THE LAW OF GOD

Do not commit murder.

The first murderer was Cain who killed his brother Abel. Perhaps Cain thought no one saw what happened, but God did. He said to Cain, "Why have you done this terrible thing? Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground, like a voice calling for revenge" (Genesis 4:10). Murder is a sin with chain reactions--it hurts the families and friends of both the murderer and he who was murdered. It is also a grave offense against God who made man in His own image.

Do not commit adultery.

Adultery is the sin of breaking the marriage vow by having sexual relations with someone other than the marriage partner. Hebrews 13:4 says, "Marriage is to be honored by all, and husbands and wives must be faithful to each other. God will judge those who are immoral and those who commit adultery."

Do not steal.

It is wrong to take anything that doesn't belong to you, even if the person you took it from is rich and doesn't need it. "The man who used to rob must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for himself and to be able to help the poor" (Ephesians 4:28).

Do not accuse anyone falsely.

The ninth commandment includes all lying in word or deed. God does not make a difference between "good" lies and "bad" lies--all false accusations are wrong. Psalm 101:7 says, "No liar will live in my palace; no hypocrite will remain in my presence." "But cowards, traitors, perverts, murderers, the immoral, those who practice magic, those who worship idols, and all liars--the place for them is the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).

Do not desire anything another man owns.

To wrongly desire what belongs to another is often called coveting. Luke 12:15 puts it this way: "Watch out and guard yourselves from every kind of greed; because a person's true life is not made up of the things he owns, no matter how rich he may be." God gave us these laws to teach us right from wrong, to guide us when we make decisions. "What, then was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham's descendant, to whom the promise was made ... So the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith" (Galatians 3:19, 24).

MEMORY VERSE

What, then was the purpose of the Law? It was added in order to show what wrongdoing is, and it was meant to last until the coming of Abraham's descendant, to whom the promise was made ... So the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith.- Galatians 3:19, 24