In this day and age there are many who believe that they can believe whatever truth is for themselves and that their own personal truth, and the way they see the world, is truth for them. There is no good or bad truth. You have your truth and I have mine.
But living without any absolute truth; is that really the way to think and live? Living your life without absolute truth is like walking in a mine field in pitch blackness and not seeing the explosion in your life just ahead. I mean, let’s get real a moment here. If a person believes he can fly and that is his truth they are heading for disaster! No matter how much a person believes that to be their truth, the absolute truth is gravity will win if you jump off a building or bridge right?
No, there is such a thing as absolute truth and God provides us with 10 truths, that is ten standards/law of truth regarding our lives and spirit within. Without these Godly absolute truths we would be walking in complete darkness spiritually speaking. We would be doing whatever we want and thinking it was all okay and everything is acceptable to God. So the Ten Commandments are the real truth right from God Himself.
But does that mean God just gave the 10 commandments to us so we could use them to live by and avoid trouble? Is obeying them a way to make up for our sins and to look good to God? Or is there more to this?
Judging Ourselves Against Godly Standards – Not Human Standards
Logically, God is good so His laws must be good for us as well. These laws must reflect the perfect Holiness of God. And they most certainly do. And a fair way of looking at how good or bad we are must not be by comparing ourselves with others. That is not a fair comparison. We must compare ourselves with God’s perfect standard.
We humans have a big problem that God has already provided the solution for. That is the fact that we are all born into sin and have a ‘sin nature’ in us. And by knowing the LAW, we are exposed as sinners against God. We have a bent toward sinning, a drive toward sinning. We are all SINNERS – EVERY ONE OF US!
The Misconception Of the Ten Commandments
The Bible makes it clear that we have all sinned against our Holy and perfect God. Many pulpits teach condemnation as a means to stay saved. You must not break one of the Ten Commandments or you will no longer be saved. Other teach that obeying the Ten Commandments is the way to salvation. Both would be severely wrong and have not read their Bibles in context.
The Biblical truth is that the Ten Commandments were not given to us by God so that we would obey them to make up for our sins. No, it is just the opposite. We were given the Ten Commandments so that we would recognize our sin as sin.
Look at what Apostle Paul wrote in Romans:
“Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become EXCEEDING SINFUL. For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” (Romans 7:12-14 KJV)
“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.” (Romans 3:20 KJV)
“Moreover the law entered, that the offence MIGHT ABOUND. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:” (Romans 5:20)
Apostle Paul also wrote this,
“The sting of death is sin; and the STRENGTH OF SIN IS THE LAW.” (1 Corinthians 15:56 KJV)
Now do you see the misconception that most people have about the Ten Commandments? It does no good to try to match up to the Commandments in order to make up for our sins against God. If you break one … you break them all (James 2:10) . We could never have kept them all.
No person , except Jesus Christ, has ever kept the 10 Commandments. God gave the Commandments so that we would see that we could never regain fellowship with God through our own works. He wants us to know that this can only produce sin and death.
Only the blood atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross can save us and forgive us from our sins. That is what is meant by `God’s Grace’ in the preceding scripture.
Everyone Must Choose. Choose God!
“I call Heaven and Earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: Therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Christ took care of our “sin problem” at the cross. And all we have to do is believe and ask for forgiveness. Just as Adam made a conscious choice to sin we must also make a conscious choice to receive the free gift of eternal life. Christ will not force you to choose to accept His salvation.
In Mark 6:45-52 there is a verse that shows that we must use our free will and hand over control of our lives to Christ. Your right to the have the freedom to choose is very important to God.
“And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, AND WOULD HAVE PASSED THEM BY. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, AND CRIED OUT: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.” (Mark 6:45-52 KJV)
In these verses, Jesus told His disciples to go to the other side of the sea. Jesus then went to pray in seclusion. Once they were in the middle of the sea a strong headwind made it difficult for the disciples to row. Jesus saw that they were having great difficulty (probably shown to Him by God the Father while He was praying) and began to walk on the top of the water towards them. (Boat? Who needs a boat?)
