Ten Commandments

  • The Penalty for Blasphemy

    Leviticus 24:10–16

    The issue of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is a difficult one, but commentators agree that we have not committed this sin if we feel remorse and want God to forgive us. Only those whose hearts have been completely ...Read More

  • The Third Commandment

    Deuteronomy 5:11

    In a culture such as ours, we easily fall into the trap of speaking of God irreverently. Even preachers can sometimes fail to give the Lord due reverence in their preaching and teaching, which is why they must take care ...Read More

  • Images vs. Idols

    2 Kings 18:4–5

    Biblical ethics ultimately address the heart. Images in themselves are indifferent; it is what we do with them that matters. The worship of physical images is a problem in many places, but we tend to be more “sophisticated.” We often ...Read More

  • The Second Commandment

    Deuteronomy 5:8–10

    As finite beings who still suffer the presence of sin, we cannot bear to see God face to face. Such a vision will be our privilege when we are glorified (1 Cor. 13:12), but until then we have to ...Read More

  • No Other Gods

    Deuteronomy 5:7

    It is not enough merely to refrain from doing what God forbids, although that is a necessary part of true obedience. We must also cultivate a positive appreciation for the opposite of what is forbidden. Not following after other gods ...Read More

  • Coveting and Self-Destruction

    Proverbs 12:12

    In our market-driven culture, the temptation to covet that which belongs to others is constantly before us. Thus, we need all the help we can get to find contentment in those things we cannot change. We need Christian friends to ...Read More

  • The Tenth Commandment

    Exodus 20:17

    The answer to covetousness is not the absence of all desire, as in Buddhism, but rather the cultivation of contentment (1 Tim. 6:6–10). It can be a long journey on the way to discovering how to be content ...Read More

  • Holy Truth

    1 Peter 2:22

    Of all the lies we might tell, the most dangerous are probably those lies we tell ourselves to make us believe we are not really sinning. Given our susceptibility to falling into sin, we must be extra careful to examine ...Read More

  • Lies and Their Consequences

    Deuteronomy 19:16-21

    The Lord, being the font of wisdom and truth, has given us fair principles for guiding His community. It is essential, therefore, for a healthy church to follow His law, showing grace to the repentant and applying discipline when professing ...Read More

  • The Ninth Commandment

    Exodus 20:16

    Slander and gossip pervade our culture, and thus it is very easy to break the ninth commandment without being aware that we are actually doing anything wrong. As those who have been called out of the darkness of sin into ...Read More

  • Stealing from God

    Malachi 3:6-12

    It is tempting to give God only the leftovers after we have spent our income on ourselves. Yet this should not be the attitude of the Lord’s people, for what we own is His, and He has said that ...Read More

  • The Eighth Commandment

    Exodus 20:15

    We have no right to another person’s time, income, or property, and so we must be very careful never to steal any of these from our neighbor, whether directly or indirectly. For example, we should keep the appointments we ...Read More

  • The Seventh Commandment

    Exodus 20:14

    Western culture presently suffers from a lustful decadence that makes it hard to stand for purity in a way that offers the grace of the gospel to sinners without compromising God’s high standards. As we deal with sexual sinners ...Read More

  • A Murderer from the Start

    John 8:44

    Scripture’s emphasis on both the inward attitudes of evil and the outward deeds of wickedness results in a doctrine of sin that is both robust and realistic. The problem of sin is rooted within, and it takes an inward ...Read More

  • The Sixth Commandment

    Exodus 20:13

    Ephesians 4:26 tells us that there are times when we may be righteously angry, but distinguishing this from the kind of malice forbidden in the sixth commandment can be quite difficult. We must be cautious when we find ourselves ...Read More