Text: Deuteronomy 5:1-33; Romans 1:21-32; 3:21-26
Central Truth: The Scriptures reveal God’s message to society.
Focus: Analyze the role of God’s Word in society and commit to live according to His Word.
Memory Verse: “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you” (Deut. 5:33).
OUTLINE:
I. THE BIBLE PRESENTS GOD’S COMMANDMENTS (Deut. 5:6-22, 32-33)
II. THE BIBLE WARNS OF SIN’S CONSEQUENCES (Rom. 1:21-32)
III. THE BIBLE REVEALS A FORGIVING GOD (Rom. 3:21-26)
To get the most from this lesson, it will be helpful to read a couple of additional passages. Exodus 20 gives us the first reference to the Ten Commandments. Not only does this chapter express the law of God, it is also a moral code that may be applied to all people anywhere, at any time, and under any circumstance. Also, Deuteronomy 3 and 4 offer background information helpful to getting a clear picture of what Moses is presenting in chapter 5. In these chapters. we are given a picture of God himself and of His nature. They also offer a glimpse of the divine purpose toward those He has designated as His chosen people, the Israelites. Moses pleaded with them to recognize Jehovah as their God and to be obedient to His commandments. The message Moses began in chapter 5 continues through chapter 26.
The Ten Commandments impact American society as being the basis for many of our laws. Some refuse to acknowledge that reality. Others would like to banish the appearance of these divine instructions from any public display, although (and perhaps because) they came from the heart, mind, and hand of God. May that day never come when they succeed in doing so.
Then the lesson takes us to the Book of Romans, where we find a society that has not only forgotten God, but has abandoned Him altogether. In chapter 1, we find what it is like when the wrath of God is poured out on the unrighteousness of individuals and nations. We are given a picture of a people in ruin. Not only does it speak to the Romans, but to humankind in general, apart from the grace of God.
The Book of Romans also points out the remedy available to all who will appropriate it to themselves, whether Jew or Gentile. This redemption is found in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and is freely given to all who come to Him in faith. Paul expressed this hope in 1:16: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
I. THE BIBLE PRESENTS GOD’S COMMANDMENTS (Deut. 5:6-22, 32-33)
A. Our Relationship With God (vv. 6-15)
(Deuteronomy 5:9-10, 13-15 is not included in the printed text.)
6 I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 7 Thou shalt have none other gods before me. 8 Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth. 11 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 12 Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.
On Mount Horeb, God makes a covenant with Israel. Not only were the Israelites to learn its decrees and regulations, they were to be “careful to do them” (see v. 1 ESV). This was not a covenant with their ancestors only, but it included all those who were alive (v. 3). It was designed to govern their lives as it had the lives of their fathers. Through Moses, God reminded the Israelites that He had a sovereign right to establish laws designed to govern them. Those laws are summarized in verses 16-22, which restate the Ten Commandments, with slight variations, from Exodus 20.
God requires His people to worship Him only (Deut. 5:7). They are reminded that He brought them out of Egypt (v. 6), and He was to be served exclusively. There was no room to worship pagan gods. In Mark 12:30, Jesus supported Moses’ conclusion about devotion to God alone. He said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”
The worship of idols of any kind is strongly prohibited in the second commandment (Deut. 5:8-10). Some say there are more references to this commandment in the Bible than any of the others, which speaks to its importance. Worshiping man-made images in the place of God, or even as an aid in the worship of God, was to be severely punished. On the other hand, faithfulness in the genuine worship of God was richly rewarded.
Using the Lord’s name for any worthless or frivolous purpose is prohibited by the third commandment (v. 11). Jesus endorsed this commandment in His model prayer. He said, “Hallowed be thy name” (Matt. 6:9). The name of God was considered so sacred in ancient times that rabbis would not even pronounce it in the reading of the Scriptures. Yet many people today use His name in profanity and some people make presumptuous claims to do things in the name of God, although they do not have His approval or authority.
