Thomas Watson on the 10th Commandment

Source: The Ten Commandments by Thomas Watson, edited and modernised by Rory McClure   "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Exodus 20:17 This commandment forbids covetousness in general, "You shall not covet;" and in particular, "Your neighbor's house, your neighbor's wife, etc. I. It forbids covetousness in GENERAL.   "You shall not covet." It is lawful to use the world, yes, and to desire so much of it as may keep us from the temptation of poverty: "Give me not poverty, lest I steal, and take the name of my God in vain" (Proverbs 30:8, 9); and as may enable us to honor God with works of mercy. "Honor the Lord with your substance." Proverbs 3:9. But all the danger is, when the world gets into the heart.   Water is useful for the sailing of the ship: all the danger is when the water gets into the ship. So the danger is, when the world gets into the heart. "You shall not covet."  [1] What is it to covet? There are two words in the Greek New Testament which tell us about the nature of covetousness.   Pleonexia, which signifies an "insatiable desire of getting the world."  Augustine defines covetousness, "to desire more than enough;" Coveting means aiming your life at great prosperity, wealth, fame, recognition, admiration, ease or power. It is to be like the daughter of the horse-leech, crying, "Give, give." Proverbs 30:15.  The other word is Philarguria, which means having an "inordinate love of the world." The world has become your idol, and you seek your hope, your happiness, your joy and your peace in the things this world offers more than you do in God.   "What is it to covet?"  (1) You are coveting when your thoughts are wholly taken up with the world. A godly man's thoughts are in heaven; he is thinking of Christ's love and eternal recompense. "When I awake I am still with you..." because you, O God, are the first thing I think about and pray to each morning. Psalm 139:18. A covetous man's thoughts are in the world; his mind is wholly taken up with it; he can think of nothing but his shop or farm. The imagination is like the Royal Mint as it stamps the image of the monarch on each coin, and most of the thoughts in a covetous man's mint are stamped with the world as king rather than Christ as king. “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.” (Philippians 3:18–19 ESV) (2) Covetousness has enslaved you if you are willing to takes more pains for getting the things of this world than you are than for getting heaven. A covetous man will turn every stone, break his sleep, take many a weary journey as he chases the things he most covets; but even the slightest effort of prayer, or Bible reading, or even going to church to learn about  for Christ or heaven is too much effort for him.  After the Gauls, who were an ancient people of France, had tasted the sweet wine of the Italian grape, they inquired after the country, and never rested until they had arrived at it; so a covetous man, having had a relish of the world, pursues after it, and never ceases until he has got it; but he neglects the things of eternity. He would be content if salvation were to drop into his mouth, as a ripe fig into the mouth of the eater (Nahum 3:12); but he can't be bothered to got to even the slightest inconvenience to obtain Christ or salvation. He hunts for the world—but he spares barely a thought for heaven. (3) You are covetous when your are more interested in talking is about the the things of this world than you are about Christ. "He who is of the earth, speaks of the earth." John 3:31. It is a sign of godliness to be speaking of heaven, and longing to learn more of the things of God and talk about them. "The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious;" he speaks as if he had been already in heaven. Eccl. 10:12. So it is a sign of a man given to covetousness to speak always of worldly things, of his garden or his business or his sports team or what's on TV. "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45  (4) Covetousness has enslaved you if your heart is so set upon worldly things, that for the love of them, you will part with heaven. For the love of a "bar of gold," Achen (Josh 7:1-26) was willing  will part with the "pearl of great price." (Matt. 13:45-46). When Christ said to the young man in the gospel, "Sell all, and come and follow me." "He went away sorrowful." Matt 19:22. He would rather part with Christ than with all his earthly possessions. Cardinal Bourbon said, he would forego his part in paradise, if he might keep his cardinalship in Paris. When it comes to the critical point that men must either give up their wealth or Christ, and they would rather part with Christ and a good conscience than with their wealth, it is a clear case that they are possessed with the demon of covetousness! "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world." 