the ten commandments

The Ten Commandments under review

The Ten Commandments are a good foundation for conduct. By following them, crime and most of the problems will remove from society

- (Luke 18:20,21) You know the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and your mother.

21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.

The subject of this writing is people's actions and thoughts. In particular, we look at the most important commandments, such as the Ten Commandments, and how God's will has been neglected in society. The purpose is to find out how God's law, or commandments, can speak to us today and show us the right way. In addition, we are going to discuss the consequences we have to face if we reject these road signs and do not care about them.

1. You shall have no other gods before me. When we study the Ten Commandments, the first thing mentioned is that we should not keep other Gods alongside the true and only God. It means that we should not turn to or pray to other gods or forces because they are actually idols. They cannot give forgiveness and eternal life, which can only be obtained from Almighty God. If we turn to these elementary powers, we are rejecting the God in heaven. Only to Him should we pray, seek His will, and love Him above all things. This attitude is well expressed in the double commandment of love, in which Jesus teaches the right attitude towards God and his fellowmen. How many people have followed this guideline at every single moment? If this has not happened, man has violated the greatest commandment. It means that he is guilty of the greatest sin of all. These verses show our inadequacies:

- (Matt 22:36-40) Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like to it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

In practice, love for God is often not realized. Even if it's not outright idolatry, how common it is for other things to be more important to us than God. We have time for television, videos and a computer monitor, but not for God. Or we have time for novels, amusements and hobbies, but we neglect the most important thing: the relationship with God and the search for Him. This shows, if we are caught up in these matters, that we have the wrong order of precedence. Other things have become too important to us because they supplant the relationship with God. Therefore, we must make a choice about what we really want to serve and follow.

The Lord looked at me in a way that conveyed both kindness and forgiveness, yet at the same time I felt the seriousness of the warning I had received.

"My Spirit walks with you and shows you your tendency to drift away from me. Nevertheless, you must follow my Spirit. Not even the torchbearers are forced to follow me. All those, who love sin and wickedness more than me, will fall. All, who love the praise of men more than the truth, will fall. If you love me and my truth more than the idols this world currently worships, you will not fall. This is your everyday choice: you can either follow me or serve false gods who can easily overshadow the love you feel for me.” (1)

2. You shall not make to you any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. The second commandment tells us not to make idols or serve them. This advice is especially helpful in those cultures where having idols, statues, and paintings, and relying on them, is common. But the same Commandment can also mean that the images made of God the Father are wrong. It is because no one knows what God looks like because he is said to be a Spirit (2 Cor 3:17: Now the Lord is that Spirit…). If you try to make a picture or a statue of Him, they always give a wrong picture of Him. The result is an image of the created, not of the Creator.

Without going further into material images of God, it is possible that society and also some churches have a wrong idea about God. It usually means that God is seen only as love, as a kind and nice fellow, but not as a righteous judge who condemns the unrepentant to perdition. This is also a false image of God. He is thought of as only loving and good and full of mercy, but not at all a judge. Or it is common to talk about the God of the Old Testament as harsh and destructive, which is then counterbalanced by the kind and nice God of the New Testament, who closes his eyes to evil. As a result, when people have such an image of God, they do not talk about sin and its serious consequences to unrepentant people. They keep quiet about it because they don't believe in it. This doctrine that believes everyone will have a happy ending is also called universalism.

In some congregations today, sin can be practiced openly, but it must not be judged or criticized. You just have to show love, because God is love. Rubbish! No wonder the world despises the congregation, which is almost as accepting of everything as it. We cannot blame the people of the world for not coming to us when the same problems they are looking for are revealed in us. We have abandoned requirements and become soulful—not spiritual. The Old Testament prophet declared that the Holy Spirit was upon him to reveal Israel's sins, not God's love (Isaiah 58:1). Jesus said that when the Holy Spirit comes, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment – not love. When His light shows our sins, the path to God’s love will open. (2)

What is the real teaching about God’s essence? What is the Bible teaching?

The answer is that He has both sides. He is both holy and perfect (1 John 1:5: This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.), as well as love. He has both hate for sin and injustice, as well as love for people. The latter is mentioned in the following verses, e.g.:

- (1 John 4:8-10,16) He that loves not knows not God; for God is love.

9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.

10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

16 And we have known and believed the love that God has to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him.

- (John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

R.A. Torrey preached this a little over a hundred years ago. He said that God loves people, regardless of their sins. This applies to all people.

