It is likely that this article will be upsetting to many. It is likely that many will find my assertions offensive. But the topics of the Law of God and His wrath are necessary to address. So let me just begin and get to the point.
Even though society accepts and even encourages these things, in the eyes of God is it ever acceptable for someone to:
1). Hold what ever "god" chosen in highest regard? (1st commandment)
2). Worship anything or anyone we want? (2nd commandment)
3). Use God's name as a swear word or an exclamation or a trite phrase like, "OMG"? (3rd commandment)
4). Forego a sabbath rest and day of worship? (4th commandment)
5). Dishonor parents with rebellion, disrespect or disregard? (5th commandment)
6). Murder or hate someone? (6th commandment)
7). Commit adultery or cause another to commit adultery by way of fornication, divorcing and remarrying, lusting or causing another to lust? (7th commandment)
8). Steal, by way of theft, cheating in any way or failing to pay a debt that is owed? (8th commandment)
9). Lie or bear false witness for any reason including being deceptive? (9th commandment)
10). Covet, which means to want or desire anything that belongs to another including, beauty, talent, money, job, lifestyle, possessions, wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend, position in life, circumstances or anything else that has been given to another? (10th commandment)
The answer is, of course, no. God gave us His law and has written His moral code upon our hearts because these laws matter to Him. Even though society accepts and promotes the breaking of His laws, God has never given mankind the freedom to abandon them. In fact, Jesus said,
Matthew 5:17-20
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven."
Regarding Jesus' words, "unless your righteousness surpasses (exceeds) that of the pharisees...", Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary says;
"Christ's righteousness, imputed to us by faith alone, is needed by every one that enters the kingdom of grace or of glory; but the new creation of the heart to holiness, produces a thorough change in a man's temper and conduct."
By saying these words, Jesus proclaimed the importance of keeping hold of the Law as the pharisees did, yet at the same time, grasping the righteousness that comes by faith apart from the Law (something most pharisees failed to grasp). This righteousness is found in Christ alone, in the atoning sacrifice He became, in order to satisfy the wrath of God which is the due penalty for breaking one of the commandments He gave in even a small way, such as telling a "little white lie".
So now here comes the tough part;
Each of us must analyze what parts of God's law we've broken or continue to break and repent, which means to turn away from it and do it no longer.
The first command is most assuredly broken every time you break any of the rest because you fail to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strenth. The second, too, is being broken when someone creates a "god" in his mind that is accepting of any choice he makes to break one of the rest of the Ten Commandments.
For example, except for the allowances that God gave in Matthew 19:9 and 1 Corinthians 7:12-15, if I divorce my husband and marry someone else, claiming that my "god" permits and condones such things, then I've made a "god" in the image I prefer. In all actuality, God's word has never changed regarding this matter, even though society in general has accepted divorce and remarriage for any reason. In such a case, we must repent not only of breaking the seventh commandment, but also the first and second.
In the same way, if a person steals, he's broken not only the eighth commandment but also the tenth, the first and the second as well.
The Ten Commandments God gave us have not ever been set aside as though they no longer exist. Jesus said our righteousness must exceed that of the pharisees. Jesus in no way said that we have the freedom to negate to the commandments. In fact, Jesus expanded upon the commandments by explaining further that not only is adultery wrong, but lusting after someone makes us guilty of breaking that commandment. And not only is murder wrong, but hating another person makes us guilty of breaking the sixth commandment.
Most people would never say,
"Well, Jesus is forgiving, so it's alright if I steal or murder because He'll just forgive me. After all, we are not under the law anymore".
But, many try to dismiss the seventh commandment by using that exact same argument. In fact, most in society and even the church today do not have the same abhorrence for adultery that God still has. We've lost the sense of shame that at one time came with living outside of God's will. I'm not saying that people are responsible for "shaming" other people. I'm saying that in general, people do not even believe that what they do is shameful in God's eyes. This is likely because they've made a "god" in their own image who is not offended by that particular sin.
So what can be done? When we examine ourselves according to what God has said is sin, and we come to realize we've been sinning, we must repent. That means we do not condone or excuse or justify the sin any longer and we stop doing it.
Can anyone be saved by ceasing to sin and keeping the Law? No! This is exactly what the pharisees missed! They grasped one aspect of the truth...but failed to grasp the other! We must cling to Christ's work on the cross while not changing the rules for holiness. If we dismiss God's rules, we dismiss the necessity of Christ. When in truth, we need Him every day to change our hearts and make us new. We need Him to create within us a new set of desires that would cause us to love His standard of holiness, not create a new standard of holiness that is attainable without Christ.
These things are difficult to accept. When our marriages become unhappy, it's easier to make a "god" in our own image that would accept and understand our desire to divorce. When we are lonely and we want intimacy, we want a "god" who will accept and approve our disobedience to His call to purity. When we feel deprived and wanting, we want a "god" who will commend our craftiness in attaining wealth by deceptive means. When we are wronged we want a "god" who is indifferent to our murderous thoughts. But this "god" does not exist except in the mind of the willful person. Rather, God has said that such things are wickedness and that His wrath is the due penalty for striving after our own wicked desires.
The wrath of God sounds extreme to the one who has misjudged His holy nature. But even God Himself was not willing to rewrite His standards of holiness (the Law) for the sake of saving His children! The magnitude of the wrath of God is evidence of the severity of the crime of offending His holiness. Extreme holiness warranted extreme wrath and was satisfied ONLY in the sacrifice of God's perfect Son. If breaking God's Law warranted such wrath, the same is true when we create a "god" who is accepting of our willful rewriting of His laws.
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