Today’s scripture: Exodus 20:1-17
The Ten Commandments seem to form a list of “thou shall not’s” that might lead one to believe our faith is negative, not positive. There really is no argument. There is no “Should I?” but rather, it’s obviously an “I should.” We are burdened in our culture to be “perfect.” We want our children to be at the top of their class. We want to be first chosen. We want to be the “top dog” in our vocation. We want. The problem is what we want is often not what God wants for us. God is love and his desires for us hinge upon love and it is only when God is our forefront thought that the Commandments begin to become natural responses.
It is Jesus who declared in Matthew 22, 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Love is the thing upon which we cling and hang our faith on and it is only love that enables us to “be” right with God and that is solely the work of Jesus on our behalf.
The great debate; If you keep all Ten Commandments, does that make you righteous in God’s eye? But none of us can. The Commandments formal moral fabric for God’s people but alone do not accomplish their goal. Ultimately, the Commandments point us in a direction, but only Jesus enables us to be righteous before God, our humanity continues to get in the way.