Is there a thief here tonight? God loves you. Is there a fallen woman? God loves you. Is there an egoist here tonight? God loves you. Is there someone who uses foul language? God loves you. I want to show you something you cannot find in all of Birmingham. You will not find any woman or man in Birmingham who is not loved by God. (3)

What about God's wrath against sin? Some want to deny this thing, but it appears repeatedly in both the Old and New Testaments. On the Old Testament side, it manifests itself in how Sodom and Gomorrah, Noah's time society, the Canaanites, and Israel and Judah were judged because of their sins. These examples show that God is not indifferent to wrongdoing and sin.

What about the New Testament side? Some want to distinguish between the Old Testament and the New Testament image of God, as if the former is harsh and destructive and the latter only love. However, this teaching falls short in one aspect: Jesus' teaching about hell. He who is generally regarded as loving and good, and who was the image of God the Father and one with the Father, spoke more than anyone on this subject. He also said that he came from heaven (John 8:23 And he said to them, You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world) and therefore his teaching about the world beyond should be taken seriously. He certainly knows the world beyond, heaven and hell, better than any of the people today.He said to the unrepentant Pharisees in the following way.

- (Matt 23:29-33) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,

30 And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31 Why you be witnesses to yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the prophets.

32 Fill you up then the measure of your fathers.

33 You serpents, you generation of vipers, how can you escape the damnation of hell?

In the book of Romans, the same thing comes out very well; the wrath of God. It shows how God hates injustice and that will never change. Or if He did not side with good against evil, how could such a God be good? That cannot be expected of Him. An indifferent old man sitting on the edge of a cloud who would not react to anything and what image many modern people have of God could not be like that.

- (Rom 1:18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness

In summary, then, it can be taught that God has loved all people. There is no exception to this, “for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Jesus has died for all sins so that no one has to perish.

However, the clear teaching of the Bible is that if we are unrepentant and despise God's "lifeboat", or Jesus Christ, then we cannot be saved. That is, on God's side, everything is ready, salvation and grace and love are on offer, but we can reject everything with our own attitude. Paul wrote about it. He tells the story of people who walk as unrepentant and enemies of the cross of Christ. Are you such a person?

- (Phil 3:17-19) Brothers, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as you have us for an ensample.

18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.

3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain. The third commandment is a call not to pronounce God's name in vain. It is also said that God will not leave unpunished the one who does so.

What does this commandment really mean? It is usually explained that it has to do with swearing in vain in the name of God or mocking God, and that is probably the case. Of these, the first thing is indeed rare in Western countries and God is not usually spoken of in that way, but mockery has occurred. Atheists and many others have been guilty of it, and based on this passage of the Bible, they are under punishment. Of course, they too can be forgiven if they ask for it in their heart, because Jesus said: Truly I say to you, All sins shall be forgiven to the sons of men, and blasphemies with which soever they shall blaspheme (Mark 3:28).

Abuse of God's name can also be related to false teachings in his name. It can appear in the following ways:

• Theologians who get paid to criticize the Bible. Nominally, they represent Jesus and the disciples, but in reality, reject many fundamentals taught by Jesus and the disciples: the virgin birth, miracles, judgment, hell, sin, divinity of Jesus, and numerous other teachings.

• Law teaching, where Jesus' work for us and grace do not come out properly. Such heresy had spread among the Galatians. Paul had to say to them (Gal 3:1): O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

• The teaching that impenitent people are saved. Then God's grace and His name are misused. Then others are also led astray and to hell, because they are not warned about the consequences of unrepentance. These emphases are certainly due to the false image of God that people have, which was talked about earlier. We find in the letter of Jude a description of this type of teachers (1:4): For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor, and do all your work… For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: why the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. The fourth commandment exhorts us to keep the Sabbath day holy. It has to do with the fact that God originally finished everything on six days and on the seventh rested, that is, stopped his work (Gen 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.). He laid the model of rest for us humans too.

Interestingly, the 7-day week, which strongly refers to God's creation, is common around the world. The following quote shows how it must come from the common ancestors of mankind—something that Genesis and Exodus confirm:

"We can find from time immemorial the knowledge of the seven-day week in the consciousness of all peoples - among the Ethiopians, the Arabs, the Indians - in a word, all the peoples of the East have at all times used this seven-day week, which is difficult to explain without admitting that this knowledge was received from the common ancestors of mankind." (4)

How can we then keep the day of rest holy? If we first reflect it on our society, we see that it is not held in such high regard. We see that in shops which stay open for everyday of the week. This is common, although it would not be necessary.

