I wrote this about an hour ago, during a conversation on another website, and wanted to post it here because I think a lot of people tend to see Christians as "holier than thou", self-involved, or otherwise prideful. To counter that, I went down the list of the Commandments as found in Exodus 20, and applied the parts of my own history which illustrates how I truly messed up regarding all of them. I'd like to make something very clear though, right away: I am not seeking pity, or any kind of excuse for my sins. If you make it through this long post, I think by the time you reach the end you'll realize how grateful I am that God hasn't given up on me yet. With that in mind, here's my original article...
I am going to use my own past to illustrate the seriousness of breaking the Ten Commandments. And before anyone starts to say, "I haven't broken all of them", or "That means nothing to me, I'm a good person", Scripture says very plainly in James 2:10, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." So, with that in mind, here we go...
Commandments #1 & 2: "Have no other gods before Me", and "Do not have any idols" (or more broadly translated, "Do not make anything in your life more important than God."
I've broken this one many different times in my life, even with good intentions. I loved my family, especially my Mom, and I'm sure that at some point I didn't think of God as more important than her. But for me, the bigger violation was when I had my only romantic relationship. I worshiped that woman to the depths of my soul, though I didn't bow down to her literally. But I'd have done almost anything she asked at that time to keep her, and made some very stupid choices as a result (more on that later).
Commandment #3: "Do not use the name of your Lord in vain."
Even if you've never explicitly used God's name as part of a curse, its more than likely you've mentioned it in a way that is not respectful. I know I've done both.
Commandment #4: "Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy."
Your first response to this might be, "I'm not Jewish", but the Bible never limited the observation of the seventh day only to one tribe of people. Even for those who are already Christians, I'm pretty sure you've missed at least one day of church in your life just like I have. God asks us for just one day to be set aside, where we focus on Him first. But a lot of people won't even submit to that.
Commandment #5: "Honor your father and mother."
If you've claim you've never once disrespected your parents, or done anything they disagreed with, then in total honesty you're a liar. I never knew my Dad very well; he left before I was born. But I know I argued with my Mom like crazy about a lot of things, and I even once called her a bitch to her face. Her reaction was rightly slapping me hard across mine for it...and I don't recall doing it again.
Commandment #6: "Do not murder."
This is another one that a lot of folks try to excuse themselves from. They say, "I've never literally killed anyone", and I would respond with "Neither have I". But in 1 John 3:15, Jesus says that anyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer. So its not just mortal in nature but also spiritual.
Commandment #7: "Do not commit adultery."
This is one I am in no way proud of, because I'm guilty of it in both senses. My only romance began when I was 20 years old, living in a homeless shelter. While there, I fell in love with a woman, but she chose to marry another man instead. Not long after that, he was sent to jail on a mistaken identity charge, and she asked me to share a motel room with her so she wouldn't have to sleep alone. I knew I loved her with all my heart, but to be honest I also lusted after her like crazy. I tried to resist that first night, by sleeping on the floor instead of on the bed, and I even stood up to watch her sleep for a few minutes. I even cried out to God in my heart, "This isn't fair! You know my heart more than I do! You know how much I love her, and how I would do anything for her! But the fact is that even though I hate it, she is another man's wife, and as such I have no right. What do I do? I need your help!" In response, I didn't think I heard anything back at the time...but in retrospect, it was probably the fact of me listening more to my own heart and body, than the God who created them to begin with. That next day is when I gave myself to her for the first time...but soon after that, her husband was released and he came looking for her. She agreed to meet with him, but assured me to my face that she was not going back to him. Less than ten hours later, she did exactly that...and it felt like my soul was being ripped out. They eventually got divorced though, and she and I made two more attempts for our relationship to work, but it all crashed and burned in early 2006.
As for the non-literal variety, Matthew 5:28 has Jesus saying "Anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her is guilty of adultery", again making a similar point to his comparison between literal and spiritual murder. Before I met my ex, I struggled with a porn addiction, so there's no denying that these thoughts are a major battle in my life. I still wrestle with them, since I'm currently 44 years old, single, and haven't had another relationship in over 18 years. OK, moving on...
