Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments were given by Yahweh to Moses. Their numbering has some variations between the Christian and Jewish traditions, this list follows the Jewish tradition.
First Commandment
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery
The First Commandment sets the foundation for the relationship between God and man.
Theology
God is Holy. This means, that God is always true to His own nature. God was Holy before Creation, and there was perfect harmony between the members of the Holy Trinity. Holiness is therefore a necessary attribute to the character of God. After God created beings other than himself, who were endowed with free will, became the possibility of rebellion and sin.
After sin, God must be Holy and true to His own nature. He cannot deny his own nature, which is the standard of Good. If God were to forgive, meaning, not punish sin, He would accept rebellion against Himself. Therefore, God must punish every sin.
Lordship
Lordship means that the person in question is the highest legal authority, who can give laws and punish criminals, up to capital punishment.
This concept is clear to all historians, secular Kings and Emperors have had this power in their own nations.
God is the Lord, which means He is the highest legal authority. The world belongs to God, not man. Man shall not worship himself, he shall worship God and live under God's terms. Man must accept, that God has the right to punish him for his sins, and that He will do so.
Penal Substitutionary Atonement
All of those, who believe in Penal Substitutionary Atonement, deny the First Commandment. They deny, that God is their Lord, and that God will punish them for their own sins. They, in their own insanity, believe, that God
- Does not punish the guilty
- Does punish the innocent
- These two evils combined is the Gospel, or Good News
The remedy to this insanity is to understand, that the Lordship of Jesus means that
Jesus punishes you for your own sins
Second Commandment
You shall have no other gods before me
The Second Commandment clarifies the First, it demands full obedience to Yahweh alone.
Logic
On a pure logical level, once you establish that Yahweh is the Lord, the highest authority who gives commands and must be obeyed, at first there are two possibilies.
- Yahweh alone is the Lord
- Yahweh and many other Gods are equally Lords who must be obeyed
The problem with option 2 arises when there are conflicting commands:
- Yahweh says You shall not murder, Baal says Offer your children as sacrifice
- Yahweh says You shall not murder, your boyfriend says I'm not going to take care of this baby, abort it
Therefore, you can only have one Lord, and must disobey other authorities when they conflict with Yahweh
False religions
Once it is established that God exists, the second question is which one is the one true God among all religions. Among Abrahamic religions one must choose:
- Judaism: Jesus was crucified and not raised from the dead
- Christianity: Jesus was crucified and God raised him from the dead
- Islam: Jesus was not crucified
In the end, man must choose what he believes and where his loyalty lies, and discard other options.
God of Human Relationships
Human relationships is the true God of most mankind, including those claiming to be Christians.
When your friends or relatives sin against other people, you have two choices:
- Condemn your friends or relatives
- Be a criminal accomplice to your friends or relatives
If you condemn your friends or relatives, you uphold the Lordship of God, justice and the equal worth of all mankind.
If you choose to protect your friends or relatives, you are
- Joining their rebellion and fall under the same judgment as they are
- You deny justice and the equal worth of all mankind
- By doing so, you also deny your own worth as a human being
- You plunge into the world of tribalism and lust for power because justice is already dead
Third Commandment
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name
Fourth Commandment
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
Fifth Commandment
Honor your father and your mother
Sixth Commandment
You shall not murder
Seventh Commandment
You shall not commit adultery.
Eigth Commandment
You shall not steal
Ninth Commandment
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor
Tenth Commandment
You shall not covet