John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him, should not perish, but have eternal life.”

This is perhaps the most widely known scripture from the Bible. It is also a scripture that is quite often misused, misquoted, and taken out of context. You might even go so far as to say that it is also a widely misunderstood scripture. Far too often, I see this scripture quoted as, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son.” And that is all that is said. That’s only half of the scripture. The focus of this scripture is not only the fact that God loves the world, but it equally hinges on why God loves those whom He loves and who is able to partake in the purpose of His love. This scripture is very easy to run with, which if it’s not properly understood, it will produce a backslider sown in rocky soil; they will spring up and wither away at the first trial or sign of persecution.

No one familiar with the scriptures will argue that God loves the world. Christ made an example of this in His ministry by giving a new commandment to His disciples. This commandment was that His disciples were to love others as He had loved them. This also applies to Christians of today. The Apostle John reflected this commandment in his first letter by saying, “He who does not love, does not know God; for God is love.” God’s love, mercy, and compassion is demonstrated throughout the whole Bible. So the fact that God loves the world is discernible.

The part of John 3:16 that presents the biggest issue is the part that says, “…so that whoever believes in him…” That word, whoever, is a tricky one. It is far too often left out of the explanation of this scripture because it presents a condition by which God gives eternal life. The Greek word from which it is derived is, pas, which can mean all manner of, as many as, every, whoever, etc. Indeed it is all inclusive, but pay particular attention to who this whoever includes. It includes all who believe in Jesus Christ. God loves the world. There’s no argument there. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone will have eternal life. Eternal life is only obtained by those who believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ said that not everyone who says to Him, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Further reading in this chapter of John gives more light to the context of the 16th verse. In verses 17 and 18, Jesus elaborates more on the condition for eternal life. He says that He did not come to the world to condemn (avenge, damn, punish) the world, but to provide a way to salvation and eternal life (for no one may come to the Father, but by Christ) because of the love He has for the world. Then, Christ gives the bitter-sweet truth by saying, “He who believes in him, is not condemned. But he who does not believe, is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.” Christ clearly states the two-fold condition. If someone believes in Him, he is not condemned (avenged, damned, punished); however, if he does not believe in Him, then he has been condemned already, because he did not believe in the name of Jesus Christ. Again, in verse 36, Christ reinforces His statement by saying, “He who believes in the Son, has everlasting life. And he who does not believe the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides upon him.”

God loves the world so much that He sacrificed His only-begotten* Son for the atonement of the sins of His people. The atonement was done by the shedding of Christ’s blood for the remission of sin. The idea behind atonement is that a price must have been paid to satisfy, or fulfill, God’s law given to Moses. By fulfilling the law, Christ paid the price, or the fine, of our breaking God’s holy law by becoming the sacrificial lamb as detailed in the law by Moses. The Lamb of God gave His blood to erase the sins of those who would believe in Him. In other words:

…He has chosen us in Him, before the foundation of the world, so that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to the adoption of children to Himself by Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, in which He has made us accepted in the beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace, in which He has abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He has purposed in Himself; so that in the dispensation of the fullness of times He might collect in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him. In Him we have also obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will; so that we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ, in whom you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also after you believed, you were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

* = God has many sons and daughters, but Christ is God’s only-begotten. This means that Jesus is the only son begotten, or fathered, by God in the sense that Jesus was born of a woman.

References and related scriptures: Matthew 7:21; Luke 8:6, 8:13; John 3:17-18, 3:36, 13:34, 14:6; Ephesians 1:4-14; 1st John 4:8.

Perhaps there are some of you out there with a friend or loved one that is a long distance away and a regular phone call just doesn’t suffice. It’s one thing to hear his or her voice, but to see a face and a smile makes a world of a difference. I am soon to be in such a situation and I wanted to make sure I was going to be able to make the most of my communication with this special person.

