How can we obey the ten commandments

God helps us in many different ways to live a moral life. He gives us grace, which awakens in us the desire to say no to temptation and sin and to choose only that which is good. He gives us the Theological and Cardinal Virtues and the grace to practice human virtues so that we can grow stronger in them. God gives us help and grace through the Church and through our reception of the Sacraments.

When this happens—with genuine spiritual understanding and sincerity—a whole new level of righteous development begins. This is the kind of righteousness that God wants us to strive to develop with the help He makes available through His Spirit. As Paul expressed it: "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" Philippians Philippians [12] Why, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

In this way God raises the relationship we have with Him through Jesus Christ from obedience to just the letter of His law to a deep, selfless love for Him and His way of life and our fellow human beings. The history of mankind makes it clear that this level of righteousness has never and can never be attained by human effort alone. But if we repent of our selfish ways that lead us into sin and surrender our lives unconditionally to our heavenly Father, we can accept Christ's sacrifice for our sins and receive forgiveness.

God then promises that we "may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires" 2 Peter 2 Peter Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Skip to main content. A higher level of righteousness But from the beginning, God desired more from human beings.

When we look at the commandments through adult eyes, we discover that they are much broader than a restrictive morality list for children. By taking a more expansive view of the commandments we can find ways to apply the Ten Commandments to daily life in a way that will help us feel a closer connection to God and more aware of how we can make a difference in the world.

Last week we talked about the commandments written on two stone tablets. On the first tablet, we find the first four commandments that talk about our relationship with God. Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind. This is a summary of the first four commandments. The context of these commandments is the whole Exodus story. God rescued the Hebrew people from slavery so they could be an example of right living.

Yahweh would have none of this business of the Hebrews treating each other in the ways the Egyptian taskmasters treated them. The Ten Commandments, therefore, establish essential rules to keep people from becoming mini-Pharaohs or tyrants and brutes.

On top of the second tablet, we find the fifth commandment. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. It assumes loving, nurturing, and non-abusive parents who care for their children as God cares for all of us. It has to do with full consideration to someone. Jonathan Leeman. But authority in creation and authority and redemption actually work together—for good. Sign In. Obedience Matters The Ten Commandments are not to be ignored.

Reason 2: Who God Is in Himself The opening verses in Exodus 20 are not just filler before the commandments start rolling. The Ten Commandments Kevin DeYoung Pastor and best-selling author Kevin DeYoung delivers critical truth about the Ten Commandments as he explains what they are, why we should know them, and how we should apply them today. Kevin DeYoung October 24, The Old Testament identifies several ways in which the third commandment can be violated.

Jonathan Leeman November 12, But authority in creation and authority and redemption actually work together—for good. The Rule of Love. Alec Motyer. Kevin DeYoung. Don't Call It a Comeback. Crossway is a not-for-profit Christian ministry that exists solely for the purpose of proclaiming the gospel through publishing gospel-centered, Bible-centered content.

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