The fourth commandment is based on the divine pattern set in the creation of the world. God worked six days and rested on the seventh (Deut. 5:12). This Sabbath rest called for respite from all ordinary labor that was not essential to life. In response to the Pharisees’ developing their own extreme interpretations of how the Sabbath was to be kept, Jesus told them, “The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
1. List three truths about God from verses 6-10.
2. What does it mean to “take the name of the Lord . . . in vain” (v. 11)?
3. How is the Sabbath applicable to Christians today?
“Four of the Ten Commandments deal with our relationship to God while the other six deal with our relationships with people. But all ten are about relationships.”—Rick Warren
B. Our Relationship With One Another (vv. 16-21)
16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 17 Thou shalt not kill. 18 Neither shalt thou commit adultery. 19 Neither shalt thou steal. 20 Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour. 21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.
The fifth commandment sets forth a person’s duties to his or her parents (v. 16). This is the first of the commandments that speaks to an individual’s relation to other people. The charge is for children to treat their parents with loving obedience and due reverence. The apostle Paul labeled this “the first commandment with a promise”—the promise of “long life” (Eph. 6:2-3 NIV). Long life is a blessing if that person lives those years in service for Christ.
The sixth commandment prohibits murdering another human being (Deut. 5:17). Murder means to take one’s life illegally. This has nothing to do with capital punishment or soldiers going to war. Both of these things are regulated in the Books of the Law. The Scriptures leave room for Christians to support the state in the defense of its citizens and the execution of its most violent criminals (see Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17).
The seventh commandment teaches that the wedding vow should not be violated by sexual infidelity under any circumstances (Deut. 5:18). From the time of its divine institution, God intended marriage to be a permanent and devoted relationship between a man and a woman (see Gen. 2:24). In this age of a “new morality,” which is really immorality, God’s standard of morality has not changed. The home is still a place where love between husband and wife should reflect the love Christ has for the Church (see Eph. 5:22-33).
The eighth commandment prohibits stealing (Deut. 5:19). Stealing can take many forms, including theft, breaking and entering a dwelling with the intent of committing a crime, embezzlement, bribery, and a myriad of other things that are outside the law and a crime against humanity. This command calls for respect for the property of others, which is essential for a stable society.
The ninth commandment condemns bearing false testimony against someone, which could damage their reputation (v. 20). In open society, it may be classified as gossip; in a court of law, it may rise to the crime of perjury. By repeating rumors we have heard that can be harmful to someone, we become guilty of assisting and promoting that which might be false. God says that is wrong.
The tenth commandment teaches us to covet nothing that belongs to another person, whether it is large or small (v. 21). Simply put, we are not to covet anything that is not ours. While the other nine commandments deal with outward behavior, this commandment deals with our attitude. In The Wesleyan Bible Commentary, Howard A. Hanke wrote: “Here is an Old Testament anticipation of a basic New Testament principle—that sin really lies in the heart and not in the hands, in a man’s attitude before his actions, in his desires before his deeds, in his motives before his manners. The violation of the Tenth Commandment can lead to the violation of the other nine.”
1. What are ways even adults should honor their parents?
2. How can breaking the command in verse 21 lead to breaking the commands in verses 17-20?
“God is more interested in your future and your relationships than you are.”—Billy Graham
C. Responding to the Commandments (vv. 22-33)
(Deuteronomy 5:22-33 is not included in the printed text.)
When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He spoke audibly and so loudly that His voice could be heard by the congregation of Israel. When He had finished speaking, He wrote the Commandments on “two tables of stone” and gave them to Moses (v. 22).
The Israelites had heard the voice of God and were astonished that they were still alive (vv. 24-26). Hanke wrote: “Since the camp of Israel was located in a deep valley between two mountains, the reverberations of Jehovah’s voice must have been awe-inspiring and fearful. His voice would echo and re-echo all along the valley.”
Then the people told Moses if God had anything more to say, they would prefer that He told it to Moses and let Moses communicate it to them (v. 27). They said they would accept what Moses conveyed to them as coming from the mouth of God. Do we read the Bible with the understanding that, through its pages, God is speaking and we must be ready to obey Him?
The people assured Moses that they would receive the words God had spoken through him and do whatever was required of them. These were not just any people; they were the people God had chosen from among the nations to be His own. As such, they of all people had a great responsibility to serve God. Since Christ has chosen us, don’t we have a similar obligation?
1. Describe the heart God wants His people to have (v. 29).
2. Describe Moses’ relationship with God (vv. 31-33).
“We need to realize that in all things our first duty and responsibility is to God himself.”—Harry Ironside
II. THE BIBLE WARNS OF SIN’S CONSEQUENCES (Rom. 1:21-32)
A. God’s Displeasure (vv. 21-25)
(Romans 1:22-24 is not included in the printed text.)
