What Lutherans Believe
About the Law of God – The 10 Commandments
Knowing and Following God’s Will For My Life
God’s Will Is Found In His Law – How God Gave His Law To Us
From the beginning, when “God created man in His own image” (Genesis 1:27), human beings have possessed God’s Law. For Romans 2:14-15 tells us, “Indeed, when the Gentiles, who do not have the Law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.” Even the Fall into sin did not completely erase this knowledge. Still, after sin entered the creation, man’s natural knowledge of God’s law was dimmed. So, God again gave mankind his Law, this time in written form. “The Lord wrote on these tablets what he had written before, the Ten Commandments He had proclaimed to you on the mountain, out of the fire, on the day of the assembly. And the Lord gave them to me” (Deuteronomy 10:4). For further background and benefit, read Exodus 34 to see how God first gave the Law to Moses.
The Three Purposes (or Uses) of God’s Law
1. The Law serves as a Mirror to clearly remind us of our sinful condition, and thus of our need for the Savior.
Romans 3:19-20.
2. The Law also serves as a Curb, by threatening to punish the one who does evil. For the good of society, the Law curbs the worst outbreaks of sin by restraining the wicked. I Timothy 1:8-11.
3. And finally, the Law serves as a Guide to instruct us in how we can avoid sin and in what we can do to please our God.
Psalm 119:105.
Why Do Christians Obey the Law?
Galatians 3:11 Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.” (We don’t obey in order to make ourselves right with God or earn His favor and eternal blessings)
I John 4:19-21 19We love because he first loved us. 20If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
(We obey, because we love Him Who loved us first and best in Christ)
Jesus’ Summary of God’s Law: Love the Lord and Love your Neighbor!
Matthew 22:34-40 34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36″Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
I. The First Table of the Law: “Love The Lord Your God!”
The First Commandment
“You shall have no other gods.”
What Does This Mean?
We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
Isaiah 42:8 8 “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.
(God will not tolerate idolatry in any form)
I John 2:15 15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (Material/worldly matters should never come in our hearts before God)
Psalm 33:8 8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere him.
(“Fear”….especially in the sense of “respect,” but also recognizing God’s awesome right and power to punish sin and evildoers – see also Matthew 10:28)
John 5:22,23 22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight
The Second Commandment
“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord, your God.”
What Does This Mean?
We should fear and love God that we do not use His name
to curse, swear, lie or deceive, or use witchcraft, but
call upon God’s name in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
God’s name is every title or word He uses to describe himself to us. He has revealed His holy name to bless us and to save us……as Romans 10:13 says, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
In obeying the Second Commandment, a Christian willnot:
James 3:9,10 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.
Leviticus 19:12 ” ‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
Leviticus 19:31 ” ‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.
Jeremiah 23:31 Yes,” declares the LORD, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The LORD declares.’
Matthew 15:8 ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Instead, every Christian will want to keep the Second Commandment. We can do this by:
Psalm 50:15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
I Thessalonians 5:17 pray continually;
Psalm 103:1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
The Third Commandment:
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”
What Does This Mean?
We should fear and love God that we do not despise preaching and His Word, but regard it as holy,
and gladly hear and learn it.
Although obeying it does not mandate that we worship on Saturdays (as Old Testament believers did, as Jews do, and as some Christians also do)
Colossians 2:16-17 – “Do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath Day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
God ordered His chosen nation, Israel, to set aside the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week, for meditation and worship of Him. It was to remind them of the spiritual rest which mankind had lost through the fall into sin. Before the giving of the written Law, there was no command to worship on a specific day; God simply wanted His people to worship Him. With the coming of Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8), and His act of deliverance from sin, true spiritual/Sabbath rest for the soul was restored to mankind (Matthew 11:28,29 & Hebrews 4:9). Consequently, as Colossians 2:16,17 says (above) the Old Testament Sabbath was — for the nation of Israel — a shadow of the reality (the true Sabbath rest) that was to come in Christ. For Christians today this means we are no longer bound to worship, as Israel was, on a specific day of the week in preparation for Christ’s coming. We now worship in our Christian freedom on whichever day we choose, gratefully reflecting on the rest for our souls which Christ has won for us.
In fact, through our personal devotions Christians have the opportunity to worship God every day of the week. The early Christians chose Sunday as their special day of worship because Jesus rose from the dead on this day and because God began the creation of the world on this day of the week. We misuse the Day of Worship by not coming to church at all, by coming irregularly, by not listening, by not believing, by deliberately not participating in the worship service. God promises peace to all who study and obey His Word and to those who obey and follow the spiritual leader/pastor whom the Lord has given to them. (Hebrews 13:17)
We Honor God by worshiping Him and by respecting His Word in the following ways:
Gathering togetherwith other Christians – Hebrews 10:24-25 –“Let us not give meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” [See also Acts 2:42]
Hear it gladly– John 8:47 – “He who belongs to God hears what God says.” [Also Luke 10:38-42]
Learn it– Colossians 3:16 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach one another with all wisdom.”
