Proverbs 14:34: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
God gave us commandments to follow. He began with a two-fold command that we call The Great Commandment, “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Everything in the law can be contained in that. [Matthew 22:37-38]
God gave Moses 10 Commandments. They are simple and straightforward. The first five speak of our responsibility to God, the second five of our responsibility to others, just like the Great Commandment does. [Exodus 20]
In our society we have a myriad of laws that regulate our actions, most are based on the Ten Commandments. (Do not murder, steal, lie [perjury], etc.)
How often I have heard it said that if we obeyed that Great Commandment, we would not need the Ten Commandments, and if we obeyed the Ten Commandments, we would not need thousands of laws to regulate our behavior.
But we do not obey. We are a people born with the disgrace of sin who sin. Our sin is not based upon our color, our social status, our positions, our political affiliation, our ancestry, or our monetary resources. Our sin flows from hearts that are not right with God, hearts that have no love nor concern for others. We may point fingers at others, but when we do, there will always be one pointing back at us.
That is not social commentary, nor political analysis. That is our spiritual – our heart’s condition. And it will remain such unless we confess our unrighteousness and surrender our hearts to God. Christ Jesus opened the gate of righteousness to us, but we need to walk through it.