2 Timothy 4:10  (5) Covetousness has enslaved you if you have so overloaded yourself with worldly business that you have not time for God. If work, or business or sport or hobbies or entertainment have taken up so much of your weed that cannot find time to serve God then you covetousness has enslaved you. If loyalty to your hobby or your garden or your team means more to you than loyalty to keeping the Sabbath out of love for God, then covetousness has enslaved you. If watching TV is more important to you than attending the prayer meetings, or home groups or Sunday evening worship, then covetousness has enslaved you.  (6) Covetousness has enslaved you and will destroy you when you don't  care about the fact that you will have to break the law to get what you want. A covetous man will have what he wants by fair means or foul; he will wrong and defraud, and he is willing to raise up his prosperity upon the ruins of another. He has no fear of braking God's laws, and little fear of breaking the laws of the land. Not getting caught means more to him than being honest or having integrity. " Hos 12:7, 8. Pope Sylvester II sold his soul to the devil so he could become Pope.  Understanding the dangers of covetousness. "Take heed and beware of covetousness." Luke 12:15. It is a direct breach of the tenth commandment. It is a moral vice, it infects and pollutes the whole soul.  (1) Covetousness is a SUBTLE sin. It is a sin that most people fail ever to recognise in themselves. This sin can dress itself in the attire of virtue. It is called the "cloak of covetousness." 1 Thess 2:5. It is a sin which wears a cloak, it cloaks itself under the name of frugality and good taste. It has many pleas and excuses for itself; more than any other sin—such as providing for one's family. The more subtle the sin is, the less discernible it is. (2) Covetousness is a DANGEROUS sin. It defiles everything that is good. It is an enemy to grace. As throwing dirt on a fire will put it out, so covetousness will extinguish the flam of holy desires.  The hedgehog, in the fable, came to a rabbit's burrows,in stormy weather, and desired asked if they would give him shelter; but as soon as the rabbits had let him in, he raised his prickles and never stopped attacking them until hed forced them out of their own burrow! In the same way covetousness will enter your hearts by deception and as soon as you have let it in, it will never leave until it has driven out all your desires to know and serve Christ.   Few things hinder the power of the Word of God being preached like covetousness. Many sermons lie dead and buried in earthly hearts. We preach to men to get their hearts in heaven; but where covetousness is predominant, it chains them to earth. Covetousness makes to your soul  the woman which Satan had bent down for eighteen years. (Luke 13:11.) All she was able to do was look at the earth and not he sky, and covetousness will force your eyes downwards onto the things of this world so you never see heaven.  You will find it easier to get an elephant to fly in the air than you will to get a covetous man to live by faith.  Covetousness makes us ungenerous. We preach to men to give freely to the poor; but covetousness makes them like the man who had "a withered hand." Mark 3:1. They have a withered hand, and cannot stretch it out to the poor. It is impossible to be earthly-minded and charitably-minded.   (3) Covetousness is a MOTHER sin. It is the soil in which all other vices grow. "The love of money is the root of all evil." 1 Tim 6:10. "O accursed lust for gold! what crimes do you not urge upon the human heart!" Virgil. He who has an earthly itch, a greedy desire of getting the world, has in him the root of all sin. Covetousness is a mother sin giving birth to a litter of vices.   Covetousness breaks all of all the ten commandments.   It breaks the first commandment; "You shall have no other gods but one." The covetous man has more gods than one; Mammon is his God. He has a god of gold, therefore he is called an idolater. Col 3:5.  Covetousness will break the second commandment: "You shall not make any graven image, you shall not bow yourself to them." A covetous man may never bows down to the graven image of an idol in a temple—but he will devote his life to worshiping to the image engraved on his banknotes.   Covetousness will break the third commandment; "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." A covetous man will glibly sing; "Take my life and let it be, concerted, Lord to thee... Take my sliver and my gold, not one mite would I with hold.", and then spend the rest of the week in greed and self-interest. Covetousness will make a man pray "Thy will be done," in the Lord's Prayer, then scold God for not giving him what he demanded in prayer.  Covetousness will break the fourth commandment; "Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy." A covetous man does not keep the Sabbath holy; he will do his business on a Sabbath. Instead of going to the church he will go shopping. Instead of reading in the Bible, he will do his garden. Instead of going to the evening service he will watch TV.  Covetousness will break the fifth commandment; "Honor your father and your mother." A covetous person will never respect anyone who has responsibility or authority over them, but rather will resent them for this and long to either take this honour for themselves or deny that there is anything worth honouring.  