Live it– James 1:22 – “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it
says.” [See also Luke 11:28]
Share it – I Peter 3:15 – “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” [See Acts 1:8; Mat 28:19-20.]
Respect those who bring God’s Word to us– Hebrews 13:17 – “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
The Second Table of the Law: “Love Your Neighbor As Yourself!”
The Fourth Commandment: Respecting the Authorities that God has placed over us
“Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we do not dishonor or anger our parents and others in authority,
but honor, serve and obey them, and give them love and respect.
God has established, as His representatives and agents, three general types of authorities which He has placed over us for the purpose of carrying out His will in this world. We will find them in …….the home, government, and the church.
Ephesians 6:1-3 1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2″Honor your father and mother”——which is the first commandment with a promise—— 3″that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Romans 13:1-7 1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have
been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
Hebrews 13:17 17Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.
Some Specific Applications of the Fourth Commandment………
Proverbs 13:24 24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline
him. (God expects parents to discipline their children)
Ephesians 6:4; 4Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (God expects parents to provide spiritual instruction for their children)
Matthew 18:17-18 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18″I tell
you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (The church is to evangelically, yet firmly discipline the unrepentant)
Romans 13:4 4For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. (The “sword” is a reference to the Roman government’s authority to exercise capital punishment by beheading a person; hence, the sword.)
I Timothy 5:8 – “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an adulterer.” (Serve your parents.)
Matthew 22:21 – “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
(Obey those within the government.)
I Corinthians 4:1 – “Men ought to regard us as servants of Christ, and those entrusted with the secret things of God.” (Respect your authorities within the Church.)
The Lord expects us to be obedient to those in authority, but withoneveryimportantexception
Acts 5:29: 29Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than men!
(We always obey God, ever if it means disobeying earthly authorities)
The Fifth Commandment: Human Life and Well-being
“You shall not murder”
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help
and befriend him in every bodily need.
God gives men and women life on this earth as a time of grace….that is, a time to seek the Lord and to learn of His love and forgiveness in Christ Jesus. (Isaiah 55:6: 6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. )
The right to end human life…..
. Belongs to the LORD alone (Psalm 31:15: My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.
Under certain conditions He delegates that responsibility to men (Romans 13:4 – see earlier)
(Examples: self-defense, capital punishment, justifiable war [of defense, not aggression]
Is not the right of one man to arbitrarily take the life of another (I John 3:15: Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.)
A Christian will want to keep the Fifth Commandment.
We can do this by avoiding such sinful behavior as……
having or encouraging abortion (Psalm 51:1; Luke 1:15,44; Jeremiah 1:5; Exodus 21:22+)
committing suicide (Matthew 27:5; Luke 12:22)
supporting euthanasia (Acts 17:25; Proverbs 31:8)
committing murder (Genesis 9:6; II Samuel 11:15)
being responsible for physical violence, abuse, fighting, revenge, etc. (Rom 12:19; I Peter 3:9)
drug use, alcoholism/drunkenness, over-eating (Proverbs 23:20,31-33
hating someone (I John 3:15; Matt 5:21,22)
and, instead, we will want to keep this commandment by…….
being kind, comp`assionate, and forgiving toward others (Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 6:15)
helping others materially (Matthew 25:35-36; Luke 10:25-37 [the parable of The Good Samaritan]; Romans 12:20)
resolving any anger or bitterness promptly (Ephesians 4:26)
being good “stewards” (caretakers, managers) of the bodies God has given us. (I Corinthians 7:1)
The Sixth Commandment: Marriage and Purity
“You shall not commit adultery”
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we lead a pure and decent life in words and actions, and
that husband and wife love and honor each other.
God established the institution of marriage and everything connected to it at the time of the world’s creation (Genesis 1 & 2). After the Lord had finished His creative activity, He looked back and saw that it was all “very good.” – Genesis 1:27,28,31 – It was all, including marriage, just the way He wanted it to be.
Of God’s many intentions for marriage, one of the most significant is that He intends every marriage to be a life-long union. (Matthew 19:6 : 6So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”)
God has established marriage for the following purposes:
Genesis 1:28 – “God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”
Genesis 2:18 – “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
Genesis 2:24 – “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” See also I Corinthians 7:2.
God protects the institution of marriage by forbidding…..
Adultery (Hebrews 13:4: 4Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.)
Malicious Desertion (I Corinthians 7:15 15 But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not bound in such circumstances.)
“Living together” without rightful marriage (Ephesians 5:3; But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. …..see also Hebrews 13:4)
Unclean thoughts/Lust (Matthew 5:27,28: 27″You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.)