In private life, keeping the day of rest holy seems to be beneficial. It is about taking a break from everyday work, but also about having time to study spiritual matters. It can mean prayer, reading the Word or anything to do with searching God. The problem is that we often do not follow His suggestion, and instead use our time doing something else. It is so typical to see people have time for television shows and hobbies, but not for what is most important.

Let's look at a quotation from Yonggi Cho, where he speaks about prayer, which is especially neglected in Western congregations. We need a similar model that teaches us to use our free time more beneficially:

Only through prayer can you touch your neighbours and friends. (...) I usually notice that people do not know how to pray for longer than an hour to reach their goal. I ask the members of my congregation to pray more than an hour a day. I call such praying “Gethsemane praying”. In Gethsemane, Jesus scolded His disciples, because they were not able to pray even for an hour. If you started to pray for more than an hour a day, something would surely happen in your life. People have all kinds of excuses. They have to be here or there. Jesus accepted no excuses. I have 746 full-time assistant reverends working under me. They have their hands full in taking care of 700,000 souls, but I still encourage them to spend at least three hours in prayer each day. I tell this even though they feel that they cannot give advice to people: they must spend three hours praying before going to the people in need of salvation.

And many of you have heard what God has done in our church because of the prayer life of believers. They have strength in God's company, but also among men. (5)

5. Honor your father and your mother: that your days may be long on the land which the LORD your God gives you. When we go to the fifth commandment, we start dealing with relationships between people. The first four commandments were related to a person's private life and relationship with God, but the last commandments were related to human relationships. The first of these commandments is the call to honor father and mother. It is followed by the promise of success and long life on earth (Eph 6:2,3).

So how are parents respected? It is essential to note in this commandment that its observance does not depend on how well the parents have succeeded (there are no perfect parents and no perfect childhood). It is true that many parents have made great mistakes and committed abuses, but despite everything, we are commanded to respect them. Disrespectful speech and a judgmental attitude only harm ourselves. We cannot expect God to bless us if we have the wrong attitude in this important human relationship. It is disobedience and rebellion against God.

We look at a quote that closely related to this. It is a question of the root of the judgment and the blaming attitude towards the other parent. Carol Arnott tells in her husband's (John Arnott) book how she saw her sin in the light of God and repented:

When I became a Christian, I understood that there was plenty of unforgiveness in my heart, and that I had to be freed of it. I worked on it, but it didn’t seem to change my feelings towards my mother. I understood that something was wrong. I tried again and again to forgive, but the feelings in my heart didn’t change a bit. Only after Paula and John Sanford taught me about judging arising from bitterness I understood what it was all about.

The Scriptures advise us to respect our father and mother only if they are good Christians and do everything right. Or does it actually say so? No! The Bible doesn't teach this, even though we might hope so. (...)

In those areas of life where you despise your parents, nothing goes well. Of course, we don’t blame them for everything, but usually we judge them in those areas of our life where we have been hurt or neglected.

I thought to myself, "God, I don't understand this. I have forgiven her. What does this mean exactly?” He said, "You have loathed her. You have sinned when you have not respected your mother.” God started to show me the two sides of the issue. We must forgive. But we also need to repent our own sin, our intolerant attitude.

On one hand, I had to forgive her, and so I did. However, I still didn’t respect her in my heart. I hated her and I judged her.

The problem was my sin, not hers. My reaction towards my mother was a sin, and this is what I did not understand earlier. Satan, who is extremely law-minded, went to God and said, "God, Carol has sinned. She has not repented the fact that she judged her mother in her mind. I have the legal right to bring the law of sowing and reaping into Carol's life." (6)

Murmuring and salary requirements

- (Jude 1:16) These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

- (1 Cor 10:10) Neither murmur you, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.

- (Numb 14:2) And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said to them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!

The issue that can be brought up in this context is murmuring and salary requirements. It means that we are not satisfied with what we have, even if we get by just fine, but we demand more. (The Bible says, Hebr 13:5: ”be content with such things as you have”. On the other hand, it is true that in some countries, workers are not paid enough. Such is the case in many developing countries. The following words of the Bible are suitable for that, James 5:1,4: Go to now, you rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come on you… Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, cries: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.) It can manifest itself in senseless strikes and demands, because we have a “right” to get what we want. We covet for more, despite not having the need. We fail to keep in mind the following advice from John the Baptist that he gave to the people who came to him. The advice is still timely even today:

- (Luke 3:10-14) And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

11 He answers and said to them, He that has two coats, let him impart to him that has none; and he that has meat, let him do likewise.