Covetousness will break the sixth commandment; "You shall not kill." Covetous Ahab killed Naboth to get his vineyard. 1 Kings 21:13. How many have climbed the hill of power on the backs of dead bodies? As covetousness grows, it expresses itself in anger at the wealth, prosperity and blessings of others, grow in bitterness, resentment and take delight in their downfall.   Covetousness will break the seventh commandment, "You shall not commit adultery." All adultery starts because through the coveting of another man's wife or another woman's husband. All sexual immorality is born in a covetous heart that lust for sex out of the bounds that God has set.  Covetousness will break the eighth commandment "You shall not steal." Every thief steals only because he first coveted what someone else has, and wanted it at someone else's expense.  Covetousness  will break the ninth commandment; "You shall not bear false witness." A covetous man will lie to himself and say, "The end justifies the means." or "their insurance will cover it." or "her marriage was going to end anyway.", or "God won't mind."  A covetous man will lie to others to get what he wants, and then lie to others to get more. A covetous man will lie to God and sing to Him, "My Jesus, I love You, I know you are mine, for You all the pleasures of sin I resign." and then spend the rest of the week chasing those pleasures.  It is plainly a breach of the tenth commandment; "You shall not covet." The mammonist covets his neighbor's house and goods, and endeavors to get them into his own hands. Thus you see how vile a sin covetousness is! It is a mother sin! It is a plain breach of every one of the ten commandments. (4) Covetousness is a DISHONORABLE sin to Christianity. For men to say their hopes are above—while their hearts are below; to profess to be above the stars—while they "lick the dust" of the serpent; to be born of God—while they are buried in the earth; how dishonorable is this to our faith! The lapwing, wears a little crown on its head, and yet spends its day poking for maggots in the dung. Do you such profess to be crowned a king and a priests unto God, and yet constantly feed on earthly dunghill comforts.  When the ship is sinking, are you decorating your cabin? O do not so degrade yourself and soil your priestly garments! "Do you seek you great things for yourself? seek them not!" The higher grace is, the less earthly should Christians be; as the higher the sun is, the shorter is the shadow. (5) Covetousness is a DAMNING sin. It exposes us to God's abhorrence. "The covetous, whom the Lord abhors." Psalm 10:3. If a king would punish one of his subjects for vandalising his portrait, how much more will God punish man, made in his image, vandalising that image.  Who would live in such a sin—as makes him abhorred of God? Whom God abhors he curses, and his curse blasts wherever it comes!  Covetousness brings men to eternal ruin, and shuts them out of heaven. "This you know, that no covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God." Eph 5:5. What could a covetous man do in heaven? God can no more converse with him—than a king can converse with a swine! "Those who will be rich fall into a snare, and many hurtful lusts, which drown men in perdition." 1 Tim 6:9.  A covetous man is like a bee that gets into a barrel of honey, and there drowns itself. As a ferry—man, to increase his fare, takes in too many passengers, that he sinks his boat; so a covetous man takes in so much gold to increase his estate, that he drowns himself in perdition! How many, to build up an empire, pull down their souls! Oh, then, flee from covetousness!  The CURE for covetousness (1) Faith. "This is the victory that overcomes the world—even our faith." 1 John 5:4. The root of covetousness is distrust of God's providence, His willingness and ability to provide all that we need, and trust that what we do have comes from His kind and loving hand. Faith believes that God will provide; that he who feeds the birds will feed his children; that he who clothes the lilies will clothe his lambs; and thus faith overcomes the world.  Faith is the the only cure for anxiety. It not only purifies the heart—but satisfies it; it makes God our portion, and in him we have enough. "The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, the lines have fallen unto me in pleasant places; yes, I have a goodly heritage." Psalm 16:5, 6. Faith, by a divine chemistry, extracts comfort out of God. A little, with God—is sweet. Thus faith is a remedy against covetousness; it overcomes, not only the fear of the world—but the love of the world, because we have something better in God than anything this world can offer us. (2) The second remedy is, get things in their right perspective.  