Session 5: The Decalogue

APOSTLES ANGLICAN CHURCH
Fr. John A. Roop

Christian Essentials / Anglican Distinctives
Session 5: The Decalogue (Ten Commandments)

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Let us pray.

A Prayer for Increase in the Love of God
O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.

Introduction

Let’s begin our discussion of the Decalogue with a passage from St. Paul that on first reading might seem to point us in a very different direction, away from the Ten Commandments:

Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV): 2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

First, notice the condition of mankind, the three slaveries which held us all enthralled: death, sin, and the dominion of the fallen powers over us. These correspond to the three falls of man in Genesis 3-11: the fall of Adam (death), the fall of Cain (sin as a power), and the fall at Babel (the rule of the fallen powers). We were all enslaved to this unholy trinity. Is there any hope, any possibility of rescue and freedom? St. Paul continues:

Ephesians 2:4–9 (ESV): 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Yes, there is hope, and it lies with God’s initiative toward us in and through Jesus. Jesus’ death — to which we are united in baptism — tramples down death by death and frees us from that enemy. His death serves also as the “full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world” (BCP 2019, Holy Eucharist: Anglican Standard Text, p. 116). In his resurrection he seated us in the heavenly places with him; that is, he broke the dominion of the powers over us and made us citizens of the Kingdom of God.

How is it that we participate in this great act of deliverance? How do we access it? St. Paul is clear:

Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV): 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

This rescue is a gift of God; our part is simply to receive it through faith. St. Paul makes clear that it is not a result of human works. We cannot, through our own righteous works, make God indebted to us, so that he must pay us salvation as the wage for work we have done. And, when St. Paul talks of works, he is nodding toward the works of obedience to the Law of Moses. He does this for two reasons: (1) to declare to the Jews that salvation is not through Moses but through Jesus, and (2) to declare to both Jews and Gentiles alike that Gentiles do not need to submit to all the demands of the Mosaic Law to follow Christ.

Because of St. Paul’s insistence on the primacy and sufficiency of faith, some accused him of antinomianism, of being a spiritual anarchist by teaching against the Law. You even see some of that confusion in the Church, not least in the Corinthian and the Roman correspondence. But, nothing was further from the truth (see, for example, Romans 6:1-14) as St. Paul makes clear in the last verse of the Ephesians passage we’ve been considering:

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV): 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

So, how do we integrate these notions? We are not saved — not delivered from death, sin, and the fallen powers — by our own works of righteousness. But now, having been saved, having been delivered by grace through faith we are free to lead lives of righteousness, to walk in the good works that God has prepared for us. St. Paul goes so far as to say that we have been created in Christ Jesus for that very purpose, for good works. We have been set free from death, sin, and the powers so that we might be free to do works of righteousness. It is in this sense that the moral aspects of the Law still have meaning for Christians in defining the good works that we are now free to do, empowered by the Spirit. So, the Church has always held that the core of the Law as summarized in the Decalogue is still binding on disciples of Christ and, in fact, represents a “floor” and not a “ceiling” of Christian righteousness. As Jesus said:

Matthew 5:17–20 (ESV): 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

With the encouragement of St. Paul and of Jesus himself, we turn now to the Decalogue.

The Decalogue

There is a structure to the Decalogue that is important theologically and mnemonically. The commandments fall into two categories — obligations to God and obligations to our neighbors — hence Jesus’ summary of the Law as love for God and love for neighbor. The first four commandments pertain to God. The fifth commandment is a transition between obligations to God and neighbor. The last five commandments pertain to neighbor. Within each of the two categories, there is a progression from most fundamental to derivative commandments. For example, unless we have established the most fundamental right of a person to life (You shall not commit murder.) it makes no sense to talk about the property rights of the individual (You shall not steal.): first things first in each category.

With that, we turn to the Decalogue itself (BCP 2019, pp. 100-101):

I. I am the Lord your God.
You shall have no other gods but me.

II. You shall not make for yourself any idol.

III. You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain.

IV. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

V. Honor your father and your mother.

VI. You shall not murder.

VII. You shall not commit adultery.

VIII. You shall not steal.

IX. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

X. You shall not covet.

Commandment I

The first category of commandments, I-IV, pertain to God. We start with this notion: there are other gods which might be, are are, worshipped. But, they are false gods, and they are not for us. St. Paul writes this to the Corinthians as they grapple with the propriety of eating meat offered to idols:

1 Corinthians 8:4–6 (ESV): 4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

There are many gods and many lords, but not for us. For us there is one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ.

