The Ten Commandments and sin

I heard someone say recently that the 10 commandments are divided into two parts. The first half lists sins against God; the second half lists sins against your neighbor, thus corresponding to the two greatest commandments.

There is some helpfulness in dividing the commandments this way. But this isn’t quite an accurate picture of God and his relationship with man. David wrote Psalm 51 when the prophet Nathan confronted him about his adultery with Bathsheba.

In verse 4, David writes, “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.” So, even with a sin that appears to man to be a sin against another man, it is a sin against God alone!

Maybe we should consider these two categories of the 10 commandments as direct sins against God, and indirect sins against God through others.

Do Aliens Exist? Biblical indicators

In our culture, many people talk about aliens. Both from scientific investigation such as SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence), and from a social or experience perspective with reports of UFO sightings, crop circles, and abductions.

If you are interested in a more detailed treatment of this subject, I recommend a book by Dr. Gary Bates called Alien Intrusion. This book was a good eye-opener for looking at this topic, both in terms of the evidence, the symptoms, and their message and purpose.

I would not do true justice to this topic if I tried to treat it in-depth, you are better off reading his book. What I’d like to do is look at the question, “Do aliens exist?” from the Biblical evidence.

First, let’s look at Genesis where we find the foundation for nearly all doctrines in the Bible.

The Earth and other Heavenly Bodies

The first two verses in the Bible show how the earth is treated differently than the rest of the other heavenly bodies by mentioning the earth separately and by creating it before the rest.

Genesis 1:1-2, “¹In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ²Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.”

Then later, on day four, God creates the other heavenly bodies, and mentioning that “He also made the stars”. But he made them for a purpose that he mentions, to give light and to mark seasons and days and year. When mentioning the purpose of giving light, it is to give light to the earth, not to other planets.

Genesis 1:14-19, “¹⁴And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, ¹⁵and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. ¹⁶God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

Mankind

Second, let’s look at another concept in Genesis, the creation of mankind.

Genesis 1 shows that God made mankind, male and female, in his image and did not create others (fish, birds, animals, plants) in his image. Other extra-terrestrial intelligence is eerily missing.

Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

In the second account of God’s creation in Genesis 2 we see some other clues about man’s purpose. In verse 18 we read, “The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." This doesn’t mean that it’s not good for man to be alone in the universe, thus supporting other life forms out there. If this were so, why have we not found them yet, since God didn’t want us to be alone? But, if we look at the text, it points to a helper suitable for him, which we find out later is his wife Eve. Verse 22 says, “Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib ^[j] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.”

Then after the fall and the curse we see Adam name his wife Eve recognizing both biology and the curse.

Genesis 3:20, “²⁰ Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.”

Paul reinforces that as he talks about death coming to all mankind through Adam, and life and redemption through Christ.

Romans 5:12,14, “¹²Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— … ¹⁴Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.”

Eve was the mother of all the living, the gift of life comes through Jesus Christ, only to those who are made in God’s image and are under the curse of the first man.

Final, Conclusion

Further support comes in various places, one unique scripture dealing with this supports the idea that the earth is unique among God’s creation, limiting the argument for intelligent life on other planets.

Isaiah 45:12 and 18, “¹² It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts. … ¹⁸ For this is what the LORD says— he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: "I am the LORD, and there is no other.”

God here is affirming that He is sovereign and everything is done for his purpose, he is putting King Cyrus in his place and reminding him that God did all this, and God put King Cyrus in authority for His purposes. Here God reminds us that the earth is special and he put man on it, “he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited”. He does not say this anywhere about any other planet or heavenly body.

In the end, this is an argument from silence, which has some weakness built in. However, we can conclude with some confidence that God made the earth special, God made man in his own image, the “mother of all living”, and he made the earth to be inhabited. Thus, we should not expect to find intelligent life in outer space.

They will know we are Christians by our love

I don’t mean to pick on song lyrics. If I did, I would pick on some other ones.

As I was reading the Bible recently I ran across a passage that reminded me of this old song, “They’ll Know We Are Christians”. It must have been the passage where they got the inspiration for the lyrics, for it says “…we know who the children of God are… nor is anyone who does not love his brother.” –parts of 1 John 3:10. Yes, you got the picture, it’s only part of the story, and it’s a negative instead of a positive. Let’s look at the whole passage in context.

1 John 3:7-10, “⁷Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. ⁹No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.”

This passage points first to our actions, not that we can earn our own salvation by our actions, but our actions can be evidence of our adoptions as children of God. This is along the same lines of reasoning as James 2:18, “But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” Likewise, this also does not mean that we act perfectly, for we see Paul’s famous phrase in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” And in verse 21, “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.”

