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AMBASSADOR COLLEGE

CORRESPONDENCE COURSE Is Obedience to the Ten Commandments Necessarv Todav?

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ance! Yes, but what must I do, you ask, in order to receive eternal life? - Another fellow human being of ours has already asked this question of Jesus Christ the living Son of God-the highest Authority-for us. Master, he asked, what good thing shall I do, that I may HAVE ETERNAL LIFE? And what was Jesus instruction? If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments (Matt. I 9 : I 6- I 7). KEEP T H E COMMANDMENTS, Jesus said!! Are you astonished at this?

OULD

you like to have eternal inheritance in the Kingdom of God?-and have eternal life so that you could claim this inherit-

Wrong Concept Today

YOU HAVE PROBABLY HEARD that commandment keeping is no longer necessary-that since the old covenant was done away by Christ, the ten commandments have been abolishedNAILED T O T H E CROSS. You also have probably heard that the old covenant was the ten commandment law-that the new covenant contains only grace and promises, but N O LAW. Hence, it is argued that since the old covenant has been abolished Gods law has also been abolished. Grace alone is what saves you now, so they say, but no commandment keeping is necessary. This teaching would LEAD YOU T O BELIEVE that the L A W of God is HARSH, CRUEL, ENSLAVING-that the fault of the old covenant was with the law, and since God gave the law, the fault must have been His! Later, according to this common teaching, Jesus

came with a new covenant which had no law, only promises and liberty to do what you please. Certainly there is SOMETHING TERRIBLY WRONG W I T H THIS CONCEPT! Another argument that the laws of the Old Testament are done away and have no authority for us today is that the laws of the Old Testament are a part of the old covenant which God made only with the Jews at Mount Sinai. H O W WRONG PEOPLE CAN BE! Do you know that many think they are on the right road to salvation, but are actually on the road to destruction? They are WORSHIPPING GOD IN VAIN-worshipping Him with N O PROSPECT OF OBTAINING ETERNAL INHERITANCE in the Kingdom of God! Listen to what God says: Howbeit in vain do ye worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men, For laying aside the commandments of G o d , ye hold the tradition of men , [and now note the following especially] . . Full well ye reject the Commandments of God, that ye may KEEP your OWN TRADITION (Mark 7: 7-9).

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Back to the Faith Once Delivered

Through Jude, God warns: Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly CONTEND FOR T H E FAITH ONCE DELIVERED unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in ungodly men, turning the grace of unawares God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 3-4). YCS,cvcn before the New Testament was com-

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Is Obedience to the Ten Commandments Necessary Today?

LESSON 17

AMBASSADOR COLLEGE

Bible
CORRESPONDENCE COURSE LESSON I 7

Herbert W Armstrong, publisher and editor Dr. C. Paul Meredith, director Sent FREE to all request it, as the Lord provides. Address all communications to the editor, Box I I I , Pasadena, California @ 1959 Ambassador College 662
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pletely written, ungodly men had crept into the Church to corrupt it-turning grace into ktsciviousness. And what is lasciviousness? It means license -unrestrained liberty-abuse of privilege. In other words, license to do what seems right in human eyes-according to human conscience-though it disobeys Gods Law! And that is exactly what those ungodly men, even in the first century, did -turned grace into unrestrained privilege to disobey Gods law! IURNED TO HUMAN CONSCIENCE AS A GUIDE! And once introduced, the practice has persisted and spread over the world to this very today! This present age is a particularly LAWLESS AGE! Everywhere, it seems, the spirit of disobedience is sweeping society. From the pulpits you hear that Jesus Christ abolished His Fathers Law-that it is not necessary to obey God any longer. It is time we looked into the Bible to see what it really says. And when we do, lets look through the entire Bible, and CONSULT ALL THE SCRIPTURES and examples-NOT JUST PART OF THEM. Jesus said: Whoso therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt. 5: 19). N o one can gain entrance into Gods Kingdom unless that individual first recognizes the authority and rule of God. W e are not to argue with God or use human reason to evade the plain commands of the Scripture. GOD is Supreme Creator and Supreme Lawgiver. He KNOWS W H A T IS BEST for us. He has perfect wisdom and understanding. W e can place our confidence in Him and rely on His judgment which He committed to writing for us-in the Bible. The tendency is to use human reason to sidestep what seems of lesser importance to us. It is so easy for us to say: I dont see why God would want us to keep this. It SEEMS SO IMPRACTICAL in this modern age. Now here is the way

