Exodus 20:2-3 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
This is incredibly interesting. The Law of God is much more in depth than previously thought. When this commandment says to have no other gods before God, what does it mean? Does it mean that you can have another god on the same level as Him? After all, you are not placing this god before Him, but on the same level as Him. No, this does not mean that you can do that either, for it is written:
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
No man can serve two masters. You will either hate the first, and love the second, or you will hold to the first, and hate the second. You cannot serve both God and mammon. So then, what meaneth the first commandment? Does it mean that we are to put God on the same level as other gods, or to put God before everything else? It means to do the very opposite of the sin. Do not have any gods before Him, but make Him supreme, and put Him before all things. This same reasoning is meant to be carried out through every single commandment. The commandments don't promote some sort of middle ground, a lukewarmness. We to be completely cold, or to be completely hot. Either we walk completely in sin, or we walk completely in righteousness. Let us look at another commandment.
Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
This is better understood, as we are not to commit murder. We as Christians are not to kill our neighbors, or even hate our brethren, for hatred of the brethren is murder. What then? Are we to be content with not killing our neighbors, and not hating our brethren? Can we choose not to hate our brethren, but choose also not to love them either? Nay, but we are to do the righteous opposite. We ought to love one another, and to lay down our lives for one another.
1 John 3:15-16 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Instead of taking life, we are to do the opposite, give life. For this is what Christ did for us, for He gave up His own life, so that He could give us eternal life. And we then, ought to lay down our lives one for another. And there is no greater love than this sacrificial love.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Do the opposite.
Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
What is the opposite of stealing? Is it not giving? When the Law says thou shalt not steal, do it mean to be content with only not stealing, or does it mean to do the opposite? As with the first commandment, and with the sixth, so it is with the eighth. It means to do the opposite. Do not steal, but give.
Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let those who committed theft do no more theft, but what? Let them work, that they may have to give to those who are in need. Do the opposite of theft, and give. What if we give not though?
1 John 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
If you are not doing the righteous opposite of sin, you do not have love. How does the love of God dwell in a man who will not give to his brother that has need? Yea, that man may very well have stopped stealing, but if he do not give, he is still misunderstanding God's law. He does not love his brother. And can such be saved? It is written:
Matthew 25:41-46 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
And now, we will see the opposite of covetousness. First we have the commandment, not to covet. Men should not covet riches, cars, etc. They can covet nothing of their neighbors. And covetousness does not always lead to theft, but can lead to unwise spending. Like coveting the new and best cell phone out there, to keep up with thy neighbor. You don't have to steal it, but to go out and get it, is still covetousness.
Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
So then what ought we to do?
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Is that all? No, but we are to instead of seeking our own good, we are to seek the good, and the benefit of others.
1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.
1 Corinthians 10:33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
While we are to be content, just like we are not to kill, we are not to be satisfied with just stopping the sin. We are to do the righteous opposite. We ought to seek other's wealth, and we are to seek the profit of many. And what reason are we to seek their profit? That they may be saved. For Satan seeks to devour our fellow man. But Christ seeks to save us.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
We are then to seek to please all men, seeking their profit, seeking their wealth, that they are to be saved. What happens if we do not seek to save that which is lost?
Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
You may not be covetous, but to refuse to seek that which is lost, is to scatter them abroad. And if you are not gathering with Him, you are against Him, and not with Him. After all, we learned what happened with the soul that did not use his talents that his Lord had given him, but buried those talents.
Matthew 25:24-30 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
If you are not doing the righteous opposite of sin, you are not obeying the Law of God, and you will be lost. You cannot serve God and mammon, but must pick one as master, and make that choice supreme. You may refuse to steal, but you will not give to him that has need is to refuse to give to Christ. To refuse to covet, but then to refuse to seek the benefit of the lost is to be against Christ, and to scatter the lost abroad. And if we refuse to love, and lay down our lives for the brethren, then the love of God does not dwell within us. And if we do not love, we cannot be saved.
