
Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17)
- “You must not have any other god but me.”
- “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.”
- “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God.”
- “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.”
- “Honor your father and mother.”
- “You must not murder.”
- “You must not commit adultery.”
- “You must not steal.”
- “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.”
- “You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”
God has set high standards that require perfection.
“48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” —Matthew 5:48
We cannot live up to God’s standards, but He doesn’t live down to ours.
“23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” —Romans 3:23
Do not use God’s standards to condemn others.
“ 6 So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. 7 At the meeting, after a
long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know
that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that
they could hear the Good News and believe. 8 God knows people’s hearts, and he
confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to
us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through
faith. 10 So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers [b] with a
yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? 11 We believe that we are all
saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” 12 Everyone listened
quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had
done through them among the Gentiles. 13 When they had finished, James stood and
said, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Peter [c] has told you about the time God first visited the
Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. 15 And this conversion of Gentiles is
exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written: 16 ‘Afterward I will return and restore
the fallen house [d] of David. I will rebuild its ruins and restore it, 17 so that the rest of
humanity might seek the Lord, including the Gentiles - all those I have called to be mine.
The Lord has spoken - 18 he who made these things known so long ago.’ 19 ‘And so my
judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to
God. 20 Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to
idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from
consuming blood. 21 For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish
synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.’” —Acts 15:6-21
God provided what is needed for us to be made perfect.
“11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. 14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. 15 And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says, 16 ‘This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.’ 17 Then he says, ‘I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.’ 18 And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.” —Hebrews 10:11-18