's body/health/ or life. WE do not do anything to hasten the death of another. We do not actively do anything that will end a life. We recognize that each person is made in the image of God and therefore worth preserving and upholding. This commandment is all about loving others. It is about respecting others and refusing to dehumanize anyone no matter if they are in the womb, very impaired, or very aged. It means that we recognize that all life comes from God and He alone is the one to determine when a life begins and when a life will end.
Next, we come to adultery. This command covers all sexual sins. It limits sexual expression to marriage between one man and one woman. Anything done sexually outside of marriage is sinful and harmful to those engaging in it. it defiles the marriage bed, whether this exists to the person at present or is in the future. As a married person, we are to honor our spouse all of our life.
God goes on to warn that He is a jealous God. This is saying He claims the Israelites as His own people; they need to claim Him as their only God. He has every right to claim them and to set them apart for His glory. He warns them that the iniquities of those before him will be visited upon their future generations if they come to hate Him by worshipping other gods. This is interesting. The Bible is clear that each person is guilty of their own sins, not those of others. So what does He mean by this? I think it means that breaking these first commands concerning worshipping Him alone without images will be hard to break from the practice of their families coming after them. It will have a devastating effect on their future generations. It is difficult to undo such sin in ones family line. Tradition is hard to break.
But to those who stay true to Him, He will bless them with mercy upon mercy, time and time again. Those who love Him and keep His commandments will be favored by God. Jesus is the only one who kept these commandments perfectly. He was the Beloved Son in Whom the Father is well pleased.
The next command is to not take the LORD's name in vain. Not only does this address using the LORD's name in a cursing way, but also in a flippant way, or as an expression of surprise or shock, as is common in our society today. We should always use our God's name reverently and with sincerity. If we call on Jesus to help us, we do so in faith. If we exclaim in wonder using the LORD's name, we should be sure that we are honestly praising Him. I think that being a guard over our speech is very important. It is a witness to others concerning our value of our God and our commitment to Him and His ways. Jesus never said an idle word, a wrongly applied word, an unnecessary word. May we also, keep a close watch over our conversations.
The next command concerns the keeping of the Sabbath. It is to be taken after six days of work.
This is the chapter where God gives the Israelites the 10 commandments for the first time. First of all, Verse one says that God SPOKE all of these words of the commandments. These commands did not come from the mind of men, but rom the wisdom and perfect will of God. He didn't impress onto Moses' mind to inspire Moses to write these commands. God TOLD Moses audibly. It think this is significant. God wanted to make it plain that it was Him and Him alone who determined these commandments. And since He is the originator of these commands and the true God, He alone has the right to demand obedience to them.
He clearly states that He is THE LORD (the Supreme One) who brought the Israelites out of Egypt. It was he Who performed the great miracles and deliverance for the people, not Moses. Moses was His instrument that He worked through. We should always remember that it is God Who is at work in us to do His will and works. God brought them out of bondage. They are now free, but this freedom must be used to obey God and serve Him alone. Verse 3 commands that the Israelites are to refuse to accept any other gods but Himself. They were familiar with the many gods of Egypt and will encounter the polytheism of the Canaanites soon enough. In our society today we are being pressed to "accept" the religious beliefs and practices of non-Christians as being "on par' with Christianity. We are to not compromise on this! Not tolerate, nor accept anything pagan.
Verse 4 absolutely prohibits the manufacture of any graven image to be used as an idol in worship, even if it is an "image" for Himself. They are not to carve or mold anything in the likeness of any created thing, either of heaven or of earth. So, this leaves out images of angels, animals, ancestors, idealized humans, hybrid creatures, or any image of the imagination. We are to not give any form of worship to such things, whether bowing down, setting up in a niche. NO, NO, NO! NEVER
Luke 8:11 Is a parable; and a very different seed=Gr. sporos (seed planting eg) where our English word spores come from. Seed of Abraham Romans 11:1 is Gr. sperma
Gen 22 : 16 - 18 kjv...Thus Christ will be multiplied as the stars of heaven...And thats y the sower will go forth to sow his SEED in HUMANITY....Resulting in our heavenly birth...Thus that New COVENANT....
