The New City Catechism — Week 12
Question 1 — What does God require in the ninth, & tenth commandments?
Answer — Ninth, that we do not lie or deceive, but speak the truth in love. Tenth, that we are content, not envying anyone or resenting what God has given them or us.
James 2:8 (ESV)8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
In our final week looking directly at the Ten, Q & A 12 deals with the final horizontal commands given to us. These final commands are directions for us to live by so that we might live our lives that honor other people but also honor God and his standard of living for all mankind.
Deceitfulness & lies are common in the world we live. People lie to get ahead. People lie to get what they want. People lie to avoid their problems and people are inherently deceitful. It is part of who we are—not to say that was part of our design. God made us in his own image and in the garden, prior to the fall, there was no sin present or in the human heart. There wasn’t even a reason to lie, for the environment in which man lived was perfect. But that is no longer the case. Sin has wrecked the human condition and now we sin & lie. Because that is true, the Bible helps us by giving us the words of God and his direction for our life.
The Bible is clear on that direction and standard.
Exodus 20:16 (ESV)16“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
The Bible tells us to not lie, but that command is not limited to only our neighbor. Time and time again the Bible instructs God’s people to live in the light and speak truth. Truth is what God projects & is what is expected of anyone who follows him. God hates lies and will hold all people accountable to for them. Consider what the author of Proverb says regarding the ninth commandment,
Proverbs 6:16–19 (ESV)16There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: 17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
18a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil,
19a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.
But God’s instruction in the Ten doesn’t end with lies, but rather coveting. Coveting is a sin that grows from a thought and then into action. Coveting is a desire that can become a sin of commission if not checked at the gate of our heart. The sin that comes from coveting is adultery, murder, theft.
Coveting is a sin against God and not just others because coveting is desiring what belongs to another person. Thus sinning against God and not living in the contentment that comes with knowing God & his blessings. Coveting is a heart issue that the Bible addresses, because God knew it would deeply affect his people. That is why the Ten, when recorded in Exodus 20 & Deuteronomy 5, gives specific examples—areas of life God knew Israel would struggle.
Deuteronomy 5:21 (ESV)21“ ‘And you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. And you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.’
When we look at the last two of the Ten, we see a pattern. A pattern that is numbered with the rest. God wants us to live holy lives with him and also others. We struggle and we sin, but we would be blind to such sin without the law. The law is the standard, and when we cannot meet that standard, sin attaches itself to us. It points out our flaws & failure and all our mistakes.
But just as 1 Cor.15 tells us that the power of sin is the Law, it also tells us that we can find victory, despite our constant lies & coveting, in the work of Jesus Christ.
Once we trust in Christ, the Bible gives us a new command—“go and sin no more.” Our eyes are opened and now we see better than we did before. We live in victory of the cross and that victory gives us the ability to fight sin every single day.
So this week, look at your life, identify the sin and fight it. Maybe you lie—you have the ability through the victory of Christ to not live a life of deceitfulness. And if you live with a passion for the belongings of others, give them to Christ and ask for the gift of contentment. God is able to grant these things to us if we trust in him.