1. Ah, what poor things, are these earthly things—that we should covet them! They are far below the worth of the soul, which carries in it a semblance of God. The world is but the workmanship of God, the soul is his image. We covet that which will not satisfy us. "He who loves silver, shall not be satisfied with silver." Eccl 5:10. Solomon had put all the creatures in a scale, and distilled out their essence, and behold—"All was vanity." Eccl 2:11. The more an alcoholic drinks, the more he craves and the more a covetous man has of the world, the more he longs for more. Worldly things cannot remove trouble of mind. When King Saul was perplexed in conscience, his crown jewels could not comfort him. 1 Sam 28:15. The things of the world can no more ease a troubled spirit—than a hat made of gold can cure a headache! The things of the world cannot continue with you. The things of this world may fly to you with has a little honey in its mouth—but it has wings to fly away too. The pleasures of this world will either leave us—or we leave them! What poor things are they to covet! 2. The second consideration is the posture of the human body. God has made the human face look upward towards heaven. "He gave man an uplifted face, with the order to gaze up to Heaven." Ovid. As the posture of the body teaches us to look to things above, so especially the soul is planted in the body, as a divine spark, to ascend upwards. Can it be imagined that God gave us intellectual and immortal souls—to covet earthly things only? Sure our souls are made for a higher end; to aspire after the enjoyment of God in glory. 3. The third consideration is the examples of those who have been despisers of the world. The Christians of the early Church were willing to loose their properties, their families, their reputation and their wealth for the sake of following Christ. Instead they gave their lives and their entire future to God. They lived in the world—yet above the world. They were like the swifts which soar above in the air, and seldom touch the earth with their feet. Luther says that he was never tempted to the sin of covetousness. Though the saints of old lived in the world—they traded in heaven. "Our conversation is in heaven." Phil 3:20. The Greek word signifies our commerce or citizenship, is in heaven. "Enoch walked with God." Gen 5:24. His affections were sublime; he took a turn in heaven every day.  (3) The third remedy for covetousness is to covet spiritual things more. God crated our nature to covet something, but sin has hijacked this and twisted it to only covet the things of this world. Since we cannot stop coveting, we must instead covet the things that God created us to covet. Covet grace, for it is the best blessing, it is the seed of God. 1 John 3:9. Covet heaven, which is the region of perfect happiness—the most pleasant climate. If we covet heaven more—we shall covet earth less! To those who stand on the top of the Alps, the great cities of Campania seem but as small villages; so if our hearts were more fixed upon the Jerusalem above, all worldly things would disappear, would diminish, and be as nothing in our eyes. We read of an angel coming down from heaven, and setting his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the earth. Rev 10:2, since the things of this earth are so minor in comparison to the importance of heaven.  Had we been in heaven, and viewed its superlative glory, how would we, with holy scorn, trample with one foot upon the earth and with the other foot upon the sea! O covet after heavenly things! There is the tree of life, the mountains of spices, the rivers of pleasure, the honeycomb of God's love dropping, the delights of angels, and the flower of joy, fully ripe and blown. There is the pure air to breathe in; no smog of sin is to pollute that air—but the Sun of Righteousness lights up the whole horizon continually with his glorious radiance. O let your thoughts and delights be always taken up with the city of pearls, the paradise of God! Were our hearts raised by the power of the Holy Spirit up to heaven, we would not be much absorbed with earthly things.  (4) The fourth remedy is to pray for a heavenly mind. "Lord, let the magnet of your Spirit draw my heart upward. Lord, dig the earth out of my heart! Teach me how to possess the world, and not love it; how to hold it in my hand, and not let it get into my heart!" II. Having spoken of the command in general, I proceed to speak of it more PARTICULARLY.   "You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife," etc. Observe the holiness and perfection of God's law, which forbids the first motions and risings of sin in the heart. The laws of men take hold of actions; but the law of God goes further—it forbids not only sinful actions—but sinful desires. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house." It is not said, "You shall not take away his house;" but "You shall not covet it." These lusts and desires after the forbidden fruit are sinful. The law has said, "You shall not covet." Rom 7:7. Though the tree bears no bad fruit, it may be faulty at the root; so though a man does not commit any gross sin, he cannot say his heart is pure. There may be faultiness at the root: there may be sinful covetings and lustings in the soul.  