......She brought forth a man Child Rev. 12 : 5 ...The Child is the result of that GOOD SEED which is the H.G. that Child of PROMISE....The multiplication of very GOD IN HUMANITY....That good seed is Spirit the LIVING Word thus the WHEAT IS THE H.G
..That Child of PROMISE....Behold i send the PROMISE of my Father upon you which was the H.G. the multiplication of very GOD IN HUMANITY.....That which is born of the spirit is spirit a baby Christ the H.G...She brought forth a man Child a baby Christ the H.G.....Thanks Bro. Earl...GBU Exceedingly in Jesus NAME
Mediator
"One who intervenes between two persons who are at variance, with" a view to reconcile them. This word is not found in the Old "Testament; but the idea it expresses is found in Job 9:33, in" "the word "daysman" (q.v.), marg., "umpire." "This word is used in the New Testament to denote simply an "internuncius, an ambassador, one who acts as a medium of" communication between two contracting parties. In this sense Moses is called a mediator in Gal. 3:19. "Christ is the ONE AND ONLY mediator between God and man ( 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). He makes reconciliation between God and man by his all-perfect atoning sacrifice. Such a mediator "must be at once divine and human, divine, that his obedience and" "his sufferings might possess infinite worth, and that he might" possess infinite wisdom and knowlege and power to direct all things in the kingdoms of providence and grace which are "committed to his hands ( Matt. 28:18; John 5:22, 25, 26, 27); and" "human, that in his work he might represent man, and be capable" of rendering obedience to the law and satisfying the claims of "justice ( Heb. 2:17, 18; 4:15, 16), and that in his glorified" humanity he might be the head of a glorified Church ( Rom. 8:29). "This office involves the three functions of prophet, priest, and "king, all of which are discharged BY JESUS both in his estate" of humiliation and exaltation. These functions are so inherent in the one office that the quality appertaining to each gives character to every mediatorial act. They are never separated in the exercise of the office of MEDIATOR
Galatians 3:18 For if the inheritance be of the law, but it (the inheritance) is no more of PROMISE, but God gave it to Abraham by PROMISE.
We have to know what this PROMISE is.
The PROMISE was A SEED.
Luke 8:11 ....THE SEED .....is THE WORD OF GOD.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the WORD (THE SEED), and the WORD (THE SEED) was with God, and the WORD (THE SEED) was God.
Now we know Christ is the SEED, but Christ is also the ANGEL of the Lord; therefore HIS SEED, those born of GOD will also be an angel, because we have become ONE.
Ephesians 2:15 ....for to make IN HIMSELF ONE NEW MAN.
Isaiah 63:9 ....and the ANGEL of HIS (the Father, SPIRIT) presence SAVED THEM.
Christ is the ANGEL.
A SEED always duplicates itself, wheat seed always makes wheat seed, it's a LAW of GOD.
When Christ the SEED is planted in you; at maturity you will be the exact same SEED: two; you and Christ, become ONE.
Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added for transgressions, till THE SEED (the WORD, Christ); could come to whom the promise was made; and it (the SEED) was ordained by angels (THE SEED of the SEED) in the hand of a mediator.
1 Timothy 2:5 For the is ONE GOD (ONE SEED), and ONE MEDIATOR, between God and MEN; the MAN Jesus Christ (the SEED).
Psalms 82:6 I (the WORD, the SEED) have said ye are gods (SEED made like the SEED planted), all of you are the children of the most HIGH (the SEED).
THE SEED IS ETERNAL LIFE.
1 Timothy 6:16, ...who (the SEED) only hath immortality, dwelling in the light ....
God Bless YOU!
Great question. Agape.. Rich P.
Other passages in the Bible that speak of 'neighbour', generally referred to those in one's own community, as that was what Israel was mostly concerned with. All others were Gentiles to whom Israel had no close dealings with. Unfortunately, they did sin by integrating often with them (idolatry, inter-marriage, slaves, etc.), but the idea of neighbourliness was generally confined to their community or tribe.
Therefore, Jesus' illustration is an apt example of who our neighbour is; not just in our neighbourhood or those we know, but includes all others who come across our life's path. Therefore, I could covet someone else's possessions (or bear false witness against him) even if he only came briefly into my physical view or brought to my knowledge.