Foreword:
The following exerpt is taken from The Ten
Commandments by Arthur W. Pink
(BAKER BOOK HOUSE, 1994 GRAND RAPIDS, MI)
In this blog series I will work through this very
important article a paragraph at a time – asking my reader comprehension style
questions at the end. In our day, when people who identify themselves as
Christians are so sensitive to any accusation of legalism that they tend to
swing all the way out to antinomianism (that is lawlessness), it is perhaps now
more than ever that we ought to prayerfully re-examine the Ten Commandments –
and few do it better than Arthur Pink (1886 - 1952). I found
this article to be very convicting as I first worked through it. And, lest we
think we the church are not in need of this labour, let us be reminded that
those whom Jesus will reject on the last Day even though they did many mighty
works in his name, were accused by our Lord of not just having no intimate
relationship with him (‘I never knew you’), but also that they were accused as
workers of lawlessness by our Lord. The Law of God does not save, nor does it
keep one saved – none the less we are called to obedience to it who are saved –
but enough of me – here is Arthur Pink…
“Second, let us consider their (the Ten Commandment’s)
uniqueness. This appears first in that this revelation of God at Sinai, which
was to serve for all coming ages as the grand expression of His holiness and
the summation of man's duty, was attended with such awe-inspiring phenomena
that the very manner of their publication plainly showed that God Himself
assigned to the Decalogue peculiar importance. The Ten Commandments were uttered
by God in an audible voice, with the fearful adjuncts of clouds and
darkness, thunders and lightnings and the sound of a trumpet, and they were the
only parts of Divine Revelation so spoken--none of the ceremonial or civil
precepts were thus distinguished. Those Ten Words, and they alone, were
written by the finger of God upon tables of stone, and they alone were
deposited in the holy ark for safekeeping. Thus, in the unique honor
conferred upon the Decalogue, we may perceive its paramount importance in the
divine government.”
1) How did God make the revelation of the Ten Commandments stand out above his
other instructions given to the prophets throughout the ages?
2) Why did he make the Ten Commandments more important than
all the others? What distinguishes them from ceremonial and civil precepts in
terms of relevance for Christians today, in the eternal kingdom to come, what
they can teach us of God’s love and holiness, and finally how they convict the
unsaved when presenting the Gospel.
3) Since God has so set his Ten Commandments apart, are we
too quick to lump them in with his other decrees such as the prohibition of
eating certain animals (e.g. pork and shellfish) and disregard them – claiming
we are free of stricture because we are now under God’s Grace? But in 1 John
3:4 we read: “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.”
John is not talking about the law of the land but the Ten Commandments. Matthew
13:41-42 is very clear: “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and
they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do
evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
4) But none of us can consistently keep these commandments
and according to James 2:10 even breaking one is as good as breaking them all.
Truly honest people will abjectly admit that they break God's laws all the time. If only there was one person numbered among men who lived a perfect life –
never breaking a single command even once – and his perfect record was given to
each one of us who would receive it – as a gift. Also – if sin must be punished
with death (Romans 6:23) – if only there was someone who was willing to die for each one of
our sins. But praise be to God, for the man who lived perfectly did come and he
also willingly died for our sins. That
man was God himself – Jesus Christ. Have you gratefully received his gift? And
if yes, then is it appropriate to live as he instructed – and not only
following the letter of the Law but the Spirit behind it (we will explore this
concept further with Arthur Pink)? Do you obey because you are saved and trust
that he knows what is best? I pray that you do.
Join me for the next installment…
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