Lewd, “Off-color,” Suggestive Jokes, Stories, and Conversation ( …….Ephesians 4:29: Do not let any
unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. [Also Ephesians 5:3,4,12])
Homosexuality (Romans 1:26-32: 26Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even
Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. 28Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. [Also I Corinthians 6:9-10])
Sexual Immorality/Pre-marital Sexual activity (See the story of Joseph; Genesis 29:6-12)
I Thessalonians 4:3-5 3It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; [(also Ephesians 5:3-5])
About the matter of divorce, God says, it is not Biblically permissible except in the case of:
Matthew 19:9 9I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery.” (Adultery)
I Corinthians 7:15 15But if the unbeliever leaves, let him do so. A believing man or woman is not
bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace.
(Malicious desertion)
The Seventh Commandment: Protecting Our Possession and those of Others
“You shall not steal.”
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God so that we do not take our neighbor’s money or property or get
them by dishonest dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and business.
In Psalm 24:1 we are reminded by David that “the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” All that I have comes from God. My neighbor, also, receives his blessings and possessions from God. According to this commandment, we Christians will be grateful not only for what God has given to us as individuals, but we will also respect what God has given to our neighbors. In general then, through the Seventh Commandment, God is protecting His gift of material possessions and is prohibiting us from stealing – either from others, or from Him. (see also James 1:17; Deuteronomy 8:17,18; Ephesians 4:28)
Some of the specific ways people break the Seventh Commandment include:
Being dishonest in business Leviticus 19:35 “Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight, or quantity.
Failing to repay debts Psalm 37:21 The wicked borrow and do not repay.
Being lazy and now working II Thessalonians 3:10 If a man will not work, neither should he eat.
Refusing to pay our taxes (or cheating on them) Romans 13:6,7 If you woe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue,
then revenue.
Refusing to help those in need I John 3:17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in
need, but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
Being cheap/selfish when it comes to bringing offerings to the Lord (instead of being generous, as He expects)
Malachi 3:8-10 Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me! But yu ask, “How do we rob you?” In tithes and offerings…….. Bring the whole tithe into the store house, that there may be food in My house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”
Being a thief/robber John 12:6 [Judas] was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself
to what was put in it.
Wasting what we have Luke 15:13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off
for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.”
Being greedy Luke 12:15 “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Rather, Christians will…….
* Use our resources to serve and help others (I Peter 4:10 “Each one should use whatever gift he has
received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”……..see also Luke 10:30-37)
* Bring willing and and proportionate offerings to the Lord on a regular basis (II Corinthians 9:6-8 (esp. v.7)
“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly, or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”…..see also I Corinthians 16:2, Malachi 3:8-10, and
* Be hard workers for our employers Colossians 3:22,23 “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in
everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
* Be truthful in our dealings with others (Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood
and speak truthfully to his neighbor.”
The Eighth Commandment: God Protects Our, and Our Neighbor’s Good Name
“You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.”
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we do not tell
lies about our neighbor, betray him or give him
a bad name, but defend him, speak well of him,
and take his words and actions in the kindest possible way.
In this commandment, God protects my good name and my neighbor’s good name. Accordingly, Christians will be careful to use the powerful gift of speech which God has given us in a way that keeps this commandment.
In observing this commandment, a Christian willnot:
Be a false witness Proverbs 19:5 “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies
will not go free.”
Be judgmental toward others Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn,
and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
Slander others James 4:11 “Do not slander one another.”
Be a gossip Proverbs 11:13 “A gossip betrays a confidence, and but a trustworthy man keeps a
secret.”
Instead, the Christian will keep the eighth commandment by:
Being truthful with others Ephesians 4:25 “Each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully
to his neighbor.”
First speak privately to those who sin against/offend you Matthew 18:15-18 “If your brother sins against
you, first go and tell him his fault just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.”
Speak up for those who can’t defend themselves / take peoples’ words and actions in the kindest possible way.
Proverbs 31:8-9 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly.”
The Ninth & Tenth Commandments: The Sin of Coveting; the Blessing of Being Content
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.”
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we do not scheme to get our neighbor’s inheritance or
house or obtain it by a show of right, but do all we can to help him keep it.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, workers, animals, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
What does this mean?
We should fear and love God that we do not force or entice away our neighbor’s wife, workers,
or animals, but urge them to stay and do their duty.
“Coveting” is a sinful desire (lusting) for anything or anyone that is not yours, and which you cannot have. (see Matthew 15:19; Romans 7:8; Micah 2:1-2; James 1:15)
Coveting is the opposite of God-pleasing contentment (I Timothy 6:6: But Godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we will carry nothing out.”
Christians can be content with what we have because the LORD will never leave us or forsake us
(Hebrews 13:5)
Psalm 73:25 – “Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You.”
Matthew 6:33 – “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be
given you as well.”
Christians can work to keep the Tenth Commandment by…..
Philippians 2:4 – “Each of you should look not to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”’
Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praise- worthy — think about such things.