Thursday, January 7, 2016

Chapter Two WE ARE GODS (Created in the Image of God)

Chapter Two



WE ARE GODS
(Created in the Image of God)

The First Commandment of the Decalogue (which means ten words) is often stated to be:
“You shall have no other gods before me.”
Effectively, this declaration has the speaker technically claiming to be the pre-eminent God, which is fine for the Lord God. However, if we say, “You shall have no other gods before me,” we are actually saying that we are gods—or in the first-person singular: “I am god.”

If we were Hindus, we would have no problem with this whatsoever. Hindus believe in god-men. In India, there are many people who claim to be living gods. A significant number of so-called living gods have thousands of devotees; some even have devotees numbering in the millions. For any of them to say, “You shall have no other gods before me,” would be consistent with the beliefs to which they subscribe.

On the surface, you might think, “So what! This is merely splitting hairs.” For those who like the abbreviated version, this might seem an insignificant issue because they would claim they know what they mean.

Their argument would go along the lines of the following:
“I know that when I say, ‘You shall have no other gods before me,’ I don’t mean that I am God, and I don’t expect that you would think I meant that I was God.”
The argument is a plausible one, and it is highly unlikely that a Christian using the abbreviated version of the First Commandment would think that he or she is actually God.

The problem is that the very statement implies something different to what the speaker may mean. The truth requires us to be consistent, because if we are not consistent, there is no authenticity in what we say and do. Unintentionally, when we are not consistent, we will find ourselves either confused or numbered among the hypocrites, who say one thing, but mean and do something else. Besides this, if we are Christians who desire to live victorious lives, it is impossible to do so if we are perpetuating falsehoods. This is the case, whether those falsehoods are intentional or not. Only the truth will set us free; not misconceptions, nor falsehoods.

The very statement, “You shall have no other gods before me” is misleading when taken out of context. Effectively, any person making this statement is asserting that he or she is God, even if this is unintentional. Any Christian unwittingly stating, “You shall have no other gods before me,” thinking he or she is quoting the First Commandment, is conditioning himself or herself subconsciously to think he or she is God. The Devil will quickly ensure that this appeals to the pride of life that exists within each individual, and he will surreptitiously engineer the speaker’s thoughts towards self-exaltation—it is amazing how easy it is for the Evil One to trip a person up.

Many do not think that the Devil exists. They ask for proof. If you are such a person consider the following. Does a deceiver reveal himself unnecessarily? Secondly, look at the evil that exists on this Earth. Do you really think the Creator in having created everything good, created evil? Thirdly, are you in complete control of your actions and never find yourself doing things you never intended to do? Fourthly, if you find yourself doing things that were not your original intention, how can you be completely sure that another influence is not at work upon you?

You say that the Devil doesn't exist. Neither does the blue sky above exist. And the clouds that look solid are merely an illusion. So how can you be absolutely sure of anything that you see? Regardless of how knowledgeable you might think you are, what little knowledge you possess, is merely a grain of sand upon the Earth within the scheme of things. So what if in your estimation you are a larger grain than the other grains? Do you want a certificate for that too? So you can gloat about your greatness, your superiority, your membership of the meritocracy.  The Evil One laughs at you, if you are such a person who measures your self-worth against other people. He has you in his grips, because you are blind to him and the truth about the reality of life.

We are all prisoners of death. This commandment is designed to remind us of this fact. This commandment points to our only hope, in the hope that we might avail ourselves of the opportunity we have to take it, while alive on this planet. Self-examination in respect to our existence is where truth begins and wisdom and humility are found.

For many Christians, the idea that we could be gods might seem bizarre, because we generally accept that humans are not gods, and neither could any man be a god—except, Jesus Christ; Who was God in human form! We need to distinguish between God (as in Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe) and a god, who is a created being.

We Christians tend to see ourselves as sinners in need of salvation rather than gods who have supernatural powers. The Christian worldview is one that sees humankind as fallen from a pre-eminent status with God because of rebellion, sin and evil.

There are different views on how our fall from grace as a race—paradise lost—has affected us. Some Christians hold to the belief that people are so utterly depraved there is no good in them at all. Others believe that man has knowledge of goodness and is capable of performing good acts, but this does not give any man the right to call himself a god, or a woman any right to call herself a goddess. In any case, what good a man might do is in vain, because that goodness has no eternal worth. It appears that in the larger scheme of life, an act of goodness is like a band-aid placed over an open wound that will not heal. What is needed is a stitch. And as they say, “A stitch in time saves nine”—one plus nine makes ten, and the job is complete. Thank you, Jesus, for providing access to the mercy seat. At the appointed time, God has done what the ceremonial law could not do and provided access to the mercy seat[i]—for Jesus fulfilled the Law. Because we have fallen short of the glory of God, it does not matter what treatment we devise to fix the sin problem, it just does not work, just as putting a band-aid on a cut does not work when stitches are required.

It is rather ironic that the proverb, “a stitch in time will save nine” has been coined to remind seamstresses that a broken stitch on a piece of cloth, caught in time, will save nine more from unraveling; because when it comes to the Ten Commandments, merely by breaking one, the other nine are brought undone. However, because Jesus kept the Ten Commandments—and in so doing has stitched up the Devil, so to speak, making him powerless—now all we have to do is keep one of the commandments to be saved. This is because Jesus has bequeathed to us His righteousness at the mercy seat, where we need only acknowledge the First Commandment and this makes up for the other nine. For whoever comes to know Jesus as Lord has been given the power to become a fully-fledged child of God.

Our responsibility to ourselves is now to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and, in so doing, thereby keep the law ourselves; because the means by which we can keep God’s law has now been made easy—as in easier! This is what Jesus said, 
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me… For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30).
 We could say that if we are associating with the Son of God, and have been adopted into the family of God (Gal. 4:5; Eph. 1:5; 1 John 3:1-2), we should think of ourselves as gods.

