Old Testament Reading: Exodus 20:12–17

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:12–17, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Mark 7:14–23

“And he called the people to him again and said to them, ‘Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.’ And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, ‘Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?’ (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’” (Mark 7:14–23, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

Throughout our consideration of the Ten Commandments, I have stressed that these commandments are to be kept from the heart. All of God’s laws are to be kept, not superficially, but heartily. If we are to keep God’s law really and truly, then we must do what he has commanded and not do what he has forbidden with love in our hearts for God and for our fellow man. This is true of each one of the Ten Commandments. 

Of course, when I speak of the heart, I speak not of the muscle which pumps blood through our veins, but of the inner life of man – the soul. The point is this: God wants your heart. He is in not interested in empty rituals or superficial devotion performed with the body only. No, God is to be worshipped and served with the whole of our beings, body and soul. This is why the Ten Commandments are boiled down to these two: “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” And “you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30–31, ESV).

Consider these three things about the heart, brothers and sisters. 

One, God sees the heart. You may be able to fool your fellow man for a time with external (bodily) obedience to God’s law while hiding the truly sinful condition of your heart, but you cannot fool God. God sees our souls as clearly as he hears our words and sees our actions. 

Two, our actions – that is to say, the words we speak and the deeds we do – flow from the heart. Here I am talking about how human behavior works. Why do we say what we say and do what we do? We speak and act from the heart. The heart, in other words, is the spring from which the life of man flows. 

Three, Christ renews the hearts of those who have faith in him. We call this regeneration and sanctification. When God graciously calls a sinner to himself through Christ and by his word and Spirit, he regenerates them to make them willing and able to believe. He opens their spiritual eyes and unstops their spiritual ears so that they can see the glory of Christ and hear his gospel call inwardly and to the saving of their souls. He takes the heart of stone which is hard because of sin and gives them a new heart – one that is soft to him and to the things of him. He renews their mind, will, and affections so that they are able to believe and confess Jesus as Lord. We call this gracious work of God regeneration. This is what it means to be born again. All of this happens before faith. It must. For in our natural and fallen condition, we are dead in our sins. If we are to live to God by faith, he must breathe life into us. He must renew our hearts. And we know that God does also sanctify us progressively by his word and Spirit. Corruptions remain in us, but God has promised to finish the work he has started (Philippians 1:6).     

So then, God sees the heart, our words and actions flow from the heart, and God is concerned to renew the hearts of all his elect in Christ by his word and Spirit. I say these things in the introduction to this sermon on the tenth commandment because the tenth commandment is very much about the heart, or soul, of man. We must keep our hearts, brothers and sisters.    

In fact, I wish to say a bit more about human behavior here in this introduction. How does human behavior work? Why do we say what we say and do what we do with our bodies? I hope you can see why this is an important question to ask as we bring our consideration of God’s moral law to a conclusion. Do you wish to obey God, brothers and sisters? Do you wish to speak and act in a way that is pleasing to him? Then it is important to understand where our words and actions come from.   

First of all, it must be acknowledged that we choose to say what we say and do what we do. We have a will, in other words. We have this ability to make choices. We choose to think upon certain things. We choose to say things. We choose to do things. We have a will. Why do we say what we say and do what we do? Well, we make choices. And here I am saying, if we wish to obey God in word and in deed, then we had best develop strong wills. There is a place for willpower, brothers and sisters. There is something to be said for self-control. If you were to read Galatians 5:22-23 you would see that Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit concludes with “self-control”. We must develop willpower or self-control if we hope to keep God’s law in word and deed. 

Now please do not misunderstand me. This is not independent willpower that I speak of, but willpower that depends on the strength of God. This is no self-reliant self-control that I speak of, but self-control that relies on the grace of God given to us through Christ and by his Spirit. But it is self-control nonetheless. To put it bluntly, when we are tempted to say or to do that which is evil, either by the Evil One himself, the world around us, or the corruptions that remain within us, we must have the willpower, or self-control, to choose that which is good and to flee from that which is evil. 

In the Reformed tradition, of which we are a part, there is a great deal of stress placed upon the inability of man and of man’s need for the grace of God. There is also a great deal of stress placed upon the need for heart transformation – if we hope to obey God we must be changed to the core – our affections must be renewed by the Word and Spirit. I agree with all of that. It’s right that a great deal of stress is placed upon these truths. In fact, I’ll return these truths in a moment. But here I wish to emphasize that it is not only our affections that need to be sanctified in Christ Jesus but also our wills. Our wills need to be sanctified and strengthened by the grace of God through Christ and by his Spirit. 

Perhaps you have noticed that I have begun to identify different parts or faculties in the soul of man. We have bodies, and our bodies are composed of parts. And we have souls. Every human being made in the image of God has body and a soul. And here I am saying that our souls have parts. It is important for us to understand what the parts of man’s soul are and how they function together if we wish to understand how it is that we come to speak and act as we do with our bodies.

Body and soul are related, aren’t they? Indeed, they are very much intertwined. We live in God’s world as body and soul.  We perceive the world around us through the physical parts of our bodies. We see with eyes, we smell with noses, we touch with skin, we taste with buds, we hear with ears. All of that sensation is processed by a physical brain. Our bodies are amazingly complex, aren’t they? But we are not merely physical, brothers and sisters. We are also spiritual. In the beginning, God formed man from the dust… and then he breathed into him the breath of life! We have souls, brothers and sisters. These souls of ours are not materiel and visible, but immaterial and invisible (you cannot cut a man open to examine his soul; an x-ray will not detect it). Yes, it is true that we experience the sensations we encounter in the world around us through our physical parts, but we think rationally with the mind, we are drawn towards or driven away from things by our affections, and we make choices with our wills. These three things together – the mind, the will, and the affections – make up the soul of man. They are the invisible parts of man. They cannot be examined with the eye, but their fruit can be observed.

First, consider the mind. It is with the mind that we process and interpret the world around us and all that we experience therein. It is with the mind that we think. It is with the mind that we reason. It is with the mind that we come to a certain conclusion and hold to certain beliefs. Now that we are fallen into sin, it is imperative that we ​​be not “conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of [our] mind” (Romans 12:2, ESV). We must submit our minds to God’s word. We must believe the truths he has revealed. The mind is a part of the soul. The mind is graciously renewed by God at regeneration enabling sinners to believe the truth of the gospel, and the mind is progressively sanctified by God’s word and Spirit graciously enabling those who have faith in Christ to grow in the knowledge of the truth. The brain is physical. It is a part of the soul of man.  

Secondly, consider the affections. It is through the affections that we are moved towards that which we perceive to be good and away from that which we perceive to be evil. You understand how this works, for you have experienced it. You perceive the world around – other things, other people, God, his creation, the circumstances of your life, and the possibilities that are before. You perceive these things with your physical parts (your eyes, ears, and brain). And you think rationally about what you have taken in with the mind. But then you moved towards that which you perceive to be good, beautiful, and praiseworthy, and away from that which you perceive to be bad, ugly, and evil. Now please do not misunderstand me. I am not saying that we are always aware of these workings within the soul. Rarely do we consider them. These things happen continuously in a kind of sub-conscience way. And neither am I saying that these things happen in a mechanical way so that we can rigidly break down every action of ours into clearly defined steps. We are very complex creatures, body and soul. But these things do happen. This is how we take in the world around us. This is how we process things. This is how we are moved towards some things and away from others. It all happens through the body and in the soul. We process all that we encounter in this world through body and with the mind. We are then moved towards that which we perceive to be good and away from that which we perceive to be evil with the affections. Affections are a part the soul of man. You have body parts, and you have soul parts. And the affections are one part of the soul of man. 

