TheTenth Commandment

The Text

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Exodus 20:17

Rules for Understanding the Commandments

1. Covetousness
2. The Law in Force
3. Special Privilege
4. Offenses Against Our Neighbor
5. The System

The Westminster Larger Catechism (1648)

Question 146: Which is the tenth commandment?
Answer: The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.

Question 147: What are the duties required in the tenth commandment?
Answer: The duties required in the tenth commandment are,

Question 148: What are the sins forbidden in the tenth commandment?
Answer: The sins forbidden in the tenth commandment are,

• discontentment with our own estate;
• envying and
• grieving at the good of our neighbor,
• together with all inordinate
  • motions and
  • affections to anything that is his.

The Westminster Larger Catechism (1648) explains our duties under the Tenth Commandment. You will notice that the brilliant Puritan Theologians who compiled the Catechism discerned duties in passages of Scripture which do not begin with the words "Thou shalt" or "Thou shalt not."

Every word of God is a command for us.

 

But even the "thou shalts" and the "thou shalt nots" demand more from us than we might first think:

How to Study the Ten Commandments

How to use the Catechism for a Moral Inventory

First, you must agree that the Catechism has correctly explained the implications of the Commandment. Assuming it has, you must agree with God that you are obligated to carry out those principles in your life.

Second you must ask yourself if you have violated each aspect of the command.

Third, you must take steps to develop the Character of Christ, and eliminate "character defects" from your life.

The Ten Commandments Home Page

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