I see it. BUT are these laws any more impractical today than they were from the beginning? Notice! The NEWS TODAY IS NEARLY ALL BAD. Theres a reason why! Not only do we have war, fear of war, and much strife between nutions, but we also have strife and competition in business. W e have quarrels leading to divorce in the home. We have a growing younger generation, nervous and by blowing off steam it gets into all sorts of troubles t h a t we call juvenile delinquency. Whats the matter with us anyway? Are we afraid to stop and look the situation in the face? Do we dare recognize the fact that we are bringing all this fear and worry, this heartache, this suffering, this frustrating emptiness on ourselves? There is a reason, but are you afraid to hear it? Will you deny the true reason? Accept the truth!

The Basis of Life

If you find thc truth-that GOD Almighty, the Creator, SET I N MOTION INVISIBLE, SPIRITUAL LAWS FOR OUR HAPPINESS and for our good, and that all our woes and our troubles are the direct result of our rejection and transgression of those laws-youll probably say, But Ive been taught that those laws were abolished by Christ! Or, Why, thats a religious and theological question that 1 know nothing about. It has nothing to do with my practical, down-to-earth, everyday life anyway. Youre wrong! It has everything to do with your everyday life. It has everything to do with all the bad news we hear and read about everyday. It has everything to do with the fact that you are restless and discontented, and that you are not happy as you want to be, and would like to be. It has everything to do with todays chaotic world conditions, and with social unrest, with the troubles that you are probably having in your own home! Yes, youve probably heard that the ten commandments were done away. Youve been taught that the ten commandments either are the same as, or a part of, the ritualistic law of Moses, and that they didnt exist until Moses, and that they lasted only until Christ! But is this true? THIS IS NO MERE, IRRELEVANT THEOLOGICAL OR RELIGIOUS QUESTION. THIS IS T H E VERY ESSENCE OF YOUR LIFE-your home life, your social lifc, your business life. Its the very crux question behind world troubles today. Strange as it may seem, the ten commandments have been in full force and effect since human life has existed on this earth! GOD HAS ORDAINED A LAW-THE SUPREME ETERNAL SPIRITUAL LAW OF LOVE. God is Love! (I John 4:8.) God and Love

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LESSON 17

I Obedience to the Ten Comlmandments Necessary Today? s

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are inseparable from each other! God lives completely in accordance with this law. Love! God has ORDAINED T H A T ALL MUST LIVE BY THIS LAW of love-just as He doesif they are to have life-the gift of eternal life. Love toward God and love toward fellow man. That is just what the Spiritual law, T H E T E N COMMANDMENTS, is-the first four of these teach LOVE TOWARD GOD, AND the last six teach L O V E TOWARD FELLOW MAN. THESE T E N SPZRZTUAL LAWS ARE ONLY T H E T E N POZNTS OF T H E ONE SUPREME SPIRITUAL LAW-the One Royal Law that James expounded-THE ROYAL L A W OF LOVE! (James 2:8, 1 0 ) . Love is the one and only Great Spiritual Law. All other laws only guide to its fulfillment. The HOLY SPIRIT FROM GOD Himself ENABLES A4AN T O KEEP THIS SUPREME SPIRITUAL LAW in its various points; for the Holy Spirit, when PLACED W I T H I N US BY BEGETTAL, causes us to bear the same fruits that it caused Christ to bear. We, o f ourselves, are not able. And what are the fruits which will be manifested in our lives by the Holy Spirit working within us? Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (Galatians s:zz, 2 3 ) . Love, the fulfilling of the Royal Law, is placed first. These fruits are something - n bcdesired t . _ . The ten commandments constitute a spiritual law that is inexorable and eternal. A law that is love and the fulfilling of which is love-a law that was set in motion for our happiness to produce everything good which we have foolishly denied ourselves. It is time you learned that these T E N COMMANDA4ENTS are ENTIRELY DIFFERE N T and separate FROM T H E RZTUALISTZC LAW OF MOSES which was just a code of physical laws-not spiritual laws.