As far as love in the first passage, we look forward in the same chapter to see how John defines love. We need to love, not just with our words, but with action and sacrifice, as our savior did.

1 John 3:16-20, “¹⁶This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. ¹⁷If 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? ¹⁸Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. ¹⁹This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence ²⁰whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”

What shall we sing then? They will know we are Christians by our faith, evidenced by our actions, done in sacrificial love.

Our Father’s Unconditional Love

Many have a perception of Christianity that the Bible gives us a set of rules that we must follow in order to gain favor with God. If we fail to follow those rules we lose favor with God. Some would have a similar view of Islam, weighing their good deeds against their bad deeds, in order for Allah to allow them into paradise. Christians who fall into this way of thinking about their own salvation are anxious about failing to confess, repent, and receive forgiveness after each sin. If Christ were to return, or they were to die, between their sin and confession, they wonder if they would they go to heaven or not? When I was younger, I thought this way. Today, I’d like to challenge that way of thinking.

Let’s start with a foundation of how the Bible shows how our Christian life is like a family. Ephesians 5:29-32 shows how a husband and wife is an illustration of Christ and the church.

Ephesians 5:29-32, ²⁹After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰for we are members of his body. ³¹"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh."^{[c] 32}This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

Romans 8 also affirms that we are children of God, and brothers in Christ.

Romans 8: 12-17, ¹²Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.¹³For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, ¹⁴because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Ephesians 1 reinforces that we are adopted as children of God.

Ephesians 1:4-6, ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

This passage also challenges the idea of loosing one’s salvation by sinning. He chose us, it is not us who chose Him. He chose us to be holy and blameless in his sight, for His glory. Not for our glory, or our boasting that we made the choice.

The Lord’s prayer also affirms our family relationship as adopted sons and daughters of God, in Matthew 6:9, it starts, “Our Father in heaven”. Our father-child relationship is an illustration of our heavenly father’s relation to us.

Our Father gives us his unconditional love, he has given us his free gift of eternal life. He will not take it away when we sin, then give it back when we repent. What kind of earthly father would that be? (See Matthew 7:11)

Let us rest assured tonight that the gift that God has given us will not be taken away, no matter what mistake or backsliding we may do. God loves us and will restore us, but he will not take away his gift of eternal life.

Blessed are the meek

I ran into a new perspective that I hadn't heard before about the verse from Matthew 5:5, "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." It got me to thinking a bit. Here are a few sentences from Inherit the Earth, by Gary North, it is found on page 27 in the chapter on Dominion by Subordination.

"God is the ruler over His creation. Men must answer to God and be responsible to Him. The basis of any man's rule over the creatures and the resources of the earth is his humility and his willing obedience to a sovereign and all-knowing God. This is what Jesus mean when he announced "Blessed are the meek..." He mean meek before God. He did not mean "wimps before men." He meant just the opposite. We need humility to take authority.

We generally think in terms of the meek being "wimps", or mild-mannered men and women. This idea from Gary North challenges this idea. In some ways this is more consistent with some other passages, for example the instance in Acts 4 where Peter and John had just been released by the Sanhedrin and chastised to not speak in this name again. First, John and Peter's answer did not show meekness before the Sanhedrin, they said in Acts 4:29, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God.". Later they gathered with the believers and prayed for boldness in Acts 4:29, "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness."

Fathers Teach Your Children

One of the themes throughout the Bible is the command to train your children. It is often given as a general command, or one directed at both parents. It is also specifically given to fathers to train their children in the instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4). It also tells older women to train younger women (Titus 2:3-4).

Deuteronomy 6:1-9, ¹ These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, ² so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. ³ Hear, O Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, promised you. ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

Deuteronomy 6 gives us a foundational command to teach God’s commands to your children. The chapter starts with the context, nearly repeating the 5^th commandment to give the purpose. The purpose is to ensure that your family, across multiple generations may fear the Lord…and that you may enjoy long life. It compels you to impress them on your children and to do it with such intensity that it is built into everything that you do. Proverbs 22:6 sums it up simply, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

Ephesians 6:1-4, “¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ²"Honor your father and mother"—which is the first commandment with a promise— "that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth." ⁴Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Ephesians and other New Testament passages repeat this. We see this directly in Ephesians 6. Children honor and obey your father and mother. It goes on to say “Fathers…bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Two verses earlier it makes the distinction between father and mother showing that this verse is specific to fathers.

The responsibility to train children in God’s word belongs primarily to the fathers.