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Virtually every major doctrine of the church is addressed in the Book of Romans. The primary message of this book is that all humanity needs to be saved, and salvation is available to everyone, without cost, for all who will put their trust in Jesus Christ. The first eleven chapters are doctrinal in nature and point the way to redemption. Beginning with chapter 12, Paul has a practical message that points the way to a better life in Christ.
The apostle had a burning desire to preach the Gospel in Rome (1:14-15). He had an unwavering faith that the Gospel was the power of God that brings salvation to all who believe (v. 16). Those who believe on Christ find forgiveness and are clothed in His righteousness (v. 17).
In verse 18, Paul turns his attention to those who have rejected the Gospel and chosen to go their own way. He speaks of a society that has lost its way and is dominated by wicked people. From heaven, an all-seeing God reveals how angry He is with the ungodliness and unrighteousness of humanity. Sin has left people in ruin and beyond repair, apart from Christ. What was true of the Roman community is true of the entire human race when it is in rebellion against the Lord.
Paul is writing to a people who had a knowledge of God, and who therefore knew what was right, but whose wicked heart led them to idolatrous worship. They claimed to be lovers of wisdom but were, in reality, “foolish” and “vain in their imaginations” (v. 21). Paul addressed such a condition in his letter to the Corinthians: “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).
What startling words these are in Romans 1:24: “God . . . gave them up.” He left them to face the foolishness of their ways. The result was that they stooped to a life of degradation that manifested itself in the lowest and most disgusting forms of lust (vv. 23-24). In addition to sexual impurity, they “changed the truth of God into a lie” by turning from the worship of God to worship idols, serving “the creature more than the Creator” (v. 25). The truth is that people can find lasting fulfillment only by worshiping and serving God.
How does this passage describe the attitudes and actions of foolish people?
“One of two things you must do—you must either receive Him or reject Him. You receive Him here and He will receive you there; you reject Him here and He will reject you there.”—D. L. Moody
B. Sensual Behavior (vv. 26-28)
(Romans 1:26-27 is not included in the printed text.)
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.
Note the words: “For this cause God gave them up” (v. 26). Their choice of idols over God led to all sorts of impurity. Their decision not to glorify God as God had a practical impact on their conduct. Paul is candid in his discussion of sexual perversions. He specifically speaks of lesbianism and male homosexuality (vv. 26-27). Jude wrote: “Don't forget Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring towns, which were filled with immorality and every kind of sexual perversion. Those cities were destroyed by fire and serve as a warning of the eternal fire of God's judgment” (v. 7 NLT).
This sensual behavior was common among the Romans and often spoken of without any sense of shame. To the contrary, they were proud of their sexual deviance. Tragically, the same thing is happening in Western society today.
In his commentary on Romans, James Montgomery Boice wrote: “Sex is a wonderful gift, a gift imparted to the human race by God. It is a gift to be enjoyed. But it is to be enjoyed within the bonds of marriage, not outside of marriage and, above all, not in casual entanglements. If it is, the result is always what Paul declares it will be, namely, impurity.”
The only natural sexual relationship the Word recognizes is a heterosexual one (sex between a man and a woman) within marriage. In response to a question put to Him by the Pharisees, Jesus answered: “Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder” (Matt. 19:4-6).
Paul declared that those who abandon this Biblical truth and choose to walk in their own way will become more and more corrupt and face the consequences of loving darkness and refusing to walk in the light. God will abandon them to a reprobate mind to do unmentionable deeds—“things that should never be done” (Rom. 1:28 NLT).
How does this passage characterize homosexual behavior?
“Sordid and infamous sensuality, the most dreadful evil that issued from the box of Pandora, corrupts the entire heart and eradicates every virtue.”—Francois Fenelon
C. Unbridled Wickedness (vv. 29-32)
(Romans 1:29-31 is not included in the printed text.)
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
The characteristics of those who have been given over to a reprobate mind are described in the remaining verses of this chapter. The bottom line is that they have become an unrighteous people and all the evils mentioned spring from their unrighteousness. Such unrighteousness gives rise to all manner of wickedness that knows no bounds. Among these evildoers are “whisperers” (v. 29), who speak evil of others privately. “Backbiters” (v. 30) do the same thing publicly. Whisperers might be worse than backbiters because they give the person being slandered against no recourse to defend themselves.
