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T HE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
ing and no t retu rn ing , or dishonestly representing things. The n in th commandment forbids falsehood including p erju ry , slander, gossip and exaggeration. U n tru th fu l ness is a t least th e beginning of g reater sins, if, indeed, it is no t one of the g rea ter sins, itself. When H erbert Spencer was asked when society would be perfect, he replied, “When every one tells th e tru th .” Rev. 21 •8 • 22:15. The ten th commandment forbids covetousness. We are to be contented w ith w h at God has given us. If He saw th a t it would be well for us to have w hat we covet th a t is our neighbors, He would have given it to us. 1 Tim 6:16. HI- How to K eep God’s Haws. Love fulfills th e law, no t because of th e law, bu t because of th e love for th e Law Giver. When we love th e Lord our God, we keep H is laws and no t un til then. If we love God, no one will usurp H is place in our h ea rts; no idol will come between us and H im ; His nam e will be too precious to be used lightly; H is day spent in fellowship w ith H im will no t be allowed to be usurped by any one else; we will honor and love th e earth ly fath er, in whose home th e Heavenly F a th e r has placed us. If we love our neighbor, we will not tak e his life; we will no t b reak up his home; we will not deprive him of his rightful, goods; we will not lie about him , nor m isrepresent him ; we will not even covet things th a t are his. No wonder th a t our Lord summed up the whole law «in the two commandments given in Matthew 22:37, 38.
ch aracter of Almighty God and of His holy dem ands upon men. God is a holy God. He demands perfection of
HEART OF THE LESSON T. C. H orton
life. If He did not. He would not be a holy God. This demand upon the p a rt of God is no t an a rb itra ry posi tion for th e mere purpose of exercising H is power over men. Every tru e fath e r or m other desires th e respect, and reverence of th e ir children. They also desire th a t they be honest. They would sh rink from having them liars and thieves. They would seek for them th e cleanest and most helpful environ m ent and th e happiest possible'life, and do all w ithin th e ir power to bring this about. The “You m ust n o t” of th e father, is a reflection of th e “Thou sh alt n o t” of God. The Lord Jesus in His mes sages in terp reted the commandments in two words,— “Love God w ith all your h eart, and love your neighbor as your self.” He tells us th a t h atre d is m u r d er; th a t lu st is adu ltery ; th a t covet ousness is idolatry. In doing this, He illum ines th e commandments and gives tis th e h ea rt of th e m atter. Man, by natu re, is sinful; th e re is h atred of God; opposition to righteous ness; selfishness, pride and ambition. Men have, by b irth , th e character of Satan, th e very n a tu re of Satan. They are children of th e devil; children of disobedience; children of w rath. This is th e way th e Holy Spirit characterizes hum an n atu re. Man’s experience and the h istory of hum anity, a tte s t the tru th fu ln ess of th e Word of God. The commandments m irro r to us th e sin fulness of our own n a tu re and in te r p ret to us th e message of our Lord “Ye m ust be born again.” If we have a sinful n atu re and cannot keep th e com mandments, then we m ust have a new n atu re which will glorify God in the keeping of His law, and th is is w hat th e Lord provided in His sacrificial death
The Ten Commandments are greatly m isunderstood. They were never given as a means of salvation for sinful men. They give us a clear conception of the
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