Keeping the Law IS Important

Remember, Jesus Himself said, If thou wilt enter into life, eternal life, keep the commandments (Matt. 19:16-17). God is spirit-HOLY SPIRIT. It is A SPIRIT OF HOLY SPIRITUAL POWER. A power that seems strange to us. Witness its power working through the disciples when it first FILLED THEM O N the day of PENTECOST! And they, the disciples of Christ, were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4). The whole group of disciples were suddenly able to speak in various other foreign tongues as the Holy Spirit of God enabled them to do it! Also, when Peter and John cried out to God to fill them with His power, the place was shaken . and with great

power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 4:23, 3 3 ) . They had the great power of the Holy Spirit within them! And again, witness the COMPLETELY SINLESS LIFE OF CHRIST-one composed of human flesh the same as we are-HE WAS BEGOTTEN of the Holy Spirit just as you and I may now be, if we earnestly desire it. But did Christ say it was He, himself, who was able to keep Gods law perfectly? Notice what He said! I can of mine own self do nothing (John 5 : 30). But, He said, the Father that dwelleth in me, H e doeth the works (John 14: 10). The Father dwelt in Jesus by the Holy Spirit. The HOLY SPZRlT manifested power. That was the power that ENABLED JESUS TO KEEP GODS COMMANDR4ENTS PERFECTLY. Did Christ do away with this basic glorious Spiritual Law of Love at His coming two thousand years ago? Was this glorious law, of which the ten commandments constitute its ten points, given to iMoses a t Mount Sinai only for the Jews to Iieep from that time forward? Did God withhold the glorious ten points of the Royal Spiritual Law of Love-the ten commandments-from the people from the time of Adam to Moses? O r did H e reveal this way to supreme happiness to them? If G d -did give the people the tell paints- of this a Supreme Royal Spiritual Law of Love-the ten conmandments-were they, unlike Christ, able to keep it by their own power? O r is it that the Holy Spiritual power to keep Gods great spiritual Law of Love had not been offered to man until these latter days-after Christ came and paid the penalty of our collective sins that had cut us off from God? Lets learn the truth! hTow you are going to learn the truth about the law out of your own Bible! W e are about ready for the actual lesson. But first, read this instruction!

Final Instruction
This lesson is intended to direct you to the Bible -to help you learn how you can better study the Bible. Here is the METHOD OF STUDY. Is your Bible in front of you? If not, dont read another word until you GET YOUR BIBLEor Bibles, if you have more than one translation. Have a good dictionary, a CONCORDANCE if you have one, and your STATIONERY, all placed in front of you on a desk or table. Remember-you must OPEN your Bible T O EVERY PASSAGE. Never say to yourself, Oh, I think I know what the Lesson is referring to-and then pass over the Scripture. You need to keep your nose in the Bible, so to speak.

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Is Obedience to the Ten Commandments Necessary Today?

LESSON 17

You must READ AND RE-READ and T H I N K O U T EACH PASSAGE you read. MEDITATE ON I T in your leisure time in the following twentyfour hours, and in your time of prayer-before you forget it. M A K E IT A P A R T OF YOU! Dont forgct, this is a Bible Study Course-not just a study of these words we send you. Here is the method of making EFFECTIVE NOTES: W R I T E down neatly on your paper the SUBJECT O F T H E LESSON and underscore it. Next write down the LESSON NUMBER. Then as you come to each QUESTION SECTION, write down its TITLE and, underneath, NUMBER EACH QUEST I O N as you come to it. FOR EACH question W R I T E D O W N T H E ANSWER, together with any pertinent ideas that come to your mind. Be sure also to W R I T E O U T THE SCRIPT U R E which answers each question. If you have not done so before, begin to do it now. Writing down your material-the answers, and every word

of each Bible passage, and any comments you wish to make as you go along-will AID you greatly in reviewing and REMEMBERING. N O W READ T H E LARGE TYPE WORDS in this Final Instruction section right down to the end of this scction-pay no attention to the m a l l type. AND SUDDENLY-YOU HAVE A FLASH REVIEW OF ALL THE IMPORTANT POINTS! These serve as an INDEX, TOO. Simple and effective. You will notice that all the material in the Lessons is written like this. USE THE LARGE WORDS FOR THIS PURPOSE! This lesson, like all others, is extremely important to you. HAVE YOU PRAYED to God that H e will give you an understanding of this lesson? If not, dont read any further. G o to a private place, kneel down, and ask Him for the understanding and wisdom so that you may properly grasp and apply the material in this lesson you arc about to study! And NOW FOR THE LESSON itself!

