How Dumb We Can Be Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet…” Imagine someone saying, “Well, hey, I didn’t know it was wrong to covet. I thought everybody had these little secret longings and unspoken desires that they fantasize about and harbor in their hearts. What’s so wrong about that?” Nothing. Well, other than that ...
Need to Know Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet…” So coveting is unlawful desire, that is, desire that wants to go beyond the holy, righteous, and good boundaries marked out by the Law of God. Coveting wants to steer us off the sound path of righteousness into the marshes and miasmas of self-indulgence ...
Unlawful Desire Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet…” The command not to covet stands alone, without any supporting staff of precepts, statutes, and rules. It’s as though God said, “Don’t covet. ‘Nuff said.” We’re expected to get it from this much alone. At base, coveting is a form of desire. Something beyond us, ...
Rocket Science? Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet…” The commandments of God are supported, elaborated, illustrated, and explained by a series of accompanying precepts, statutes, and rules. These are meant to demonstrate the application of any particular commandment into the everyday lives of the people of God. These additional statutes also demonstrate the ...
A Generation of Truth-Tellers Exodus 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” In a day when it seems like almost everybody feels free to bend or ignore the truth, Christians must resolve to be a people committed to the ninth commandment and all it requires. The truth will shine ...
Fulfill Your Vows Exodus 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” “For richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse.” Probably most of us have declared those vows to the Lord. Keeping vows is an important part of truth-telling, and this requires a ...
Truthful to God? Exodus 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Throughout much of the Old Testament Israel tried to hold on to the worship of God and indulge the pagan ways of her neighbors at the same time. This is self-deceptive–withholding truth from ourselves–and an outright insult to ...
Truth and Love Exodus 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Truth hurts, or, at least, it can. But that doesn’t mean that telling people the truth is somehow unloving. It may hurt us to hear God say that we’re dead in our trespasses and sin; that our best works ...
Lies All the Same Exodus 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” “White lies” are still lies. Holding back the truth is just a form of deceit. Skirting the truth is an attempt to make truth into something else, either to palliate someone’s sensitivities or to protect our own ...
God Demands Truth Exodus 20:16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” Consider the grace and kindness of God: He believes that you deserve truth. So He reveals Himself to us, in the creation, by His Word, and in our Lord Jesus Christ, showing us in so many and varied ways ...