12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said to him, Master, what shall we do?

13 And he said to them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said to them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

And what is the consequence of continuous wage demands? What will it lead to if we just demand and demand?

The answer is clear and it manifests itself in at least three ways. They are:

• It reduces jobs because labor costs become prohibitive

• It often increases the burden on workers who are allowed to keep their jobs

• It increases taxes because unemployment increases and expenses increase

The following quotation stays on the subject. Endless demands cannot bring blessing on society on the long run. The things listed above will follow. It creates more problems than it solves.

People of our time have considered work as a curse, which should be survived with the least possible effort, in the shortest possible time and should receive the greatest possible compensation. The way to achieve these goals is through requirements. Then, the economic and functional blessings will be unattained. We don't know how to be grateful. We do not grow with our work, but on the contrary, we regress in our development, as a result of bitterness and dissatisfaction.

So what will we do when there are no more jobs? We do so little and want so much that no one can hire us. Even abroad, it is not possible to buy our expensive goods. How then do we solve our problems? At least not in a way that we repent of our pride before the Lord, ask for mercy and be grateful for what we get. Instead, we demand. We demand politicians to arrange work for us - after all, it is their duty. (7)

6. You shall not kill. As for the sixth commandment, its respect has decreased in recent decades, especially regarding the beginning and end of human life. In other words, the question is about abortion and euthanasia, for which society's opinion has become more and more favorable. The first of them, abortion, has already been confirmed by law in most Western countries. We look at these two things.

Abortion is therefore a violation of the sixth commandment. It is murder, despite claims otherwise, because human life begins at conception, not later. In addition, we can know that already at the 7-8 week stage, when most abortions are performed, the fetus has exactly the same features as the rest of us: hands, feet, eyes, mouth, nose, ears... They are only smaller in size than in a newborn, teenager or an adult, so it is a question of a developing human individual. It is wrong to talk about tissue mass, but all the time it is about a person in the mother's womb.

This issue has been justified, e.g. with the problems caused by illegal abortions and rapes (a few percent of abortions are caused by them), and it is true that these issues cannot be underestimated. However, it does not change the matter itself, because in abortion a unique human individual is destroyed. For example, the population in Finland would be more than half a million higher if abortions had not been performed. Now these people are gone from our midst.

The following magazine article refers to the problems caused by abortion. In India, there are only 914 women per thousand men. When the sex of fetuses can be checked at an early stage, it has led to the abortion of millions of unborn girls.

More girls are now aborted in India than in past decades

STT-AFP: According to recent population statistics, the number of women in relation to the number of men has reached a record low rate in India. The relative number of women in the country has never been so low since 1947: there are 914 women per 1,000 men in India.

Abortions based on the gender of the foetus are illegal in India but many mothers still abort their unborn girls. Indian families rely on boys to support them better than girls. Some families consider girls to be a financial burden.

Gender imbalance is a major problem in many Asian countries. According to the UN, millions of girls are missing from the population of the Asian countries.

The census shows that there are now 1.21 billion inhabitants in India, compared to 1.02 billion a decade ago. 2.5 million local authorities participated in the census that took a little less than a year. (Newspaper Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, 1 April 2011)

Euthanasia is another activity that breaks the sixth commandment. It is connected with the last part of human life. It is probable that this activity, too, will become common, just as those reasons used to justify euthanasia may become more and more diverse. All this is a consequence of our not generally believing in the judgment of God and that our acts have consequences. It is not believed that murderers and unrepentant wrongdoers will be left outside the kingdom of God. They have to go Hell:

- (Rev 21:6-8) And he said to me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Euthanasia is connected with society’s many tendencies to abandon God. It is not a separate matter but is associated with the changing of the world picture that has happened in people’s mind. Feminism, sexual revolution (they began in the 1960’s) and replacing the creation view with the evolution theory are a part of that big process through which people’s range of thoughts have changed.

Destroying people in abortions or, in this case, by euthanasia is not a new matter, however. In Germany before Hitler gained power, euthanasia was in favour. Hitler was not the first to express these thoughts; they arose from the minds of philosophers and intellectuals, from which they spread to society. Later, the teaching of racial doctrine and social Darwinism came along and Hitler adopted these thoughts.