As I shared this with a friend, he commented that he believes that it doesn’t necessarily mean that the father must do it. It just means that the father must make sure it happens.

I disagree with this assessment for a couple reasons. First, and foremost, the scriptures do not teach this. Scripture does not say “make sure your children understand these commands”, it says “impress them on your children”.

1 Timothy 2:11-15 reinforces this view as it explains proper, orderly worship, saying, “A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. ¹²I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man;” This does not indicate inferiority; but it does imply proper responsibility and authority. This picture also illustrates the relationship of husband and wife parallel with the relationship of Christ to his church from Ephesians 5.

Second, this thought process demonstrates a prevalent view in our culture to “farm out” our responsibilities to others. We pass off our responsibility to others and are not engaged in what we should be. We pass our responsibility to raise our children to the day care. We pass our responsibility to teach our children to Sunday School, Youth Group, and the public schools.

As a father, lead your family in the Word. Lead daily family worship, include reading of God’s Word, singing, and prayer. Intentionally train your family in Bible and doctrine. Read the Bible, (not just a devotional) understand it and teach what it means. I am not a fan of devotionals or life application Bibles. You should teach God’s Word, wrestle with it yourself.

There is no better way to pass on our faith from generation to generation than to follow God’s plan of passing it on through His Word from father to son.

The Bible is not a ___ textbook

As I was reading through a book recently, I ran across a familiar argument, but applied to a different topic or context. I searched online and found the same claim, “The Bible is not an economics textbook.” I’ve seen this claim before, but mostly applied to science and the creation-evolution controversy.

When applied to science, the arguments usually cover some basic thoughts such as,

• no, but wherever the Bible touches on science or history it is trustworthy
• no, I’m glad, because science textbooks get out of date and have to be changed

There is usually a good demonstration of how the Bible is accurate, how science has had to change and contradict previous claims of truth. There are good, solid organizations dedicated to upholding the Bible such as www.answersingenesis.org, www.creation.com, www.icr.org, and www.biblearchaeology.org.

When I saw the same question applied to a different area than science, it got me to thinking to a broader application. Let’s take a new look at it, how would you define a textbook? Here are a few found online:

1. a book used for instructional purposes, especially in schools and colleges
2. A book used in schools or colleges for the formal study of a subject
3. A manual of instruction or a standard book in any branch of study. They are produced according to the demand of educational institutions

If we look at those definitions, we could say that the Bible is a textbook, as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of /God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Let me offer up another definition, in terms of contrasting between the Bible and a textbook on science or economics. A textbook is a collection of human knowledge, used to organize and teach others about a subject.

The Bible claims to be much more than that, in 2 Peter 1:16-21 we read, “we have the word of the prophets made more certain” and “prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” In both scriptures we see that the Bible is not from man, but from God. We have the owner’s manual, from the Creator himself, not just something from men who did not create it but seek to explain it from a black-box perspective.

Do we think God can tell us reliably about himself and religion, and not tell us reliably about ourselves and His other creations, which He rules and sustains?

When others scoff, “The Bible is not an economics textbook” or any other area of study, we can answer them by saying, “thankfully not, it provides a more reliable source as a foundation for all of our knowledge.

-Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

Scripture: Free will or God's will?

In the debate over man's free will and God's sovereignty, people often claim the verse that says "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling" as teaching that man has free will since we have to "work out our salvation". That seems to imply we have free will and we make the choice to "work" our salvation.

This understanding is taking things out of context. In fact, this is only part of a sentence, which doesn't end with that verse. This verse is found in Philippians 2:12. Let me first quote the whole sentence which continues in verse 13.

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Note that the rest of the sentence seems to contradict how may apply the previous phrase. It represents a thought that plagues the debate, asserting that God's will and man's will are mutually exclusive (i.e. if God has a will, he imposes it on man, who becomes a mere robot or puppet), thus creating a false dilema. Jonah had a will and ran from God's plan for him, but God brought him back through a number of means into His will, and he went to preach to Ninevah.

So what does "work out your salvation" mean then? I would suggest that it means to reflect the grace you have received for your salvation through faith. God gave you salvation through faith as a free gift, not by works. Therefore, you should respond by continuing to grow in your sanctification through obedience to show your gratitude for God's incredible gift to you. As we work this out and grow, we reflect God's grace even more, and serve as witnesses to glorify God.

Simple Defense of the Trinity

Often when discussing your faith with others, they will question your belief in the Trinity. had Muslims question this in terms of "it doesn't make sense, you worship three gods", and even questioning the historical basis of the Trinity, saying "first you believed Jesus was two-in-one, then later came three-in-one, and even four-in-one, Christians are confused!"

