“RIGHTEOUSNESS AND THE COMMANDMENTS”

18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness,”

Matthew 19:18

Some people are quite confident in their spiritual standing, thinking that they have done enough good to merit God's approval. They compare themselves with those whom they think are spiritually inferior to them and conclude that they deserve a place in heaven because they're "good." What does the Lord Jesus think about this?

In today’s verse, Jesus answers a rich young man’s query on how to have eternal life. In the previous verse, He told him to keep the commandments, since adherence to the Moral Law was the standard of righteousness at the time.

The man appears to accept the challenge, so he asks Jesus which specific commandments he is to obey. He is confident that he has kept all of the commandments, and for him to ask Jesus, “Which ones?” implies that he was convinced he had obeyed them perfectly. So Jesus replies by quoting five of the Ten Commandments and summarizing them as loving others as oneself. These mandates deal with a person’s relation to fellow human beings.

• murder (Exodus 20:13)
• adultery (Exodus 20:14)
• stealing (Exodus 20:15)
• lying or false testimony (Exodus 20:16)
• honoring parents (Exodus 20:12)
• loving others as oneself (Leviticus 19:18)

These six commandments include four negatives and two positives.

The law against murder shows God valuing human life. As the Giver of life, He alone has the power to take it (Job 1:21).

The law against adultery shows how God values the human body, especially in terms of sexuality. God designed sex to take place only between a man and a woman under the blessing and authority of marriage (Hebrews 13:4).

The law against stealing shows God’s establishment of our rights of ownership. We should not take what isn’t ours. Instead, we should work hard to provide for ourselves and our families and help those in need (Ephesians 4:28).

The law against lying lays the foundation of a fair justice system. Truth must be upheld at all times. We should not form our humanity or society based on lies (Ephesians 4:25).

God’s Moral Law is the foundation of a healthy society. Obeying these four laws will keep us out of trouble; ignoring them comes with painful consequences. God did not give these commands because He wanted to make life difficult for us; He gave them because He wanted to bless obedience and faithfulness. Moreover, He desired that we respect and love each other so that we might have a quiet, peaceful life.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Fachy Marin on Unsplash