Genocide of people in Germany did not begin from Nazis and Hitler. Already in the 1920’s psychiatrist Alfred Hoche and jurist Karl Binding wrote a book about finishing unviable life. It told about valueless people, and about life that is not worth living; and that the ending of life should be entitled by legislation. It was also discussed much about economical costs caused by taking care of patients like these. Both writers were leading intellectuals. A certain kind of spirit of the times was born (Fredrik Wertham ym. Inte bara Hitler, Provita Uppsala, p. 47)

One of the authors of the book Inte bara Hitler, the historian of ideas Per Landgren, draws the following conclusion: "The fact that Hoche and Binding were eminent academics is also a clear example of the fact that ideas were in no way a temporary blinding of the German people. Nazism did not change science and medicine. Western science and medicine had already been corrupted and gave an inspiration for Nazism.” (p. 97) Apparently, the emergence of such a zeitgeist was influenced by many factors such as Social Darwinism, liberal theology, and the rejection of biblical authority and secularization in general. Already from the 1700s, philosophers had laid the foundation for such a collapse of human dignity. There had been a change in the image of God and the image of man. There was no longer an absolute value to human life, based on the fact that God created man in His own image.

Especially in Germany it was desired to give a picture that the killing of the insane and handicapped was caused only by some mad Nazis. The reality is different. Wide circles knew what happened in hospitals. People elected Hitler and Nazis in democratic elections. Killing started with the insane, handicapped and incurably ill already before the rise of Hitler. Later it extended to destroying whole nations. The purpose was to breed a better race. (8)

Other areas. Most people might say in their mind that at least they have never broken the sixth commandment. They think it only applies to big criminals who have committed this sin. They think it has nothing to do with themselves.

However, in the light of the Bible, this is not the case. According to it, our anger – whether directed at refugees, foreigners or other groups – is also a violation of this commandment. According to Jesus, if we merely call someone crazy, we have earned the fire of hell. Likewise, it is written that if we hate our neighbor, we are like murderers. In light of these verses, how many of us can say that we have never broken this commandment? We certainly haven't been able to do that.

- (Matt 5:20-22) For I say to you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

21 You have heard that it was said of them of old time, You shall not kill; and whoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22 But I say to you, That whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

- (1 John 3:15) Whoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

What about violence in TV shows? Every night, dozens of acts of violence or murder can be seen, which give people wrong models. Even if violence occurs in virtual reality like in a computer game, it is a violation of the sixth commandment (You shall not kill!). This kind of material will surely have an effect on everyone's innermost being. Violence and sex entertainment numbs everyone. Many of the abuses that have taken place in modern times have worsened, which can be partly attributed to the influence of television.

The following comments continue on the same topic. Dr. Leonard D. Efron, who studied the behavior of more than 400 viewers for 22 years, has established a causal connection between television material and behavior. Arnold Kahn of the American Psychological Association has stated the same (another comment). A third source points in the same direction:

No more can there be any doubt about the fact that extensive predisposition to violence on television is one reason for aggressive behavior, criminality, and violence in society (9)

Arguing about the effects of television violence is the same as arguing about the link between smoking and cancer. (10)

Numerous studies have proven that people who recurrently watch TV shows or movies with exiting or strong violence or sex become numb towards violence. In two surveys on young convicts who had committed violent crimes (murder, rape, assault), 22–30% of the respondents stated that they had intentionally copied criminal techniques they had learned when watching TV. The Hollywood entertainment industry is desperately dependent on the profits it gets from TV shows and movies containing sex and violence. (11)

7. You shall not commit adultery. The seventh commandment is related to human sexuality, which in the right framework is a good thing. Nowhere in the Bible do we find a teaching that sex is wrong between a husband and a wife. On the contrary, the following verses bring out how physical intercourse is part of the marriage relationship. Both are obliged to take care of their spouse's physical needs. If it doesn't happen, we deviate from God's will:

- (Gen 2:18) And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

- (1 Cor 7:1-5) Now concerning the things whereof you wrote to me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.

2 Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

3 Let the husband render to the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife to the husband.

4 The wife has not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband has not power of his own body, but the wife.

5 Defraud you not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.

- (Prov 5:18,19) Let your fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of your youth.

19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and be you ravished always with her love.

