The Ten Commandments

“…I did not know sin, but by the law…”
ROMANS 7:7

PSALM 19:7 says “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul.” According to this verse, the Ten Commandments are perfect and converts men’s souls from their sin.

Therefore the Ten Commandments are very important in evangelism. Paul says that if it wasn’t for the law, he wouldn’t have even known what sin was.

I find it interesting that the law, as important as it must be, isn’t preached very often. Maybe because it makes us uncomfortable, makes us look at the dark side we don’t want anyone to know about.

We should feel uncomfortable, we have all done wrong; we have all broken the commandments. Conscience means “with knowledge”, and everything we do, is done with our knowledge. When we are convicted by God’s law of what is wrong, we can only stand there speechless. There isn’t anything we can say against God’s perfect law, in no way can we justify ourselves.

The First Commandment

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me”
EXODUS 20:3

God commands us to put Him first in our lives. Jesus said we should love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength (MARK 12:30). To the point that our love for our parents, siblings, spouse, and even our own lives should seem like hatred when compared to the love we have for God (LUKE 14:26).

No one can say they’ve kept the first commandment. It’s impossible to do without God’s help. I don’t naturally love God or put him first in my life. Until I trusted in Jesus, I despised Him, even if it was subconscious.

The Second Commandment

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them…”
EXODUS 20:4,5

God commands us to not form our own god or worship any of His creation. This is similar to the first commandment, but different in that God tells us not to make a graven image and call it God. Graven means both, to engrave something, and to fix in the mind. So, a graven image can be an engraved, or carved, piece of stone, wood, ect., or an idea of what God does or is like, that we form in our head.

I am guilty of breaking this commandment too. Thinking God is like this, or that, allowing my imagination to form what I thought God should be, not what he is. We know what God is like from the bible and no place else.