The Bible Says We Are Gods
Surprisingly, the Bible actually refers to men as gods. Psalm eighty-two, verse six, reads:
 “I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most High.’” (KJ21[ii]). 
Jesus even referred to this. John chapter ten, verse thirty-four, reads:
 “Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your law, “I said, ‘You are gods?’“
The fact Jesus mentioned the Scripture that says men are gods does give more weight to the idea, even if we might struggle with the concept of humans being gods.

Most interpreters of the Bible will work around this idea that men are gods by suggesting that the Scripture does not actually mean what it states—that men are gods. They like to claim Jesus made mention of this to draw attention to the unbelief of the Jews He was addressing at the time, rather than the idea that men are gods.

The idea that men could be gods is frightening to the many people who want to believe that they are not responsible for the sins they commit. Gods, on the other hand, would need to be accountable for their misdeeds, whereas humans are not. Certain sections of the general Christian community are of the belief that they are not accountable for their sins because they were preordained to be saved; whereas the rest of humankind were created to be condemned to suffer eternal torment in Hell. What these people do not appear to understand is, according to Jesus, Hell was created for the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41), and not for Adam and Eve, or any of their descendants.

Another view is fallen angels become gods when people worship them. According to this view, men and women cannot be gods because they are fallen biological beings and not spirit beings. Angels are spirit beings and are like God, who is also a spirit;[iii] therefore, because they exist in the realm of the spirit, they are capable of being worshiped. 

There is evidence to support the idea that the angels are gods in the book of Job, which says, 
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them” (Job 1:6; 2:1). 
We read of further evidence when Job is asked where he was when God created the Universe:
“When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7).
Both those references indicate angels are sons of God.

Irrespective of anything else, it is quite clear that Jesus was making a reference to humans having been referred to as gods in the Bible, when He said:
“Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods?’” If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’” (John 10:34-36).
Jesus was obviously making a point about how silly and inconsistent the thinking of the Jews was to suggest that He was blaspheming because He said He was the Son of God. However, this does not take away from the fact the Scripture states that the Word of God has attributed godhood to human beings.

Such a concept is not too difficult to accept because the Bible teaches that man was made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). Obviously, this does not mean a physical image. Rather, man was made in the image of God to have god-likeness—Imago Dei[iv]—and essentially be a god. The significant difference between God and us is that we are not gods without sin. If anything, we would be fallen gods, sinful gods, or imperfect gods. Nonetheless, we have been attributed godlike status within the Scriptures. However, just like the angels that have left their original places of dwelling, so, too, man has lost the original place of habitation. Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden because of their violation of faith towards God. Unfortunately, every child is born into a sinful world marred with illness, disease, war, destruction and death, because of Adam and Eve’s act of breaking faith with God—which is to say, they discontinued directing their faith towards God; or, if you like, placing their faith in God’s word to them.

 Animals Possess a Soul—Not a Spirit
There is an inner yearning within everyone to be satisfied with a relationship that fulfills the spirit. The spirit that God has placed within every person is what gives us our god-like status. Animals do not possess a spirit. Animals possess a soul,[v] but not a spirit. We can search the Scriptures and we will find that animals do not possess a spirit; neither will we find the term “God of the souls of all flesh”; but we will find the expression “God of the spirits of all flesh” (Num. 16:22; 27:16; cf. Heb. 12:9). Hence, God is concerned with every man and woman, for He puts a spirit within each one of us at birth.

There is an argument put forth that animals have a spirit based on the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter three, verse twenty-one, where it is suggested that a beast has a spirit. However, the context of the passage is talking about death and is contrasting the futility of life on Earth for humankind and beasts, as well as goading the reader to consider his or her own ignorance on the matter. This is entirely different to saying that animals actually have a spirit, and they are made in the image of God.

In the New Testament, we are told that God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24—KJV).

The spirit that God places in each one of us makes us God-like. Consequently, humans are sons of God because they have spirits. Angels are spirits; they are also called sons of God. On the other hand, animals are not sons of God because they do not have spirits, even though each animal possesses a soul. The spirit within us is what distinguishes us human beings from animals. This spirit is what gives us the ability to know right from wrong, to be able to think, speak and understand the Word of Life, the word of truth.

The Soul that Sins
The Bible mentions in a number of places that the soul that sins shall die. Based on these texts, the assumption has been made that the seat of the will (i.e. volition) is in the soul. Many teachers and preachers have propagated this misinterpretation over the centuries, and when you think about it; it is easy to see why. Both animals and children help give us this impression. 

One friend of mine has a cat that meows and scratches the door to go outdoors. When the cat wants to come inside it meows and scratches the door. The cat gives the impression that it can think because when it seeks to come inside or go outside, it scratches the door. Other times the cat will meow and scratch at a fixed, sealed, bedroom window that cannot be opened. The cat wants to get outside and appears to expect the window to open, even when the back and front doors are open, as it will sit, scratch, meow, look, then meow and scratch again, until its owner comes and gets it. Now if the cat could think, it would realize that the window has never opened, and the only way it has gone in and out of the house is through the front and back doors; in which case, the cat would know it needed to go to one of the doors to get outside. As for the cat having a will, unless it can think, it has no need for a will—wills are required to make moral decisions.

The inability of cats to think is evidenced particularly by the number of these furry felines that are killed by motor vehicles on the road. Before their fatal attempt to cross the road, it is doubtful cats’ meow to themselves, “Will I, or will I not, wait for the traffic to go pass? No. It is more fun to run the gauntlet, and race rubber on the road.”