Instead, adultery and fornication, to which the seventh commandment relates, are sexual perversions, just as food can be misused (overeating). Usually only rape, incest and child sexual abuse are considered perversions, but that includes all sexual relations outside of marriage, or porn (Jesus said, Matt 5:28: But I say to you, That whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.). That is, if someone indulges in porn, a woman reveals herself to people other than her husband, or a man looks for sex elsewhere than his spouse, it is wrong, no matter how people argue against it. We act foolishly if we ignore God's instructions for use in this area or if we boast about things that are actually distortions (such as alcoholism or obesity). Many love pleasures more than God, as Paul wrote:

- (2 Tim 3:1-5) This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

So, pay attention to the following verses. They give a direct warning of the fate of an adulterous and unrepentant person: they are doomed to eternal hell with no way out. When God says: “You shall not commit adultery!”, He also means it, , and therefore we act foolishly if we do not believe these warnings. For us, they are the same warning boards as the warnings about weak ice: "Don't go on weak ice! It can be bad for you and you can drown."

- (Hebr 13:4) Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

- (2 Cor 12:21) And lest, when I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall mourn many which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they have committed.

- (Rev 22:15) For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoever loves and makes a lie.

8. You shall not steal. The eighth commandment is "You shall not steal", so we must not take anything that belongs to our neighbor. It includes shoplifting, falsification of accounting and tax returns, shadow economy and all matters in which a person takes property that belongs to his neighbor. If we act in this way, we are guilty of theft. Nor can we expect to be saved, for unrepentance in this and other areas leads outside the gates of heaven:

- (1 Cor 6:9,10) Know you not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortionists, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

This commandment, like many others, makes us hope that others will obey it. Who would want to be a victim of theft, have someone commit adultery with their spouse, be victim to violence, or have someone bear false witness about them.? On the contrary, our basic natural desire is that others do not do these things to us. We hope they follow God's commandments in all areas. It's just like Jesus said in the next verse, which talks about the basic core of the law and proper behavior.

- (Matt 7:12) Therefore all things whatever you would that men should do to you, do you even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

What if a person is saved and turns to God? That should result in a change: he no longer lives in the sins he used to live in, or at least this should be the ideal. It is putting it into practice that a person repents, as Jesus urged us (Matt 4:17): From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Similarly, it is one of those things that belongs to the rudiments of the Christ’s teachings (Hebr 6:1): Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.

A good example of the right attitude is Zacchaeus. We see in the Bible how this man changed. He was the chief of the publicans and rich, but had obtained part of his wealth by fraud. When he met Jesus, he made a complete turn in his property management. He gave half of it to the poor and in addition replaced the money he had taken by fraud. This shows that God had really intervened in his life:

- (Luke 19:1-10) And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.

2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.

3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.

4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said to him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at your house.

6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.

7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.

8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said to the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

9 And Jesus said to him, This day is salvation come to this house, as much as he also is a son of Abraham.

10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. The ninth commandment is: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. It is related to our words: does a person speak truthfully and with respect for others, or does he indulge in gossip and slandering others. With language we can bring about both good and evil; slander is always about the latter. In it, a person tries to put his neighbor in a bad light or incite hatred, as Jesus was treated (Mark 14:55-59). We try to reduce the value of the person in the eyes of others. Bullying at school and slander in the workplace are some nasty examples. In them, a person gives false testimony about his neighbor and tries to disparage others. He sets himself up as a judge in God's place and violates the ninth commandment. James wrote about such people:

- (James 4:11,12) Speak not evil one of another, brothers. He that speaks evil of his brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law, and judges the law: but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who are you that judge another?

Or it is possible that someone is having fun spreading gossip and nonsense. He doesn't think that he will have to answer for his words once. When Jesus said that "every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment" (Matt 12:36), such words are such. Man does not understand that if he deliberately spreads lies, enjoys them and does not repent of his sins, his destiny is the lake of fire. All liars and unrepentant people go there. Everyone has to answer for their words and actions. This shows how important the words we speak are. They are one of the criteria for judgment:

- (Eph 5: 6) Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things comes the wrath of God on the children of disobedience.

- (Rev 22:14,15) Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and fornicators, and murderers, and idolaters, and whoever loves and makes a lie.

- (Rev 21:8) But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Nowadays, there is also a lot of talk about hate speech. You come across them especially on Internet discussion forums, where people curse and bark at each other. They do not appreciate those who think differently, but put a negative label on the other. This phenomenon has become more and more common as discussion boards are available to everyone. A similar trend often occurs in politics and journalism, where respect for others is forgotten. The Bible talks about this type of activity and speeches, e.g. in the following verses:

- (Matt 5:21,22) You have heard that it was said of them of old time, You shall not kill; and whoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

22 But I say to you, That whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

- (Rom 3:13,14) Their throat is an open sepulcher; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

14 Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

- (James 3:14-17) But if you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

15 This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

- (Col 4:6) Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man.