You can probably anticipate what I am about to say. Just as the mind of man must be renewed by God through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit to enable men to believe in Christ – and just as the mind of those in Christ must be progressively sanctified if our faith and obedience is to increase – so too the affections must be regenerated and sanctified if we are to believe in Christ and follow after him. All that I am saying here presupposes that you’ve heard about man’s fall into sin and the corruptions that have come upon man, body and soul, as a result. Man is totally depraved. His body is given over to sin and death, and so too his soul. Fallen man has a mind, but the mind is corrupted. We do not naturally know God, but are blind and ignorant.  And fallen man has affections. These faculties were not obliterated or annihilated by the fall. No, they were corrupted. Fallen men and women do still perceive and process the world around them. They are then moved by their affections toward that which they perceive to be good and beautiful, and away from that which they perceived to be evil. What is the problem? The problem is that in sin, to one degree or another, fallen man is drawn towards that which is evil and is repulsed by that which is good, namely God and his ways. Here I am saying that in regeneration and sanctification, God straightens our affections out so that we, more and more as we mature in Christ, are drawn to the good and repulsed by the evil.   

Thirdly, consider the will. This is the third part of the soul of man. Man is body and soul. And in the soul, we may distinguish between the mind, the affections, and the will. What is the will, then? The will is that part of the soul of man which chooses to think, speak, and do. The will chooses to act, in other words. We speak often of the need we have for a renewed mind. We speak often of the need for renewed affections (we often refer to affections as the heart). But our will need to be renewed and sanctified too. We must develop strong wills, brothers and sisters.

Again, I fear being misunderstood. I am not encouraging you to be independent from God. I am not encouraging you to be radically self-sufficient. No, I am exhorting you to be “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Ephesians 6:10, ESV). In Christ, by the grace of God, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, develop willpower. Develop self-control. Paul listed that as a fruit of the Spirit, remember (Galatians 5:22-23)? Yes, in Christ, by the grace of God, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we must learn daily to put off the old self and put on the new. We must choose to walk by the Spirit and to gratify the desires of the flesh no longer. We must learn to endure temptation – temptation from the Evil One, from the sinful world around us, and even from the corruptions that remain within us – by choosing to think, say, and do that which is good and well-pleasing to God, and by refusing all that is contrary to him. Yes, be sanctified in Christ Jesus in the mind and heart – this is indeed crucial – but do not forget about the will. Do not forget about the call of God that is upon you to be self-controlled in Christ Jesus, to choose the good and to refuse that which is evil. Christ has redeemed your will too, brothers and sisters. And the Holy Spirit has renewed and is sanctifying your will even still.

What does this have to do with the ten commandments in general and the tenth commandment in particular?

In general, those in Christ Jesus are called to obey God’s moral law. The good news is that in Christ Jesus, our sins have not only been forgiven but we have been freed from bondage to sin and are able now to keep God’s law, though temptations and corruptions remain. You have been set free in Christ and are called now to walk in obedience to him. I want you to understand how obedience works. 

In particular, I want you to see that the tenth commandment is somewhat unique in that it directly addresses, not our words or actions, but our hearts. Yes, each one of the ten commandments must be kept from the heart, this we know. But the others are explicitly about behavior – words, and deeds – whereas this one demands that we keep the heart pure and free from evil desires. 

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The Tenth Commandment

The tenth commandment is, “You shall not covet…” Quoted in full, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

To covet is to desire to have what others have as your own. 

And no, covetousness is no weak desire but is strong. It is an inordinate or excessive desire to have what others have as your own. Covetousness is a strong desire, or if you’d prefer, affection or passion.

To look at what someone else has and to say, “Oh, that’s nice. I’d like to have one of those someday”, is not necessarily covetous. But to look upon what others have, and to envy them, and to desire what is their strongly and passionately to the point of discontent in the heart, that is the sin of covetousness. 

Notice, that covetousness is not a word that we speak or a deed that we do. No, it is a condition of the mind and the heart. Yes, all of the other commandments of God are to be obeyed from the heart, but the tenth is about the heart. The command,  “You shall not covet…” addressed the heart directly. 

Do not miss the significance of the tenth commandment, brothers and sisters. 

One, notice that the ten commandments conclude with one that addresses the heart. This is the tenth of the ten. It is as if God has burrowed down into us with his law. He began by addressing the most important things: the worship of God and the way that we are to love him. He moved on from there to other important things, namely, the love we are to have for our neighbor. But in the tenth commandment, he burrows down into our hearts. It’s as if he concludes with these words: keep your hearts pure! Yes, obey in word and in deed, but do it from the heart. Keep your hearts pure before me!

Two, if we read the ten commandments backward we will see that it is the violation of the tenth commandment in the heart that produces violations of all the others in word and in deed? I think this is true of all the other commandments in one way or another, but it is obviously true of the sin of theft and adultery. Why do men and women steal and break their marriage vows except that they have allowed covetousness to develop and reside within their hearts? If the covetousness were repelled and rooted out from the heart, they would not steal or be unfaithful to the wife of their youth. The sin of covetousness is the seed. It germinates in the heart. Left unchecked, it sprouts and grows into other sins. As James says, “ each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:14–15, ESV).

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What Does The Tenth Commandment Require And Forbid?

As has been my custom in this sermon series, I will now ask the question, what does the tenth commandment require and forbid? I’ll read the Baptist Catechism and the Orthadox Catechism for an answer.  

Baptist Catechism

Q. 85. What is required in the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit towards our neighbor, and all that is his.

Q. 86. What is forbidden in the tenth commandment?

A. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.

Orthodox Catechism

Question 132: What is God’s will for you in the tenth commandment?

Answer: That not even the slightest thought or desire contrary to any one of God’s commandments should ever arise in my heart. Rather, with all my heart I should always hate sin and take pleasure in whatever is right. 

Notice three things about these answers.

One, the Baptist Catechism says that it is contentment that is required and discontentment that is forbidden in the tenth commandment. What is the relationship between covetousness and contentment, you ask? They are very similar. They share this in common: those who covet and those who are discontent are dissatisfied inwardly. Those who are covetous and discontent are not a peace inwardly. They lack joy. They are unsettled. They are unhappy. How then do covetousness and discontentment differ? The one who covets looks around and says, if only I had what they have, then I would be satisfied. Covetousness has to do with the way that we relate to our fellow man in the heart. The one who is discontent is dissatisfied before God. It seems to me that all who covet are also discontent, and most who are discontent do also covet. Our catechism first says, “The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition…”, because this is the deeper heart issue. We are to be content before God! And then our catechism continues, saying, “with a right and charitable frame of spirit towards our neighbor, and all that is his.”

The scriptures say that “godliness with contentment is great gain…” (1 Timothy 6:6, ESV). Contentment must be pursued by the Christian. It is a way of life that we must learn, a disposition of the heart that we obtain. The secret to contentment is to be satisfied, not by the things of this world, but in God. Everything in this world changes. Everything decays. Everything rusts, fades, and will one day come to an end. It is great folly to have your satisfaction rooted in the things of this world. This is vantify, the writer of Ecclesiastes says.  Instead, we must find our satisfaction in God and in knowing him through the Christ he sent, for he is the source of all life, he never changes, nor will he ever fail you. Indeed, he has given you good things in this life to enjoy, but you must not enjoy them as if they were ultimate. You must enjoy them as tokens of God’s love and to the glory of his name. As the scriptures say, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV). 

