Q. 99. What rules are to be observed for the
right understanding of the ten commandments? A. For the right understanding of the ten commandments, these rules are to be observed: |
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1. That the law is perfect, and bindeth everyone to full conformity in the whole man unto the righteousness thereof, and unto entire obedience forever; so as to require the utmost perfection of every duty, and to forbid the least degree of every sin.[o] | [o]. Ps. 19:7; James 2:10;
Matt. 5:21-22 Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' {22} "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. |
2. That it is spiritual, and so reacheth the understanding, will, affections, and all other powers of the soul; as well as words, works, and gestures.[p] | [p]. Rom. 7:14; Deut. 6:5;
Matt. 22:37-39; Matt. 5:21-22, 27-28, 33-34, 37-39, 43-44 Romans 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your strength. Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not
murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' {22} "But I say to
you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the
judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But
whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. |
3. That one and the same thing, in divers respects, is required or forbidden in several commandments.[q] | [q]. Col. 3:5; Amos 8:5;
Prov. 1:19; 1 Tim. 6:10 Colossians 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Amos 8:5 Saying: "When will the New Moon be past, That we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, That we may trade wheat? Making the ephah small and the shekel large, Falsifying the scales by deceit, Proverbs 1:19 So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. |
4. That as, where a duty is commanded, the contrary sin is forbidden;[r] | [r]. Isa. 58:13; Deut.
6:13; Matt. 4:9-10; Matt. 15:4-6 Isaiah 58:13 "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Deuteronomy 6:13 "You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. Matthew 4:9-10 And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will
fall down and worship me." {10} Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan!
For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall
serve.'" |
and, where a sin is forbidden, the contrary duty is commanded:[s] | [s]. Matt. 5:21-25; Eph.
4:28 Matthew 5:21-25 "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall
not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.' {22} "But I say
to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the
judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But
whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. {23} "Therefore if you
bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against
you, {24} "leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be
reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. {25} "Agree with your
adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to
the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. |
so, where a promise is annexed, the contrary threatening is included;[t] | [t]. Exod. 20:12; Prov.
30:17 Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long
upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. |
and, where a threatening is annexed, the contrary promise is included.[v] | [v]. Jer. 18:7-8; Exod.
20:7; Ps. 15:1,4-5; Ps. 24:4-5 Jeremiah 18:7-8 "The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, {8} "if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. Exodus 20:7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Psalm 15:1,4-5 LORD, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill?
{4} In whose eyes a vile person is despised, But he honors those who fear the LORD; He who
swears to his own hurt and does not change; {5} He who does not put out his money at
usury, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never
be moved. |
5. That what God forbids, is at no time to be done;[w] | [w]. Job 13:7-8; Rom. 3:8;
Job 36:21; Heb. 11:25 Job 13:7-8 Will you speak wickedly for God, And talk deceitfully for Him? {8} Will you show partiality for Him? Will you contend for God? Romans 3:8 And why not say, "Let us do evil that good may come"?; as we are slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their condemnation is just. Job 36:21 Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, For you have chosen this rather than affliction. Hebrews 11:25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, |
what He commands, is always our duty;[x] | [x]. Deut. 4:8-9 Deuteronomy 4:8-9 "And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day? {9} "Only take heed to yourself, and diligently keep yourself, lest you forget the things your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. And teach them to your children and your grandchildren, |
and yet every particular duty is not to be done at all times.[y] | [y]. Matt. 12:7 Matthew 12:7 "But if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless. |
6. That under one sin or duty, all of the same kind are forbidden or commanded; together with all the causes, means, occasions, and appearances thereof, and provocations thereunto.[z] | [z]. Matt. 5:21-22,
27-28.[See in number [p] before.]; Matt. 15:4-6; Heb. 10:24-25; 1
Thess. 5:22; Jude 23; Gal. 5:26; Col. 3:21 Matthew 15:4-6 "For God commanded, saying, 'Honor your father and your mother'; and, 'He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.' {5} "But you say, 'Whoever says to his father or mother, "Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God"; {6} 'then he need not honor his father or mother.' Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, {25} not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from every form of evil. Jude 1:23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Galatians 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. |
7. That what is forbidden or commanded to ourselves, we are bound, according to our places to endeavour that it may be avoided or performed by others, according to the duty of their places.[a] | [a]. Exod. 20:10; Lev.
19:17; Gen. 18:19; Josh. 14:15; Deut. 6:6-7 Exodus 20:10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. Leviticus 19:17 'You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him. Genesis 18:19 "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him." Joshua 14:15 And the name of Hebron formerly was Kirjath Arba (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim). Then the land had rest from war. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. {7} "You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. |
8. That in what is commanded to others, we are bound, according to our places and callings, to be helpful to them;[b] | [b]. 2 Cor. 1:24 2 Corinthians 1:24 Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand. |
and to take heed of partaking with others in what is forbidden them.[c] | [c]. 1 Tim. 5:22; Eph.
5:11 1 Timothy 5:22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins; keep yourself pure. Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. |
Q. 100. What special things are we to consider in the ten commandments? |
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A. We are to consider in the ten commandments, the preface, the substance of the commandments themselves, and several reasons annexed to some of them, the more to enforce them. | |
Q. 101. What is the preface to the ten commandments? | |
A. The preface to the ten commandments is contained in these words, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.[d] | [d]. Exod. 20:2 |
Wherein God manifesteth his sovereignty, as being JEHOVAH, the eternal, immutable, and almighty God;[e] | [e]. Isa. 44:6 Isaiah 44:6 "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. |
having his being in and of himself,[f] | [f]. Exod. 3:14 Exodus 3:14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" |
and giving being to all his words[g] | [g]. Exod. 6:3 Exodus 6:3 "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them. |
and works:[h] | [h]. Acts 17:24,28 Acts 17:24 "God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. {28} "for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.' |
and that he is a God in covenant, as with Israel of old, so with all his people;[i] | [i]. Gen. 17:7; Rom. 3:29 Genesis
17:7 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after
you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your
descendants after you. |
who, as he brought them out of their bondage in Egypt, so he delivereth us from our spiritual thraldom;[k] | [k]. Luke 1:74-75 Luke 1:74-75 To grant us that we, Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, {75} In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. |
and that therefore we are bound to take him for our God alone, and to keep all his commandments.[l] | [l]. 1 Pet. 1:15, 17-18;
Lev. 18:30; Lev. 19:37 1 Peter 1:15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, {17} And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; {18} knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, Leviticus 18:30 'Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, so that you do not commit any
of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile
yourselves by them: I am the LORD your God.'" |
Q. 102. What is the sum of the four commandments which
contain our duty to God? A. The sum of the four commandments containing our duty to God is, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength, and with all our mind.[m] |
[m]. Luke 10:27 Luke 10:27 So he answered and said, " 'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" |
Q. 122. What is the sum of the six commandments which
contain our duty to man? A. The sum of the six commandments which contain our duty to man, is, to love our neighbour as ourselves,[y] |
[646]. Matt. 22:39 Matthew 22:39 "And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' |
and to do to others what we would have them to do to us.[z] | [647]. Matt. 7:12 Matthew 7:12 "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. |
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