What We Believe  —  Commandments 7-10

Commandments 7-10

What does God say about our duty toward our neighbor?  (Part 2)

Today we deal with commands 7 – 10. While the study of these commands may be relatively short compared to the first 6, yet they are just as important to our Christian lifestyle as any of them.

1. The 7th Commandment says “You shall not steal.” What does this mean?

a)  Jeremiah 22:13 Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor. II Thes. 3:10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: ”If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

b)  1 Corinthians 13:4 Love does not envy is not self seeking.

c)  1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in it various forms.

The Bible teaches us that: We should NOT

a)  Wrongfully acquire our neighbor’s property. (Robbery, theft, fraud, charging exorbitant prices or excessive interest, gambling, betting, paying unfair wages, unfaithfulness towards an employer, unscrupulous borrowing, idleness, etc.)

b)  Envy our neighbor, or be selfish.

c)  Remember that we are but caretakers (stewards, trustees) of all that we call our own, and use whatever has been entrusted to us to the glory of God and the benefit of our fellow men.

God has given us our possessions and money for 4 reasons: to support the work of the church, support our families, help the poor and pay our taxes. These four ways to use our money are often ignored, or misapplied so that a person might shortchange the church.

2. The Eighth Commandment says “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” 

What does this mean?

a)  Proverbs 19:5 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will not go free.

b)  Proverbs 11:13 A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.

c)  James 4:11a Brothers, do not slander one another.

d) Zechariah 8:17 ”Do not plot evil against your neighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this,” declares the LORD.

e)  Proverbs 31:8-9 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

f)  1 Peter 4:8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

The Bible teaches us that:

We should NOT

a) Make any untrue statement against our neighbor in court, lie about him or to him, or withhold the truth from him in order to harm him;

b) Reveal his secrets or abuse his confidence for personal pleasure or spite; 

c) Speak evil of him and thus injure or destroy his good name;

d) Think evil of him.

We SHOULD

e) Defend our neighbor against false accusations and speak well of him;

f) Cover up his faults and explain in his favor whatever can rightfully be explained in this way.

Some people tell the truth about another person in the mistaken belief that if they don’t tell others the whole truth about another person that they are sinning.  However, I Peter 4:8 show us that there is room for discretion in a Christian’s life.  You will definitely not bring up the sins of a person’s youth when he or she is 55 years old and celebrating the wedding of their first child because by doing so, you only hurt a person’s reputation, and satisfy a sinful desire to hurt another human being.  Our parents had a good saying when they told us “If you can’t say anything good about someone, then say nothing at all.”

3. The 9th and 10th Commandments read “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house . You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his workers or his animals or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”   

What is the meaning of these commandments?

a)  Romans 7:7 For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” I Tim. 6:8-10.   But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.  People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many grief’s.

b)  Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. We should NOT

a) Have any evil desires in our hearts, or seek to get our neighbor’s property by legal trickery or an overbearing use of power or influence. (Envy, jealousy, greed, discontent.) In God’s eyes every evil desire is sin and deserves condemnation.

We SHOULD

b) Have only holy desires in our hearts. Then we will be content with what the Lord has given to us, find our happiness in Him, and help our neighbor to keep his possessions and relationships.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1.  How might a person use false reasoning to avoid supporting the work of the Church?

2.  Does God expect us to give to Him only if there is a great need on the part of the church?

3.  Why does a Christian give to church?

4.  What’s the difference between ambition and coveting?