The Promise of the Eighth Commandment – A Kingdom Catechism

The Promise of the Eighth Commandment

A Kingdom Catechism

God will maintain justice and blessing to all who obey His Law.

Q 116: What does the Lord promise in the eighth commandment?

A 116: In exchange for obedience to the eighth commandment the Lord promises to maintain justice, righteousness, peace, and the blessings of His covenant among those who obey His Law. (Deut. 24:7; Deut. 24:17, 18; Deut. 15:9, 10; Deut. 20:1-18)

Respect for the persons and property of others means that covetousness will be checked, passions will be restrained, civility will thrive, and just laws will be obeyed. This is God’s plan for human society, and keeping the eighth commandment is a crucial component of the divine economy. It is perhaps in this area that Christians can expect to make the most headway in advancing policies and laws in line with the eighth commandment, particularly in an economy such as ours, in which private property is such a “sacred” component. By supporting laws and policies in line with the Law of God, Christians may expect to bring the blessings of obedience to people in ways that will allow them to see the benefit of keeping God’s Law and living according to His purposes, even though they may have no sense of obligation to or respect for Him (cf. Ps. 81:15).

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