To begin, I needed a web camera that was fully supported in Ubuntu. The installation had to be seamless, much like the Apple experience. After doing some research on web camera compatibility with Ubuntu, I decided to hit my local department store and make a selection. The camera I purchased is a Logitech QuickCam Chat. This camera carried a $20 USD price tag (it’s $13.99 on Newegg.com at the time of this writing), so it was budget friendly. The camera also included an earpiece with a microphone. While this earpiece/microphone will do the job, I soon found out that the mic must be held close to the mouth in order to be clearly audible for the listener on the other end. To solve this problem, I picked up a Logitech ClearChat Stereo headset with microphone for about $18 USD ($16.99 on Newegg.com at the time of this writing). That’s all the hardware I needed for this job.

For software, I chose Skype. I have heard that Skype has the best web camera support and ease of use in Linux. Skype also has another benefit: it’s free. Installing Skype is also quite easy. You simply go to Skype.com and download the Ubuntu package and double-click the file to install it via GDebi Package Installer. This is the easy way to install Skype and I recommend this method for those of you who are not comfortable using the command line. However, an alternative installation is better in the long run. Adding a repository for Skype makes it easier to upgrade to future releases. To do so, simply add the necessary repository (use a command line).

• Type: sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list [hit Enter]
• Enter your password or an administrator password
• Arrow down to the very end of the file (past the last line)
• Type: deb http://packages.medibuntu.org/ jaunty free non-free [hit Enter]
• Type: deb-src http://packages.medibuntu.org/ jaunty free non-free
• Hold the Ctrl key and hit the “X” key to quit
• Hit the “Y” key to save the file
• Hit Enter to confirm the location (do not change it)

Now that you’re back at the normal command prompt, you need to add the key for the repository. Here’s how (still at the command prompt):

• Type: wget -q http://packages.medibuntu.org/medibuntu-key.gpg -O- | sudo apt-key add -
• Enter your password or an administrator password (if needed)

Finally, you need to update your repositories, which may take a little time.

• Type: sudo apt-get update [hit Enter]
• Enter your password or an administrator password (if needed)

Once the repositories update, you need to install Skype.

• Type: sudo apt-get install skype [hit Enter]
• Enter your password or an administrator password (if needed)

Skype will finally be downloaded and installed, along with the dependencies it needs. You can find Skype in the Applications menu (Applications->Internet->Skype).

All this command line typing doesn’t seem so “seamless” or anything like the “Apple experience” I described above; however, it does serve a great benefit. In the event that the repository gets an updated version of Skype, your system will automatically know to download and install it through your update manager. Essentially, you’re doing a little more work up front to make future updates simple and nearly automated.

Now, I had the necessary hardware and software for video chatting.

Ubuntu had no problems detecting my camera. I simply plugged it in to a USB port on my computer. It was that simple. To verify that it indeed installed, a simple command is typed in the command prompt.

• Type: lsusb

After typing that command, it will give you output of all of the USB devices on your system. On my system, the camera sowed up as,

• Bus 002 Device 004: ID 046d:08af Logitech, Inc. QuickCam Easy/Cool

After launching Skype (and setting up my account), I verified that Skype indeed recognized my camera. Browsing through the options (Ctrl+O), I see in the Video Devices that Skype recognizes my camera as,

• USB Camera (046d:08af) (dev/video0)

Notice how the 046d:08af part matches in both Skype and that “lsusb” command. This ensures that the camera has been properly detected and is ready for use in Skype. Of course, I had to test this thing out. So, a test call was made. And, viola! A video chat was in session. Everything was working as expected and I was pleased to be able to see the person I was calling. (Oh, yeah, she was excited too. She also is an Ubuntu user with the same setup as I have, except that she’s on a laptop using Hardy (Ubuntu 8.04), and everything worked quite well for her, except for a disappearing buttons issue—a fix is explained in this post.)

This experience has shown me that Linux has come a long way when it comes to installing new software. I have also seen that Linux has a solid base for supporting extra peripherals (i.e. the web camera). Installing the web camera was as seamless as it gets. It was a true plug-and-play experience (unlike the typical plug-and-install-driver-and-additional-software-and-reboot-and-play experience you get with Windows). I must say that I am impressed. I am also excited to see Linux function in such a way that it is easy to use, even for someone without any technical experience. Linux has been touted as the operating system for geeks, but I can see a shift in a direction towards the general user, while still appealing to us geeks. It’s experiences like this that make me confident to recommend Linux, namely, Ubuntu, to people looking to get a new computer.