Use. Let us be humbled for the sin of our nature, the risings of evil thoughts, coveting that which we ought not. Our nature is a seed-plot of iniquity; like charcoal which is ever sparkling, the sparks of pride, envy, covetousness, arise in the mind. How should this humble us! If there is not sinful acting, there are sinful covetings. Let us pray for mortifying grace, which like the water of jealousy, may make the thigh of sin to rot!  [1] "You shall not covet your neighbor's HOUSE." How depraved is man since the fall! He knows not how to keep within bounds—but covets more than his own. Ahab, one would think, had enough: he was a king; and we would suppose that his crown-revenues would have contented him; but he was coveting more. Naboth's vineyard was in his eye, and he could not rest, until he had it in possession. Were there not so much coveting, there would not be so much bribing. One man takes away another's house from him. It is only the prisoner, who lives in such a tenement that he may be sure none will seek to take it from him!  [2] "You shall not covet your neighbor's WIFE." This is a bridle to check the uncontrolled and animal lusts. It was the devil that sowed another man's ground. Matt 13:25. But how is the hedge of this commandment trodden down in our times! There are many who do more than covet their neighbors' wives, they take them! "Cursed be he who lies with his father's wife; and all the people shall say, Amen." Deut 27:20. If it were to be proclaimed, "Cursed be he who lies with his neighbor's wife," and all that were guilty should say, "Amen," how many would curse themselves! [3] "You shall not covet your neighbor's man-servant, nor his maidservant." Servants, when faithful, are a treasure. What a true and trusty servant Abraham had! He was his right hand. How prudent and faithful he was in the matter entrusted with him, of getting a wife for his master's son! Gen 24:9. It would surely have grieved Abraham if any one had enticed away his servant from him. But this sin of coveting servants is common. Many watched Downton Abbey, fantasising about the luxury of having so many servants to feed them, clean for them and dress them and many went on to resent the rich who still can afford servants. This is a sin against the tenth commandment.  [4] "You shall not covet your neighbor's ox, nor his donkey, nor anything which belongs to your neighbor." Today we would say, "you shall not covet your neighbour's BWM, nor his Porsche ..." Were there no coveting of these things, there would not be so much stealing. First men break the tenth commandment by coveting, and then the eighth commandment by stealing, and those who cannot steal the car will express the bitterness their covetousness has created by scratching the paintwork of his neighbour's Porsche with a key. It was an excellent appeal that Samuel made to the people when he said, "Witness against me before the Lord, whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey, or whom have I defrauded?" 1 Sam 12:3. It was a brave speech of Paul, when he said, "I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel." Acts 20:33. What MEANS should we use to keep us from coveting that which is our neighbour's? The best remedy for covetousness is contentment. “...godliness with contentment is great gain,” 1 Timothy 6:6.  If we are content with our own, we shall not covet that which is another's. Paul could say, "I have coveted no man's gold or silver." Whence was this? It was from contentment. "I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content." Phil 4:11. Contentment says, as Jacob did, "I have enough." Gen 33:11. I have a promise of heaven, and have sufficient to bear my charges there; I have enough. He who has enough, will not covet that which is another's. Be content! "In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content—whether well-fed or hungry, whether in abundance or in need." Philippians 4:12  (1) The best way to be contented, is, to believe that condition to be best, which God by his providence carves out to you. If he had seen fit for us to have more—we would have had it. Perhaps we could not manage a great estate. It is hard to carry a full cup without spilling—and a full estate without sinning! Great estates may be snares. A boat may be overturned by having too much sail. Believing that estate to be best which God appoints us, makes us content; and being contented, we shall not covet that which is another's.   (2) The way to be content with such things as we have, and not to covet another's, is to consider the less we have, the less account we shall have to give at the last day. Every person is a steward, and must be accountable to God. “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” Luke 12:48. God will say, "What good have you done with your with all I have given you? Have you honoured me with your wealth? Where are the poor you have fed and clothed?" If you cannot give a good account, it will be sad. If God has given us less than others it should make us contented , to consider—the less riches, the less reckoning we will have to give for it. This is the way to have contentment. There is no better antidote against coveting that which is another's than being content with that which is our own.