The remedy to all covetousness is contentment before God, and this is what the tenth commandment requires. If you are satisfied in him, then you will be satisfied in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of joy and sorrow. The one who is content before God will be able to covet his neighbor’s possessions, for he will be preoccupied with gratitude before God no matter his position in life. 

Two, notice that our catechism speaks says that covetousness is a “frame of spirit”. “The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit towards our neighbor, and all that is his.” In the next question, “motions and affactions” are mentioned. “The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his.” Inordinate means excessive or extreme. The who is content will not covet. And the one who avoids covetousness “maintains a right and charitable frame of spirit towards [his] neighbor, and all that is his.” He puts to death “inordinate [excessive and extreme] motions and affections to anything that is” his neighbors. In other words, he keeps his soul pure. 

Three, the Orthodox ( and Heidleburg) Catechism applies the tenth commandment even more broadly. Considering the tenth in the context of the other nine, it says, “not even the slightest thought or desire contrary to any one of God’s commandments should ever arise in my heart. Rather, with all my heart I should always hate sin and take pleasure in whatever is right.” Notice again that mention is made here of two of the faculties of the human soul – the mind and the desires (or affections). 

The tenth commandment requires us to keep our hearts pure before God in man. We are to be content before God. We are to be satisfied in him no matter our condition. We are to be grateful.   

As we move now towards suggestions for application, I would like to read Baptist Catechism  87 and Orthodox Catechism 133 and 134. 

Baptist Catechism Q. 87. Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?

A. No mere man, since the fall, is able in this life, perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but daily break them in thought, word, or deed. (Eccles. 7:20; Gen. 6:5; Gen. 8:21; 1 John 1:8; James 3:8; James 3:2; Rom. 3:23)

Orthodox Catechism Question 133: But can those converted to God obey these commandments perfectly?

Answer: No. In this life even the holiest have only a small beginning of this obedience. Nevertheless, with all seriousness of purpose, they do begin to live according to all, not only some, of God’s commandments. 

Orthodox Catechism Question 134: No one in this life can obey the Ten Commandments perfectly: why then does God want them preached so pointedly?

Answer: First, so that the longer we live the more we may come to know our sinfulness and the more eagerly look to Christ for forgiveness of sins and righteousness. Second, so that, while praying to God for the grace of the Holy Spirit, we may never stop striving to be renewed more and more after God’s image, until after this life we reach our goal: perfection. 

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Suggestions For Application

Now I have a few suggestions for application for you: 

One, though it is true that the tenth commandment requires us to maintain our minds and our affection before God and in relation to our fellow man, I have also emphasized in this sermon the need to develop a stong and holy will, that is to say, self-control. Develop self-control, brothers and sisters. Yes, we must develop this in reliance upon God, but we must develop it! Be self-controlled. The truth of the matter is that you will be tempted in this world. The evil one will tempt you. The things of this world will tempt you. Your own corrupt desires will sometimes lead you astray (we are not in the state of perfection, remember). In those moments of temptation, we must learn to resist. We must learn to choose what is good and to reject what is evil.  

This is one of the benefits of fasting. When we fast from food for a time, or from some other good and desirous thing, we learn to say no to our appetites and desires in a safe way. When you fast from food for a time, you feel strong urges to eat and you develop the discipline to say no to those urges. The scriptures mention fasting often. It is an important discipline, I think. When we fast we devote ourselves to prayer. And when we fast we do also develop self-control.

Self-control is needed in this world given the realities of temptation. Some of you are weak in the will. You lack self-control. And so you are driven by your passions, which are affections overspilling their proper bounds. 

Your righteous anger overflows and turns to rage within the heart, and so you lash out with your words and your actions. Your desire for comfort is misdirected within the heart, and so you misuse good things like food and drink to the point of gluttony and drunkenness, or you indulge in pleasures that are inherently sinful, when in reality it is the Lord who is comfort.  Yes, it would be even better if our affections were rightly ordered so that we were never drawn to that which is evil but only to that which is good, but we will not experience this until glory.  Until then, we must also be self-controlled. Even if every corruption in the mind and heart rises up against us to lead us in the wrong, we must will to do that which is good and please to God, for Christ is the redeemer and Lord of our will. 

Secondly, be careful in your looking. By this I mean two things: One, be careful with what you look at. And two, be careful with how you look at what you look. 

Be careful with what you look at. There are some things that are inherently evil that God’s people should never look at.  Remember the words of Christ. “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:22–23, ESV). Here is a warning to be careful in our looking. We perceive the world around us through our eyes. If you are taking in dark and evil things, do not be surprised if your soul grows dark and evil. 

And be careful with how you look at what you look. Some things are not evil to look at, but they become evil when we look at them with an evil eye. I was driving with three of my children the other day and I was talking with them about this principle. I said, look at that nice Jeep up there. Is there anything wrong with me looking that Jeep and saying, “that’s a nice Jeep. I like that color. I’m happy for that person that they were able to get that, etc.”? No, there is no sin in that. But if I had an evil eye (See Mark 7:22 and Proverbs  28:22 in the NKJV)  and looked upon that Jeep with envy in my heart and mind, that is sin. And that sin, left unchecked will produce all kinds of unrighteousness. 

Be careful with what you look at and how you look at the things that you look at. Be careful with how you think about God, the world around you, and your place in it, lest you be overrun by discontentment and covetousness. These things are a deadly cancer to the soul.

Lastly, keep your heart, brothers and sisters, lest you sin against your neighbor and deny your God. You must tend to the garden of your soul. You must think about how you think. You must reflect upon how you feel. You must, by God’s grace and with the help that he supplies, “Put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5, ESV). Do not only put the external sins to death (by willing to do that which is good and pleasing to God), but put the heart sins to death too! Get rid of the sin, root and all. 

Tend to the garden of your soul, brothers and sisters. Left alone, your soul will be overrun by weeds. But with God’s help, by his word and Spirit, the Christain has what he or she needs to walk worthily before God from the heart in thought, word, and deed. 

Thanks be to God through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 20:12–17

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:12–17, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Ephesians 4:1-16

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, ‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’ (In saying, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:1–16, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

In our journey through the Ten Commandments, I have repeatedly reminded you that the first four commandments tell us about the love we ought to have for God, and the last six commandments tell us about the love we ought to have for other people. This is how Jesus summarized the law. Quoting from, the writings of Moses, he said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:37–40, ESV). Indeed, we love God when we obey all of his commandments. But it is clear that the first four of the Ten Commandments are about the love and honor we are to show to God, whereas commandments five through ten are about the love and honor we are to show to our fellow man. 

The fifth commandment establishes that honor is to be shown to all people. The command to “honor your father and mother”, requires us to “[preserve] the honor, and [perform] the duties, belonging to everyone in their [various] places and relations, as superiors, inferiors, or equals” (Baptist Catechism, 69). Honor is to be shown to all who bear the image of God. This is the head commandment of the second table of the moral law.

The sixth commandment teaches us to honor human life as it pertains to its end. The command, “you shall not murder”, “[forbids] the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatsoever [tends] thereunto” (Baptist Catechism, 74). Again I say, the sixth commandment teaches us to honor human life as it pertains to the end of it. 

The seventh commandment teaches us to honor human life as it pertains to its beginning. Human life is brought into this world through the process of procreation. And God has designed the human race to procreate in this way: through the physical union of a man and woman joined together in the covenantal union of marriage. It is in the context of the lifelong covenant of marriage that human life is to be conceived, birthed, nurtured, and raised to independency. The command, “you shall not commit adultery”, teaches us to honor human life as it pertains to its beginning. Given the sacredness of the marriage bond and the weightiness of the responsibility of procreation, “The seventh commandment [requires] the preservation of our own and our neighbor’s chastity, in heart, speech, and behavior.”

