The Soul You Save Might Be Your Own

The Soul You Save Might Be Your Own

(The 10 Commandments made easy)

Catholics and People of the Jewish faith have the same set of rules given to them by God Himself as a gift to humanity. Many other respected religions have these same laws and principles of justice. Here is a simple breakdown of the 10 Commandments.

I'm starting with the last two commandments first because they are the easiest to grasp. #9. Do not covet your neighbors wife. #10. Do not covet your neighbors goods. They are interesting because they punctuate and compliment some of the other laws. When you covet someones spouse you are automatically breaking the 6^th. Commandment “Tough shalt not commit adultery” and #7, Though shalt not steal.

Jesus made it crystal clear when He said to the apostles; if you think lustful thoughts about another persons spouse you have sinned. If you even think about having their stuff, you are committing a sin.

The 1^st. Commandment is a no brain-er. God is God. If you follow The Beatles and Stones you might want to rethink that idea. If you worship Britney Spears or Justin Bieber, well, I just feel sorry for you. I really do.

The 2^nd. Commandment is simply a matter of respect for the name of God, the creator of you and the universe. When you hear the Hollywood crowd and your friends say “Jesus Christ” they are not saying it with reverence and respect. It is said to make themselves seem important.

The 3^rd. Rule has to do with the creation of the universe. After God finished creating everything in existence on the 6^th. day, He “commands” us to honor His day of rest. The 7^th. day, the Sabbath or Sunday is a holy day set aside to honor Him.

The 4^th. Commandment needs a little more clarity of explanation and definition to understand the gravity of the word “Honor. Honor is different from Respect. Respect is an easy task or obligation afforded to, given to strangers and people in general. Honor is a whole different story. I invite everyone to read the dictionary definition of the word “honor” in order to grasp its significance. You don't simply respect your parents as a convenience or because you have to. You are required by God to “Honor” them. This commandment is well worth the contemplation to keep yourselves out of trouble.

The 5^th. Law has been made complicated and diluted by governments, politicians and the media.

Governments have influenced and changed the word from “murder” to “kill” for their political and social agenda. There is a difference between “Thou Shalt Not Kill” and “Thou Shalt Not Murder.”

(If you notice, I elected to use both in the list below.)

*If someone enters your home late at night,(uninvited) and you do not know who they are or what they want; if you read the 5^th. Commandment as “not to kill” you could be placing your family and yourself at mortal danger and at mortal risk. The real commandment is; “Though Shalt Not Murder.” If you attack the intruder who is in your private place in the middle of the night you have every right, every obligation before God and the law to protect your family. You are not committing murder. You might end up “killing” an intruder. Biblical law and God is on your side. It is not a sin to kill in this instance. It is not murder. Murder is something that you contemplate. Protecting yourselves, self defense in the spur of the moment is an entirely different story.

The 6^th. Is easy and clear to understand. God does not like betrayal. Marriage is sacred. Marriage is so important that God even made it a sacrament. Being a faithful and honorable husband or wife is very serious business. Adultery used to be a crime in most states. Sadly, adultery goes by different sugar coated names these days. We now call it “an affair” or simply, “fooling around.” In reality it is no joke.

The 7^th. Commandment might have some loop holes built into it. “Thou shall not steal” is pretty straight forward. Stealing is a sin. There are circumstances in life that call for stealing. Poor people who have no resources other than to steal food to feed themselves and their children comes to mind. It is still a sin in that instance. It is hoped that when those people who take food that is not theirs will someday have better conditions, better circumstances where they can return the food or pay for it.

The 8^th. Commandment speaks to the sinister nature of man. We can inflict so much damage to a person and their reputation when we lie and give false testimony against them. There was time in the judicial system when people would place their hand on the Holy Bible and swear to tell the truth. Today people stand before the court and are simply asked to tell the truth if it is convenient or if they are so inclined. I exaggerate but is it an exaggeration when there is no bible or God in our courts?

We have already covered 9 and 10. I wanted to make one more observation about “Coveting the neighbors wife.” Shouldn't we be able to modify this one to also read; Thou Shall not covet their neighbors husband” You know, so as not to appear to be sexist. Wives can covet just as much as husbands.

In conclusion; Here is a simple way to observe all commandments. Love your neighbor as yourself, (a bonus commandment given to us by Jesus.) If you follow this one rule, all of the other 10 would be impossible to break. It is selfishness that is at the root of all sins and crimes from the dawn of time. If you are self-less you can not hurt someone because you would be hurting yourself. You could not steal, your could not murder, you could not covet, etc. because all of those things would not be love.

1. I am God. You shall have no other gods before me

2. Do not take the name of the Lord in vain

3. Remember to keep holy the Lords day

4. Honor your father and mother

5. You shall not kill/murder

6. You shall not commit adultery

7. You shall not steal

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor

9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods