Scriptural Studies Personal Studies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

So, the 4th Commandment, the Sabbath day. This is perhaps my biggest pet-peeve about the Christian world. Everyone who claims to be a Christian should follow and obey the Ten Commandments. Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven” (see Matthew 5:17-19). The “law” and the “prophets” that he refers to are the laws from the Old Testament, including the Ten Commandments. True he came to fulfil the law, to bring us to a higher level of living and being, but these basic Ten Commandments must still be followed. They are stepping stones, so that once we have mastered them, we can move on to mastering others.

Yet, most of the Christian world does not follow this 4th Commandment. Maybe I am harsh, but society used to be a measure of mainstream Christianity, and, well, society definitely does not follow this Commandment, nor any of them, really. I wonder if the teachers and preachers in other denominations, other than the LDS, teach the commandment to keep the Sabbath day holy. If they do, the people aren’t obedient.

There is so much to discover and learn about this commandment, that it’s a bit overwhelming. It’s so clear and plain in the scriptures, I’m confused how so many people can’t/won’t/don’t follow it. It is basic; don’t work on the Sabbath. In fact, don’t even make others work. If you have animals that work for you, don’t let them work either! Pretty simple.

Then there’s the issue of which day is the Sabbath. If the week has always been Sunday through Saturday, then at the time the Ten Commandments were given, the Sabbath would fall on Saturday. Saturday would be the seventh day, the day God rested after creating the heavens, the earth and all living things. It’s interesting, and important to note, that God says he rested from his labors. He proclaims the work good, even very good, but he doesn’t say it’s done. The creator is Jesus Christ, and his work is not done with the Creation. The last words of Jesus, as he was on the Cross and completing his earthly life and therefore the closing stages of the Atonement, where “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34), then “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46), and finally, “It is finished” (John 19:30). That was when Jesus could say that he “finish[ed God's] work” (John 4:34). With the Resurrection happening on the Sunday, the Sabbath was moved by the Christian believers to Sunday in honor and remembrance of the Atonement and Resurrection. Sunday is now the Sabbath, and should be a day of rest, a day of no worldly work, and a day to remember and honor and worship our Savior Jesus Christ.

Then there is the matter of what, specifically, one should and should not do on the Sabbath. Many a list can be made, but basically, we are to do that which worships and serves God. This, again, is a commandment for us to be able to focus on God.

So what problems can be solved when this commandment is followed? Well, I think our society here in America is suffering much from the lack of following this commandment. When the Sabbath has proper place in our lives, we will find that we are more focused on God and others rather than ourselves. What do most people do instead of worship and serve on the Sabbath? They work or do recreational activities. They work to get gain, improve their financial standing, they work to get money, money to buy things. It is something focused on self, the root cause is pride. Or they do recreational things, again the root of it is pride, being selfish. If businesses kept their doors closed on the sabbath, and if people worshiped God and served others on that day, then the businesses would do better (there are many a story of this), and people would be focused on others, people would be more happy, the family would begin to be more central in people’s lives again. The sabbath is about putting priorities in place, putting God’s ways above our own.

I read 2 Nephi chapter 31 recently, and was struck by the simple and pure and direct way it explains the doctrine of Christ. The testimony of the doctrine of Christ in 2 Nephi 31 is this:

• Jesus lived and does live
• Jesus was a perfect example. He was even baptized to show the importance of baptism and the importance of being obedient. We might feel that some commandments and rules do not apply to us, but Jesus showed the example that we should obey all the commandments of God.
• Follow God’s commandments.
• Repent
• Be baptized in the name of Jesus
• Receive the Holy Ghost
• Endure to the end.

The message is so pure and simple that it can be found in just two verses, 17 and 20. Again, the Doctrine of Christ is:

1. Repentence
2. Baptism
3. Holy Ghost
4. Press Forward – keep the commandments
5. Feast on the words of Christ
6. Endure to the end

What a blessing to have the Gospel, the Doctrine of Christ laid out so plainly and clearly. I’m not sure if it is so concise and clear in the other scriptures. Some day I’ll have to look through and see.

A couple of thoughtful questions first.

Why?

What do we learn or lose by following or breaking this commandment?

It’s not that the Lord will get his feelings hurt or anything like that. I think it has more to do with us taking control of ourselves. James 1:26 and all of chapter 3 are great reminders that what we say has important consequences.

“If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain.”