The eighth commandment teaches us to honor human life as it pertains to its preservation and prosperity. The Lord sustains his creatures. And how does he do this? Indeed, we may say that he does it in spiritual and mysterious ways, ​​for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’;  ‘For we are indeed his offspring’” (Acts 17:28, ESV). But he does also sustain us through means in this world. He gives us bread to eat, water to drink, clothes to wear, and shelter from the elements. In other words, our lives are sustained in this world through personal property. And the eighth commandment, which is “you shall not steal”, teaches us to honor human life by respecting the property of others. “The eighth commandment [forbids] whatsoever does or may unjustly hinder our own or our neighbor’s wealth or outward state (Baptist Catechism, 80).

Now we come to the ninth commandment, which is, “you shall not bear false witness.” In brief, the ninth commandment requires us to speak the truth. What does this have to do with honoring or fellow man? What does this have to do with love for neighbor? Well, if the preceding commandments teach us to honor human life as it pertains to the end, beginning, and physical preservation of it, the ninth commandment teaches us to honor human life as it pertains to human relations. Human relationships depend upon truth and trust. Where there is truth and trust relationships are able to flourish. Where there is deceit and distrust relationships are damaged.

This is true of all kinds of human relationships. We may think about this on a very large scale. Societies will flourish where truth and trust prevail. And societies will quickly fragment where there is deceit and distrust. Think of how vital truth is to the functioning of our government, our judicial system, and our economy. Where there is truth, these institutions within society may flourish, where there is deceit and falsehood, these institutions will rot and produce division. The very same thing may be said of the smaller and more intimate institutions in society like the church and family. 

We live in a fallen world, friends. We will always have to work through challenging situations with each other. We will experience afflictions of various kinds. We will struggle with the consequences of our own sin. We will offend one another and disagree with one another. In other words, friction is unavoidable in human relationships now that we are fallen. Truth and love are vital. It is truth and love which enable human relationships to function and even flourish despite the friction that is unavoidable because of our sin. What oil is to the engine of your car, truth is to every human relationship. What will happen to the engine of your car if you drain the oil from it and then start it up? It may run for a moment, but it will not run smoothly. And eventually, it will seize. The friction will prove to be too much. And the same is true of human relationships. If human relationships are to function and flourish, there must be truth and trust. Trust is the fruit of truth. Trust is something that is earned over time. It can be lost quickly. It can also be regained. All human relationships depend upon trust which is the fruit of truth. 

As a father, I have, from time to time,  lectured my children about this. I’ve said, “tell me the truth, son – tell me the truth, daughter – we can work through anything, but I have to trust you. Without truth and trust, this relationship can’t function.” I’ve also appealed to the goodness of the thing, saying, “believe me, when you are a teenager you are going to want me to trust you. Trust will produce freedom and privileges for you.” It is not difficult to see how this works in a parent-child relationship. Here I am saying that it is true of every human relationship. Where there is truth and trust there is freedom and liveliness; where there is deceit and distrust, relationships are damaged and even destroyed. 

I’ve said, what oil is to the engine of your car, truth and trust are to every human relationship. Before moving on from that idea I wish to draw your attention to that Ephesians 4 passage that was read at the beginning of this sermon so that you may see that Paul spoke of truth in this way. There in Ephesians 4, Pual was exhorting the church in Ephesus to be unified. In other words, he was addressing their relationships with one another. In verse 1 we read, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called…” The “you’s” are plural. He was writing to the members of the church of Ephesus and urging them to walk worthy together. I continue, “…with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:1–3, ESV). So if we are to walk worthy together – if we are to have healthy and god-honoring relationships with one another in the church – we must be humble, gentle, and patient. We must be forbearing. We must have love in our hearts for one another. Now in verse 15, after warning them of being tossed to and fro by false doctrines, “by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes”, he says, “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…” (Ephesians 4:15, ESV). 

The truth that Paul speaks of here is first and foremost the truth of the Gospel – the truth of the Word of God. But is also truth in a more general sense. How were the Ephesians to relate to one another? How were they to walk worthy and to be unified in Christ?  They were to speak the truth in love to another. Where there is truth spoken in love, there is unity and peace. Where there is false doctine, human cunning, and craftiness in deceitful schemes,  people are “tossed to and fro” like the waves of the sea, and they are carried off in this way and that. Human relationships cannot flourish without truth and without love. That is true in the church, and true in every institution within society.

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What Does The Ninth Commandment Require And Forbid?

With that now as a kind of big picture introduction, I wish to ask the specific question, what does the ninth commandment, you shall not bear false witness, forbid and require? As has been my custom, I will use trustworthy catechisms to help us. 

First our catechism, the Baptist Catechism. Please listen carefully to these questions and answers.

BC Q. 82. What is required in the ninth commandment?

A. The ninth commandment requireth the maintaining and promoting of truth between man and man, and of our own and our neighbor’s good name, especially in witness bearing. (Zech. 8:16; Acts 25:10; Eccles. 7:1; 3 John 12; Prov. 14:5,25)

Q. 83. What is forbidden in the ninth commandment?

A. The ninth commandment forbideth whatsoever is prejudicial to truth, or injurious to our own, or our neighbor’s good name. (Eph. 4:25; Ps. 15:3; 2 Cor. 8:20,21)

Notice three things. One, on the most basic level, the ninth commandment requires us to promote truth between man and man. Anything that promotes what is false is a violation of the ninth commandment. It is sin. Two, our catechism draws special attention to the importance of maintaining our own and our neighbor’s good name. When we tell lies or live a life of deceit we bring shame to our own name. And if we tell lies about others, we shame their name. In other words, we do damage to our own reputation and the reputation of others when we lie and deceive. A good reputation is a very precious thing. As Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” A good reputation is a precious thing because it, one, honors God, and two, enables us to relate to others freely. Three, our catechism emphasizes the special importance of truthfulness in witness-bearing. It is always important to tell the truth. Our “yes” should mean “yes”, and our “no” should mean “no”… always. But it is especially important to speak truthfully when called to serve as a witness in some kind of civill or ecclesiastical matter? Why? Because the stakes are high. As you know, the lives and livelihoods of men and women can be taken away unjustly through false witnesses.  

I’ll read now the Westminster Larger Catechism. This will help us to think about the ninth commandment more broadly and to apply it more thoroughly, I hope. 

WLC Q. 144. What are the duties required in the ninth commandment?

A. The duties required in the ninth commandment are, the preserving and promoting of truth between man and man, and the good name of our neighbor, as well as our own; appearing and standing for the truth; and from the heart, sincerely, freely, clearly, and fully, speaking the truth, and only the truth, in matters of judgment and justice, and in all other things whatsoever; a charitable esteem of our neighbors; loving, desiring, and rejoicing in their good name; sorrowing for and covering of their infirmities; freely acknowledging of their gifts and graces, defending their innocency; a ready receiving of a good report, and unwillingness to admit of an evil report, concerning them; discouraging talebearers, flatterers, and slanderers; love and care of our own good name, and defending it when need requireth; keeping of lawful promises; studying and practicing of whatsoever things are true, honest, lovely, and of good report.