Exodus 16:15 – “And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna. For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”

This particular scripture has a fantastic parallel. First, I would like to point out a geographic detail concerning this scripture. In the first verse of this chapter, it says, “…and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin…” Think about that for a bit. The children of Israel were in the wilderness of Sin. A wilderness, in this case, is a desert. One of the definitions of a desert, defined by Noah Webster, is, “A deserted or forsaken region; a barren tract incapable of supporting population…” This definition fits quite well given the fact that the wages of sin is death, and that sin is incapable of supporting life.

Now, back to Exodus 16:15, God did something for the children of Israel so that they would not die in the wilderness of Sin: He gave them bread to eat. This bread has a very peculiar quality to it. Jesus Christ spoke of this bread. He was speaking to a group of people, and He said (taken from John 6),

Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Moses did not give you that bread from heaven; but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world. Then they said to him, Lord, always give us this bread. And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me, shall never hunger; and he who believes in me, shall never thirst. But I said to you, That you also have seen me, and do not believe. All who the Father gives me, shall come to me; and him who comes to me, I will in no way reject. For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the Father’s will who has sent me, that of all which he has given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, may have everlasting life. And I will raise him up at the last day.

Now, let’s put two and two together. Whoever commits sin also transgresses the law; for sin is the transgression of the law. While you are in the wilderness of Sin, your life cannot be sustained; therefore, you are dead in sin. God, showing His mercy and compassion, rained down the Bread of Life from Heaven. He sent His only-begotten Son (the Bread of Life), so that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life.

References and related scriptures: Exodus 16:1; John 3:16, 6:31-40; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1, 2:4-5; 1st John 3:4.

Revision 2 of the Revised Common Version of the Holy Bible is now available as a free download. For more information about the RCV and to download the latest version, go to spiceminesofkessel.com/rcv.

Exodus 20:17 – “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his man-servant, his maid-servant, his ox, his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

This is the tenth commandment. It covers the the act of coveting. To covet, as defined by Noah Webster, is to, “…desire inordinately (or disorderly, irregularly, or immoderately); to desire that which it is unlawful to obtain or possess.” This commandment can also be summed up in two words: greed and jealousy.

Matthew Henry gives this commandment distinction by saying, “The others forbid all desire of doing what will be an injury to our neighbour; this forbids all wrong desire of having what will gratify ourselves.”

With that in mind, the desire for something to self gratification can be a stumbling block to transgress the other commandments. For instance, desiring another man’s wife may cause jealousy. Jealousy, in this case, may lead to lust and/or anger: lust for the woman, and/or anger towards the man for not being able to have his wife. Thus, other commandments have been broken. Another instance is the desiring of another man’s possession, such as a car, clothing, job, or even lifestyle. As with the previous instance, this greed may lead to anger; therefore a transgression of the sixth commandment. It may also lead to theft, transgressing the eighth commandment. Coveting things may also lead to the transgression of the first two commandments. The greed or jealousy may consume a man so much that he devotes his affections towards the object being coveted. It is for these reasons that James said in his letter, “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offends in one point, he is guilty of all.”

If you give it some thought, you will see that transgressing one of the ten commandments will also cause a transgression in another. This is why Paul wrote, “Now we know that whatever things the law says, it says to those who are under the law; so that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” No one can be found guiltless under God’s holy law. In other words,

There is no one righteous, not even one.
There is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God.
They have all gone out of the way, they have together become unprofitable. There is no one who does good, not even one.

If all are guilty and no one is good, what hope is there? Well, these commandments show us that sin is exceedingly sinful. In other words, it shows us the severity of our sinful nature. For the scriptures say, “For the wages of sin is death…” Now, the reason we need to understand the severity of our sins is to see that, apart from Christ, no one may gain atonement or forgiveness from sins, or even salvation. Continuing that previous scripture, we see that, “…the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The law reveals to us the paths of life and death. In our depravity, we can only walk the path of death (actually, we can’t even walk because we’re dead in our sins), but it is the Savior, Jesus Christ, who came down from Heaven to show us the way to redemption and allow (or revive) us to walk on the path of life, namely, eternal life.