Lesson 17
What Sin Is
1. What is sin? I John 3 :4. 2. And what is the law?-did Paul say the law says, Thou shalt not covet? Rom. 7 : 7 .

self-is death! A shorter and unhappier life here, and eternal oblivion in the hereafter, if it is persisted in.

COMMENT: The law that said, Thou shalt not covet, taught the apostle Paul what was sin. And that is the tenth commandment. (Ex. 2 0 : 1 7 . ) So the law that taught that principle is one of the ten commandments! The violation of these and their principles is sin! 3 Is SIN-THE VIOLATION OF THE T E N . COMA4ANDMENTS and their principles-a thing that works against our own best interest? Rom. 6: 2 3. COMMENT: People have NUMEROUS IDEAS ABOUT W H A T SIN IS. People often lean to the idea that it is a thing to be desired. T o illustrate, in Hollywood-the movie capital of Americaseveral years ago, there was in a number of newsstands, a book titled H o w to Sin in Hollywood. Visitors from all over the world would come to Hollywood and would buy that book. Actually, the book was quite harmless, giving names of restaurants and such, most of which were without any entertainment. But the point is that sin always SEER4S to be the forbidden fruit that is most GLAMOROUS AND that would be most DESIRABLE if some unfair God had not denied it to us. That seems to be what human beings think of sin. But-here you learn that the wages of sinthe thing you earn-the thing you bring upon your-

Happy Way Must Be Revealed!

1. Did Paul say he would not have known what sin is except the law had pointed it out to him? Rom. 7 : 7 . COMMENT: You DONT K N O W W H A T IS R I G H T and what is wrong W I T H O U T IT BEI N G R E V E A L E D . Even the apostle Paul would not have known what sin was if the law had not told him. Human nature will not teach you. Human nature has evil in it. As Paul says, I H A D NOT K N O W N LUST. That is, he would not have known that lust was wrong or evil; he didnt have such instinctive knowledge -EXCEPT T H E LAW H A D SAID, T H O U SHALT N O T covet. COMMENT: you realize that when you were Do born you didnt know one thing? Do you realize that you were N O T BORN W I T H INSTINCT like the dumb brutes? Dumb brutes dont have to know. They dont have to be taught a law to know what to do; they dont have to learn about a law that they can receive and accept in their minds and that will show them what to do to be happy, and what not to do to avoid suffering. Animals are just dumb brutes which God has equipped with instinct. They live as the Creator originally designed them in the beginning.

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Is Obedience to the Ten Commandments Necessary Today?

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But you and I are made after Gods image. W e were put here as free moral agents for the purpose of producing character-holy, righteous, spiritual character. Unlike in the dumb brutes, God is still designing, fashioning, us. GOD is reproducing Himself-CREATING HIS CHARACTER W I T H I N US, and He has given us a mind like H e Himself has, except our minds are limited. Our minds are fallible, subject to making mistakes, but Gods mind is infallible and unlimited-thats the only difference. 2. Did the apostle Paul say that T H E LAWthe ten commandments and their principles - is SPIRITUAL? Rom. 7: 14. COMMENT: Paul said he was carnal. We are But carnal. H e was fleshly and material. So are you. W e all are. But THE LAW is a spiritual principle, and it REGULATES YOUR HAPPINESS-IN A SPIRZTUAL AIIANNER. 3 Does not Paul say the L A W IS HOLY, JUST . AND GOOD? Rom. 7: I 2 . Remember this! It is very important! COMMENT: That isnt what you have been taught today, is it? Many people have been reared in the belief that the law is unholy, that it is altogether wrong, and that Christ had to do away with it. But you want HAPPINESS. You want to be happy above all things. Everyone does. You want to lead a life that is pleasing and pleasant. yoUw(iiihi tiE--fo--lea&a T W E h h a t ik-r frft and ABUNDANT and INTERESTING-as a matter of fact, a little bit EXCITING all the way along, wouldnt you? And you want a life where everything is PLEASANT, where there is no pain or suffering. You dont want a life of boredom. You dont want a life of sorrow, pain or suffering. You want a happy life, and you would LOVE to feel well, JOLLY and JOYFUL - happy ALL T H E TIME. YOU COULD HAVE A LIFE LIKE T H A T . Everyone could. This entire world could be like that-if we only understood the way! God Almighty in His great love for humanity set a law in motion. That law was designed to produce just that kind of life in you! God is creator not only of matter-solid matter, liquid matter and gaseous matter, as we know it-but God is also Creator of force and of energy and of every power and of every law. The laws of physics, the laws of chemistry, every law that is in motion and is energized. Do you realize that God Almighty also created a spiritual law? That spiritual law regulates your happiness. BUT YOURE N O T LIVING T H A T WAY. YOURE BREAKING T H A T L A W and that law has been breaking you for a long time, because thats precisely what happens.