- (1 Peter 2:17) Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is your neighbor's. The last commandment differs from the others. Where the first commandments concern acts and words, the last commandment is about our inner life: our mind, thoughts and desires. It is an area where our imperfectness is most easily revealed. There is not a single perfect or sinless person in terms of this commandment. When the Bible says “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23), it is true in light of these verses. For instance, Paul saw his sins best through this exact commandment, as he wrote:

- (Rom 7:7) What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. No, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, You shall not covet.

The reason for lusts and bad thoughts is in ourselves. According to Jesus, they arise from our heart, which describes the innermost part of a person. We often try to find a reason for hate, e.g., from outside ("He made me explode and get angry"), but like other sins and bad things, it arises from ourselves. We ourselves are the biggest culprits (Mark 7:21-23): For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

When we have these thoughts and desires, they can later lead to actions, so desires are always a precursor to actions. That's why they can be harmful if you brood and think about them for a long time. Many actions do not happen by chance, but have been thought about for a long time, maybe months or years. James wrote on the subject:

- (James 1:13-15) Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man:

14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

15 Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.

Lusts can also lead to slavery. Jesus said (John 8:34): ”Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin”, and that is true in the lives of many. It means compulsion, where a person cannot help but think about the object of lust almost all the time. It can manifest as a wrong appetite, sexual images, lust for money and power, lust for gambling, alcohol and drug addiction or homosexual behavior. These are all things that can enslave us, and usually over the years they become a great burden. A person may not think so in the beginning, but feels that he lives in freedom, but over the years or decades, the situation often changes.

The good news and glad tidings, however, is that Jesus is able to free us from all slavery and bonds. At least this is what he himself promised, because he said (John 8:36): ” If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed”. We can certainly rely on this promise.

Finally, we will look at a few quotes that deal with the same topic. The first of them is related to drug addiction, and the last to freedom from homosexuality. The latter thing has been considered impossible by many, because they have considered homosexuality to be an innate thing, but why can't Jesus free us from this as well as from other things? Nothing is impossible for him because he is God. It is not our place to advise what He can and cannot do. He Himself answers his words:

Harvey had been called a stutterer on the street because he had such a bad speech impediment that no one understood half of what he said. But now Harvey didn't stutter. He was actually developing a very beautiful linguistic expression.

One day Harvey came to me saying: - Sonny, I would like to go home and tell other Jews about Jesus.

Teen Challenge had all the equipment needed for street meetings. We got permission from Dave to load them into the car and go to our former neighborhood to hold a meeting.

As we were setting up the gear people started to flow on the scene from every direction. Harvey stepped behind the microphone and began to speak.

- Do you remember me? he said. Of course everyone remembered him. - I'm the same guy who used to steal here and used narcotics.

People mumbled in wonder and pushed each other. - Look at Harvey. Something has happened to the Jewish boy.

Harvey continued: - I'm not a junkie anymore. I have met the Messiah, Jesus Christ. He has come into my life. He healed my mind and saved me from my sins. He is the Messiah you have been waiting for all your life. Accept Him, and let Him make new creations out of you.

Tears streamed down my cheeks. I knew I hadn't been able to help Harvey. Jesus Christ, through his Holy Spirit, had changed the boy before my eyes. When none of my words succeeded in penetrating Harvey's dim consciousness, the Holy Spirit did the work… The drugs had damaged Harvey's mind, but God had made all things new. I could feel the tension building inside me. There was hope not only for drug addicts on the streets, but also for many who had gone insane and ended up in a mental institution. (12)

David Seamands: My inbox is filled with letters from people seeking help with sexual problems. They have wished to become free from their sexual experiences that have left them with deep scars, so that they have not been able to react naturally and normally during their courtship and then in their marriage in their close, intimate relationship. Those letters also contain the most joyful and enthusiastic messages of liberation, purification and healing. A woman who had broken free from the constricting bonds of a lesbian relationship wrote:

Right now I'm just waiting and seeing where God leads me. I feel like a malignant tumor has been removed from inside me and I am very calm and peaceful. At the same time, however, I have an exciting feeling of anticipation. It's as if Jesus reaches inside me and gently pulls out parts of me from there, so that I can see what's inside me... I know I've given a few things into His hands. Some things have improved, and where I used to feel sick, I now feel whole. He teaches me what I can be in Him. (13)

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house (Acts 16:31).