References and related scriptures: Deuteronomy 5:21; Psalm 14:1-3, 53:1-3; Romans 3:10-12, 3:19, 6:23, 7:13; Ephesians 2:1; James 2:10.

I had purchased a used PowerBook G4 a while back on eBay. I initially installed Mac OS 10.3 Panther, since I have a spare lincense. The machine ran quite well with OS 10.3; however, I kept running into the problem of feeling uninspired to use my PowerBook because of the 20″ iMac with OS 10.5 Leopard installed sitting on my desk. Why would I use the old OS when I have the newer one, and not only that, but on much better hardware? Faced with the dilemma of whether or not to sell my PowerBook, I came across a little treasure that gave me something for this laptop: inspiration*.

Previously, I had attempted to install Ubuntu on this laptop, but I ran into numerous errors during the installation, and frankly, it wasn’t worth the trouble at the time. Soon after the release of Ubuntu 9.04, I checked the PPC download page and saw a download link available. I downloaded it and burned the image to a CD with the hopes of installing it on my laptop. Upon booting to the CD, I was very surprised to see a live CD session typical with all other Ubuntu editions. After noticing that most of the hardware was working, I began the install.

(In past times I did not get a live CD session. I had to attempt the install from a very basic UI, which at first didn’t detect my keyboard, and later, after detecting the keyboard, the CD-Rom drive was not detected. The message read, “No common CD-ROM drive was detected.” The solution is found here.)

To my surprise, the install completed in good time and Ubuntu was asking me if I wanted to reboot or continue using the live CD session. Of course, I rebooted. Shortly after, the computer came to the log-in prompt without a hitch, and after typing in my username and password, I was staring at my new Ubuntu desktop on my PowerBook G4. I was ready to begin.

(If you are attempting to install Ubuntu 9.04 on your PowerPC Mac, I highly suggest you take a few moments and read this FAQ page. You will find a wealth of information to help solve several hardware issues.)

My PowerBook’s specs are as follows (taken from EveryMac.com):

• 1.0 GHz PowerPC 7447 G4, which includes the AltiVec “Velocity Engine” vector processor (Ubuntu clocks it at 998MHz)
• 1.25 GB PC2100 DDR RAM
• 80GB Hard Drive (I updated the hard drive to one that runs more quiet and uses less power. It made a difference.)
• NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 (4X AGP) with 32 MB of DDR SDRAM
• 12.1″ TFT XGA
• 8x ComboDrive
• AirPort Extreme 802.11G (I had previously installed all firmware updates for the AirPort card, which can only be done in OS X. I highly recommend doing this before installing Ubuntu.)

All hardware was detected properly, but the video card and the AirPort card did not work properly. I resolved the AirPort issue by completing the steps for Intrepid (here), then restarting the computer, then installing activating the proprietary driver offered by Ubuntu 9.04, and restarting the computer again. After that, the AirPort card worked just fine. Now, the video card is an unresolved issue because there are no PowerPC drivers for NVIDIA cards (The FAQ link I gave above offers some advice for this issue). Without the video card working properly, I cannot enjoy the great desktop effects offered in Ubuntu. That’s frustrating, but I can live with it.

So, how does Ubuntu compare to OS X on this laptop? This is a very biased question because of course OS X will perform better—after all, OS X was specifically built to run on this hardware. However, do not let that discourage you. Ubuntu is no push-over on this laptop. In my opinion, Ubuntu can perform almost as good or just as good as OS X, sans the video driver issue. In my personal experience, Ubuntu has performed better than OS X in a few key areas. The most notable one is OpenOffice. Ubuntu handles OpenOffice much more efficiently than OS X on this laptop. I use OpenOffice quite frequently, so this is a big win in my case. Another performance victory for Ubuntu is with the use of large text files, such as those weighing in at 4MB+. Searching such text files for a very specific search query in OS X (I even experience this on my new iMac) is accompanied with a several second (up to 10 seconds) delay to search. However, searching the exact same text file for the exact same search query in Ubuntu tells a different story. I expected a delay, but what I got was a completed search before I took my hand off of the mouse. That’s what I call fast. (This same search done in Windows took even longer than OS X, often informing me that the text editor (I was not using Notepad) had stopped responding.)