9th Commandment: Some articles on truth and lying

Slander in the Camp

Slander is a violation of the 9th commandment, "You shall not bear false witness."

Written by Tim Lane | Thursday, January 22, 2015

Why is Paul writing this to Christians? Because Christians are as capable of this as any other person. As John Owen once said, “The seed of every known sin is in my heart.” Putting it simply, we are all capable of doing this. Churches, businesses, ministries and relationships are ruined…not from without, but from within.

Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked person by being a malicious witness. Exodus 23:1

There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up dissension among brothers and sisters. Proverbs 6:16-19

How many of you have witnessed the evils of slander? Sadly, it happens all the time in circles of people who name Jesus as their King and Redeemer. The more I speak with leaders and fellow Christians, the more I realize how prevalent this is.

Slander is a violation of the 9th commandment, “You shall not bear false witness.” The usual suspect we think of when it involves violating the 9th commandment is gossip. While gossip is clearly evil, we often leave out slander. My guess is that we don’t really think Christians will go there. Sadly, that is not the case.

Gossip and slander are different. The difference is that slander is much more intentional. Slander is... continue reading here.

Tim Keller, Michael Horton and Matt Chandler Outline How Christians Should Disagree

Written by Subodh S. Lal, Christian Post | Thursday, July 7, 2011

Respectful personal relationships, stating the opponent’s position fairly and a responsible use of the internet are some of the ways for Christians to deal with disagreements within their ranks, three Christian scholars said in a video-recorded dialogue released Tuesday. Is it possible to talk about one’s theological convictions in a way that is faithful and... continue reading here. 

5 Destructive Lies You Tell Yourself Every Day

Just go ahead and admit it. You’re lying to yourself today. Life gets complex, relationships get sticky, loneliness creeps in—and sometimes we just feel the need to bend the truth to make it through the week. We need our lies to keep the pain tucked away where it can’t get to us. That deceitful heart of ours has a way making it easy for us to be okay with these lies (Jeremiah 17:9)—that is, until they’re drawn out by God’s scalpel (Psalm 139:23).

These lies don’t just cover up the pain of life, though. They actually make it harder for us to grow in our faith and in our connection with others. We’ve gotten so numb to them that we don’t necessarily even see the damage they do.

But here’s one time when it’s definitely okay to “name it and claim it.” If we’re to get beyond these lies that we drag around with us, we have to identify them and call them what they are.

Have you seen any of these 5 lies in yourself today?

1. I’m Okay.

We don’t like to dig around inside and examine what’s going on. Why? Because when we start looking, we often find areas that need some major renovations. That gets messy, and most of us are far too busy to go and look for things to fix....

2. No One Will Ever Find Out.

If we’re ever looking for justification to do something dumb, we usually start here: No one will ever know. True, there might... 

3. No One Will Get Hurt.

This lie really could be 2b, since these two excuses are like twins. If it’s not enough that no one will know, we also like to tell ourselves that no one will get hurt. If it’s behind closed doors, if it only involves two responsible adults, if it only impacts me, then it’s got to be okay....

4. That’s Just the Way I Am...

5. I Can Do That Tomorrow..

Read the full article here.

Deceiving Yourself

Bible verses about deceiving yourself

There are many ways you can deceive yourself and believe what you’re doing is right. Many Christians deceive themselves by thinking they can’t stop a certain sin, but truly just don’t want to stop a sin. Many people deceive themselves by believing something bad is good. They go out of their way to find a false teacher who will justify their sins when the Bible and their conscience says no.

Before I truly gave my life to Christ, I deceived myself into thinking that a tattoo is not a sin and I got a tattoo. 

I disregarded all the passages against it and I disregarded my conscience, which was saying don’t do it. I deceived myself even more by believing I was getting a Christian tattoo for God. 

Deep down the real reason I got it was it looked cool and if I didn’t think it looked cool I wouldn’t have gotten it. I lied to myself and said I’m going to get a tattoo of something memorable for God. The devil will sometimes trick you into thinking something is OK so don’t believe every spirit. The worst thing to deceive yourself with is thinking there’s no God when the Bible, the world, and existence says there is. 

Read the rest of the article here. 