- (Rom 3:19,20) Now we know that what things soever the law said, it said to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

- (1 John 1:8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

The most important commandments and God's law have been discussed above. They show us one thing: sin and imperfection. Perhaps the most obvious lack is revealed in the double commandment of love. When Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God and one's neighbor with all one's heart, i.e. every single moment (Matthew 22:36-40), we have not followed it. If a person is honest, in the light of that, at the latest, he has to admit that he has not obeyed God's will, that he himself is not acceptable but is guilty before God. He has broken the law and cannot earn salvation by himself.

Most importantly, you should not compare yourself to others to recognize your sinfulness. It means having to face the law of God. What is the law of God? Do not kill, do not steal? “I have never done those things; therefore, I am not sinful.” – My friend, this is not the entirety of God’s law. What is it then? It is a twofold commandment: "The first of all the commandments is:,,… you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is, You shall love your neighbor as yourself...” (Mark 12:29-31). Forget alcoholics and the likes, forget news about crimes you read about in the papers. This is the real test: Do you love God with all your being? If you don’t, you are sinful. ”All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23).” (14)

If you have recognized your true condition before God—how you are lost, how you cannot save yourself, and that you need God's forgiveness—the following lines are for you.

The solution to the previous issues can be found in what Jesus has done for us. He Himself, the Son of God, came under the law and fulfilled the law, doing what we couldn’t do. He was acceptable before God, and in the end died for our sins, removing the obstacles that exist between God and man. Through Jesus we can now enter the kingdom of God.

- (Matt 5:17) Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.

Älkää luulko, että minä olen tullut lakia tai profeettoja kumoamaan; en minä ole tullut kumoamaan, vaan täyttämään.

- (Gal 4:4,5) But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

- (Eph 3:11,12) According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

Turn to Jesus! Since eternal life is in Jesus Christ, it is natural that we must in our heart turn to Him and put our faith in Him. The mere theoretical knowledge of His work and that He is the way to heaven will not benefit us at all if we do not want to turn to Him and receive life. So turn in your heart to Jesus Christ and surrender yourself to Him, and you will have access to all His goodness. The following verses are well related to this:

- (Matt 11:28-30) Come to me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke on you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest to your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

- (John 5:39,40) Search the scriptures; for in them you think you have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

40 And you will not come to me, that you might have life.

- (Acts 16:30,31) And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house.

So, if you have turned to Jesus Christ and received Him in your life, you are a child of God and have eternal life. You have the eternal life regardless of what you feel right now. Do not base your assurance of salvation on your ever-changing emotions, but rest in the word of the Bible and on Jesus Christ, just like the anchor of a ship is never thrown inside the ship but always outside.

- (John 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

- (1 John 5:11-13) And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

12 He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life.

13 These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God.

THE PRAYER OF SALVATION: Lord, Jesus, I turn to You. I confess that I have sinned against You and have not lived according to Your will. However, I want to turn away from my sins and follow You with all my heart. I also believe that my sins have been forgiven through Your atonement and I have received eternal life through You. I thank You for the salvation that You have given me. Amen.

REFERENCES:

1. Rick Joyner: Soihtu ja miekka (The Torch and the Sword), p. 34

2. Denis Clark: Herkkäuskoisten harharetket, p. 45

3. R.A. Torrey: Joh 3:16

4. Tri John Kitto kirjassa Encyclopedia of Biblical Literature, II, hakusana "Sabbath", p. 655

5. David Yonggi Cho: Kokemuksiani rukouksesta (DR. CHO’S PATTERNS OF PRAYER), p. 39-41

6. John Arnott: Mitä meidän tulisi tietää anteeksiannosta, p. 30,31

7. Sven Reichmann: Vapauteen kutsutut (Kallad till frihet), p. 103,104

8. V.R.: monisteita

9. Tiedot kirjasta: Hal Lindsey: 1948 Vuosi, jolloin loppu alkoi

10. Tiedot kirjasta: Hal Lindsey: 1948 Vuosi, jolloin loppu alkoi

11. Dada Maheshvarananda: Kapitalismin jälkeen, Proutin näkemys uudenlaisesta yhteiskunnasta (After Capitalism – Prout’s Vision for a New World), p. 154

12. Sonny Arguinzoni: Narkkarin stoori (God’s Junkie and the Addict Church), p. 92,93

13. David Seamands: Kasva aikuiseksi (Putting Away Childish Things), p. 161

14. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: Terve usko, Raamatun apu masennukseen (Spiritual Depression. Its Causes and Cure), p. 30