That law is merely love. Its THE WAY OF LOVE. Its the way that love should be expressed -love toward God and love toward neighbor. People think the law-the very thing that points out to us the way to avoid unhappiness-is wrong. But it is this very same law that shows them how to avoid unhappiness. Yet they think they want to do away with the law. Does this make sense? They seem to think the words that reveal the law of God to us in the Bible should be removed from it. What was Pauls attitude? Let us see. 4. Did Paul say the law is sin? Rom. 7:7. Or did he say it is a help? Same verse. Paul found the law to be a help!

Commandments in Force before Moses

The TEN COMMANDMENTS WERE FIRST MADE K N O W N T O ADAM I N THE GARDEN OF EDEN. Why? So that people from the very beginning could know what sin is! That is the very law that he broke in the original sin. Every one of the ten commandments was then in full force and effect. That is just how important they are! It was a sin to transgress any of these commands even between the time of Adam and Moses. Let us understand. 1. Was the L A W IN FORCE FROM THE JEBJLTLME 13F ADAM? &anline: Is sin irnputed where there is no law? Rom. 5 : 1 3 . COMMENT: Where there is no law, there naturally is no penalty for a violation. Everything stands as though there were no law or penalty. W e know that the WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH 6:2 7 ) . Romans 5 : I 3 here plainly tells us that thefe is no imputing of the death penalty for sintransgression of the law-if there is no law. 2. But do we find that death did reign-that the DEATH penalty was IMPUTED because of sin -beginning with the very time of Adam? Rom. 5 : 14. Then there must have been a law from the timc of Adam, must thcre not? Same verse. COMMENT: we see that Adam did sin! H e So could not have sinned had there been no law. How plain that the law was there. All have sinned. ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). The very first human being-Adamfound it to be in existence, and it is here to this day, for all have sinned! Cohihuwr: The law of God existed from the beginning. GOD INSTRUCTED ADAM AND E\E IN T H E LAW-the way by which they could live profitably and abundantly by living their lives according to it-on the very next day after He created them. That is, He instructed them on the Sabbath. 3 Doesnt this show that the law was GIVEN . FAR EARLIER T H A N those who believe it was

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LESSON 17

first given to Moses at Mount Sinai REALIZE? Rom. 5:14. Note the words Adam to Moses. Didnt Adam precede Moses? Same verse. COMMENT: Some people erroneously believe that there was no law given until the time of Moses. How wrong they are!

The First Lie and the First Sins

1. God, the Creator, lovingly warned man that if he partakes of evil things he shall surely die (Gen. 2 : I 7 ) . But what did the DEVIL SAY? Gen. 3: 1-4. Note especially verse 4. COMMENT: You shall not surely die-there is the first lie that we have any historical record of. It was not told by a man but by the devil. YOU WILL N O T SURELY DIE. Youre an immortal sou1. Or YOUhave an immortal soul that wont die. Thats what the devil said. 2. What else did the devil say in respect to this? Gen. 3 : 5 . Note especially the words, For God doth know. In COMMENT: other words, the devil said God knows better than that you will surely die if you partake of things both good and evil; Gods been lying to you. Thats what he wanted the woman to believe.

