"Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother."
Mark 10:19
Part 2
Yesterday:
“Thou knowest the commandments,”
Jesus was showing this young man his need for the Savior by pointing him to the Law. The young man seemed to believe that getting salvation was like earning a merit badge, just do the right things, and it’s yours! Jesus was helping him see the truth.
Today:
The commandments Jesus pointed to the rich young man are just as valid for us today. These all show us our failure to be able to live up to God’s standard on our own. We can’t get to heaven by doing, we need a relationship with God by believing. Here’s what these commandments mean.
“Do not commit adultery,”
The seventh commandment:
“Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).
The Bible (and Jesus) teaches that all sex (action) outside of a marriage relationship with one’s spouse is sin, no exceptions, no justification. Jesus takes the idea a step further when He taught, “to lust after a woman” (in thought) is to be guilty of adultery.
“Do not kill,”
The sixth commandment:
“Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13).
“Thou shalt do no murder.” The Bible makes a distinction between murder and killing. Killing is sometimes necessary, but murder is not allowed. Hatred and anger are at the heart of murder.
“As opposed to killing, murder is the taking of life without legal justification (execution after due process) or moral justification (killing in defense)” (Guzik).
“Do not steal,”
The eighth commandment:
“Thou shalt not steal” (Exodus 20:15).
God established the right of an individual to own property. That property may not be taken from him without his being willing to part with it, the exception being due process of Law. A thief takes what does not belong to him, violating the principle of God’s provision, “give us this day our daily bread.” To steal is to say, “God does not provide what I need, therefore I will take it.”
Are these areas of sin for you? If so, the Lord can forgive, and He can give you grace to help you overcome these sins.
Come back tomorrow, and we will look at being a false witness and covetousness.
1. Guzik, David, David Guzik’s Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.