This is incredibly interesting. The Law of God is much more in depth than previously thought. When this commandment says to have no other gods before God, what does it mean? Does it mean that you can have another god on the same level as Him? After all, you are not placing this god before Him, but on the same level as Him. No, this does not mean that you can do that either, for it is written:
Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
No man can serve two masters. You will either hate the first, and love the second, or you will hold to the first, and hate the second. You cannot serve both God and mammon. So then, what meaneth the first commandment? Does it mean that we are to put God on the same level as other gods, or to put God before everything else? It means to do the very opposite of the sin. Do not have any gods before Him, but make Him supreme, and put Him before all things. This same reasoning is meant to be carried out through every single commandment. The commandments don't promote some sort of middle ground, a lukewarmness. We to be completely cold, or to be completely hot. Either we walk completely in sin, or we walk completely in righteousness. Let us look at another commandment.
Exodus 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
This is better understood, as we are not to commit murder. We as Christians are not to kill our neighbors, or even hate our brethren, for hatred of the brethren is murder. What then? Are we to be content with not killing our neighbors, and not hating our brethren? Can we choose not to hate our brethren, but choose also not to love them either? Nay, but we are to do the righteous opposite. We ought to love one another, and to lay down our lives for one another.
1 John 3:15-16 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Instead of taking life, we are to do the opposite, give life. For this is what Christ did for us, for He gave up His own life, so that He could give us eternal life. And we then, ought to lay down our lives one for another. And there is no greater love than this sacrificial love.
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Do the opposite.
Exodus 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
What is the opposite of stealing? Is it not giving? When the Law says thou shalt not steal, do it mean to be content with only not stealing, or does it mean to do the opposite? As with the first commandment, and with the sixth, so it is with the eighth. It means to do the opposite. Do not steal, but give.
Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let those who committed theft do no more theft, but what? Let them work, that they may have to give to those who are in need. Do the opposite of theft, and give. What if we give not though?
1 John 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
If you are not doing the righteous opposite of sin, you do not have love. How does the love of God dwell in a man who will not give to his brother that has need? Yea, that man may very well have stopped stealing, but if he do not give, he is still misunderstanding God's law. He does not love his brother. And can such be saved? It is written:
Matthew 25:41-46 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
And now, we will see the opposite of covetousness. First we have the commandment, not to covet. Men should not covet riches, cars, etc. They can covet nothing of their neighbors. And covetousness does not always lead to theft, but can lead to unwise spending. Like coveting the new and best cell phone out there, to keep up with thy neighbor. You don't have to steal it, but to go out and get it, is still covetousness.
Exodus 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
So then what ought we to do?
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Is that all? No, but we are to instead of seeking our own good, we are to seek the good, and the benefit of others.
1 Corinthians 10:24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.
1 Corinthians 10:33 Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
While we are to be content, just like we are not to kill, we are not to be satisfied with just stopping the sin. We are to do the righteous opposite. We ought to seek other's wealth, and we are to seek the profit of many. And what reason are we to seek their profit? That they may be saved. For Satan seeks to devour our fellow man. But Christ seeks to save us.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
We are then to seek to please all men, seeking their profit, seeking their wealth, that they are to be saved. What happens if we do not seek to save that which is lost?
Matthew 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
You may not be covetous, but to refuse to seek that which is lost, is to scatter them abroad. And if you are not gathering with Him, you are against Him, and not with Him. After all, we learned what happened with the soul that did not use his talents that his Lord had given him, but buried those talents.
Matthew 25:24-30 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. 26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
If you are not doing the righteous opposite of sin, you are not obeying the Law of God, and you will be lost. You cannot serve God and mammon, but must pick one as master, and make that choice supreme. You may refuse to steal, but you will not give to him that has need is to refuse to give to Christ. To refuse to covet, but then to refuse to seek the benefit of the lost is to be against Christ, and to scatter the lost abroad. And if we refuse to love, and lay down our lives for the brethren, then the love of God does not dwell within us. And if we do not love, we cannot be saved.