Man Has to Be Instructed

EVERY O N E OF T H E TEN COMMANDMENTS W A S IN EXISTENCE DURING THE TIME OF ADAM. It was sin to break any one of them before the time the law was given to Moses a t Mount Sinai. Man has to be instructed. FROM T H E VERY TIME GOD CREATED THE FIRST MAN, Adam, HE HAS INSTRUCTED HIM. Notice: 1. Did God place man in the Garden of Eden a t mans creation? Gen. 2:8. And then did God give His permission to man to do something? Verse
I 6.

COMMENT: God gave His permission. He is Supreme Ruler. 2. But now notice what God says immediately after this. Gen. 2 : 1 7 . Is it not INDULGING I N A MIXTURE O F GOOD ACTIONS AND EVIL ACTIONS that GOD WARNS AGAINST? Same verse. COMMENT: Here again we see that God is Supreme Ruler. God is giving orders. He is teaching. The man didnt know. He had to be told. He had to he taught and instructed. Here is that instruction -that command. 3 And what is the penalty-what can be expected . -when one eats-partakes-of a mixture of good and evil? Gen. 2 : 1 7 . COMMENT: The WAGES O F SIN IS DEATH. The very fact that God said, In the day that thou eatest thereof . . . shows that man was allowed to do it, that the MAN was a FREE MORAL A G E N T , that the man himself had to MAKE the CHOICE. God designed that you and I choose whether we will obey His law or not. Animals dont make a choice. Animals have instinct. Animals are usually contented. W e have our contented COWS. But we dont have many contented people. You know why? Cows dont make any choice. God simply ordained that they should live in a way that they would be contented. But God ordained that you and I must make a choice. And if we CHOOSE the RIGHT W A Y to live, according to the law that God set in motion to produce happiness and contentment and a full, THRILLING, ENJOYA B L E LIFE, we can have it. But, if we are going to CHOOSE to live the O T H E R W A Y , were going to have SUFFERING, SORROWS and curses-thats what weve elected to do.

3 And then what-did EVE do? Gen. 3:6. And . did her husband PARTAKE OF THE FRUIT too? Same verse. Here was the FIRST HUMAN SIN! COMMENT: Analyze exactly what happened. God is the One we obey. Do you realize thats one of the definitions of God? Whoever you obey is your God. It might be your slavishness to your automobile. Maybe its an actual idol. Whatever it is, thats your god. Adam and Eve had another god in place of the true God-THEY BROKE THE FIRST COMMANDMENT, Thou shalt have no other gods before Me (Ex. Z O : ~ ) Also, they BROKE the . FIFTH by dishonoring their only Parent. How? The genealogy of Christ goes back to Adam w h o was the son of God, because God created him. Adam was the son of God by a direct creation. Adam not only dishonored his only parent, but he also BROKE the T E N T H commandment. There was lust when the woman saw that it was good for food and desired to make one wise-vanity, egotism and pride entered into her heart. Lust is what causes a person to have an inordinate desire to have something that is not legal. Lust causcs onc to steal and Adam and Eve BROKE the E I G H T H commandment by stealing what was not theirs. Four of the ten commandments were broken in the original sin. And in other ways EVERY ONE OF T H E T E N COMMANDMENTS WERE ACTUALLY BROKEN I N THE VERY FIRST SIN.
4. Did Adam and Eve have children?-what were the names of these two sons that they had? Gen. 4: I , 2 . What did Cain do? Verse 3. What did Abel do? Verse 4. Was Cains offering-Cains act-acceptable to God? Verse 5 . If one does well-does the things God wishes-the deeds of such a one are

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acceptable to God, are they not? Verse 7 , first nine words. But if one does things which are not acceptable to God, what ilies a t ones door-sin? Verse 7 . 5. Did Cain, in jealousy, SLAY ABEL? Verse 8. SIN-things not acceptable-bring punishment. God punished Cain-verse I 3. COMMENT: MURDER WAS A SIN - FROM THE VERY BEGINNING ! COMMENT: When God asked Cain, Where is thy brother? Cain replied, I know not (Verse 9). Rut Cain did know. He knew that his brother was dead. He LIED and broke another of the commandments. That was sin, too. Cain BROKE the SIXTH and NZNTH COMMANDMENTS. Every one of these COMMANDMENTS was known from creation, because God had REVEALED them T O ADAM. Adam had no other way of knowing the working of the laws. He thus revealed them to mankind a t that time. But HUMANITY HAS REJECTED THEM. 6 . Was l D O L A T R Y committed BEFORE the time of ABRAHAM? Josh. 24:~. COMMENT: Here were people before Abrahams time-his forefathers-worshipping idols, which was A SIN-a transgression of the law. N o wonder we are told in the Bible that DEATH, because of sin, REIGNED FROM ADAM T O MOSES (Rom. 5:14). The law was there and wor%ing. 7. Was idolatry committed in the generations AFTER Abraham TOO? Gen. 3 5 : ~ . COMMENT: JACOB was Abrahams grandson. 8. Did God command the generation of this grandsons time to put away their strange gods? Gen. 3 5 : ~ . What did they do with these idols, hide them? Verse 4. COMMENT: was sin to worship idols and they It had them in their own hands.