Commandment #8: "Do not steal."
This is another one that a lot of people probably think they're not guilty of...but if you really think about it, chances are you've taken something from another which did not rightfully belong to you. The earliest clear-cut example from my own life happened during my childhood, when a neighbor and I were playing with Ninja Turtles toys. His looked better than mine, and since it was the same character, I figured no one would noticed if I swapped them out and took his home as my own. I was wrong; he and his parents immediately found out, called my Mom, and she refused to send it back herself. Instead, she made me do it personally, which rightfully shamed me and taught me to respect others' property.
Commandment #9: "Don't give false testimony against your neighbor." (a.k.a. "Don't lie.")
We're all guilty of this one, without exception...and if you say you haven't, then you're delusional. I don't even remember my first lie, but I know most of them were used to keep myself out of trouble, or make a good but false impression in front of someone else. God wants people to have moral integrity, and part of that is being honest, even when you don't want to. There are certain circumstances though, where a duty to a higher obligation may exempt you from a lower one like lying (such as doing so to protect an innocent person from a murderer).
Commandment #10: "Do not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor."
We've all broken this one too, because by nature we're selfish, and at times we find ourselves wanting something just because we resent that someone else already has the same thing. Sometimes, we'll even try to "one-up" them, by getting something higher in price for example and then showing off. Scripture also ties this mindset back to adultery, and King David infamously committed both that and murder to have Uriah's wife Bathsheba for himself, whom he had impregnated while her husband was at war. God punished David by taking the child they had conceived away, even after the king repented and begged Him not to.
So in summation, here's where I stand with God according to His standards - I am a selfish, idolatrous, blasphemous, lazy, disrespectful, murderous, adulterous, lying and coveting thief, and I must answer to God for all of that when my existence here is done. God has only two choice as a perfect righteous judge - He can sentence me to hell for eternity, which I rightfully deserve...or He can accept that I have repented and trusted in His only Son to save me. God's love is just as perfect as His judgment, and Jesus took the full consequences for all sin on our behalf - yours, mine, and everyone for all time. But because He has given us free will, He will not force us to love Him or repent of our sins. The choice is ours, which determines our fate.
I am going to use my own past to illustrate the seriousness of breaking the Ten Commandments. And before anyone starts to say, "I haven't broken all of them", or "That means nothing to me, I'm a good person", Scripture says very plainly in James 2:10, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." So, with that in mind, here we go...
Commandments #1 & 2: "Have no other gods before Me", and "Do not have any idols" (or more broadly translated, "Do not make anything in your life more important than God."
I've broken this one many different times in my life, even with good intentions. I loved my family, especially my Mom, and I'm sure that at some point I didn't think of God as more important than her. But for me, the bigger violation was when I had my only romantic relationship. I worshiped that woman to the depths of my soul, though I didn't bow down to her literally. But I'd have done almost anything she asked at that time to keep her, and made some very stupid choices as a result (more on that later).
Commandment #3: "Do not use the name of your Lord in vain."
Even if you've never explicitly used God's name as part of a curse, its more than likely you've mentioned it in a way that is not respectful. I know I've done both.
Commandment #4: "Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy."
Your first response to this might be, "I'm not Jewish", but the Bible never limited the observation of the seventh day only to one tribe of people. Even for those who are already Christians, I'm pretty sure you've missed at least one day of church in your life just like I have. God asks us for just one day to be set aside, where we focus on Him first. But a lot of people won't even submit to that.
Commandment #5: "Honor your father and mother."
If you've claim you've never once disrespected your parents, or done anything they disagreed with, then in total honesty you're a liar. I never knew my Dad very well; he left before I was born. But I know I argued with my Mom like crazy about a lot of things, and I even once called her a bitch to her face. Her reaction was rightly slapping me hard across mine for it...and I don't recall doing it again.
Commandment #6: "Do not murder."