Children are renowned for being stubborn during their formative years of what is often called the terrible twos. These children also are often called self-willed, because they refuse to obey their parents, while they explore their world and imitate what they see others do. They appear self-willed, when, in fact, they are merely learning about their environment without giving anything a second thought. What this means is they have not yet learnt to exercise their volition. Learning how to exercise their volition begins in the next stage of development, when children have sufficient knowledge to ask why they should not turn on the gas stove, or play with matches and light fires. Without a “why”, that is, “a reason”, children cannot exercise their will. Before understanding why they should not perform dangerous actions—like turning on gas stoves while playing with matches—children need to understand what happens when they do either of those things. Once children understand what happens, then they can make a decision to go ahead and blow their household to kingdom come, or listen to mommy and daddy. Depending upon how well the children are taught about the dangers of gas and lighting matches, this will form the basis of their ability to say, “I will do what I am told” or “I will not do what I am told.”—At this point, there would be some exegetes (those who critically explain the meaning of Scripture) who would say the soul that sins shall die.—And many of us might be saying, “But for the grace of God, back then when I was a child, playing with those matches would have been the end of me.”

There are verses that read: “if a soul sins” (Leviticus 5:1 KJV); “if a soul swears” (Leviticus 5:4 KJV); and “that soul shall be cut off from among his people” (Exodus 31:14 KJV). On the face of it, when reading these verses, coming to the conclusion that we think and make decisions with our soul is not too difficult. However, it is imperative to realize that the word for “soul” is “nephesh” which is applied to animals, fish, birds and creatures. Nephesh means “a living being”. Now, we know animals do not think—and neither does the soul.

Hence, when we read, “if a soul touches any unclean thing…he shall be guilty”, the translation is obviously meant to be “if any living being touches any unclean thing…he shall be guilty” (Leviticus 5:2). The term nephesh here could be referring to any creature, but in this case, it specifically refers to being a human, as animals are not the ones that are being pronounced guilty in Scripture. When the Bible is referring to a human as a soul, the term needs to be understood correctly. We are living beings; however, unlike animals and other creatures, each one of us consists of a spirit, that has been created by our Father in Heaven and, attached to the soul of a physical body—1 Thessalonians 5:23.[vi]

Words make the Difference
To have a will, we need to be able to decide right from wrong. This means that where our faculty of conscience exists, this is where we will discover the seat of our will—that is, you could say, in our throne rooms.

It is the spirit placed within us by God at birth that enables us to make a distinction between right from wrong; to process knowledge and exercise our volition—in other words, our thrones, whereupon we sit and make decisions. This place is otherwise known as the seat of our will, and exists in our spirits.

There is no record of God ever saying to animals, “Come let us reason together.” However, in Isaiah, chapter one, verse eighteen, we read God is encouraging us to come and reason with Him about our violation of faith regarding Himself.

When we consider the First Commandment, we need to see its correct perspective and not just say, “You shall have no other gods before me.” The reason for this is misconceptions can arise and these can lead us into breaking faith with God. For some this might be a moot point. Nonetheless, this can be more serious than first realized.

People brought up in denominations where the Ten Commandments are referred to regularly, often hear that the First Commandment is “you shall have no other gods before me”. The reason for this is the speakers will claim that this particular wording reflects the primary focus of the First Commandment. Thus, this is taught in Bible colleges, Sabbath schools, Sunday schools and confirmation classes. Subconsciously, the hearers then repeat the mantra, “You shall have no other gods before me.” 

Repeating this thought is tantamount to saying, “I am god, and others are my inferiors.”

If we are prone to quoting this little mantra, the Devil’s little agents work on this and subtly convey the idea that we are better than other people, or other people are not quite as good as us. Contrary to reason, this disposition is also very common among people who claim that every person is born in utter depravity and nothing good exists in anyone—except us whom God has chosen to save. Generally, we call this deposition the sin of pride. Pride itself is the tool of Satan, which he powers up with thoughts that put self first, and—believe it or not!—all this goes on in our subconscious mind because we unwittingly allow Satan’s agents access.

Therapists and clinicians frequently exploit the power of the subconscious by using word-based strategies to change people’s behavior; especially when using cognitive behavioral techniques in assisting individuals to overcome difficulties such as anxiety, self-doubt, depression and phobias—often with great success.

Likewise, people have discovered they are able to overcome fears by reading over and over again positive affirmations from the Bible. Logos (meaning, word) therapy is a technique that was developed using the power of words to overcome obstacles that prevent people from living a fulfilling life and discovering the satisfaction each one ought to experience.

Words are a powerful tool, because words are what distinguish gods from non-gods and animals from human beings. Just consider the first verse of the Gospel of John: 
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 
This has been expressed as: “In the beginning was the idea, and the idea was God and the idea emanated from within the depths of God’s innermost being.” For us this may seem flippant, when in fact it is a feeble attempt by some serious theologians trying to understand the concept of the Word emanating from God and yet being one with God.

When we are talking about the Word existing alongside, or with God, and yet being God, this becomes mind-boggling.  What we are talking about is the One who has the power to calculate harmony; because He alone possesses the full comprehensive knowledge of life and being. In the limits of our finite existence, one thing we learn is that the spoken word and the written word can be powerful. These words begin in the spirit of the individual. We were created as individuals with a unique spirit placed in us at birth, and nobody “knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him” (1 Corinthians 2:11). God is the exception to this, of course (Heb. 4:12-13; Rev 2:23; Rom. 8:27).[vii]

God alone can read our thoughts, since He created our spirits and possesses the ability to retrieve everything that is imprinted within them. This is just like a beekeeper who places frames for bees in a beehive to build up their wax comb, develop their colony, and leave their honey for him to collect. We leave our thoughts about everything we see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and attitudes (we have developed) and actions imprinted within our spirits for God to collect. In fact, all we have done will be revealed on that wonderful day, when the angels come to collect the harvest.—Thank God, the blood of Jesus can wipe our slate clean, so none of our unworthy deeds and thoughts are on record (cf. Ezekiel 18:21-22).