COMMENT: The law-the third commandmentwas being VIOLATED here. Taking the name of God in vain was a sin BEFORE MOSES TIME. 3 What is the FOURTH COMMANDMENT? . Ex. Z O : ~ .Is it a day on which all should rest? Verse 10. Did God rest on that day after H e had finished creating the earth? Did God tell Moses to have the people keep-rest on-the Sabbath? Ex. 16: 23. COMMENT: God here commanded Moses to have these people keep this SABBATH day weeks before they came to Mount Sinai where the law was given to Moses. 4. Why did God command this?-was it to prove whether they could walk in His law or not? Ex. 16:4. Note the word law. COMMENT: Here God is referring to the Sabbath law that was ALREADY IN EFFECT at that very time! And this was weeks BEFORE SINAI! 5. Did some disregard Gods command to pick up a double portion of manna on the sixth day and decide in advance that they would go out and work a t gathering manna on this seventh day -the Sabbath day-God had commanded them to rest? Verse 27. 6. Then what did God say to Moses? Ex. 16:28. Notice this in particular-did GOD just confine his REBUKE to the PEOPLE REFUSING T O KEEP this one command He had given a few days before, 0.r did H-e call. attention to ALL HIS COMMANDMENTS AND L A W S they had been breaking? Same verse. Remember, all this conversation was going on weeks BEFORE God RESTATED His LAWS T O MOSES A T SINAI. COMMENT: The Sabbath was already the law of God at that time, as well as the other commands and laws to which He referred.

The Third and Fourth Commandments Broken Also

1. What is the THIRD COMMANDMENT? Ex. Z O : ~ . COMMENT: o TAKE GODS NAME IN V A I N T is profanity. It is profaning the name of God. 2. Did God tell Moses and the rest of the Israelites that the heathen who had possessed the promised land in generations previous to the time of Moses had been doing many abominations? Lev. 18: I , 2 7 . What was one of these abominations? Verse z I, last half. Did God say these other nations had defiled themselves and the land because of this? Verses 24 and 27. Then taking the name of God in vain was a sin, wasnt it? (Review previous question, number
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The Fifth, Seventh and Eighth Commandments

1. What is the FIFTH COMMANDMENT? Ex. 2 0 : I 2 . Do we find a retribution-a curse-falling on one who broke this law L O N G BEFORE T H E T I M E OF SINAI? Lets examine. Did Noah become drunk? Gen. 9: 20, z I . Did Shem and Japheth refrain from DISHONORING their PARENT by looking upon his nakedness while he was in this condition? Verse 2 3 . But did Ham, the father of Canaan, on the other hand, dishonor his parent Noah by looking on his nakedness? Verse 2 2 . As a result, what CURSE FELL UPON CANAAN, Hams son? Verse 25. COMMENT: Dishonoring a parent was a sin and a curse was pronounced in those days. 2. What is the SEVENTH COMMANDMENT? Ex. zo:14.Was it also I N EFFECT and known long BEFORE God gave the law to MOSES at

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I Obedience to the Ten Commandments Necessary Today? s

