Author: Rev. Harrison Goodman

Nobody wants to see kids fall into sin. Sin breaks stuff. The problem is, it’s too late for that. We’re already born sinful. Sin isn’t just not behaving. Sin is a faith problem. We need a faith answer. We need a God who works faith in us daily.
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The law paints a picture of Jesus. When He calls us to be holy, He also makes us that way and turns us toward our neighbor. God gave us in the vocations He placed us in by looking to the commandments He has established. The law isn’t a measurement of you. It’s how Jesus loves us. You shall be holy. Law? Yep. Gospel? You bet. God’s word demands more than we can give, but it supplies everything it demands.
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They will know us by our love. Love looks like the 10 commandments. That doesn’t mean you. That means Jesus. The law paints a picture of Jesus. The gospel paints a picture of you. You are someone Jesus died for, free to be known by your Savior instead of your works. If law paints a picture of Jesus, well do we reject Christ? Do we want to hold it at arm’s length? No. It’s what Jesus looks like. I want to go to there.
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The 9th & 10th commandments, the ones about coveting, are redundant. God already covered that stuff in the 6th & 7th commandments. He repeats Himself to show that sin is more than just an action. Sinful hearts desire sinful things. God shows us this because we try to dress up our thoughts with nice excuses and flowery language. The 9th and 10th commandments call us to see the depth of our sin, and then look to a Savior who died for us.
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Sometimes ignoring a problem is the same thing as condoning it. Saying nothing sometimes says a lot. Still, there is a difference between public sin and humiliating sinners. We speak against sin, but not the people who are doing it. Right and wrong don’t depend on who’s doing it, but the word of God. By speaking against sin instead of sinners, we distinguish between the reasons Jesus died and the people He died for.
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Are you helping or hurting? The 8th Commandment tells us not to bear false testimony against your neighbor. This even applies to telling the truth about your neighbor. If you’re really trying to help, maybe you should talk to them privately instead of telling everyone else. Even if it’s true, destroying your neighbor’s reputation doesn’t help.
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‘Judge not lest ye be judged’ has everything to do with the 8th commandment. God says your reputation is valuable enough to defend. It’s sinful to attack the reputation with words every bit as much as it’s sinful to attack the body with weapons. Breaking the 8th commandment is punishing your neighbor by hurting his reputation. It’s judging. Worse, to judge in this way is to speak against the judgment of forgiveness won upon the cross. Judge not, but find your neighbor’s judgment with your own on the cross. You are forgiven.

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Judge not lest ye be judged. Everyone knows it. Most people confuse knowing sin with judging sin. Knowing is to study God’s commandments. Judging is action, either in condemning or acquitting. It is good to know sin. You’re just not allowed to punish it.

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The eighth commandment, you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor, is not just a command to tell the truth in court. It is a God who cares about your reputation every bit as much as He cares about your earthly possessions. You can steal my wallet. I’ll get a new one. Fixing a bad reputation is harder. God calls us to help our neighbors to stand with integrity by speaking of them the same way God sees them: holy, precious, and worthy of love.

Questions or Comments? Contact Pr. Goodman (http://higherthings.org/contact) or message him on Facebook (http://facebook.com/higherthings).
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Support Higher Things!

Higher Things exists and grows based on donations from individuals and congregations. Please consider donating to Higher Things at http://higherthings.org/support.

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We know the collar is intimidating. For some reason people think it’s the job of the pastor to dig through their lives to find sin. It is the pastor’s job to speak God’s law in all of its truth and purity, but God establishes government to establish good order by punishing sins. Your pastor teaches God’s law, and then reproves it so that he can forgive the sins you bring to him.

Questions or Comments? Contact Pr. Goodman (http://higherthings.org/contact) or message him on Facebook (http://facebook.com/higherthings).
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Support Higher Things!

Higher Things exists and grows based on donations from individuals and congregations. Please consider donating to Higher Things at http://higherthings.org/support.

Your gift helps us to continue to release great content like this.