So, what is the basic defense of the Trinity? First you must re-inforce the belief in the Bible (see 2 Peter 1:16-31). Second, you can take it on directly by showing that the Bible teaches that God is one and that each person of the Trinity is the same, and that each is also different. In other words, it may not seem reasonable according to what we've experienced in the material world, but it is clearly taught by Scripture, which is revealed to us by God Himself.

You will need to approach these examples uniquely to how you can most comfortably understand and communicate it. You can point to scriptures such as where Jesus says "I and the Father are One", or John 1 which says in the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word Was God. (with Jesus being "the Word" and present at creation, in the beginning). You can likewise point to scriptures that indicate they are different. You can use the example from John the Baptist, where he baptizes Jesus in the Jordan, you have a single instance where you have all three present and separate at the same time. Jesus is in the Jordan being baptized, God speaks from heaven ("This is my Son...") and the Spirit comes in the form of a dove.

"Be Still" in Prayer

A scripture verse that is often quoted in support of contemplative or centering prayer is Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God". But, is that passage really about prayer? Should we use it in support of prayer?

My short answer is: "no". That doesn't mean we shouldn't listen for God or the Holy Spirit's leading to answer our prayers, but never in contrast to God's revealed Word in scripture. Let's look at the use of that phrase, "be still", in this scripture passage and others throughout the Bible.

Psalm 46 is a short chapter, you should read the whole chapter to understand the context of that one phrase. It starts with verse 1 to set the overall context, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." It talks mostly of the nations in uproar, about wars, the mountains quake, etc... These are all physical things, and the message is that God is our fortress, we should be still (i.e. rest) in the comfort that God is all powerful and will be our help and fortress, we shouldn't worry or try to take things into our own hands.

This phrase, "be still" is found in six other passages throughout the Bible:

• Exodus 14:14, "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
• Nehemiah 8:11, "The Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for this is a sacred day. Do not grieve."" (they had been weeping and grieving as they hear the law read, they were told to enjoy food and drink, for the joy of the Lord is their strength)
• Psalm 37:7, "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes." (again, don't worry, rest in God, everything is in His hands)
• Jeremiah 47:6, "'Ah, sword of the LORD,' you cry, 'how long till you rest? Return to your scabbard; cease and be still.'" (the first verse sets the context, "This is the word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines before Pharaoh attacked Gaza")
• Zecharaih 2:13, "Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling." (prophecy)
• Mark 4:39, "He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm."

If we use this passage in relation to prayer, or as an example of prayer we are practicing eisigesis (reading our own ideas into the text), rather than exegesis (shaping our ideas based on the text) of scripture. When we read our own ideas into scriptue, we can make it say anything we want, thus it becomes meaningless text and useless to us.

It should be as God tells us in Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." If we read our own ideas into it, how can it judge the thoughts and attitudes of the heart?

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God

I recently read through Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by JI. Packer. It can be found on Amazon. It is a small book, and worth the quick read, but a little difficult to follow the way it is written at times. The last paragraph in the book sums it up pretty well: [my addition]

"What, then, are we to say about the suggestion that a hearty faith in the absolute sovereignty of God is inimical to evangelism? We are bound to say that anyone who makes this suggestion thereby shows that he has simiply failed to understand what the doctrin of divine sovereignty means. Not only does it undergird evangelism, and uphold the evangelist, by creating a hope of success that could not otherwise be entertained [God ensures His word comes to fruition]; it also teaches us to bind together preaching and prayer; and as it makes us bold and confident before men, so it makes us humble and importunate before God. Isn't this as it should be? We would not wish to say that man cannot evangelize at all without coming to terms with this doctrine; but we venture to think that, other things being equal, he will be able to evangelize better for believing it."

He also talks some about the antinomy (apparent conflict, but equally valid) of God's will and man's free will. It is not a continuum as I initially thought about it, such that the reality lies somewhere on the continuum between God's will on the one end, and man's will on the other. It seems to be more that man has free will, but God's will is stronger. That's not a perfect analogy or comparison, but is as close as I get to simple statement. The antinomy is still part of the mystery of faith, just as the Trinity is a mystery as it is near impossible for us to grasp because we don't have anything in the natural world that represents it perfectly.

God commands us to pray, even though He knows better what we need than we do. Likewise, God commands us to evangelize. I have come to think of it somewhat like the example in 1 Corinthians 3:6, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow." God wants us to plant the seed or water it; if He wants to grow a plant, and we don't plant the seed or water it, He will use someone else for those tasks. Don't we all want to be used by God in building His Kingdom in some way?