LESSON 17

Mount Sinai? Let us consider. When Joseph was in Egypt serving the Egyptians, what improper advances did the wife of Potiphar, his master, make to him? Gen. 39: 1 , 2 , 7 . Did Joseph refuse? Verse 8. Why? Verse 9. Did Joseph say it was sin? Same verse. COMMENT: REA4EMBER, WHERE THERE IS N O L A W SIN IS N O T IMPUTED. But here we see that Joseph did know this law and he knew that sin would be imputed. ADULTERY WAS A SIN hundreds of years before the physical law of Moses. 3 What is the EIGHTH COMMANDMENT? . Ex. 20: 15. Did Jacob, who lived long before the ten commandments were given at Sinai, know that it was a SIN to steal? Gen. 30:33. Notice the word stolen. COMMENT: Jacob knew and understood the meaning of the word steal. Stealing was a sin in those days the same as now.

were breaking the law He had revealed to Adam and Eve at the very beginning. They were breaking the tenth commandment against covetousness. And it was this improper action of theirs that He was denouncing 4. Now here comes THE CLINCHER. Did ABRAHAM, who lived between the time of Adam and Moses, HAVE A KNOWLEDGE OF GODS COMMANDMENTS? Gen. 26:5. And Gods STATUTES? Same verse. And Gods LAWS? Same verse. How did Abraham learn all these things. Note the word voice. COMMENT: people before the time of Moses The were much better informed about the Spiritual law of God than is generally admitted today.

Summary
Yes, EVERY ONE OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS was I N EXISTENCE FROM T H E CREATION. It was a sin to break any of them between the time of Adam and Moses. Gods LAW is holy, just, and good. It is GOOD, and it is GOOD FOR YOU. It is ETERNAL. The knowledge of the law and its keeping was JUST AS NECESSARY FOR T H E WELLBEING AND HAPPINESS of the people BEFORE the time of MOSES AS it was AFTERWARD, or is today! That is why we have just seen that the Spiritual Law existed from the beginning-before the time of Moses. The ten commandments constitute the SPIRITUAL LAW that is ETERNAL and INEXORABLE. It is a LAW T H A T IS LOVE AND the FULFZLLZNG OF WHICH IS LOVE. It is a law that God set in motion for mans happiness to produce everything good which man foolishly denies himself. MAN HAS DESPERATELY NEEDED THE WORKING OF T H E LAW W I T H I N HIS MIND FROM T H E BEGINNING. Man desperately needs his actions to conform to the Spiritual Law of Love, composed of its ten commandments, at all times. God has created man a creature of choice. Man can earnestly choose to desire with all his might that this law be fulfilled by him a t all times-or he can choose not to. The choice to desire this is yours. But the actual having of the Royal Law of Love being fulfilled by you does not lie within your power. It lies only within the power of God! Only if you desire this power intensely enough will God give you, as a free gift, His own Holy Spirit which will enable you to keep this Royal Law-enable you to fulfill this marvellous Law in its spirit and intent at all times! The Royal Law of Love SHOULD N O W BE BEING FULFILLED WITHIN YOU! What are you going to do about it?

The Ninth and Tenth Commandments

1. God forbids the bearing of false witnessLYING-in one of His ten commandments (Ex. 2 0 : 1 6 ) . But was EVEN RIGHTEOUS ABRAHAM, who lived long before Mount Sinai, able to keep this command perfectly?-who did Abraham tell King Abimelech that his wife Sarah was when Abraham was passing through the kings country? Gen. 2 0 : ~ . COMMENT: Abraham was lying. Sarah, his wife, was his half-sister; but, nevertheless, the intent was all wrong. It was a lie. Abraham BROKE the N I N T H COMMANDMENT. 2. Did God prevcnt King Abimelech from marrying Abrahams wife and thus unknowingly commit adultery with her? Gen. 2 0 : 3, and first part of verse 4. Did God say that had Ahimelech committed ADULTERY it would have been A SIN-transgression against the law? Verse 6 . COMMENT: How plain it becomes that the law was in existence from Adam. 3 What about COVETING?-is it the last of the . ten commandments? Ex. 2 0 : 17. Were the people BEFORE T H E FLOOD BREAKING THIS COMMANDMENT? Gen. 6:1-3,5. Does God say, through the inspired Psalms, that the wicked are those who forsake His law? Psa. I 19:53. Then werent these people forsaking Gods law? Verse 5. Note the word wickedness. COMMENT: sons of God-in the sense that The God is the creator-father of human beings because He formed man of the dust of the ground and air-were lusting after, coveting, and taking wives that were not good for them. They were in this way striving against God. God classified them among the wicked of those days-among those who