Comprehending Pink’s Commandments Part 5

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…

"Third, let us consider their springs, which is love. Far too little emphasis has been placed upon their Divine preface: "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." Whatever of awful grandeur and solemn majesty attended the promulgation of the Law, nevertheless, it had its foundation in love. The Law proceeded from God as a clear expression of His character as both the gracious Redeemer and righteous Lord of His people. The obvious conclusion and all-important principle that must be drawn from this understanding is this: redemption necessitates conformity to God's character and order in those who are redeemed. Not only was God's giving of the Decalogue an act of love, but love was the basis upon which it was received by His people, for only thus could there be a conformity, an essential likeness, between a redeeming God and a redeemed people. The words at the close of the second commandment, "showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments," make it crystal clear that the only obedience which God accepts is that which proceeds from an affectionate heart. The Savior declared that the requirements of the Law were all summed up in loving God with all our hearts and loving our neighbors as ourselves."

1. The Decalogue can be divided into two parts

A) the Laws concerning our relationship to God

1 You shall have no other gods before Me.

2 You shall not make idols.

3 You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.

4 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

B) the Laws concerning our relationship towards one another.

5 Honor your father and your mother.

6 You shall not murder.

7 You shall not commit adultery.

8 You shall not steal.

9 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10 You shall not covet.

Consider each of these two lists – how do they express love for God? And for our fellow humans? One way you could do this is to reword each law as a question:

Do I love God enough to –

-         have no other gods before him?

-         have no idols* in my life?

-         never use his name or titles without honour and reverence?

-         worship him one day of each week?

(In other words do I love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength?)

Do I love my fellow human beings enough to -

-         honour them when they are my parents, gandparents, guardians and authorities over me?

-         not kill them or commit lesser crimes like hating them, slandering them, being angry with them and not forgiving them?

-         reserve my sexual activity for only one of them and give all of that exclusively and only to that one special person?

-         respect their property and right to ownership by not stealing both physical things and immaterial things like time and energy?

-         never slander or tell lies about or tell lies to another person.

-         not compare what I have to them or desire inordinately what they have or deny others my time, money or effort because I want something another has that I do not rerally need.

(In other words do I love others as I love myself?)

If you are honest in this appraisal you must answer that there seems to be practically no love in you at all according to these standards – or you may feel extreemly inconsistent and impoverished in your love. But take heart – Chirst was perfect in his love and he has gifted his perfect record to you. Still, we do well to honour him by obeying his law as a testimony to the love with which it was given.

Join me for the next installment…

* Gotquestions.org defines idols thusly: “The definition of idolatry, according to Webster, is “the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.” An idol is anything that replaces the one, true God. The most prevalent form of idolatry in Bible times was the worship of images that were thought to embody the various pagan deities. Idolatry extends beyond the worship of idols and images and false gods. Our modern idols are many and varied. Even for those who do not bow physically before a statue, idolatry is a matter of the heart—pride, self-centeredness, greed, gluttony, a love for possessions and ultimately rebellion against God.”