Q. 145. What are the sins forbidden in the ninth commandment?

A. The sins forbidden in the ninth commandment are, all prejudicing the truth, and the good name of our neighbors, as well as our own, especially in public judicature; giving false evidence, suborning false witnesses, wittingly appearing and pleading for an evil cause, outfacing and overbearing the truth; passing unjust sentence, calling evil good, and good evil; rewarding the wicked according to the work of the righteous, and the righteous according to the work of the wicked; forgery, concealing the truth, undue silence in a just cause, and holding our peace when iniquity calleth for either a reproof from ourselves, or complaint to others; speaking the truth unseasonably, or maliciously to a wrong end, or perverting it to a wrong meaning, or in doubtful or equivocal expressions, to the prejudice of the truth or justice; speaking untruth, lying, slandering, backbiting, detracting, talebearing, whispering, scoffing, reviling, rash, harsh, and partial censuring; misconstructing intentions, words, and actions; flattering, vainglorious boasting, thinking or speaking too highly or too meanly of ourselves or others; denying the gifts and graces of God; aggravating smaller faults; hiding, excusing, or extenuating of sins, when called to a free confession; unnecessary discovering of infirmities; raising false rumors, receiving and countenancing evil reports, and stopping our ears against just defense; evil suspicion; envying or grieving at the deserved credit of any; endeavoring or desiring to impair it, rejoicing in their disgrace and infamy; scornful contempt, fond admiration; breach of lawful promises; neglecting such things as are of good report, and practicing, or not avoiding ourselves, or not hindering what we can in others, such things as procure an ill name.

Brothers and sisters, this is a rich resource. I would encourage you to read Westminster Larger 144 and 145 again later as you reflect on the ninth commandment and seek to apply it. There is so much truth here. I cannot parse it out in this sermon for lack of time. In general, I will say this: the ninth commandment is not only about not telling lies. The ninth commandment is about living a life of truth and love. We must think what is true, feel what is true, speak what is true, and do what is true. And must live this life of truth with love in our hearts for God and our fellow man. WLC 144 and 145 help us to see that, I think.

Lastly, I will read from another catechism that we should be happy to call our own, called the Orthodox Catechism. It is a Baptist revision of the Heidelberg Catechism compiled by Hercules Collins in the 17th century. 

Question 130: What is God’s will for you in the ninth commandment?

Answer: God’s will is that I never give false testimony against anyone, twist no one’s words, not gossip or slander, nor join in condemning anyone without a hearing or without a just cause. Rather, in court and everywhere else, I should avoid lying and deceit of every kind; these are devices the devil himself uses, and they would call down on me God’s intense anger. I should love the truth, speak it candidly, and openly acknowledge it. And I should do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor’s good name.

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Suggestions For Application

Well, I think you understand what the ninth commandment is, what it requires and forbids. I will begin to move this sermon toward a conclusion by offering some specific suggestions for application followed by a gospel contemplation. 

 I’ll deliver the suggestions for application under three headings. All who have faith in Christ, whose sins have been washed away, whose hearts have been renewed by the Holy Spirit, and whose minds are being renewed by the truth of God’s word, must obey the ninth commandment, one, in thought, two, in word, and three, in deed. 

Think What Is True

Brothers and sisters, if we are to keep the ninth commandment really and truly, we must first think what is true and love what is true. You cannot speak the truth, or live a life that is true, if you do not first think what is true. 

Thinking what is true begins with submitting to God and to his word. What is truth? God is truth (John 3:33). And the word of God is truth (John 17:17). If we hope to live a life that is true in word and in deed then we must begin by submitting ourselves to God and to his word.  We must first “receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save [our] souls.” (James 1:21, ESV). Living a life of truth begins with thinking what is true, and do this we must submit ourselves to God and to his word.

Stated negatively, to believe a lie is to live a lie. The is a sense in which those who believe what is false live a life that is false. Though they may tell the truth from time to time, or perhaps very often, they live a life of falsehood because they have not submitted themselves to the reality of who God is, who they are in relation to him, and of his purpose for them. In other words, because they have believed a lie, they live, not for the glory of God but for some other purpose. Those who have not submitted themselves to God and his word through faith in Christ, live according to falsehood, and this is bondage of the worst kind. This is why Jesus spoke to those who believed in him in this way, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31–32, ESV). Freedom comes through the truth. The truth of God’s word frees us to live according to the reality of who God is, who we are, and his plans and purposes for us through faith in the Savior he has provided. 

So, to live a life that is true we must first submit to the truth of God, his word, and his Christ. And we must be sanctified progressively by this truth throughout our lives. How do we come to be saved? By believing the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And how do we grow or mature in Christ? Through the truth of God’s word as the Spirit works. In John 17 we have a record of the prayer that Jesus prayed to the on behalf of those the Father gave to him. In verse 17 he prays, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17, ESV).

The truth of God, his word, and his Gospel must be believed at the beginning of the Christian life, and also throughout. We must be careful to fill our minds with the truth of God’s word as the Lord refines us and keeps us. Paul warns us to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of [our] mind…” (Romans 12:2, ESV). In another place, he says, ”whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8, ESV). these are positive exhortations to think what is true. In the scriptures we also find warnings to not believe the lies of the evil one. In John 8 Jesus confronts those who do not receive him, saying, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me” (John 8:44–45, ESV).

So you can see that in this world there is truth and there are lies. God is truth. His word is truth. And the evil one is a liar and the father of lies. What will you fill your mind with? What will you believe? You will act upon what you believe, friends. What you speak and what you do comes from somewhere! Your words and actions come from the heart and the mind. 

Fill your heart and mind with God’s word. Learn to think rightly about God, the world that he has made, and your place in it. Develop wisdom. Develop discernment. Grow in your knowledge of truth. All the while, beware of the lies of the evil one. Beware of the lies that he speaks to your own mind and soul. Beware of the lies that he speaks to you through others. Beware of the lies that he speaks to you through the culture and through propaganda. If we wish to speak the truth and live a life that is true, then we must have the truth of God stored up and treasured in the mind and heart.  

Speak The Truth

Secondly, those in Christ, who have been washed by his blood and regenerated by the Spirit, must speak the truth in love. 

One, do not lie, brothers and sisters. Your “yes” must be “yes” and your “no” must be “no”. Speak the truth instead. Bring the truth of God’s word to bear upon the situations you encounter in life. Tell the truth about yourself and others. 

Two, do not distort the truth in any way by telling half-truths, or by playing with words. Again I say, let your “yes” be “yes”, and your “no” be “no”. Let your speech be plain, direct, and clear. Indeed, we must be very careful with the tongue knowing how powerful it is. Our words can be used for great good and for great evil. Our words should be few. “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent” (Proverbs 10:19, ESV).

Three, speaking the truth in love also requires us to listen truthfully. This is what the WLC is referring to when it forbids “misconstructing intentions, words, and actions.” In other words, to listen to others and to twist their words and misconstrued their intentions to hold it against them is dishonest.

Four, speaking the truth in love forbids gossip and slander. 

We gossip when we speak of others in the wrong place. It is possible to say what is true about someone but to be guilty of gossip. What we say might be factually true, but we are guilty of gossip when we say it to those who do not need to know. Beware of the sin of gossip, brothers and sisters. Ask yourself the question, does this person need to know this? Is it their business? Are they in some danger? Are they in a position to help? Do they have some responsibility to act? I there counsel absolutely necessary? These are the kinds of questions we should ask when determining if information about others needs to be shared. If the person does not need to know, then don’t share it. We are to speak the truth in love. And we know that “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8, ESV). This does not mean that sin is to be ignored. This does not mean that sin is to go unconfronted. But it does mean that our impulse should be to cover the sin of others with grace instead of magnifying it. If a brother is caught in some sin, we must confront it in love and with humility. If there is no repentance, others are to be involved. Eventually, it must be told to the church. But nowhere in that process is gossip appropriate.  