The Word Becomes Flesh
In the Gospel of John, chapter one, verse fourteen, we learn “the Word became flesh and dwelt among men.” If we were to say the Spirit of God became flesh and dwelt among men, there would be no difference, because the Bible tells us that God and His Word are One. This mystery of God The Father, His Word and His Spirit being One, yet distinct from each other, we may never understand fully, but we can at least grasp the idea of what it means for us.

Humans have a spirit placed in their innermost being at birth. This comes from God who creates everything by His Word of power. There is a difference, of course, between the Word of God becoming flesh, and God creating a spirit by the power of His Word and placing it within flesh. The Word of God is actually God Himself; whereas a created spirit is a separate entity that God has brought into existence, which has the ability to communicate with God through knowledge and understanding. This is the higher realm of the spirit, rather than the lower realm of the flesh, where the irrational instincts of the biological creature (otherwise known as the realm of the soul) are experienced but cannot be appreciated by the soul itself.

Appreciation means more than being grateful for something. We can be grateful for what somebody does for us in meeting a need. However, appreciation requires more knowledge than just being thankful for having a need met; yet both gratitude and appreciation require knowledge and are sentiments that belong to the spiritual realm, not the flesh. To be able to appreciate something is to have the ability to evaluate its worth. This takes into account the intrinsic nature and qualities something might possess, and the magnitude and significance of its abilities to interact and successfully cope with its surrounding environment. We might not be able to have the appreciation that God has for everything that exists, but we have the inherent ability that enables us to appreciate everything we encounter, even life itself, and be God-like; rather than be controlled by the impulses and desires and negative emotive tendencies of the flesh. We have the choice to be God-like or soulish. This is why Romans chapter eight, verse five, says:
 “Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.” 
When the spirit is in control, the intellect produces sounder thinking; especially if the mind is being renewed (Romans 12:2). In which case, the flesh is subdued and the soul with its carnal desires of worldly lust is in the process of being overcome.

The difference between the Word of God that was placed in the soul and body of the baby Jesus, and the spirit that is placed in us humans, we could say is like chalk and cheese. To be more realistic, it is like contrasting life with death. While the human spirit has the power to think, it does not have the power of an indestructible life; whereas the very Word of Life, the Word of God Himself possesses this power (Hebrews 7:16).  However, the Word of God emptied Himself of His glory—but not His inherent nature—and took on the form of human flesh (Philippians 2:7); so that He might prove beyond doubt it is possible to keep the just requirements of the Law, even though no one else appears to have been able to do so.  At the age of twelve, Jesus, the Word of God in human form, understood Who His Father was and honored Him (Luke 2:42-49). Jesus did not listen to men, but to His Father in Heaven. Unlike us, Jesus always had ears to hear what the Spirit was saying. Jesus did not give in to the flesh—not even once!

The First Commandment: “Hear, O Israel”
The First Commandment states:
“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”‘-–Exodus 20:1-3.
Firstly, it is important to understand that God spoke these words stating Who He was. Jesus Himself emphasizes this fact when He is asked, “What is the First Commandment. Jesus answers, beginning with:
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God…” (Mark 12:29). 
Even though Jesus was quoting Deuteronomy chapter six, verse four, what is important for us to understand is God actually spoke these words, and this forms part of the commandment, which is to, first, hear the words of the Lord our God.

That faith comes from hearing, and hearing means listening to the words of God is no accident. Paul, the Apostle, wrote, 
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17).  
We learn that the faculty of hearing is what enables faith to come about. The righteous Job had heard of God in a way that generated such faith in him, he repented of the sins of his youth. Job’s faith from hearing of God enabled him to survive his persecution and physical assault by the Devil, even though he had others telling him to curse God and die. Unless we hear God Himself, or the words of an anointed one, we will struggle to develop faith. Without faith, it becomes impossible to please God. This is why Jesus said that the first and most important commandment begins with “Hear, O Israel…” (Mark 12:29), which equates to what we read in Exodus at the beginning of the First Commandment: “And God spoke all these words, saying…”

Jesus used the term “ears to hear” a number of times in the Gospels. In the book of Revelation, chapters two and three, we learn that we need to have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying, and this is reiterated seven times. We might think that it is not difficult to hear because we have ears. But are our ears tuned into the voice of the Spirit of God, to hear what the Father is saying? Have we found the right gospel frequency? Or, are we like those of whom Jeremiah says that they have ears but are not inclined to listen (Jeremiah 25:4)?


Is He Our Lord? 
Secondly, in the First Commandment we are told Who God is. Without knowing Who God is, it is impossible to know God. The same applies to a boy who is born out of wedlock, and does not know who his father is. He could accidentally run into his father, move on and still not know him. If we do not know Who God is, then He cannot be our Lord.

Salvation is promised to all who know God as Lord. We need to know that God is also our Lord. The Psalmist says:
“Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!” (Psalm 136:2-3a. KJV).
For there are many who would be called “lord”, but only one who can be called “the Lord of lords”. To know God as Lord means to recognize Him as the One who is worthy of our service and devotion; the One Who reigns over death and for Whom we have a reason to give thanks. For we who confess Jesus as Lord, and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, shall be saved (Romans 10:9).

The Relevance of Egypt
In this, the First Commandment, we see that God is worthy to be called Lord because: 
“He bought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Exodus 20:2).
 There is a problem with this statement, though, because: When were we brought out of the land of Egypt by God?

The truth is we may not have been to Egypt, let alone have been a slave there. Not only do we have a problem with the relevance of Egypt for the Christian today, we also have a similar problem with the relevance of the Ten Commandments being applicable today. Yet, unbelievable as it may seem, both Egypt[viii] in this context and the Ten Commandments are relevant to us all today.

First, though, we will address some issues regarding the Ten Commandments, and then we will consider the relevance of Egypt and what this means for us.

