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First Order (C)
by
Terry Dashner
A continuation of "First Order (B)"
www.ffcba.com
When one reads The Ten Commandments, one sees a natural break
midway through the reading. The first half-of-Commandments speak
of what God requires from His creation. This is referred to as
the "vertical" emphasis--God to man. The last
half-of-Commandments speak of man's relationship to his
neighbor. This is referred to as the "horizontal" emphasis--man
to man. If the vertical Commandments are intersected by the
horizontal Commandments, it forms a cross. Jesus died on the
Cross to bridge the gap between God and man and to reconcile men
to other men. Thus, Jesus lived, died and fulfilled The Ten
Commandments.
William Barclay has said, "No man dare say that he loves God,
unless he also loves his fellowmen; and no man can really and
truly love his fellowmen, unless he sees that the true value of
a man lies in the fact that he is a child of God. Without the
manward look religion can become a remote and detached mysticism
in which a man is concerned with his own soul and his own vision
of God and nothing more. Without the Godward look a society can
become a place in which, as in a totalitarian state, men are
looked on as things and not as persons. Reverence for God and
respect for man can never be separated from each other."
Well said Professor Barclay.
Let's review briefly the history of Israel. The people of Israel
came to the wilderness of Sinai on the third new moon after
their exodus, and it was then, according to the old story, that
The Ten Commandments were given to them. They came from Egypt
(Exodus 19.1). It was just three months after their escape from
Egypt. They had been slaves for years in Egypt. It was
inevitable that their spirit was gone, as indeed their conduct
at the Red Sea when Pharaoh was in pursuit of them makes quite
clear (Exodus 14.10-12). At this stage they were a people who
had been slaves and who had escaped as little more than a
disorganized rabble. In order that a mob of people may become a
nation they must have a law which they will obey and which will
weld them into a community. There can be no community without
law (William Barclay, The Ten Commandments, Westminster John
Knox Press 1998, p.3).
Therefore, God gave them law to establish order and weld them
into a strong nation, independent of pagan worship, idols, and
alliances with godless nations. Again, it is the grace of God
that saves us through faith in Jesus Christ. It is the Holy
Spirit who empowers us to love God with all our heart, soul, and
mind. It is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to love our
neighbor as ourselves. Thus, it is grace and God's moral law
working in me by the power of the Holy Spirit that propels me
forward in my Christian growth. To grow in grace is to continue
in love with God and my fellowman.
Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is on His way.
Pastor T.
About the author:
www.ffcba.com
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