“If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”

“Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”

Speaking is an action, it is doing. It can’t be undone. And with Mormon 7:7 and 3 Nephi 27:19 in mind (only the guiltless and unclean are to dwell with God eternally and receive salvation), we see that if we can not control our language, or more specifically, if we talk bad or misuse the name of the very person who is giving us eternal life, then we do not deserve to receive the gift of Atonement from him.

If everybody were to practice control over their language, beginning with not taking the Lord’s name in vain, then there would be less harsh words, less vulgarity, less mocking of things sacred. More importantly, we would have to acknowledge our dependence and relationship with God. We would show proper respect to our God and creator by not misusing his name. Our relationship with God and with others would be better if we practiced self-control of our language. Our communication would be clearer and more accurate, there would be less misunderstanding between people, and more respect for others.

In the Topical guide, I see two messages regarding “graven images”.

1. Image worship was the religion of the people who were not God’s chosen, the Israelites, in the time of the Old Testament. So we must be wary to not practice the religion of the “others” in the sense that it is not the religion of Jesus Christ. Everyone that does not worship Jesus and Heavenly Father provide opposition, an alternative choice, to test and prove. We must decide not to worship idols.
2. The New Testament marks a transition in the Topical Guide where “image” goes from referring to idol worship to referring to the mold or ideal that we were modeled after and should be striving to achieve. Romans 8:29 starts it off… “conform to the image of his Son”. D&C 1:16 reminds us that everybody walks after the image of their god. That means that they seek to emulate, they strive to become like, look like, talk like, think like, act like the person, place or thing that they hold up to be ideal. Everyone does it. We pick an ideal and seek to emulate it. We do this consciously and subconsciously.

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The first commandment given in the Ten Commandments is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20: 3)

So, how will having no other gods before God solve problems? First of all, keep in mind the second and fourth requirements. This commandment is for everybody, whether Jew, Gentile, Muslim, Christian, atheist, Buddhist, or what have you. One of the fundamental principles of this commandment is the need to focus on one great goal, and if everybody is working towards that same goal, there is a greater chance for harmony and peace. I might even suggest that we take the world as it is now. There are many different religions, we each believe in a God, yet in perhaps different terms. Following this commandment, as it applies to each individuals religion (as set forth by that individuals standard and set forth religious beliefs), will help those individuals focus on that which is most important. I’m no scholar on any religion but my own, but I think it’s safe to say, if everybody put their God first, as He and their religions truly suggest, then there would be less bickering, less immorality, less deceit, less selfishness.

The Golden Calf

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Here’s a poem I wrote to hand out with the chocolate bars we gave to the women folk in the Ward today.

“Because God is not with us now, He gave us each a mother.
And from our birth, throughout the days, she loves us like no other;
To heal a scratch, to wipe a tear, to teach of grace and love.
A mother is a window to the Heaven up above.”

It’s an original.

I think this might be the final point or qualifier before I actually delve into the Commandments themselves. The final point to keep in mind when applying the Ten Commandments to all of the problems in the world, is that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament.

4. Jesus is the God of the Old Testament

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Elder Dieter Uchtdorf spoke about the way of a disciple of Jesus Christ in the Sunday Morning Session of General Conference a week ago. The first part of his message fits nicely with my thoughts on how the Ten Commandments can solve all world problems.

3. Participation and patients is required.

In order for the Ten Commandments to solve all of the problems in the world, they must be actively applied by all individuals, each and every day. This also requires an understanding that solutions will not come instantly, but will require time. Dieter Uchtdorf explains these principles while talking about the Gospel of Jesus Christ generally, but they also apply to the Ten Commandments.

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2. The Ten Commandments are for everybody.

I will continue to look at the Ten Commandments and how they can solve all of the world’s problems. I am relying heavily on a talk given by Steven R. Covey at Brigham Young University on 27 May 1975 (see here), for introductory parameters that must be kept in mind for the Commandments to supply the answers to the world’s problems. This is simply because it happens to be the talk I was listening to when this idea came to me. I will use other talks, scriptures, and such throughout this series. The first post looked at how the Ten Commandments are but a stepping stone to receiving more detailed and personal revelation. This post will look at how the Ten Commandments can, and should, be followed by everybody on the planet, at all times of human existence.

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Licensed from Daniel Kelly Ogden, September 2002.

I want to study the ten commandments and relate how following them will solve all of the worlds problems.

A few things to note first about the commandments in general.

1. The ten commandments are preparatory laws.

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