Not Given to the Fathers
Interestingly, in Deuteronomy chapter five, we learn that God made a covenant with the people of Israel, which was not the same covenant made with their fathers:
“The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.  Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said:
 “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” (Deuteronomy 5: 2-7).
The fathers were Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is quite clear in the Bible, as evidenced when Moses saw the burning bush that was not consumed and God commissioned him to go down to Egypt:
“God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:15a).
It is very clear who the fathers are, and according to the Scriptures, they had not been given the Ten Commandments as a covenant. Yet it needs to be pointed out that Abraham kept all of God’s commandments, statutes and laws, as well as keeping His charge and obeying His voice (Genesis 26:5). While this implicitly includes the Decalogue, there was no covenant like the Mosaic covenant made with Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob. The Scripture has no record of any covenant being made with any of the fathers charging them to keep the Ten Commandments,[ix] like there was a covenant made with the Israelites, who had been rescued from Egypt.—This does not mean we should break the Ten Commandments carte blanche though, that grace upon grace might be extended to us (Romans 6:1-2).

The covenant made with the Israelites after their rescue from the oppression of Pharaoh was for a good reason. God had to set up an appointed time to demonstrate His righteousness to all of Creation and legally lay claim to what was lost when Adam forfeited his right to reign on Earth to Lucifer, the now ex-Archangel; who is otherwise known as Satan and the Devil—among other names.

Some major cosmic declarations[x] were taking place at the time of the Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt and these were seen in everything God commanded Moses to copy from the Heavenly Sanctuary (Hebrews 8:5). Much of what occurred during this period, and what Moses was ordained to institute and perform was full of typology that represented greater truths about God’s purpose for humankind. God in His wisdom ordained this so that those who truly wanted to know Him would seek Him and find Him, while for others, the events that happened and the requirements of the covenant would seem like nonsense.

The Ten Commandments were given specifically to the Israelites, along with the sacrifices and redemptive model that Moses copied from the Heavenly Sanctuary. The aim was for these to become a tutor until the full truth was revealed (Galatians 3:24). The commandments, statutes, laws and charge that were given to Moses included the weightier matters of the law (faith, justice and mercy).  However, the blood of bulls and goats could not provide the efficacy of grace and truth that was needed for salvation. Neither could the blood of goats and bulls act as a shield to protect the sinner against the accusation of the Ten Commandments. This is why it is written that the Law came through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ—Jesus did what the Mosaic Law could not do through the blood of animals and provided salvation power through His death and resurrection. However, the many regulations of the Ceremonial Law did provide the knowledge of God and how men were to be redeemed from the bondage of sin and death.  As for the Ten Commandments, they have always been of value, except no human being appears to have been able to keep them—that is, apart from Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God.

To keep the Ten Commandments—and fulfill the Royal Law (James 2:8) by walking in the Spirit—a person needs to, first of all, understand that they have to heed the voice of God. This is what the First Commandment is really about. We need to know who God is and obey His voice, which we do because He is our Lord. The reason God is our Lord is because He has rescued us from the slavery of sin and the bondage of death. If we do not know the reason why we need to know God, then it is impossible for God to be our Lord. Essential to knowing God and being saved from a life of futility is reasoning with God as to why we need Him in our life. God invites us to “come and reason with Him”.

The Relevance of the Ten Commandments
Abraham is the father of the faithful; that is, of all who believe and continue in faith—even those who were given the law had to walk by faith (Romans 4:11-12). There is no Scripture stating that a covenant was made with Abraham to keep the Ten Commandments, or any law or statute. However, the Apostle Paul does say the gospel was preached to Abraham (Galatians. 3:8), and this throws new light on the subject.

The gospel, which many claim came after the law, actually was before the law. What this means is the law is contained within the gospel. This has to be the case if there is to be any continuity in the progressive revelation of Bible truth. The Apostle Paul strongly implies that the law is contained in the gospel. This is evident when Paul says that we who have been set free from sin are now obedient from the heart to a standard of teaching to which we are now committed in the gospel (Romans 6:17-19). Now that we know the gospel came before the law, and since the gospel upholds the law (Rom. 3:31; Matt. 5:17-19), this helps explain why Abraham was able to obey God’s voice, keep His charge, His commandments, His statutes and His Laws (Genesis 26:5).

The ceremonial laws were of no effect since they merely pointed to what was to come. The Ten Commandments are different to the ceremonial laws because they have to be kept perfectly in order for a person to be righteous, and Jesus has done this. The laws concerning redemption via the means of bulls and goats and lambs and doves and cereal offerings and observance of Sabbaths and feast days that speak of faith, justice, mercy and the love of God are no longer applicable. This is because they were ineffectual, even when observed. These ceremonial laws were to be instructive of the true reality that was to come through the death and resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled the Ten Commandments and this was ratified in His death and resurrection; nevertheless, they still need to be upheld (Romans 3:31). They are cited in the Gospels and by the New Testament writers as still binding. The Apostle to the Gentiles declares that nothing matters except keeping the commandments of God (1 Corinthians 7:19). Effectively, the Ten Commandments point out what is required of us in our dealings with God and with each other. As Paul states, if it was not for the Ten Commandments, he would not have known what it was to sin (Rom. 7:7; cf. 3:20). The Ten Commandments are still relevant today and need to be understood as being fulfilled in Christ. However, the Ten Commandments need to be seen in the correct light and not misinterpreted so they become a stumbling block that prevents their fulfillment being found in us. We need to understand that the prism of our mind, when enlightened by the Holy Spirit, enables us to fathom how the light of the gospel fans out into the beautiful spectrum of salvation knowledge that enables us to fulfill the Ten Commandments; that is, the royal law of righteous love (James 2:8).

The Distortion of the First Commandment
There is a difficulty with the first of the Ten Commandments in that unless we were rescued from Egypt as a slave under Pharaoh, how can this commandment apply to us?

