On 2/11/2010 at 3:24 AM, Resurrexi said:
I would just like to clarify that nearly every sin violates at least one of the Ten Commandments. Each of the Ten Commandments has numerous sins that fall under it. For example, the commandment "Thou shalt not kill" not only prohibits murder are all forms therof (such as abortion and euthanasia), but hatred, unnecessary violence, and unjust anger, as well. In a like manner, the commandment "Thou shalt not bear false witness" not only prohibits bearing false witness, but also forbids detraction, that is, the ruining of another's repuatation by revealing his true faults without a just cause.
I would disagree with this one. If revealing a person's fault would ruin that person's reputation that would likely being doing society a favor. From my understanding what the ten commandments mean are
1st Commandment pray only to God and to no other.
2nd Do not commit acts of Evil in the name of God
3rd on the sabbath day keep God in mind and thank him for his gifts and creation.
4th honor your father and mother. Basically do not bad mouth them or be disrespectful to them. Obviously if you are asked to do something that you are not able to saying no in not dishonoring them. One could also add to make certain your actions do not bring your family dishonor.
5th. Do not lie or make false statements. One could also make the argument about not doing deceitful things or knowingly leave information out.
6th do not have sex with someone else's spouse. If you are married then you cannot have sex with someone other then your spouse. This is mainly because you have vowed to with someone and doing this act would break that vow. From my perspective if your spouse has said it is ok for you to engage in such relations than it is fine. However if you do it behind their back then you are breaking a vow.
7th Obviously not killing other people and one could even expand this for animals too. Thou shall not murder animals either. If one thinks about it. Murder is the intentional killing of a person. Intentionally killing an animal unless it is in self defense or because of hunger or medicine could be considered murder.
8th Stealing is obviously a problem as you should respect other people's belongings
9th bearing false witness is basically saying something that is untrue about someone in order to harm that person's reputation or to harm them in some other way. Usually this is what people do when they gossip. They usually are telling people what other people have told them regardless of whether it is true or not. If you only tell what you know is true then you are making a statement and not gossiping. This is why I disagree with the poster previous to this statement. If you are making a statement about someone who you know is true and their reputation is harmed than you are making a truthful statement and not spreading lies about other people.
10th Coveting someone elses goods can bring resentment between you and them. It could also lead to one sinning in other ways such as stealing from them, committing adultery or making lies about them.
Usually when one breaks one commandment they are breaking more of them. When I was a kid if I stole my sisters toys I would usually lie about it. When my parents would punish me I would disrespect my parents. Sometime I would make false statements about my sister. When it comes to what I believe make a sin unforgivable. It is when you harden your heart to God. A person who truly fears God will always be willing to repent as he fears that God will be angry at him. If you do not repent your sins than God cannot offer forgiveness. it is basically along the lines of all you need to do is ask.
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”a you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism,(L) you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.(M) 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles(N) at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.(O) 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”b also said, “You shall not murder.”c If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged(R) by the law that gives freedom,(S) 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful.(T) Mercy triumphs over judgment.
The honest answer is YES. God's standard is perfection. It has to be, if He is to be called just, and if justice is to be seen to be done. Otherwise, if God were to excuse what we call "small sins", there would be endless disputes as to who was better than others and whether someone qualifies for heaven or not. To stop what we see going on in human courts all the time, God demanded perfection. The Ten Commandments were given to the Jews, and hence to all humanity, to show what God expected from those who follow Him. But, it is clear from the Old Testament that these laws will not save, only point out how far we are from achieving the perfection that God demands (and the just punishment for sin that we, ourselves, cry out for every day). That is why God instituted the Temple system of payment for sin, to precede the coming of the Messiah who would, according to Isaiah 53 heal us by his "stripes" (ie wounds). And God showed clearly how He would do it, even before the 10 commandments were given. He saved Israel from slavery in Egypt, not because they were the best or most perfect nation on earth, but because He loved them. He, Himself, saved them from the last plague, by ordering the faithful to smear the blood of a perfect lamb on the lintels of their houses. Why did He do this? Surely He knew who belonged to Him and who did not? Of course He did! But He wanted a response from the faithful. And it can be seen that the salvation from Egypt included some faithful Egyptians and Cushites amongst the Israelites. They were counted as righteous, not for their deeds, but for their love of the Lord, shown in their trust for Him by putting the blood on their doors too, and for their leaving Egypt, to follow Him to the Promised Land. This was a part fulfilment of the prophecy of God to Abraham that through him, all nations of the world would be blessed. Remember too, that God also foresaw the coming of Christ in His dealings with Abraham, especially when He commanded Abraham to kill his son and heir, Isaac. The preparedness of Abraham to obey unquestioningly was a turning point in his relationship with God, as before, he had shown weakness in his trust. That God stopped the sacrifice showed that no human could save himself by his actions, nor could any human pay for sin. Instead, once again, a lamb was offered in the place of Isaac, predicting the coming of the Perfect Lamb of God, who would take away the sin of the world, Jesus. In Ephesians 2:8,9, we read "For by grace are we saved through faith. It is not of our own doing. It is the gift of God. And not because of works, lest anyone should boast." WE depend on Jesus to keep us out of hell ( which is eternally being away from God) because we cannot save ourselves. Jesus' death takes the focus off our actions and onto His perfection. No longer can anyone boast of being better than another person . ROmans 3:23 says "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." We are, by nature, all equal before God in state. Salvation is not by our actions, in keeping the 10 commandments, but by trusting in the Lord for salvation. When were the 10 commandments given to Israel? before or after they were saved from Egypt? AFTER. Had they been for salvation, they would have been given BEFORE, and Moses would have been instructed to teach them, and demand they be fully obeyed. Instead, the people made an oral confession to be God's people BEFORE the 10 commandments were given, and even after they were given, even after they sinned over and over again, God still forgave them when they repented. Why? Because salvation is God's doing, not ours. So what is the purpose of the 10 commandments? By them God says, "IF you are my people, then live like this." So, the verse after the Ephesians verses I quoted above reads "10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." We follow the commandments BECAUSE God has saved us, not IN ORDER to be saved. It is like wearing a wedding ring. We do not wear it IN ORDER to be married, but out of love, because we are married.