The bottom line is that if you have an older Apple computer, or even a new one, and you don’t want to use or buy OS X for it, give Ubuntu a try. You won’t be disappointed. Another thing to note is that a new copy of OS X (Leopard is the only one available at the time of this writing) will cost you between $109-$129, depending on the reseller. You may also descry an older version on eBay for about half that price, if you’re lucky, as often OS X is greatly marked up on eBay selling for up to $200. Ubuntu, on the other hand, is simply free, as in $0. It only takes a little time to download.

Other Resources:

• Check out the Apple forum on the Ubuntu Forums website. You will find many answers to questions you may have concerning Ubuntu on Apple computers. You can also join the forum and get help with your own issues.
• Download the free e-book, Ubuntu Pocket Guide and Reference by Keir Thomas. This book is one of my favorite beginner Ubuntu books, if not my favorite. It is well written and I enjoyed reading every page of the book.

* = DISCLAIMER: I am what the world considers a Mac “fanboy” or “evangelist”; however, I was a fan of linux long before I ever owned a Mac. Using Ubuntu 9.04 has also given me inspiration to revisit my old hobby of building computers. If all goes to plan, I will look to be doing that in the near future. The newly built computer will be a home for none other than Ubuntu Linux.

Exodus 20:16 – “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.”

The ninth commandment deals specifically with lying. Lying, as defined by Noah Webster, is, “to tell a falsehood.” A lie is defined as, “A falsehood uttered or acted for the purpose of deception; an intentional violation of truth; an untruth spoken with the intention to deceive.”

God sees lying as a serious offense. In fact, it carries the same punishment as murder, idolatry, and unbelief. This is noted in Revelation 21:8, which says, “But the fearful, unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, lewd men, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” That said lake is also known as hell.

That sounds like a harsh punishment for what might seem to be a mere lie, but God’s holy law was designed to be perfect so that, “…every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Now, the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient—liars included. It breaks and humbles a high, proud, callous, or hardened heart to receive the gospel of Christ.

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being testified by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ to all, and upon all those who believe; for there is no difference; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare at this time his righteousness, so that he may be just, and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus.

References and related scriptures: Deuteronomy 5:20; Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11, 18:14; Romans 3:19, 3:21-26; 1st Timothy 1:9-10; Revelation 21:8.

Exodus 20:15 – “You shall not steal.”

This is the eighth commandment. It addresses the act of theft. Noah Webster defined theft as, “The act of stealing; specifically, the felonious taking and removing of personal property, with an intent to deprive the rightful owner of the same.”

Not much more needs to be said; however, Paul had given some advice to thieves in his letter to the Ephesians. In Ephesians 4:28, Paul says, Let him who stole steal no more, but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, so that he may have to give to him who needs.” In saying this, Paul is giving a good example of how someone can repent. Even though this example deals with theft, it could easily be applied to any sin. In a nutshell, repentance is, according to Noah Webster, “..a change of mind, or a conversion from sin to God.” This fits quite well with Paul’s advice. Paul tells thieves to cease their thievery (a change of mind). Then he instructs thieves to work for good and to give to the needy. This is not only a change of mind, but also a conversion from the works of a sinner to the works of God by doing good work.

Thievery is a sin. It is a transgression of God’s holy law. A thief, as Paul stated in his first letter to the Corinthians, shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

(A note must be inserted here. Be advised that repenting and doing good works will not atone for your sins or gurantee you a place in Heaven. Atonement for sins and salvation may only be obtained through the shedding of Christ’s blood. For by grace you are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, lest any man should boast.)

References and related scriptures: Deuteronomy 5:19; 1st Corinthians 6:10; Ephesians 2:8-9, 4:28.

Exodus 20:14 – “You shall not commit adultery.”

This is the seventh commandment. It deals specifically with adultery. Noah Webster defined adultery as, “Violation of the marriage bed; all manner of lewdness or unchastity; idolatry, or apostasy from the true God.” In addition, Webster said, “In common usage, adultery means the unfaithfulness of any married person to the marriage bed.”