To their astonishment, the distressed disciples saw Jesus walking on top of the water and coming towards their boat. At first, they thought it was a ghost and they were silent with fear. Just imagine if you thought you were seeing a ghost floating on the water and coming straight towards you! Only when Jesus came close enough so that they could see that it was Christ did their fear change to joyful amazement.
It is at this point, however, where something happens that seems in contradiction to what you might expect. One would expect that Jesus would immediately calm the storm and get in the boat and help the disciples but He does not!
In fact, Mark 6:48 says that Jesus paid NO attention to them and was proceeding to `pass them by’! Only when they cried out to Him did he acknowledge them and save them from their predicament! If the disciples had not submitted the problem to the authority of Jesus it seems like He would have walked right passed them. But once they turned over their situation to Christ He took over with full authority and stopped the headwind!
In Mark 4:35-41 we see a similar occurrence. Jesus and His disciples were in a boat when a great storm began to rock the boat hardly. The boat began to fill with water and they were fearful for their lives! And what was Jesus doing? Saving them as one might expect? NO! In fact, He was sleeping!
The disciples woke Him up and said,
“…Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38 KJV)
It is only when the disciples woke Him and asked for Him to save them that Jesus calmed the storm. Jesus knew what was going on. He may have been sleeping but no sleep can be deep enough to hide water pouring all over one’s self in a boat swaying harshly from side to side. Many other Scriptures prove this point. It seems that God is trying to get this point through our thick skulls!
God gave us Free Will and we should ask God, believing in the authority of Jesus Christ, for Him to intervene in our lives when we are in any kind of despair. Use our faith and trust in the power of Christ, who is now living in us. Yes, the Holy Spirit works to bring a person to repentance unto salvation but God gives you and me FREE WILL and it is important to Him that you have that CHOICE.
God wants ALL to be saved but will all be saved? The Bible is clear the answer is no. Christ did everything required for Salvation except one.. that a person believe He is the Son Of God who takes away the sin of the world through the atonement He provided on the cross.
He is always close by (Christ did walk out towards the boat didn’t He?) but it is you and me who must give up our free will and ASK for help and forgiveness . God wants you to have FREEDOM OF CHOICE! This is vitally important in order to have a loving relationship with God; that we be able to choose to do something ourselves with, or without, God. Otherwise, it would be called slavery.
God will not interfere with the decisions you make about Salvation until you ask Him in belief (John 3:14-18) to take over the situation for your forgiveness and justification. We are only human. We will mess up in life. No doubt about it – we still have the old sin nature thinking in the mind within us. But even when we do mess up, the Holy Spirit will make all things work for your good as a believer.
However, we should REST IN CHRIST, by our free will, and admit that we are a sinner and believe that Jesus was the Son of God who was crucified so that our sins would be forgiven. Believing works and Law following will justify us is the sin of pride.
In John 6:28-29 Jesus makes this clear…
“So they asked Him, `What can we do in order to do what God wants us to do? Jesus answered, `What God wants you to do is to believe in the one He sent.” (John 6:28-29)
Who Is The One God Sent?
It is Jesus Christ who died on the cross and took the punishment for our sins and our disobedience to God’s Ten Laws (which no one can obey 100% in our own strength, or will power). The Ten Commandments are a mirror we can look into and see just how sinful we are against a Holy God and they convict us so that we will turn to God and accept Jesus’ act of atonement on the cross and be forgiven.
The purpose of the Ten Commandments is to show the unsaved how Holy God is and to show them how sinful we as humankind all are. When you realize that when you die you will face a Holy God.
When the moment comes and you think about and realize the truth that even if your good deeds outweigh your bad sinful deeds; you sins must still be judged by a Holy God.
What should you do at that moment of your life? Do not run away from God. Do not deceive yourselves. Accept God’s truth and turn to Him. Ask God for mercy and forgiveness through Christ. That is one of the most important reasons the Law was given to us. So that we might believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and because of this have eternal life with God forever and ever.