This difficulty of location and historical application is one of the reasons why the First Commandment is abbreviated to “you shall have no gods before me”. Dishonest and ignorant religious leaders prefer to avoid having to answer this question, because it puts them on the spot and makes them feel helpless when trying to influence those trusting souls who are looking to them for guidance.

Over the centuries, religious authorities have tried to come up with many innovative ideas for dealing with the tricky elements contained within this commandment. When questioned, ignorant religious leaders have obviously avoided speaking about the issue because it arouses inner conflicts, which would eat at the fabric of their own beliefs. For many it has been better to remain compliant with church dogma and be close-minded rather than seek the truth. (Church dogma consists of those doctrines, which are not found in the Bible but are said to be based on some biblical teaching.) Hence, it is easier to promote the First Commandment as being “you shall have no other gods before me” and not have to soul-search as to whether one really knows God as Lord; neither does one have to delve into lengthy explanations and try to justify church dogma.

Regardless of which denomination or congregation we attend, the truth is we will find that the teachers and leaders will admit that they were not delivered from Egypt and have never been slaves in that country. Those that insist on the authority of the Ten Commandments prefer to avoid having to explain the Egypt problem. This is because it contains typology, which can become a can of worms, where tricky questions somehow get entangled with every attempted explanation. However, when pushed for, the explanation is that in the context of the First Commandment of the Decalogue, Egypt becomes a figure, or a type, representing “the world system” and is instructive of an important truth for all people.

The Literal and the Figurative
The Bible has many ideas with more than one meaning. There is the literal application and then often there is a figurative application that may point to a deeper meaning or prophetic outcome. This is referred to as typology and the meanings are revealed in other passages of the Bible.

An example of typology is the story of Ishmael and Isaac. In the New Testament book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul explains that the mothers of each of these two children were symbolic representations of being born into a people who were under the law and people being born free from the law. Hagar’s child represented a nation that was enslaved and Sarah’s child represented a people who had been promised an inheritance. We can take this a little further and say that Ishmael (and his descendants) represented being born as a slave to the god of this world and Isaac is representative of being born into the kingdom of God (Gal. 4:22-5:1).

The Symbolism of Egypt 
In the Bible, Egypt is symbolic of the world. This is the world even as we know it today. The Pharaoh who ruled in Egypt figures as a type of the Devil, who is the god of this world. When Pharaoh enslaved the children of the promise, who are Abraham’s offspring, it is the same as people being born into this world and being enslaved by the god of this world. In the book of Second Corinthians, we learn that the god of this world blinds the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the truth and being set free from ignorance (2 Cor. 4:4). The book of Ephesians tells us that the god of this world is the prince of the power of the air who is at work in people, causing them to follow a course of disobedience (Eph. 2:2). This disobedience leads to civil unrest and violence, and all other forms of evil and rebellion against God, which, of course, leads to punishment and death. This is what Adam and Eve discovered when they broke faith with God and were cast out of the Garden of Eden and eventually died.

Egypt Represents the World
The First Commandment now has relevance for us because we can see that if Egypt represents the world and the god of this world is the Devil, then we need to be delivered from his influence. There is a need to distinguish between the god of this world and the Lord God Almighty, Creator of the Universe. The god of this world has the right to rule Earth because Adam broke faith with God to follow the deceptions of the Archangel Lucifer, who had been given charge of him. Lucifer was jealous of his pre-eminence in the Creation and could not bear losing out to what God was offering humankind. God was giving humans the ability to reproduce and give birth to a new race that would be able to choose (whether or not) to become one with Almighty God Himself, and have a higher status in Creation than the most admired archangel of all the angels.

The following Scriptures taken from the English Standard Version produce evidence that when considering types in the Bible there need be no uncertainty that Pharaoh is depicted as the Devil. The Devil is also that Ancient Serpent, who also is called a lion that attempts to devour people, and Egypt is the world where the Lord Jesus was crucified.—Even though Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, He was in the world, but not of the world; He was made sin on our behalf, even though He never sinned.
“Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him: ‘You consider yourself a lion of the nations, but you are like a dragon in the seas; you burst forth in your rivers, trouble the waters with your feet, and foul their rivers”’ (Ezekiel 32:2).
“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
“Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people” (Proverbs 28:15).
“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Revelation 12:9).
“Their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified” (Revelation 11:8).
We sometimes think that the Devil has no hold over us, and we have no need for any deliverance. Yet this is why God has spoken through the prophet Isaiah and said, 
‘“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord’ (Isaiah 1:18). 
God evidently says that we are in need of deliverance.

Did You Ask To Be Born?
Just minutes before I became a Christian; I was on my knees telling God the reasons why life on this planet stunk as far as I was concerned.—Let’s be honest, now. Living in a sinful world is not sweet. Besides, when did we have a say in being born?

I put the question to God. I said, I did not ask to be born into this futile existence where the only certainty is death. What is the point of being born only to die? This is how I reasoned with God. I presented my argument to God. This is what God expects us to do. When we come to God and we tell him our reasons why we believe we should not be judged, or we should have a better life, it is then up to the Lord God to answer. Which is only right—don’t you think?  Well, I think it is only fair; so I presented my case before God, and He answered me; only, for me, it was a long earnest session before I realized the need to state my case, so that I could receive a satisfactory answer.