As with the previous commandment, this one is self explanatory, but requires further explanation. Christ had given His interpretation of adultery during His sermon on the mount. He said:

You have heard that it was said to them of old time, You shall not commit adultery: But I say to you, That whoever looks at a woman to lust after her, has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Again, Jesus directs the commandments to the heart to show the perfectness of God’s law and His holiness. He has interpreted adultery as not only the act fornication, but also simply thinking about the act, or lusting. Looking at another person with sexual desire is the same as having fulfilled that sexual desire with that person. This, according to Jesus, is adultery.

Another aspect of adultery was given in one of Noah Webster’s definitions of adultery. In that, he had defined adultery as idolatry. His reference for this definition comes from the third chapter of The Book of Jeremiah, specifically verse 9. In that chapter, God is accusing Israel of playing the harlot (i.e. idolatry and adultery) with her backslidings, and essentially setting her affections on idols and not God.

Now, back to Jesus’ sermon on the mount. Notice what Jesus said after He interpreted adultery. He said:

And if your right eye shall cause you to sin, pluck it out, and cast it from you; for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell. And if your right hand shall cause you to sin, cut it off, and cast it from you; for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.

These are very bold statements to make. However, these statements couldn’t be more true. Jesus is saying that you are to get rid of whatever causes you to sin, or whatever takes you away from God. He’s not necessarily telling you to pluck out your eye or cut off your hand, but the implication is that you are to completely separate from whatever causes you to sin, no matter how painful it may seem. For the immediate pain of a lost hand is nothing compared to the eternal pain in hell.

A final point on adultery is on the matter of divorce. Jesus considered adultery and divorce to be on the same level. He said:

It has been said, Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: But I say to you, That whoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of lewdness, causes her to commit adultery: and whoever shall marry her who is divorced, commits adultery.

And later He said:

Have you not read, that he who made them, at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and the two of them shall be one flesh? Therefore they are no more two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, do not let man tear asunder… Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, allowed you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you, Whoever shall put away his wife, except for lewdness, and shall marry another, commits adultery: and whoever marries her who is put away, commits adultery.

Jesus understood the sanctity of marriage and the vows which a marriage requires and that God created the holy establishment of marriage between one man and one woman. The reason divorce and adultery are on the same level is because God has ordained marriage and, “…what God has joined together, do not let man tear asunder.”

Sin is the transgression of the law. Paul said in his letter to the Romans that, “…whatever things the law says, it says to those who are under the law:  so that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” If you break the law in one area, you break the whole law. This is the perfect standard of God’s law. It proves the point that, “…all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Therefore, Christ came to the world, and died on the cross to pay the debt of our sins in His life’s blood, so that we may be saved by grace through faith in Him.

References and related scriptures: Deuteronomy 5:18; Jeremiah 3:9; Matthew 5:27-32, 19:4-9; Romans 3:19; Ephesians 2:8; James 2:10; 1st John 3:4.

Exodus 20:13 – “You shall not kill.”

We are now to the sixth commandment. This commandment deals specifically with murder. Noah Webster defined murder as, “The act of unlawfully killing a human being with premeditated malice, by a person of sound mind.” He then followed the definition with a little commentary. He said, “To constitute murder in law, the person killing another must be of sound mind or in possession of his reason, and the act must be done with malice prepense, aforethought or premeditated; but malice may be implied, as well as express.”

This commandment is quite self explanitory, but it does beg a certain amount of commentary. This commandment defines murder in the law; however, Christ gave His interpretation of murder during His ministry. Christ’s interpretation was this:

You have heard that it was said to them of old time, You shall not kill; and whoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say to you, That whoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment: and whoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whoever shall say, You fool, shall be in danger of hell-fire.

(Raca is an interpreted Aramaic word that basically means, “you worthless…” for utter vilification.)

Christ’s interpretation of this commandment is very interesting. He’s defining transgressors, even before a person’s life is taken, by equating murder to the act of hating someone, speaking defamatory things about someone, or even being angry at someone without cause. This interpretation gives light to the perfectness of God’s holy and just law. It demonstrates that the law bypasses actions and is aimed directly at the heart and conscience.

References and related scriptures: Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:12; Leviticus 24:17; Deuteronomy 5:17; Matthew 5:21-22.