10 Lies We Believe (and Scriptures to Combat Them!)

1. I am not good enough. (You are a royal daughter of the King. 1 Peter 2:9)

2. I might fail. (God goes before you and doesn’t want you to worry! Deuteronomy 3:18)

3.  I might not have enough money. (God is Jehovah—that means provider. He will  meet all of your needs for His glory! Philippians 4:19)

4. There seems to be no way. This is impossible. (Jesus IS the WAY. John 14:6)

5. How will I make it? Which way should I go? (Pray to God, He will show the right path. Seek His word; it will light your way. Psalm 119:105)

6. I am not pretty enough or the right weight. (God knit you in your mother’s womb and YOU are fearfully and wonderfully made! Jeremiah 1, Psalm 139)

7. I might mess up my future. (God knows His plans for you to prosper YOU and not for evil or harm! Believe that! Trust in God! Jeremiah 29:11)

8. I can sin and no one will know. (God sees all things and knows all things. Romans 6:23, Job 28:24)

9. There won’t be a consequence for my sin. (God is our Father and disciplines those He LOVES. When He corrects you, it is for YOUR good. Proverbs 3:12)

10. I am a failure. God doesn’t love me. (God SO LOVED YOU He sent and GAVE His ONE and only Son Jesus to die for your sins on the cross. There is no condemnation in Christ–You are healed by the blood of Jesus on Calvary. John 3:16)

Source. 

A thorough article about lying: 

Lying and Deceit: What Does the Bible Teach?

What are some ways people may be guilty of lying and deceiving others? What causes people to tell lies or deceive, and what consequences can result? What must we do to overcome dishonesty and learn to be honest and truthful? What does the Bible teach about the dangers of falsehood?

Introduction

Our son Tim's company gave him two free tickets to a Cubs game, so he and I went. A professional photographer asked if we would like to have our picture taken for free. When we agreed, he gave us a card telling us how to access our picture online. But the site required us to pay $20 to get any useable picture. He "took the picture" for free, but he knew people would think they would get a picture for free. He deceived us. 

Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things that are an abomination to God, and two of them involve lying: "a lying tongue," and "a false witness that tells lies." God hates a lying tongue!

Definitions of lying and deceit

1 John 2:21 - No lie is of the truth. 

By its very nature, a lie is untrue. It is a falsehood.

"Lie" - "...a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive..." - Random House College Dictionary.

Read the rest here. 

The Christian and the Sabbath

Does God still expect Christians to keep the Sabbath?

Some Bible believing Christians believe that of the Ten Commandments, the only one that is not binding on Christians is the Fourth Commandment. In good conscience before the Lord, they believe this is the New Testament’s teaching. It is worth hearing their case:

All Bible believing Christians are united in believing that the Law of Moses can be divided into three parts, the Ceremonial Law, such as offering sacrifices and keeping Jewish feasts, the Judicial Law, which was intended for ancient Israel to use as their country’s legal system, and the Moral Law which is found in both the Old and New Testaments. Hebrews 7:18–19 says, “The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.” From this we understand that the Ceremonial and Judicial laws of the Old Testament are no longer binding on Christians as their main function was to point to Christ’s life, death and resurrection.

The question is, is setting one day out of seven aside  to rest and worship God together with His people merely a part of the Ceremonial and Judicial laws of ancient Israel, or is it a Moral Law for Christians too?

In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul warns the Christians, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” In Galatians 4:10–11 he rebukes them by saying,  “You are observing special days and months and seasons and years! I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you.” This makes it sound like the Sabbath principle of rest and worship one day out of every seven is part of the Jewish ceremonial law and is now more binding on Christians than keeping the Feast of Tabernacles.

However, those of us that do believe that the Sabbath principle is still as much a part of the Moral Law as not committing adultery is, also believe that we are no longer to keep the Sabbath itself. We agree with Paul and do not keep “a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.” That is because we keep the Lord’s Day instead. Rather than resting and meeting for worship on a Saturday as the Jews did (and still do), we do so on the Sunday instead.

Why do we rest and meet for worship on Sunday instead of Saturday?

Seventh Day Adventists and some other small sects have argued that Christians should keep the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday and not Sunday. So why do we rest and worship on the first day of the week (Sunday) rather than the seventh day (Saturday)? Like every thing else, it is because we want to follow the pattern laid down by the Lord Jesus and His disciples.