Actually, this question of, “What is our purpose for existence?” is so much a part of our lives that people are always speculating in one form or the other about the reason why they are here on Earth. People will say they do not like talking about politics and religion, but they cannot avoid talking about their purpose for existence from time to time. Within every person, there is the nagging question of Why was I born? Many people seek out means to quench the inner thirst for this knowledge. Alcoholic beverages seem to be the most common means used to quench the inner thirst because it also dulls the mind and inhibits sound reasoning. Drugs are another means that are used to avoid, somehow, the inner torment of not having a relationship with God. In some cultures, drugs are used to produce hallucinogenic states of mind and, because the inner pain is transformed into a surreal psychedelic state of consciousness, the users convince themselves that they have discovered the supernatural, or the place where the afterlife is found.[xi]

Finding the Answer
One day I was reading the book of Ephesians on my lounge room floor. I had been a Christian for about nine months. I was attending a fellowship group led by a former Methodist minister who was assisted by a preacher from a Baptist background. At the time, there was much comment about how profound the book of Ephesians was because it spoke about the purpose of God from the beginning of time. I decided to read the book of Ephesians until I understood it. I am not sure exactly how many times I read and re-read the book at that sitting, but after about four hours, I gave up—exasperated. I looked up and, in utter hopelessness, told God that I did not know what it meant at all. Amazingly, before my very eyes, as if written in little clouds of fluffy cotton balls, these words appeared:
“Harmony is the fulfillment of life acquiring possession of oneness. One God Creator of all things in wisdom gave man the option of perfection or imperfection in order that those whom are His would come to the knowledge of the truth in Christ Jesus thus perfecting individuality in oneness.”
I took that vision to mean that the whole purpose of God was to bring about harmony by giving people a choice as to whether or not they wanted to develop their individuality towards being perfect, yet at the same time being different to others—unique—and having a harmonious relationship with each other and the God of the Universe.

When God speaks to us through Isaiah and calls us to come and reason together with Him, we are told:
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword” (Is. 1:18-20).
We have the option to choose for ourselves whether we want what is perfect or whether we are content to settle for the imperfect; whether we want to conform to God’s ideals or do our own thing; whether we want to have promised-land living or a never-ending wilderness experience; whether we want God’s will in our lives or not.

Individuality and Social Cohesion
The biggest issue for social cohesion appears to be people wanting to be individuals, separate from others, and doing their own thing whenever they choose. It is only when we recognize that this is futility that we can do something to rectify the matter. The reason individuality in isolation needs to be addressed is the social consequences are too harmful—destructive, even. Not only are people separating themselves from each other, they are also separating themselves from God. It is only when we reunite with God and become part of His kingdom that we can do something about truly becoming individuals who are appreciated for our contributions, and our individuality. If we break faith, we find ourselves unable to relate to the person with whom we were in relationship with and unable to be appreciated for whom we are. True individuality is found in acceptance and not in being rebellious.

This is what God is saying to us. “If you want to have the very wealth of being, the riches of life, you need to enter into a relationship with Me.” This relationship requires that we keep faith with the Father and do not walk in our own ways irrespective of what another might think or desire. To walk our own way is one thing, but it leads to breaking faith with God. To break faith with God means that we commit sin against God.

Sin is the breaking of faith between two individuals. We sin against other people when we break faith by being disloyal to the truth and each other. The only way we can make amends for this is through confession of our sin and acceptance of our need for the other party.

Sin, by the way, is really lawlessness, or willful transgression of the law. This is how sin is defined in the Bible. The first letter of John, chapter three, verse four, clearly states, 
“Whoever commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness” (RSV).

Situational Ethics is Rationalized Sin
Sin is a form of anarchy. Anarchy is a state where nobody listens to another person, and everybody does what he or she thinks, regardless of consequences. In a way, sin is like the idea of situational ethics or situational morality. Depending on the situation, each person decides what is right or wrong to do.
“Today I will do it with you.” However, the next day: “I do not love you anymore, so what I said yesterday is no longer true.”
Situational ethics is sin. It is all about what is right for me, and not what is right for you. It is all about me feeling good, regardless of what happens to you. Situational ethics is a secular sanctioned view that condones breaking faith with each other. This approach is so common; it is no wonder this world is in such a mess today.

When God delivered the Hebrew slaves from the hands of the Egyptians, a covenant was made. This covenant was a faith covenant. The promise was that if the people whom God delivered from Egypt were to acknowledge Him as Lord God Almighty and always keep His commands by obeying His voice, all would be well with them and their children forever. This promise also applies to us today.

First Commandment: Hear God’s Voice
We can be sure about one thing; the First Commandment is not about any one of us saying, “You shall have no other gods before me.”

The First Commandment is about hearing God’s voice and appreciating the fact that we have been saved from being alone and isolated from true love, and having to face death without any hope of something better in life. This commandment will have real meaning to us if God is our Savior and the Lord of our lives, because, if this is the case, we will know Who is the Lord our God, and we will have a meaningful relationship with Him.

The First Commandment also contains typology. As we have already discussed, typology is symbolism that has a broader application beyond the strict literal sense in which a type is used. In this case, there is meaning inherent in the First Commandment that applies to us, as well as those who were brought out of the Land of Egypt at the time of Moses. The fact that the First Commandment contains this symbolism (by using types) also means there may be other commandments of the Decalogue that have a broader application than the strict literal sense, which appears to apply only to the Israelites. It is important that this be borne in mind because, if we are not consistent in interpreting the Scriptures, we will find ourselves breaking faith with God. Our aim is to understand God, not to break faith with God.

When Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” He replied by quoting Deuteronomy, which reads:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might”’ (Deut. 6:4-5).
This equates to loving the Lord God with our spirit, our soul and our body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). 

Actually, Jesus also incorporated the word mind in the gospel of Mark:
“And 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”[xii] (Mark 12:30).
The idea of “mind” as used by Jesus in this verse incorporates our innate ability to make moral decisions through the conscious mental application of our reasoning faculty, which the Apostle Paul refers to as the intellect that needs to be renewed (Romans 12:2). Faulty reasoning develops conditioned neural pathways within our brains that need to be reconditioned. The Holy Spirit does this by purging incorrect thinking patterns within our minds that are contaminated by sin, so that they can be replaced by the purity of thought that comes with a transformed mind focused on understanding and knowing the One and Only true God, Who is Lord of Heaven and Earth.