In what sense are there many gods and many lords? Let’s approach this not objectively for the moment, but subjectively. One’s god is one’s ultimate good, that to which all other things are relativized or subjected. It is the focal point of one’s life and that to which all else, if necessary, will be sacrificed. Given that understanding of god, what are some gods that people are tempted to worship?

Pleasure, Power, Wealth, Honor (possessions, power, possessions, pride): the god of self. These four send out tendrils everywhere to make lesser gods of family, work/success, security, autonomy, community, . The fundamental challenge this commandment presents was summarized by St. Benedict this way: Prefer nothing to Christ. And that is why this commandment is the most fundamental; it is both the most important and the most far reaching.

Commandment II

In part because idols and their worshippers are mocked in Scripture we have, perhaps, a naive and literalistic view of them: a piece of wood or stone or wrought metal — an inanimate object — worshipped as if it were living and powerful. But, the ancient idol worshippers knew better; they were more sophisticated than that. The statue, if it were a statue, did not exhaust the nature of the god, but was only one hypostasis (personification), one instantiation of the god. So, for example, take the Egyptian god Ra (or Re). Ra is associated with the sun, so that the visible sun was considered one personification of Ra. But, since Ra was also associated with the divine rule of the pharaohs, the reigning pharaoh was another personification of Ra. And, the statues of the falcon-headed man with the sun-disk headdress was yet another personification. Behind them all lay the power of the god Ra. And that is the essence of idolatry: the attempt to control the power of the god that lies behind any visible image or manifestation of the god by worship and ritual. This is what St. Paul refers to in his warnings against idolatry:

1 Corinthians 10:14–21 (ESV): 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

The idols — the stone, wood, or metal — are nothing at all. But behind them are the demons, and the demons have power. Worship of idols is an attempt to control the power of the demons and bend it to human will. That is essential to understand: idolatry is worship of demons with the intent of controlling their power for personal gain.

We are never tempted to do that are we? Well, what about the near worship of a political candidate or party? What about hyper-zealous devotion to a cause? What about money, which Jesus identifies as the god named mammon? What about occultism in all its obvious and subtle forms? What about addiction to technology, including bio-engineering technology that promises near endless life or even transhumanism? Here’s the really question we need to ask: what are we sacrificing ourselves to in order to harness and control its power for our benefit? Are we giving to this that which belongs only to God? If so, we have made for ourselves an idol.

Commandment III

I grew up under the impression that taking God’s name in vain meant a very particular type of cursing, invoking God’s name in a damning way. That is probably more crude than blasphemous — something to be avoided, but probably not so much what the commandment is about. St. Paul identifies the real problem in Romans:

Romans 2:17–24 (ESV): 17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

The Jews were to be a light to the nations, a holy people, a kingdom of priests because they bore the name of God. By their faithfulness and disobedience — by their unrighteousness — they did not bring glory to the name of God but rather caused the Gentiles to blaspheme. The Jews took the name of God in vain.

Now, here is the challenge to us. We have taken on ourselves the name of God, because we bear the name of Christ. That means that everything we do, we do in the name of Jesus. I tell the truth in the name of Jesus; I lie in the name of Jesus. I forgive in the name Jesus; I take revenge in the name of Jesus. I act humbly in the name of Jesus; I am filled with pride in the name of Jesus. I love in the name of Jesus; I hate in the name of Jesus. You get the idea. By my actions — and the thoughts of my heart — I will either bring honor to the name of Jesus or I will take his name in vain. The truth is that I do both; I thank God for the former and repent of the latter. This commandment is a good check on our behavior. Before doing or saying something, we simply need to ask: Can I do this in the name of Jesus or will it be using his name in vain?