On the very day that Jesus conquered death and rose from the dead, John 20:19–23 says, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” “After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.  Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”” What are we trying to do and what are we longing for when we meet for worship at Parkside on the first day of each week? We gather to remember and celebrate Christ’s resurrection on that day and we long for Jesus to stand among us, for Him to give us His peace, for us to be overjoyed and filled with the Holy Spirit, and to be reassured that our sins have been forgiven, just as the disciples first did.

The Book of Acts tells how the Jews repeatedly kicked the Christians out of their synagogues on the Sabbaths. Then we read in Acts 20:7  “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.” What did they do? They celebrated the Lord’s Supper and they listened to the preaching of the gospel, and they did it on the first day of the week, not the seventh.

Notice also what Paul says in 1Cor. 16:2,  “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” Paul took it for granted that the Church is meeting on the first day of the week and not the seventh, so that is the day that he encourages them to take up a collection.

So, when we read John say in Rev. 1:10 “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,” we assume that this happened on the Sunday, not on the Jewish Sabbath of Saturday. As a result Christians have often called the Christian Sabbath, the ‘Lord’s Day.’

Five reasons to keep for Christians to keep the Lord’s Day

1. God’s own example in creation. Before the fall, before sin even entered the world, God blessed Adam and Eve with marriage. He is the one that brought them together and blessed their union. As a result, marriage is not just something for Jews only, it is something that God expects of all humanity, which is why almost every single human society in history has practiced marriage in one form or another (apart from the last 50 years or so in the West).  If we regard marriage as sacred, then we ought also to remember that God laboured for six days in making the heavens and the earth (Gen 1). Then, Gen. 2:2-3 says, “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.  And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” So it was God Himself that declared the seventh day is holy. It was God who rested, and if He rested, how much more should all of humanity, who are all made in His image, follow His example and keep that day holy and set apart.

2. Jesus’ own example on earth. Luke 4:16 says “[Jesus] went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom…” In other words, Jesus’ custom in the town He grew up in was to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. As a child and as an adult, He did not sin because He always kept the Sabbath holy, just as He kept the rest of the Law. As we seek to become more like Christ, we should seek to make His custom of meeting with the people of God week by week a habit of our own.

3. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath. Every Christian must confess that Jesus is Lord over their lives (1Cor. 12:3, Rom 10:9, Phil 2:10-11). That means we are acknowledging that Jesus has the right to tell us what we can and cannot do, what we must do and what we must not do. Not only that, it also means that we are to demonstrate our love and gratitude for salvation by seeking His strength to become more and more obedient to Him (Jn 15:10, 1Jn 5:2-3). Speaking of Himself, Jesus said in Mark 2:28 “the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” This is the same language that the LORD uses in the fourth commandment: Ex. 20:10 “..but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God.” In other words, the Sabbath is one day that God claims for Himself, both in the Old Testament as the LORD God, and in the New Testament as the Lord Jesus Christ. If Jesus is your Lord, He is Lord over your Sabbaths as well.

4. The Sabbath is the Gospel illustrated. In summary Hebrews 4:1–11 says, “..For we also have had the gospel preached to us… Now we who have believed enter that rest…There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.” In other words, the Sabbath rest is a weekly illustration of the Gospel itself. We could never work long enough or hard enough to earn our salvation. When we come to fully acknowledge that, we can only rest in the promises of God, who has already done all the work required to save us. Meeting and worshiping each Sunday constantly reminds us of the gospel itself.

5. Watering down this truth has helped to empty the Church. The idea that God no longer expects Christians to set aside one day in seven for rest and worship was virtually unknown for over 1800 years of Church history. Since it first became popular in the late 19^th and early 20^th Century increasing numbers of Christians treated going to church as an optional extra and used Sundays as a day for sports, shopping, sleeping in or to earn a bit of extra cash. Since then Christianity was turned from a faith that boldly proclaimed that “Jesus is Lord!” into one where God is so nice that He isn’t particularly worried about how we live our lives or spend our time. The fact is that a faith that demands nothing of people will mean nothing to them either.

Conclusion

Isaiah 58:13–14 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD’S holy day honourable, and if you honour it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”