Slander is similar to gossip. We slander when we say things about others that are untrue, partially true, unfounded or misleading to the detriment of the person’s reputation. We should mind our business, brothers and sisters. If we must say something about others, we should only say what we know to be true. “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:8–10, ESV).

Speaking the truth in love requires us to say only that which is true, and to say it to the right people, in the right place, at the right time, with the right words, and in the right way.

Fifthly, if we wish to keep the ninth commandment in word, we must also speak up for the truth when we are in possession to do so. Often time, keeping the ninth commandment will require us to refrain from saying that which is false, but sometimes keeping the ninth commandment will require us to say what is true.   

Live A Life That Is True

Thirdly, and lastly, those in Christ, who have been washed by his blood and regenerated by the Spirit, must obey the ninth commandment in deed. Here I mean that we must live lives that are true and unhypocritical.

Live according to God’s truth, brothers and sisters. Live in light of who he is. Live in obedience to him. Live trusting in Christ, who died for your sins and rose again for your salvation. And be true to God and to your profession of faith in every aspect of your life. Be one person, and not two, or three. Are you following me? It is not uncommon for people to be one person at church, another in the home, and another in the workplace. Don’t be a hypocrite. Don’t live a double life. Be one person who is true to God and to the word of God in every sphere of life. I think this is especially common for young people whose faith is immature. They have not developed the courage or the conviction to be true to God and to his word in every arena. They are tossed to and fro, therefore, by the pressure of their peers. We must be found faithful and true – true to God and true to our profession of faith in Christ.

In other words, it seems to me that the ninth commandment requires genuineness and sincerity in the whole of life. Men and women violate the ninth commandment when they give the impression that they are one way when in fact they are another.

I’ll make one last suggestion for the application concerning this theme of genuineness and sincerity. Be careful with social media, brothers, and sisters. In fact, be careful with everything digital and virtual. It is so easy to get lost in that world and to detach from reality. That world is filled with falsehood, gossip, and slander. That world is also filled with people who misrepresent themselves as being something they are not. Christians need to be grounded in the real world. We need to be real and genuine people interacting with real people in the real world in real and genuine ways. I’m afraid that the temptation to detach from reality and to live a life of lies will only increase in the years to come, but those in Christ must be found faithful and true.

Gospel Contemplation

Now for a brief gospel contemplation.

In our consideration of the moral law of God we must not forget the gospel of Jesus Christ. If I were to ask you the question, have you kept this law – the ninth commandment, properly understood – perfectly, all should say, I have violated this law in thought, word, and deed. The law of God condemns sinners as guilty.

But ​​“there is… now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1–4, ESV).

The law does not condemn the one who is united to Christ by faith, for Christ has kept the law for us, has paid for our sins, and was raised for us in victory. But the Spirit of God does still use the law of God to convict the Christian. God uses his law, not as a judge to condemn us, but as a loving Father to discipline us, for by his grace we are his beloved children through adoption. God disciplines those he loves.

So then, being found in Christ, and being convicted of sin, we must turn from it and to Christ again and again. And using the law as a light to our path, we must obey it. We must obey it, not in own strength, but with the strength God provides. We must obey it, not out of slavish fear, but out of gratitude towards God for his mercy and grace. We must obey God’s law, not to earn God’s love and favor, but because his love and favor have been freely bestowed upon us in Christ Jesus. He has washed and renewed us in Christ Jesus. Now we must walk in the newness of life that is ours in him.

Romans 6:3 says, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3–4, ESV).

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 20:1–17

“And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. 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. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’” (Exodus 20:1–17, ESV)

New Testament Reading: Ephesians 4:17–32

“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:17–32, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

Brothers and sisters, we desperately need to grow in our moral maturity. By we I mean, we as a society. But even more so, we as the church. It would be wonderful to live in a society that was morally mature. But it is essential that the church possess moral maturity, for God has called his people to be holy as he is holy.  

Think of it. God has given his people his moral law. Yes, the moral law is displayed in nature for all to see. But it is revealed with great precision and clarity in the Holy Scriptures. 

When God redeemed Israel from Egyptian bondage to make a great nation of them, he gave them his moral law. He spoke these Ten Commandments to them from Sinai. Later, they would be written on stone by the finger of God and deposited in the ark of the covenant to be kept throughout Israel’s history. Clearly, God expected his people to live morally upright lives. He redeemed them from bondage and then gave them his moral law. That pattern is significant. It tells us something about the purpose for redemption. Israel was redeemed to worship and serve the Lord. 

And the same may be said of our redemption in Christ. When God redeems sinners from the domain of darkness and transfers them into the kingdom of his beloved Son, he writes his moral law, not on stone, but upon their hearts by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. That is what that often cited passage in Jeremiah 31 says. Speaking of the coming New Covenant, God says, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:33, ESV). So then, you can see that the moral law of God is central to the New Covenant too. We have been redeemed in Christ to worship and serve the Lord. 

When we compare the Old and New Covenants we find many differences.  In fact, we would say that the Old and New Covenants are not only externally different –  they are substantially different. But they are similar in some respects. And here is one way in which they are similar. God’s people under the Old and New Covenants are called to be holy as God is holy. This similarity can be seen in 1 Peter 1:14-16. The Apostle Peter wrote to the New Covenant people of God, saying, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:14–16, ESV). There Peter quotes from the Old Covenant text, Leviticus 11:44, and applies it to the New Covenant people of God. We are called to be holy as God is holy, brothers and sisters. And what is our standard for holiness? Well, as we have just heard, God is. And God has given us his moral law.

So then, when God calls his people to be holy as he is holy, he means that they are to keep his law.  Jesus himself said, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me” (John 14:21, ESV). To love God is to keep his commandments, and to keep God’s commandments is to love him. 

You can see how this teaching is prone to misunderstanding. If the only thing I ever said to you was, “to love God is to keep his commandments, and to keep God’s commandments is to love him”, then you could accuse me of being a legalist.

But this is not all that the scriptures say. And neither is it the only thing that I say to you. You must be found in Christ, friends. You must trust in him for the forgiveness of sins. You cannot be justified before God by law-keeping, for we are all sinners. We have broken God’s law and stand guilty before him. For this reason, we can only be made right with God through faith in Jesus the Messiah, who lived for sinners, died for sinners, and rose again for sinners. This is the only way to life eternal. This is the gospel. 

Now here is my concern. While the error of leagalism must be avoided, there are many in our day who will preach the gospel to the neglect of the law. These are not legalists. No, these make the opposite error. These are antinomians. The legalist preaches the law to the neglect of the gospel, but the antinomian preaches the gospel to the neglect of the law. What we must see is that in the scriptures law and gospel go together hand in hand. The law (properly understood) and the gospel (properly understood) are not enemies, but dear friends. The Lord uses them both together to save and to sanctify his people. 

This is why you find these two statements on Jesus’ lips in the same Gospel. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16), and “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21). To state the matter another way, the ground of our salvation is faith in Christ alone, but the fruit of our salvation is obedience to God’s moral law. 

Brothers and sisters, God’s moral law has been disregarded by our culture. That is not surprising, is it? I’ll tell you what is surprising and much more concerning to me. God’s moral law has been disregarded by many within the modern church. We must regain it. We must know what it says, what it requires and forbids. We must learn to live according to it and with wisdom in this world. Yes, we have been made holy through faith in Christ. Through faith in him, his blood has washed away all our sins. But do not forget that those united to Christ by faith are called to be holy just as our Father in heaven is holy. Or to quote the words of Jesus to his followers: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48, ESV). And where is God’s standard for us found? In the Holy Scriptures in general, and in his moral law in particular. 

