WSC Q&A #71

Q: What is required in the seventh commandment?
A: The seventh commandment requires the preservation of our own and our neighbor's chastity, in heart, in speech and behavior. 
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God. 

Chastity is not a word we use very much today. In fact, the word probably has a lot of negative stereotypes attached to it. It may conjure up medieval images of maidens locked in towers by their fathers to keep them "pure", or perhaps stereotypes of Puritanical societies (based mostly upon Nathaniel Hawthorne's intentionally inaccurate depictions) where even discussing the subject of "sex" was considered impure and taboo. But the idea of chastity is not an idea that we as the people of God should shy away from. All of us, whether we are married, whether we are single, whether we are male or female, are called to be chaste. That is to say, we have a call to remain sexually pure, not only in our actions, but also in our hearts, thoughts, and speech. And not only are we to preserve our own chastity, we are to strive to preserve our neighbor's chastity as well. 

Sexual purity, again not merely the outward actions but also the inward thoughts and conditions of our hearts, is about preserving God's pattern for sexuality. God designed sexual acts to be part of the marriage covenant. He designed the physical, emotional, and spiritual bond of sex to point to and reflect the reality of God's covenant with his people. It reflects the reality that God is our God, and we are his people forever, and this covenant is an intimate, pure, and close relationship! The God of all creation draws intimately close to his people, and this is a "closed relationship". We have no other God, and he has no other people. When we take sex out of the boundaries that God himself has put on it, we pervert God's good gift and we pervert his design for this gift. 

This is why we are to pursue, to protect, to desire sexual purity in all aspects of our lives, and to preserve as far as we can the sexual purity of our neighbors. In doing so, we declare the goodness of God's gift and we declare the goodness of God's everlasting covenant between him and his people. We honor God and his design for his creation when we strive to live chaste lives. 

Worth Reading

Ruth 4:1-12

Do you come to our gathered worship service expecting God to speak to you through his Word? We encourage you to prayerfully read through the passage that will be preached prior to the service to help you prepare.

The Danger of “Fast Food” Conversation

How many families coexist for long periods of time living on “fast food” interactions? These conversations are quick, easy, and immediate. We talk about what is necessary to keep the family going. We say enough to make decisions, get through the day’s busy routine, or to provide correction to a child’s behavior. But we rarely stop and offer something constructive or something that edifies or gives grace. And though our speech may not be antagonistic or derisive, a steady diet of fast food interaction offers no nutritional value to your family, and over time, can become the very thing that erodes its relationships.

American Christians, You Might Need to Start Living Like Missionaries

I live in a country that is not mine. But I am living in Tanzania as a long-term resident, so I care about what happens here. I prayed during the election. I follow the news. I rejoice with their successes and hurt for their losses. But this is not my country. I don't expect that my political opinion matters much. I am not surprised if I experience animosity. I don't expect to have many rights. I do expect to feel like an outsider.

From peddling dope to pleasing Jesus

Drug-dealer-turned-pastor reflects on a life of miracles bestowed to bring God glory

WSC Q&A #70

Q: Which is the seventh commandment?
A: The seventh commandment is, you shall not commit adultery
Matthew 5:27–28 “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 lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Marriage is one of the most sacred institutions God has given mankind. When God created Adam and saw that he was alone, for the first time in his creation-work he said, "it is not good". This is because God created man in the image of God, and to bear the image of God means that we are relational, just as God is relational. We were created for fellowship and union with not only God, but also with each other. Marriage is one way in which the image of God is expressed in our relationships. 

Because of this, we need to have a broad understanding of what adultery is. It is not simply sexual unfaithfulness within the marriage relationship. It is anything  that perverts, twists, rips out of context anything that belongs to marriage alone. We'll talk more about this in the coming weeks as we look at what the commandment requires, and what it forbids.

This is another hard commandment, particularly as we realize that adultery goes far beyond simply having extra-marital affairs. But if we are united to Jesus Christ, then we know that the image of God is being renewed in us, and part of what that means is that the Holy Spirit is restoring us and making us more like Jesus every day. Because of this, these laws, these commandments, they no longer become a burden that condemns us, but rather, they are seen as God's good design. They are part of his love and care for us as he reveals what is best for us and how we can best enjoy his good gifts. They also become a joy and an encouragement as we seek to live lives of gratitude in the service of our great God, who has forgiven all of our transgressions-past, present, and future-for the sake of his Son Jesus Christ.

WSC Q&A #69

Q: What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?
A: The sixth commandment forbids the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatever tends thereunto. 
Matthew 5:22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults is brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the fire of hell."

We discussed this a little bit already, and many times throughout this blog on the 10 commandments, about how the commandments are not just about the external actions, but also about matters of the heart. The verse for this week highlights this very well. Here we see Christ expanding upon the sixth commandment, addressing not simply the external action of killing another person, but expanding that external action to include verbal attacks on others, and addressing the heart issues that lead to such outward expressions of hatred.  

Remember, this set of six commandments (5 through 10) are addressing the second part of the "Greatest Commandment", to love others as yourself. God is concerned here with not only the taking of a life, but also with our attitudes toward our neighbors, including our "enemies", and not only our attitudes, but also our words toward them. Whether we are killing someone with a sword, or piercing them with our words, as Proverbs 12:18 says, we are guilty of breaking this commandment. 

This is what the Heidelberg Catechism is getting at when it says,

When God condemns envy, hatred, and anger, he commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves, to show patience, peace, gentleness, mercy, and friendliness toward him, to protect him from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies.

This is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 5:22, as well. We are to love (not simply tolerate, not put up with, but love) everyone who is around us. No doubt this is incredibly difficult. In fact, it's impossible for us! Thank God for providing a perfect Redeemer who kept this command perfectly for us! Thank God for the Holy Spirit, who works in and through us, making us more like Christ every day so that, for God's glory, we can strive to truly love all of our neighbors as ourselves. 

Worth Reading

Ruth 3

Do you come to our gathered worship service expecting God to speak to you through his Word? We encourage you to prayerfully read through the passage that will be preached prior to the service to help you prepare.

Canonicity: Why These 66 Books?

Have you ever looked at your Bible and wondered, “How do we know that these 66 books, and no others, comprise the inspired Word of God?” That is a critically important question, since there are many today who would deny that these 66 books truly make up the complete canon of Scripture.

So, how do we know that “all Scripture” consists of these 66 books? How do we know that the Bible we hold in our hands is the complete Word of God?

… in this article, I would like to offer a simple answer that I hope will be helpful – because it gets to the heart of the whole matter.

It is this:

We believe in the 39 books of the Old Testament, because the Lord Jesus Christ affirmed the Old Testament. And we believe in the 27 books of the New Testament, because the Lord Jesus Christ authorized His apostles to write the New Testament.

Five Reasons You Need the Westminster Shorter Catechism

My first encounter with the Westminster Shorter Catechism was in a church membership class. I was 18 years old and had recently become a Christian. While I told the pastor I found reading it helpful, I didn’t imagine using it much afterward.

How wrong I was! Thirteen years later, I continually find the Shorter Catechism helpful in my Christian walk and ministry.

Here are five reasons I consider this catechism worth engaging today.

What to remember when prayer feels like a chore

As Jesus’ story of the forgiven runaway son shows, that mercy has made us children of our heavenly Father, created to live in a close, warm relationship with him, as part of his family, with all the protection, provision and privileges which that entails. Remembering the kind of Father we can come to will draw us to real prayer.