There are those who believe that a person must keep the 10 commandments in order to please God. Most of these people are very sincere in their desire to please God—because if they were not, they would not even try to keep them. So when I deal with someone who believes that we must keep the 10 commandments in order to please God, the first question that I ask them is to "name them." Quite honestly, most people can't even name all 10 commandments found in Exodus chapter 20 right off the top of their heads. After giving two or three of them myself, I ask them…
How can you keep them if you don't even know what they are?
How can you be sure that you are pleasing God by keeping them if you don't even know them by heart?
That usually does the trick and then I go on to show them what the word of God says about the 10 commandments (we will talk about it later).
But what about those who do know them all, and can name them all by heart? Could they be pleasing to God? Well, when they think that they are, I ask them,
Then what about the other 600 plus commandments that God gave to Moses, are you keeping them too?
As you can imagine, they are usually shocked by that question and want me to show them in the bible. To which I take them through the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Then I tell them that whether it was all 600 plus commandments that God gave Moses, or just the 10, they could not possibly please God through trying to keep them! Why? Because they have to keep them all perfectly, for their entire life!!!
Let's look at the scriptures, and let God Himself teach us.
James 2:10
For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend [or sin, by breaking] in one point, he is guilty of all"
So according to just that one verse, if a person makes just one tiny mistake and sins against God by breaking just one commandment, that person is guilty before a perfect, holy, righteous God!! Let me give you an example using the 10 commandments. Have you ever stolen anything anytime during your lifetime? Maybe something small and insignificant, but it was not yours? Then, you are guilty of breaking the whole law!! The 8th Commandment says, Thou shalt not steal.
Have you ever lusted after anything, whether after a thing, or a person in your heart, or ever had a sexual relationship with someone other than your spouse, whether in deed or even thought? Well, you are guilty!!!
The 7th Commandment says, Thou shalt not commit adultery. And, the Lord Jesus Christ says in Matthew 5:28, that even by thinking lustful thoughts, you commit adultery in the eyes of God in your heart."
Okay, last one, we'll just use 3 of the 10… Have you ever told a lie sometime during your lifetime? just one? A little white lie? Well, the 9th commandment says, thou shalt not bear false witness... so, if you ever told a lie, just once, you are guilty of the whole law!!!
How are you doing so far? Oh, almost forgot, God says in Revelation 21:8, that, …all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."
God makes it clear that those who break His law are guilty, and will spend eternity, not in Heaven with Him, but their souls will go into the lake of fire and be tormented forever and ever!
Now do you still want to trust yourself? Still want to trust your own self-righteousness? Are you keeping God's perfect law perfectly? Well, if you just said yes, you just lied again! Remember what James 2:10 says, and remember where Revelation 21:8 says you are going. Why don't you stop trying to please God in your own strength and just believe His Word?
God's spokesman for us today, the Apostle Paul tells us…
Romans 3:10-12, 23
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
You see my friend, you can't please God by your own works because you are not perfect!
You are a sinner. And because God knows that you can't keep his law perfectly, he gave you someone who could! God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, came to earth, lived a perfect life under God's law, and then died to pay for your sins.
1 Corinthians 15:3-4
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Galatians 4:4-5
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
He died to pay your sin debt to God.
Romans 3:24-25
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation [satisfaction of the sin debt] through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
God loves you so much that he sent his own Son to the cross to shed his blood for you.
Romans 5:8
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
You see my friend, God does not require you to keep his law because he knows that you can't keep it perfectly, so in his grace and love toward you, he sent his Son to die in your place.
The Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled God's righteous standard of perfection on your behalf and now offers his righteousness to you freely in exchange for your faith
2 Corinthians 5:21
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
God through our Apostle Paul says,
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith, that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us.
Romans 4:5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him [Christ], that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for his faith is counted for righteousness
You see my friend, God loves you. And he proved it and demonstrated it clearly by sending Christ to die for your sins on the cross! If you trust that, and that alone, God will save you from the lake of fire right now! Do you believe that you are a sinner, and that you cannot keep God's whole law perfectly? Well, you are just the person God desires to save. Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:15 that, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners… In Galatians 2:21, Paul says, ...if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
My friend if you could please God by keeping his law, then the Lord Jesus would not have even had to come to die for you! Why don't you believe God's word and receive his gift of eternal life by faith. If you trust Christ, God will never charge another sin to your account
Colossians 2:13
And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
Isn't that wonderful? Do you want to pay for yours own sins in the lake of fire for all eternity? Or, do you want to accept the one who already paid it for you? Simply believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. It's that simple....and thank the Lord for that!
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
Hopefully this helps!
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AMEN!
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