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    The Ten Words
    The Ten Words
    The Ten Words
    Ebook103 pages1 hour

    The Ten Words

    By Stan Baldwin

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    About this ebook

    The Ten Words from God are often mistakenly considered an outdated list of do's and don'ts that add up to a guilt-ridden, legalistic way of life. But as author, preacher and Bible teacher Stan Baldwin probes the purpose and meaning of the Ten Commandments, readers will gladly discover that these instructions can aptly be called God's design for the best life possible. They contain the wisdom and priorities anyone needs for relational, spiritual, and societal blessing and it's all coming from a loving heavenly Father who wants the best for his children.

    Not only does Baldwin deliver these truths in brief, readable segments, but he offers discussion questions and ideas for further study throughout each chapter. When God’s word takes root in a willing heart, it goes beneath the surface meaning. It motivates us to behave in lawful ways with genuine understanding and willingness instead of reluctance and a desire to barely squeak by, doing as little as possible. This book will challenge readers to view the commandments with new eyes and help them to understand the health, the hope, and the heritage we're offered there.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherStan Baldwin
    Release dateApr 10, 2014
    ISBN9781310829468
    The Ten Words
    Author

    Stan Baldwin

    Stan Baldwin is from Texas. He is married to Lorrie. They have three children and eight grandchildren. He graduated from Yale University Divinity School, Austin Graduate School of Theology and Oklahoma University. Stan has served in the U.S. Air Force and has been in full time ministry for 30 years. He serves as a Chaplain at a maximum security prison; writes and edits for Mercy Street Ministries.

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      Book preview

      The Ten Words - Stan Baldwin

      The Ten Words

      Loving God and Neighbor

      by

      Stan Baldwin

      Published by Stan Baldwin

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2014 Stan Baldwin

      Cover Art Design: Lorrie Baldwin

      Cover Art Picture: Decalogue parchment by Jekuthiel Sofer, 1768.

      This work is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This picture has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      Thank you for downloading this ebook. It is licensed for your personal enjoyment and may not be resold. Share copies of this ebook by purchasing additional copies for each recipient. Thank you for your support.

      Also by Stan Baldwin, Published at Smashwords:

      That Awful Silence

      Symphony of Psalms

      Fasting Is Feasting

      The Battle Rages

      Ecclesiastes Dispels Illusions

      To my beloved family,

      dear colleagues in ministry,

      and treasured friends.

      Lux et Veritas

      Contents

      Introduction

      Nothing In Between

      More Than We Can Imagine

      Not In Vain

      Lord of the Sabbath

      A Matter of Honor

      The Right to Life

      The Glue of Heaven

      Mine!

      True Witness

      Eyes Right!

      Ten, Two or One?

      Introduction

      In a sermon on the law and the gospel, Martin Luther told the story of a well-known hermit who had lived all his life in poverty and austerity, as a servant of the Lord. After more than seventy years of devotion to Christ, as Luther told it: When the hour of death came [the hermit] began to tremble, and for three days was in a state of agony. His disciples came to comfort him, exhorting him to die in peace since he had led so holy a life. But he replied: ‘Alas, I truly have all my life served Christ and lived austerely; but God's judgment greatly differs from that of men.’

      This man, this devoted servant who had tried to live his life exactly as God commanded, still trembled in an agony of fear at the thought of appearing before God’s judgment throne. Drawing a lesson from this experience, Luther said, Note, this worthy man, despite the holiness of his life, has no acquaintance with any article but that of the divine judgment according to the Law. He knows not the comfort of Christ's Gospel.

      And so, I want to ask you to think about this, as we begin focusing on the Ten Words, or better known as the Ten Commandments. (The Hebrew can be translated the ten words, or also the ten sayings or the ten matters. You may have heard the word Decalogue used to describe the Ten Commandments too. The term is derived from the Greek translation which also means ten words). But let me ask you, Is the law of God enough? Is it enough for righteousness? Maybe you’ve heard (maybe even sung) the text from Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple (NKJV).

      Enough?

      An old book called the Biblical Illustrator shares this story about an unnamed attorney of eminence who was converted by studying the Ten Commandments. He testified that: ‘I have been looking into the nature of that law: I have been trying to see whether I can add anything to it, or take anything from it, so as to make it better. Sir, I cannot; it is perfect. . . . It came down from heaven. I am convinced of the truth of the religion of the Bible.’

      So, as we launch into our study of these ancient, all-encompassing commandments, we see that there is controversy surrounding them. Are they enough, or are they not?

      Jesus of Nazareth, in the Sermon on the Mount, said this about the law: Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled (Matthew 5:17-18, KJV). But then, having said that, he went on to virtually rewrite portions of the Ten Words with teachings like this: You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:27-28, NRSV).

      What are these things we call the Ten Words from God? Are they an adequate way to understand the will of God in our lives, or not? Do they need something added to them to make them really effective? Luther suggested that yes, they might be perfect, but since nobody seemed to be taking them seriously enough to live by them in his day, they needed something added to them—something coming from the heart—something implanted there by the grace of God. And that, it seems to me, is the same thing that Jesus was saying when he spoke about sin in the heart.

      May I suggest an analogy that might help here?

      Have you ever driven on an icy turnpike in the midst of a blizzard? As you crawl along at ten or fifteen miles an hour, hoping against hope to somehow make it home in one piece, sometime before midnight, you suddenly become aware of a signpost just off to your right. Stealing a glance in that direction, you see the clearly posted speed limit. Sixty-five miles per hour! What? I can go 65? Why am I crawling along at this snail’s pace? you say to yourself. And you jam your foot into the accelerator and begin to fly down the road at the full-posted limit.

      Not a chance, you say?

      Of course not.

      Why not?

      Because I want to make it home tonight—not to my heavenly home, but to my earthly one!

      What you’re saying is that there’s a law written on your heart—a law that says you don’t want to be involved in a serious accident in the middle of a blizzard! And it doesn’t countermand the law written on the signboard. But it’s necessary to have that heart law, along with the signboard law.

      And I think that’s what Martin Luther was saying about the Ten Commandments of God. There’s nothing missing in it; it’s just that it needs something in our hearts that takes it and applies it to daily living in a practical way.

      And isn’t that actually what Jesus was saying as he went through the commandments and deepened their significance by saying You have heard that it was said . . . but I tell you? The signboard law, written by the hand of God on two tablets of stone, is good law. It ought to be honored and respected. But what it needs added to it is a willing, converted heart that is motivated to obey.

      Too often we find ourselves trying to live by the letter of the law, and hiring lawyers to find loopholes we can sneak through. I don’t think that was God’s intention when he gave us his law.

      No, God’s Ten Words establishes the basic principles by which we should live. And when it

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