The First Commandment is not “you shall love your god” as many people seem to think. Your god could be anyone or anything. It is, firstly, hear, or listen to the words that God is speaking. For the Lord is One and there is no other God. Then the commandment says, we are to love God and must know Him personally as Lord—not merely know of God and believe He exists. We need to love Him with our whole being and all our strength. If we do love God, we will keep His commandments and, because of this, live a life of much blessing. This is God’s promise to us. This promise is found in Deuteronomy chapter six, verse three.

God’s Principles Do Not Change
We have the ability to make choices and take hold of God’s promises because we are gods, not animals. We each have a spirit, which was created to have fellowship with the God of gods—our God. This may seem strange, but Jesus Himself, called the Father not only our Father and His Father, but our God and His God, too (John 20:17). We are not mere animals with a soul; we are gods; we are spirit beings, designed to worship and have fellowship with the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9). Nothing has changed. The Father’s purpose has always been the same.

Many people claim that Jesus did away with the Old Testament and what is written in the books of Moses is no longer valid today. However, for those of us who actually read the Bible and note what it says, one of the remarkable discoveries we have been able to make is how the principles of God do not change. Another discovery is God Himself does not change in His requirements for having a relationship with Him. That which was applicable to Adam and Eve is still applicable to us today. That which was written in the Law of Moses and had significance for salvation is still applicable today. The fact that people were required to walk in the truths of God is still applicable today—even though they were given by God to Israel nearly some three thousand, five hundred (3500) years ago. There may be a cultural shift, but the truth remains. Hence, Jesus and the Apostles all quoted the Old Testament, even when it came to declaring what is now known as the New Commandment, and even the First Commandment; which is, we shall learn to hear the voice of the Lord God, and love Him with all our heart, our soul, our mind and our strength. This is the only way we can be delivered from the futility of being born—only to die.


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[i]The Mercy Seat was located on top of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle of Moses, where only the High Priest went once a year to make atonement for the sins of Israel. He did this by sprinkling blood over the Mercy Seat. The Mercy Seat represented the throne of God. We all have access to the throne of God and His mercy through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ., because we are covered by Jesus’ eternal blood from the accusations of the Evil One.
[ii] The King James 2000 Bible, copyright © Doctor of Theology Robert A. Couric 2000, 2003. Used by permission
[iii] The idea of God being a Spirit requires us to understand that this does not mean that God is like one of many finite spirits, rather that God is the one and only Infinite Spirit, whereas all the other spirits are finite beings.
[iv] Theological term referring to the attributes found in man that inherently reflect the image of God and ascribe value to his existence.
[v] Genesis 2:7  “The breath of life i.e., breath producing life, does not denote the spirit by which man is distinguished from the animals, or the soul of man from that of the beasts, but only the life-breath (vid.,1 Kings 17:17). It is true, נשׁמה generally signifies the human soul, but in Genesis 7:22 חיּים נשׁמת־רוּח is used of men and animals BOTH; and should any one explain this on the ground that the allusion is chiefly to men, and the animals are connected per zeugma, or should he press the ruach attached, and deduce from this the use of neshamah in relation to men and animals, there are several passages in which neshamah is synonymous with ruach (e.g., Isaiah 42:5;Job 32:8; Job 33:4), or חיים רוח applied to animals (Genesis 6:17; Genesis 7:15), or again neshamah used as equivalent to nephesh (e.g., (Joshua 10:40, cf. Joshua 10:28, Joshua 10:30, Joshua 10:32). For neshamah, the breathing, πνοή, is “the ruach in action” (Auberlen). Beside this, the man formed from the dust became, through the breathing of the “breath of life a חיּה נפשׁ, an animated, and as such a living being; an expression which is also applied to fishes, birds, and land animals (Genesis 1:20-21, Genesis 1:24, Genesis 1:30), and there is no proof of pre-eminence on the part of man— Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament
[vi] Theologians have often tried to interpret Scripture in the light of philosophy and, also, psychology; rather than the other way around. We are triune beings that possess a spirit, a soul and a body and not a soul and body only— or only a physical body, as some theologians have suggested.  Psychology has its place and deepens our understanding when it agrees with the Scriptures
[vii] The scriptural evidence is that Satan cannot read a person’s innermost thoughts, rather familiar spirits that know our minds from what we do and say, will put thoughts into our head. These are called familiar spirits because they are very familiar with what we do and say. In the Old Testament, they are forbidden to be consulted. Although, unfortunately, too many Christians think that they are hearing from God, when in fact they are being given instructions from a familiar spirit.
[viii] It is worth noting that God ensured Jesus went to Egypt, so that prophecy could be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt, I called my Son” (Matt. 2:15).
[ix] Not making a covenant with Abraham to keep the Ten Commandments, does not negate the requirement of the Ten Commandments needing to be kept by Abraham—this he did by putting his faith in the promises of God. And Jacob did likewise.
[x] Israel being God’s firstborn and God slaying Pharaoh’s firstborn because he refused to let God’s son go  (Exodus 4:22-23) has greater implications beyond the physical realm and refers to the first born of death being slain by Christ  (1 John 3:8;  Is. 53:12;  2 Cor. 5::21;  Job 18:13;  Lk 11:20-22; Heb. 2:14b; Rom. 1:4;  Eph. 4:8-10;  Col. 1:18;).
[xi] Rabi Maharaj was a Brahmin priest and a boy guru before he came to Christ. He tells of how he could identify with what people were describing when taking drugs, because that is what he experienced when in a meditation trance as a Hindu guru and was experiencing out-body-experiences (OBEs) astral travelling in the spirit world.—His autobiography is entitled Death Of A Guru.
[xii] “Strength” is used here by the ESV instead of “might”. Essentially, the words are synonymous, and the quotation is drawn from Deuteronomy.

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