All Together Now – The Kingdom Curriculum VII (6)

All Together Now

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain…” Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11

“And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.” Leviticus 24:15, 16

It’s a community thing.

The enforcement of God’s commandments is a community responsibility. While leaders have a particular duty to teach and uphold the Law of God, we all must accept our roles in helping to ensure that the holiness, righteousness, and goodness of God’s Law (Rom. 7:12) are allowed to have full effect in our community.

No, we aren’t going to stone anyone. But what if the leaders of our church determine that some writer or preacher is teaching something that isn’t true, some doctrine which, taken to its logical conclusion, actually profanes and dishonors the Name of God? If the church’s leadership takes such a position, should we simply shrug and say, “Well, that’s just their view.” Or should we encourage one another to turn away from this teacher or writer, refusing to be wooed by his eloquence or enticed by the false promise of blessings?

These days–with cheap internet access, radio and television, on-demand publishing, and a host of other readily available media–it’s too easy for anyone who wishes, to say or teach, in the Name of Jesus, whatever he pleases, whether or not his views have the sanction of Truth, and whether or not they are honoring to God’s Name. Now more than ever churches need to promote vigilance to guard the honor of God’s Name against false teaching and man-made traditions. And church members need to take seriously their responsibility in supporting and promoting teaching that is consistent with the Name of the Lord.

This is a difficult matter, to be sure. But every community of believers needs to understand that God holds it responsible for seeking the blessings of His Law and avoiding the curses of it. If we don’t know what that requires of us, it’s time to start finding out.

Get your copy of The Law of God today, and begin making meditation in God’s Law part of your daily discipline. Go to www.MyParuchia.com, point your browser to “Publications,” then click on the drop-down option, “Waxed Tablet Publications.”

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore.

T.M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.