I hope you can understand why we are moving so slowly through the Ten Commandments. Here the moral law of God is summarized for us. 

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What Does The Eighth Commandment Require And Forbid?

Today we come to the eighth of the Ten Commandments, which is “you shall not steal.” This is such a brief commandment, but do not let its brevity fool you. This commandment is profound in its implications. 

To steal is to take what rightfully belongs to another person either by deceit or by force.

One of the moral truths implied by the eighth commandment is that people have a right to possess personal property. That may seem obvious to you, but it is not obvious to all. There have been many in the history of the world, and indeed there are many in the world today, who do not respect personal property. Some even regard personal property as a selfish evil. Friends, this view does not square with God’s moral law. The second table of the Ten Commandments teaches that human life is to be honored. And the eighth commandment is clear that one of the ways human life is to be honored is by respecting personal property. How are we to come to have possessions of our own – food to eat, clothes to wear, and shelter? Not by taking what belongs to others by force or deceit, but by our own labor. We are to work, and thus earn a living.

You know, in our highly affluent and materialistic age, we can sometimes forget that human beings cannot survive without personal property. God alone has life in himself. We live because God gives us life and sustains us in this world that he has made. We are not independent creatures, but dependent. We are needy. We depend upon God to sustain us. And how does he sustain us except in and through the world that he has made? We need food, water, shelter, and clothing. The point that I am here making is that the eighth commandment really is about honoring human life. To take away a man’s possessions, if done enough, is to take away his life. The eighth commandment helps us to see this. When the law says, you shall not steal, it means that human life is to be honored by respecting the property of others.

Please remember the connection. The fifth commandment, “honor you father and mother”, establishes that honor is to be shown to all human beings in a way that fits their God-given position in life. The sixth commandment, “you shall not murder”, teaches us to honor human life as it pertains to the end of it. The seventh commandment, “you shall not commit adultery”, teaches us to honor human life as it pertains to its beginning of it. And now the eighth commandment, “you shall not steal”, teaches us to honor human life as it pertains to the maintenance, flourishing, or prosperity of it from conception to the moment of death. One of the ways that we are to honor people is by respecting their property. 

When we teach the eighth commandment to little children we may apply it by teaching them not to take candy from the store without paying or something like that. But as we grow up, we must learn to think about the eighth commandment more maturely. Not only does this commandment forbid what we might call “petty theft”; it requires and forbids much more by way of implication. 

It has been my custom to refer to our catechism in this sermon series when asking what each of the Ten Commandments requires and forbids. Our catechism is very helpful. It does not only help us to see what the commandments require or forbid in an obvious and superficial way, but to see the implications of the commandments as they are fleshed out by reason and in accordance with the example set forth in Holy Scripture. This morning I will read from three catechisms: the Baptist Catechism, the Westminster Larger, and the Heidelberg. Each one is beautiful in its own way. 

First, the Baptist Catechism, which is beautiful in its brevity: 

Q. 79. What is required in the eighth commandment?

A. The eighth commandment requireth the lawful procuring and furthering the wealth and outward estate of ourselves and others. (Prov. 27:23; Lev. 25:35; Deut. 15:10; 22:14)

Q. 80. What is forbidden in the eighth commandment?

A. The eighth commandment forbideth whatsoever does or may unjustly hinder our own or our neighbor’s wealth or outward state. (1 Tim. 5:8; Prov. 28:19; 23:20,21; Eph. 4:28)

Now the Westminster Larger Catechism, which is beautiful in its thoroughness: 

Q. 141. What are the duties required in the eighth commandment?

A. The duties required in the eighth commandment are, truth, faithfulness, and justice in contracts and commerce between man and man; rendering to every one his due; restitution of goods unlawfully detained from the right owners thereof; giving and lending freely, according to our abilities, and the necessities of others; moderation of our judgments, wills, and affections concerning worldly goods; a provident care and study to get, keep, use, and dispose these things which are necessary and convenient for the sustentation of our nature, and suitable to our condition; a lawful calling, and diligence in it; frugality; avoiding unnecessary lawsuits, and suretiship, or other like engagements; and an endeavor, by all just and lawful means, to procure, preserve, and further the wealth and outward estate of others, as well as our own.

Q. 142. What are the sins forbidden in the eighth commandment?

A. The sins forbidden in the eighth commandment, besides the neglect of the duties required, are, theft, robbery, man-stealing, and receiving anything that is stolen; fraudulent dealing, false weights and measures, removing landmarks, injustice and unfaithfulness in contracts between man and man, or in matters of trust; oppression, extortion, usury, bribery, vexatious lawsuits, unjust enclosures and depredation; engrossing commodities to enhance the price; unlawful callings, and all other unjust or sinful ways of taking or withholding from our neighbor what belongs to him, or of enriching ourselves; covetousness; inordinate prizing and affecting worldly goods; distrustful and distracting cares and studies in getting, keeping, and using them; envying at the prosperity of others; as likewise idleness, prodigality, wasteful gaming; and all other ways whereby we do unduly prejudice our own outward estate, and defrauding ourselves of the due use and comfort of that estate which God hath given us.

Now the Heidelberg Catechism, which, in my opinion, is beautiful in its style:

Q. 110. What does God forbid in the eighth commandment?

A. God forbids not only outright theft and robbery,

punishable by law. But in God’s sight theft also includes

all scheming and swindling in order to get our neighbor’s goods for ourselves, whether by force or means that appear legitimate, such as inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volume;

fraudulent merchandising; counterfeit money; excessive interest; or any other means forbidden by God. In addition, God forbids all greed and pointless squandering of his gifts.

Q 111. What does God require of you in this commandment?

A. That I do whatever I can for my neighbor’s good, that I treat others as I would like them to treat me, and that I work faithfully so that I may share with those in need.

I have read these catechism questions and answers to you, not only so that they might be a help us now as we seek to understand what the eighth commandment requires and forbids, but to encourage you to make use of them on your own as you seek to grow in your understanding of the Christian faith in general and of God’s law in particular. These are rich resources, brothers and sisters. They were written by brothers and sisters in Christ who lived long ago. And they themselves drew upon those who lived before them. There is wisdom here.  

As I read the answers these catechisms provide to the questions, what does the eighth commandment require and forbid?, five key points emerged. 

One, God’s moral law forbids men and women, boys and girls, from taking what rightfully belongs to others either by dishonesty, deceit, or force.

Some violations of the eighth commandment are blatant and obvious. When a man robs a bank, he violates the eighth. When a child steals candy from the store, she violates the eighth. But do not forget the employee who adds an hour to his time card that he did not really work, the mechanic who overcharges a gullible customer, or an employer who fails to pay his employee the agreed-upon wage. These are violations of the eighth commandment too. 

Proverbs 11:1 speaks to the dishonest violations of the eighth when it says, “A false balance is an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is his delight” (Proverbs 11:1, ESV). The balance being referred to here is the balance of a scale used for measuring material. Merchants and bankers could defraud their customers through the use of false balances and the scriptures say this is an “abomination to the LORD”.

Two, the eighth commandment requires us to work faithfully to provide for ourselves and those under our care. This is the flipside of the coin, if you will. How are we to provide for ourselves and those under our care? How are we to furnish ourselves with the provisions we need to live? Not by stealing, but by doing honest work.   

