Something is Broken

We live in a dark and fallen world. There is no denying—as we consider the news, conflicts in our relationships, and even our private thoughts—that something is wrong. It is folly, moreover, when one pretends not to be a part of the problem; for we all crave things that we shouldn’t, say things that we shouldn’t, and do things that we shouldn’t. Our tempers flare, we lack self-control over our desires, and we fail to treat other people as God’s image-bearers. Some of us do better than others, but God created us to reflect His glory perfectly, and none of us can say—if we are honest with ourselves—that we have lived up to this standard.

And yet almost all of us believe that if we do our best we will go to a better place when we die. Most of us, if we believe in God, imagine that He will place our good deeds on one side of a scale and our bad deeds on the other; and if our good deeds outweigh our bad   we will be granted eternal life. But this is contrary to what is taught in the Scriptures.  

Moreover, although we desire a better place, we don’t desire  the glorious God who resides in that place . And so we not only have the means wrong but the end. The goal is not just living beyond death, but  living with the fullness of joy that comes from knowing God . As we read in the Gospel of John: “This is the eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent“ (17:3).

The Bar We Must Reach

The 10 Commandments are the standard God gave by which we will be judged. B ut contrary to popular belief, these were not given in order to instruct us how to work our way to heaven, but to show us that  we are not as good as we think we are and therefore need a Savior . They were not given that we might prove ourselves worthy, but rather to point us to our need for God's mercy. 

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul called these commandments “in letters engraved on stones” a “ministry of death” and a “ministry of condemnation” (3:7, 9)—because they reveal that we do not truly love as God loves, that we fall far short of His perfection, and that we deserve His just punishment. For this reason, Paul wrote in his epistle to the Romans:

“Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God; because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin”  (3:19-20). 

Test Yourself: Theft 

Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at a few of these commandments. The eighth is simple enough: 

“You shall not steal” (Exod. 20:15). 

Have you ever stolen anything? 

• Shoplifted? 
• Taken a buck or two out of your mom’s purse? 
• Cheated on your taxes? 
• Shown up late for work and taken pay for the time you missed? 
• Failed to pay on a debt? 
• Kept quiet about a mischarge in your favor at the cash register? 
• Infringed on a copyright by burning a friend's CD? 

All of these are forms of disobedience to this commandment. You don’t have to be a robber by trade to be a thief. All you need to do is take one thing that isn't rightfully yours or borrow something that you don't return. And if you really want to get to the heart of the matter, you only have to jump to the 10th commandment: “You shall not covet…”  (20:17). You are already guilty of breaking God’s law if you’ve yearned for what belongs to someone else.

Test Yourself: Adultery

Now let's consider the seventh commandment:

“You shall not commit adultery” (Exod.20:14).

Many of us can rightly say that we have not done this outright. But Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, said that this—like theft—is also a matter of the heart. He warned:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matt. 5:27-30).

Have you ever looked with lust at someone who was not your spouse?

Though Jesus was not inferring in this passage that we should take him literally and mutilate ourselves, it is clear that He is serious about the gravity of this sin . Sex in its proper place is a good gift given by God to man, but He demands that it only be enjoyed between one man and one woman within the bond of marriage: a lifelong formal commitment  to give oneself only to a spouse . Anything other than this, even within one's thought life, falls short of the devotion that God intended between husband and wife.

Test Yourself: Murder

N ext, let's consider the sixth commandment:

“You shall not murder” (Exod.20:13).

Again, as with adultery, Jesus raised the standard above the literal command:

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell” (Matt. 5:21-22).

Have you ever been angry with someone? Or belittled someone?

This is what obedience to God's standard looks like in His courtroom. As the apostle John similarly wrote: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15). While the Scriptures do give some warrant for anger in cases such as societal injustice, man's anger is so apt to tend toward sin that we are warned to be slow to it (James 1:19) and not to carry it long (Eph. 4:26).

Furthermore, we're to forgive all personal offenses (Matt.6:14-15). Well, you might say, you don’t know what so and so did to me . Such and such doesn't deserve my forgiveness. Surely, Jesus intended that there be exceptions. But again, as we look to Jesus, we find the bar raised far above this:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AND HATE YOUR ENEMY.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”  (Matt. 5:43-48).

God's Provision of Mercy

Is God's standard really perfection?  Yes.   And we haven't even considered: lying, dishonoring parents, or using God's name irreverently or as an  expression of disgust—not to mention the rest of the commandments. God's standard is perfect obedience , and this is bad news.  But fortunately for us, t he word Gospel means  good news.  

 The Gospel is  good news  because it   tells of God's means of mercy, and how it is that through His mercy we can be restored to a right relationship with Him:  

• Because God is Holy, sin hides His face from us.
• Because God is just, He must punish all sin.
• But because God is love, He provided a way for men to be forgiven of sin  without compromising His justice. He  poured out His wrath on a willing and sinless substitute: His son Jesus Christ on the cross.
• Because of what Jesus did, all who repent and trust in this  good news  will be saved.

Every sin will receive a just punishment (Heb. 2:2). For each one of us, our sin will be punished either in hell or on Christ. Those of us who have been who have trusted in Christ will enjoy God's presence forever. The question is, where do you stand? If you were to die today, are you sure you would you go to heaven? Have you repented of your sin and received the salvation that God provides through Jesus Christ? And are you fully trusting in what Jesus did? Or are you living in expectation that your good deeds will somehow give you a right standing before God? 

And most importantly, is God your greatest treasure?

 If you have questions and concerns regarding your salvation, we would be delighted to hear from you. You may reach us either by phone or through the  contact page  on this website.