Commandment IV

Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy. As far as the Jewish authorities were concerned, Jesus observed this commandment mainly in its breach; he held to the Sabbath restrictions very loosely and, in their interpretation, often violated it. A typical example of this, and of the authorities’ response, is found in St. John’s Gospel in which Jesus heals a disabled man at the Pool of Bethesda:

John 5:15–18 (ESV): 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Now, before we draw any great conclusions about this Sabbath from this, let’s lay another Gospel account alongside it:

Luke 4:16 (ESV): 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read.

It was Jesus’ custom to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath. That is part of what got him in trouble; he was in the synagogue with the Jewish authorities!

From these two accounts we can reason what Jesus would have meant by remembering the Sabbath Day and keeping it holy: (1) gathering with God’s people for worship and (2) doing the work of God, i.e., the work that God is constantly doing and giving us to do in his name.

About the former — gathering with God’s people for worship — I have little to say beyond this: go to Church on Sunday and make worship of God with the people of God your first priority as a firstfruits offering of time, attention, and love. That is a low but essential bar for Christian faith and practice.

About the latter — doing the work of God — I think more must be said. First, I would call attention to another Gospel text, this one from Matthew:

Matthew 12:9–14 (ESV): 9 He went on from there and entered their synagogue. 10 And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. 11 He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him.

Note again where Jesus is on the Sabbath: in the synagogue worshipping. That is his first work; the second is an act of healing. By way of explanation, he say, “So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” And these two must but the pillars of our Sabbath observance: worship and doing good.

What falls under the umbrella of good Sabbath work? There is no exhaustive list, of course, but we might start with Matthew 25 as jumping off place:

Matthew 25:31–36 (ESV): 31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

In the Roman Catholic Church these are known as the corporal works of mercy, the ones that are enumerated in Matthew 25 with two additional works:

Feed the hungry.

Give drink to the thirsty.

Welcome the stranger (shelter the homeless).

Clothe the naked.

Visit the sick and imprisoned.

Bury the dead.

Give alms to the poor.

Take these in the broadest possible sense. Let me give an example or two: taking a Sunday meal to a shut-in; taking warm clothes and blankets to a KARM warming center on a frigid Sunday afternoon; sitting with a worried family member in the surgical waiting room Sunday evening. Worship and do good; this is how we remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.

Commandment V: The Transitional Commandment

Thus far we have focused on our obligations to God. Now we transition to our obligations to our neighbor — to everyone. But, between God and our neighbor, there is a special category of people: our parents. Similar to God, they created and sustained us. Similar to neighbor, they are human beings who may be honored but not worshipped. How can we worship God whom we have not seen, if cannot honor our parents whom we have seen? What does that look like? Let me offer two texts and then some comments.

Ephesians 6:1–3 (ESV): 6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

1 Timothy 5:8 (ESV): 8 But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

For children, honor looks like obedience, provided what the parents command is “in the Lord.” For adult children this obedience might take the form of respectful consideration. But it also means providing for parents’ financial, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. One cannot claim to be a follower of Christ and fail to provide — as he is able — for his parents.

This is challenging: not just because of our own selfishness and willfulness, but also because of the complexity of some situations we find ourselves in, not least as our parents age. Suppose one’s mother — a widow — is no longer able to live alone but is very resistant to leaving her home. What does honoring her look like: providing live in care; moving her to your home; placing her in a skilled care facility? And there are economic and logistical considerations to all this. No, it is never easy, but the goal is always the same: to find a way to appropriately honor our parents as fitting in the Lord. I would suggest that we can, and should, extend a similar, but more limited, kind of honor to all elders and especially to our fathers and mothers in the faith. St. Paul says as much to both Timothy and Titus concerning their relationships with their chronological elders and with spiritual elders in the congregation.

Commandment VI

You shall not murder. The right to life is the most fundamental one granted by God. God calls a man into existence and his life belongs to God; it does not belong to another to take life. That is, in part, why the Church has always considered abortion to be sinful, a violation of this commandment. Yet, even with this straightforward commandment there are great complexities because we live in a fallen world that thrusts moral ambiguity on us. May a police officer use deadly force to stop the commission of a violent crime? May Christians take up arms in military conflict? May a Christian use deadly force for self-defense or for defense of another? Do any of these constitute “murder” — which is forbidden — or merely killing which is not specifically addressed. Thanks be to God, most of us will never face these complex cases, nor will we be in a position where murder is a viable option or temptation for us.