Notice that this is how Paul interpreted the eighth commandment in his letter to the church in Ephesus. He wrote to them saying, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need” (Ephesians 4:28, ESV). Brothers and sisters, we are to provide for ourselves by working, so long as we are able. And our work is to be “honest work”, that is to say, work that is good and God-honoring. 

Evidently, this was a problem in the early church. Some in Thessalonica refused to work, and so Paul wrote to them saying, “Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6–12, ESV). The eighth commandment, which is “you shall not steal”, requires this. To refuse to work, if you are able to work, is to steal. You must be fed, clothed, and sheltered. These things cost money. If you will not provide for yourself, and others are then forced to provide for you, this is a form of theft.  Clearly, what I am saying here does not pertain to those who are retired, to stay-at-home mothers, to those who are independently wealthy, to those who are ill or infirmed (we have the responsibility and privilege to care for these). When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians he had in mind those who were able to work, and those who needed to work, and yet they refused. It was concerning these that he said, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat”, and “we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.” 

You know, the fourth commandment speaks to the issue of work too. In the fourth, we are commanded to honor the Sabbath day and to keep it holy. The Sabbath day is to be a day for rest and worship. But we should not forget what the other six days are for. They are for work. As we live in this world we are to be faithful in work and also in worship. 

Three, the eighth commandment forbids us from squandering or wasting our possessions. Instead, we are to manage them well and use them for good and for the glory of God. I think here of the parable of the prodigal son who “gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living” (Luke 15:13, ESV). We are to remember that the possessions we do have are a gift from God. We are to appreciate them. We are to use them wisely as good stewards. We are to use them for good, for the furtherance of Christ’s kingdom, and for God’s glory. 

Four, the eighth commandment requires us to not only seek our own prosperity but the prosperity of others too. I hope you are not bothered that I have said we are to seek our own prosperity. Yes, I agree that the so-called prosperity gospel is to be rejected. It is a distortion of the truth and is no gospel at all. But we must be careful not to overreact. The scriptures have an awful lot to say about money and the attainment of wealth. Christians should be diligent in their work, careful with their money, and wise in their savings and investments. There is nothing at all wrong with prosperity. The trouble is when we love money, live for money, and when, and believe that God’s will for all of us is that we have lots of money. In fact, many sincere and beloved Christians have been quite poor, as our Savior was. But we are to be responsible, brothers and sisters. We are to be hard-working, diligent, and wise. We are to seek our own prosperity, but not in a selfish way. We are to be concerned with the prosperity of others too. 

Listen again to Ephesians 4:28. “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.” (Ephesians 4:28, ESV)

And consider what Acts 2:44ff. Says about the early Christians. “All who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:44–47, ESV). No, this passage is not promoting communism. Notice, those who were well to do chose to sell what they had to care for those in need. They were not forced to do so by those with authority in the civil or ecclesiastical realm. And there is the difference. Personal property is to be respected by those with power. If aid is to be given, it should be given freely, otherwise, those who take from some to give to others are guilty of theft. That seems to be one of the points of the story of Ananias and his wife Sapphira. Remember, they sold some land and gave some of the proceeds to help those in need but lied and said they gave it all. “Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God” (Acts 5:3–4, ESV). You see, the problem was not that Ananias did not give it all, but that he lied. But notice that Peter respected his personal property, saying “while it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal?”

Personal property must be respected in the civil realm and also in the church. What is yours is yours. You may do with it what you wish. But moral maturity is needed too. We must not only be concerned with our own prosperity, but also with the prosperity of others. 1 John 3:17-18 comes to mind.   “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:17–18, ESV).

Five, we must keep our hearts free from covetousness and discontentment. To covet is to want what others have as your own. Covetousness is directed towards our fellow man. To be discontent is to be dissatisfied with your place in life. Discontentment is directed toward God. It is not hard to see that the sins of covetousness and discontentment lead to violations of the eighth commandment 

1 Timothy 6:6 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:6–10, ESV)

And the tenth commandment is, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17, ESV)

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Suggestions For Application

This sermon has already been filled with many suggestions for application. I’ll conclude now by rapidly stating a few more to further stimulate your thinking on this important matter.  

First, let us take the eighth commandment, “you shall not steal”, into consideration as we formulate our political views and see promote justice within our society according to our gifts, callings, and opportunities.   

Yes, the eighth commandment is to be applied by individuals acting as individuals, but it is also to be obeyed by individuals acting with governmental authority. Stated differently, individuals do often violate the eighth commandment, but governments do too. In fact, I’m sure it could be argued that the greatest violations of the eighth commandment throughout history have been perpetrated, not by individuals acting as individuals, but by individuals acting with government power. 

Given what has been said regarding the eighth commandment, what should our views be concerning taxation, government spending, and the redistribution of wealth? What should we think of political and economic theories such as socialism, communism, and various forms of capitalism? What should we think about forms of currency, the manipulation of currency, and the manipulation of markets? What should we think about government-enforced lockdowns which drive businesses under and force people into unemployment? On and on I could go. My point is this, governments are to concern themselves with matters of retributive justice as it pertains to crimes against persons. But beware, governments can quickly become the perpetrators of great injustice. Let us not forget that those who govern are accountable to God. They are to honor God’s moral law as they seek to establish and uphold the laws of the land. Not all Christians are called to engage in politics to the same degree. But we ought to seek the good of the cities and nations in which we live. Let us all pray, and for those who are gifted, called, and have the opportunity to make an impact in the civil realm, let us be sure to act according to God’s moral law. 

So much of what goes on in the world is outside of our control. The one thing that we can control is our personal behavior. Let us be sure to keep the eighth commandment in thought, word, and deed as we trust in Christ. 

Do not steal, brothers and sisters. Do not take from others what is rightfully theirs either by force or deceit. Be honest and upright in all of your dealings.

And be faithful in your work. Do honest work – that is to say, work that is not inherently sinful – work that provides some good or service to others –  work that provides for your own needs and the needs of those under your care. Whatever your calling – no matter if you are blue-collar, white-collar, a stay-at-home mom, or retired – do not be idle. Use your time and energy for good and for the glory of God. Take pleasure in your work, brothers and sisters, even if it is not your “passion”, knowing that God has called you to provide for yourself and others in this way. All work, provided that it is honest work, is good work. Whatever you are doing, do it with thankfulness in your hearts, to the best of your ability, and to the glory of God.

I feel compelled to say just a brief word about gambling, brothers and sisters. Gambling has grown in popularity, I think, largely because it is so accessible online. I’ve grown convinced that gambling is a violation of the eighth commandment, properly understood. In gambling, if you win, you are a thief. If you lose, you squander what the Lord has given to you. I do not have the time to flesh this out for you. I think I have done this before, perhaps in an afternoon sermon on the eighth commandment. In brief, when the gambler wins, he only takes, but he does not give. This is a form of thievery. In honest work, both the worker and the employer receives. Done right, both go away with a smile on their face. Not so with the gambler. The goal is only to take, and not to give. Stated differently, the goal is to better your position while worsening the position of others. It makes no difference that the others have agreed to it. Gambling is not an honest and God-honoring way to procure wealth.  

Lust us be faithful in our honest work, and let us live simply in this world.

Do not squander your time or money on games or on meaningless pursuits. Let us live in a way that counts for eternity, and that includes the use of our resources.  

Let us be sure to manage our possessions wisely.

And finally, let us pursue contentment in God and in Christ. Indeed, we know that true satisfaction is found, not in the things of this world, but in him.