This is another one that a lot of folks try to excuse themselves from. They say, "I've never literally killed anyone", and I would respond with "Neither have I". But in 1 John 3:15, Jesus says that anyone who hates his brother or sister is a murderer. So its not just mortal in nature but also spiritual.
Commandment #7: "Do not commit adultery."
This is one I am in no way proud of, because I'm guilty of it in both senses. My only romance began when I was 20 years old, living in a homeless shelter. While there, I fell in love with a woman, but she chose to marry another man instead. Not long after that, he was sent to jail on a mistaken identity charge, and she asked me to share a motel room with her so she wouldn't have to sleep alone. I knew I loved her with all my heart, but to be honest I also lusted after her like crazy. I tried to resist that first night, by sleeping on the floor instead of on the bed, and I even stood up to watch her sleep for a few minutes. I even cried out to God in my heart, "This isn't fair! You know my heart more than I do! You know how much I love her, and how I would do anything for her! But the fact is that even though I hate it, she is another man's wife, and as such I have no right. What do I do? I need your help!" In response, I didn't think I heard anything back at the time...but in retrospect, it was probably the fact of me listening more to my own heart and body, than the God who created them to begin with. That next day is when I gave myself to her for the first time...but soon after that, her husband was released and he came looking for her. She agreed to meet with him, but assured me to my face that she was not going back to him. Less than ten hours later, she did exactly that...and it felt like my soul was being ripped out. They eventually got divorced though, and she and I made two more attempts for our relationship to work, but it all crashed and burned in early 2006.
As for the non-literal variety, Matthew 5:28 has Jesus saying "Anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her is guilty of adultery", again making a similar point to his comparison between literal and spiritual murder. Before I met my ex, I struggled with a porn addiction, so there's no denying that these thoughts are a major battle in my life. I still wrestle with them, since I'm currently 44 years old, single, and haven't had another relationship in over 18 years. OK, moving on...
Commandment #8: "Do not steal."
This is another one that a lot of people probably think they're not guilty of...but if you really think about it, chances are you've taken something from another which did not rightfully belong to you. The earliest clear-cut example from my own life happened during my childhood, when a neighbor and I were playing with Ninja Turtles toys. His looked better than mine, and since it was the same character, I figured no one would noticed if I swapped them out and took his home as my own. I was wrong; he and his parents immediately found out, called my Mom, and she refused to send it back herself. Instead, she made me do it personally, which rightfully shamed me and taught me to respect others' property.
Commandment #9: "Don't give false testimony against your neighbor." (a.k.a. "Don't lie.")
We're all guilty of this one, without exception...and if you say you haven't, then you're delusional. I don't even remember my first lie, but I know most of them were used to keep myself out of trouble, or make a good but false impression in front of someone else. God wants people to have moral integrity, and part of that is being honest, even when you don't want to. There are certain circumstances though, where a duty to a higher obligation may exempt you from a lower one like lying (such as doing so to protect an innocent person from a murderer).
Commandment #10: "Do not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor."
We've all broken this one too, because by nature we're selfish, and at times we find ourselves wanting something just because we resent that someone else already has the same thing. Sometimes, we'll even try to "one-up" them, by getting something higher in price for example and then showing off. Scripture also ties this mindset back to adultery, and King David infamously committed both that and murder to have Uriah's wife Bathsheba for himself, whom he had impregnated while her husband was at war. God punished David by taking the child they had conceived away, even after the king repented and begged Him not to.
So in summation, here's where I stand with God according to His standards - I am a selfish, idolatrous, blasphemous, lazy, disrespectful, murderous, adulterous, lying and coveting thief, and I must answer to God for all of that when my existence here is done. God has only two choice as a perfect righteous judge - He can sentence me to hell for eternity, which I rightfully deserve...or He can accept that I have repented and trusted in His only Son to save me. God's love is just as perfect as His judgment, and Jesus took the full consequences for all sin on our behalf - yours, mine, and everyone for all time. But because He has given us free will, He will not force us to love Him or repent of our sins. The choice is ours, which determines our fate.
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