But, that does not mean we are off the hook with this commandment: not at all.

Matthew 5:21–24 (ESV): 21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Jesus internalizes the commandment, makes it about the heart. Murder is about anger, condemnation, and hostility. So, for the Christian, this commandment becomes:

You shall not nurse your anger.

You shall not condemn or slander your brother.

You shall pursue reconciliation.

These are the issues that we face more than we care to admit, and they are challenging enough for us. You shall not murder starts with being at peace with all men as much as it lies in our power.

Commandment VII

You shall not commit adultery. This is the one commandment that applies only to a specific group — those who are married — though reasonably it might be extended to address all kinds of sexual immorality. I am going to limit my discussion to marital infidelity because I think something more basic than sexual morality lies at the heart of this commandment: covenantal faithfulness. How can we be faithful to our baptismal covenant with God when we cannot be faithful to our marriage covenant with our spouse?

That means that adultery is not merely a matter of sexual infidelity, but a matter of infidelity to one’s marriage vows. In the Anglican Church we use these vows, and no others!

In the Name of God, I, N., take you to be my wife/husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death, according to God’s holy Word. This is my solemn vow (BCP 2019, p. 205).

So, those of us who are married dare not grow smug or complacent about this commandment simply because we have not had sex outside our marriage. The question is more fundamental: have I been faithful to my vows, made before God? And that is a choice we make day by day, until we are parted by death.

Add to that Jesus’ own intensification of the commandment, and you see the rigor of it:

Matthew 5:27–28 (ESV): “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.“

Commandments VIII and X

You shall not steal. You shall not covet.

Stealing is taking something — tangible or intangible — that doesn’t belong to you. I can steal your wallet and I can steal your reputation. I can steal your virtue and I can steal your identity. I can steal my employer’s money or I can steal my employer’s time. The list of things I can steal is vast, but this commandment prohibits stealing anything at all, tangible or intangible.

Coveting is a bit different, though I think of it as the entryway to stealing, the first step along the path as it were. Where there is first no coveting, there will be no theft. One of the best examples of coveting comes from a Rick Springsteen song released in 1981: Jessie’s Girl. Listen to the first stanza:

Jessie is a friend
Yeah, I know he’s been a good friend of mine
But lately something’s changed that ain’t hard to define
Jessie’s got himself a girl and I want to make her mine

To covet is not simply to want something. If the person in the song, seeing how happy Jessie was, wanted to find himself a girlfriend — no problem, no coveting. The problem is that he wants Jessie’s girl, that he is so envious of Jessie that he wants to deprive Jessie of something important to him. Coveting is not simply me want something generally, but specifically me wanting the thing you have and wanting you not to have it. Coveting always posits a zero sum game: I can only win if you lose, and I am quite willing for you to lose. That is why I say coveting is the first step of stealing: I want what you have and I am quite happy to deprive you of it. If we refuse to covet, intentional theft will never be a problem.

There is a remedy to both covetousness and theft: contentment. Our consumerist culture is designed around stoking discontent and desire. We counter that with the Christian virtues of contentment with what God has provided us, with thanksgiving for it, and with confidence that God will, in the future, provide all that we truly need if we seek first his kingdom.

Commandment IX

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

This is more than just telling a lie about someone though it certainly includes lying and failing to make reparations for a lie. It also includes such sins as:

Knowingly deceiving another by providing misleading information or by withholding needed information. (Well, I didn’t exactly lie…)

Gossiping or failing to speak out to stop gossip.

Presuming the worst of another or making rash judgments.

Acting on prejudice.

Betraying another’s confidence.

We could add others, but this should be sufficient to spark your own thought.

Conclusion

We are called to good works, not as a prerequisite for our salvation, but as the fruit of it. We are called to cultivate virtue, not to gain merit before God, but to grow into the likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are, as the Jews were before us, called to be a holy people — saints — and a kingdom of priests to God our Father. The Decalogue, taken broadly as we have tried to do, gives us an insight into what those good works look like, what it means to be virtuous, and how to move toward holiness. The Decalogue is a good place to begin our self-assessment, to monitor our progress, and to prompt our repentance.