People who love unrighteousness are “haters of God” (v. 30). They do not like His government over them or His righteous rule. Another characteristic of such people is they cannot be reasoned with; they are irreconcilable and vindictive. Furthermore, they cannot be trusted to honor any contract they signed (v. 31). Also, they are “unmerciful,” showing no compassion for anyone who is in distress.
Paul tells us that those who live by these standards not only know their deeds are wrong, but they are also aware that such conduct comes under the judgment of God and is deserving of death (v. 32). Yet, they persist in their vile lifestyle. How many of our generation are leaving God out of their lives and are guilty of the same evils Paul lists in this passage?
How is sin celebrated in secular society, and why?
“The world’s corruption is a result of its defiance.”—Warren Wiersbe
A. Faith in Christ (vv. 21-22)
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference.
No one other than Jesus Christ has ever, or will ever, find acceptance with God based on their own merit. But there is a righteousness that does not depend on the perfect keeping of the Law. This righteousness was spoken of in the Old Testament—“the law and the prophets” (v. 21). “The law” refers to the first five books of the Bible, and “the prophets” take in the rest of the Old Testament.
Abram is an example of an Old Testament character who was counted righteous through faith. “Abram believed the Lord. And the Lord accepted Abram's faith, and that faith made him right with God” (Gen. 15:6 NCV). David is another example. He addressed this issue in Psalm 32, to which Paul referred when he wrote: “Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” (Rom. 4:6-8).
If we cannot earn salvation by our works, how may we acquire redemption? All were guilty under the Law, but even the Old Testament does not leave us there; it points us to forgiveness through Christ our Savior. Salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Faith in Him is the means whereby we are justified in His sight. The divine plan is that “all” who “believe” in Christ shall be saved (3:22). Every sincere believer, whether Jew or Gentile, is included in His plan. None can be saved by works; all are dependent on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus.
What does God do “to all who believe” (v. 22 NIV)?
“Nothing that we are and nothing that we can do enters in the slightest measure into the ground of our acceptance with God. Jesus did it all.”—B. B. Warfield
B. God’s Standard (vv. 23-24)
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
When it comes to the nature and extent of sinfulness, “all have sinned”—both the best and the worst of people (v. 23). Solomon said, “There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not” (Eccl. 7:20). John wrote, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us” (1 John 1:10).
The apostle Paul declares sin to be falling “short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). God has set a standard for living, and sin does not meet that standard.
In Exploring Romans, John Phillips illustrated his point. “Two men went to the recruiting office in London to join a guards regiment. The standard height for a guardsman was a minimum of six feet. One man was taller than the other; but when they were measured officially, both were disqualified. The shorter of the two measured only five feet seven inches and was far too short; his companion measured five feet eleven and a half inches and, stretch to his utmost as he did, he could not make it any more. Nor did his pleas avail. It mattered nothing that his father was a guardsman, that he promised to be a good soldier, that he had already memorized the drills and knew army regulations by heart. He was short of the standard.”
Some people fall far short of the standard God has set, while others are so close to the mark but not close enough. When we are measured by God’s standard, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
The only remedy for fallen humanity is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and have our sins blotted out. In the shedding of His blood on Calvary, Jesus Christ paid the debt we could not pay. He suffered and died for our sins, and God will accept His atoning sacrifice in behalf of all who believe in Him. We can be “justified freely by his grace” (v. 24).
Describe the human dilemma (v. 23) and the cure (v. 24).
“All men alike stand condemned, not by alien codes of ethics, but by their own, and all men therefore are conscious of guilt.”—C. S. Lewis
C. Justified by Faith (vv. 25-26)
25 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; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
As John 3:16 declares, God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to make the atonement for our sins. Through the sacrificial death of Jesus, salvation was made available to humankind. Christ’s death completely satisfied God’s requirements against sinners and removed the wrath of God from those who believe. One great hymn puts everything into perspective:
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
God does not take sin lightly. So, how can He be just and the Justifier of those who believe in Jesus? Paul addressed that issue: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21). In this action, justice is fully satisfied. Because of Christ’s substitutionary death, justice no longer stood in the way of God justifying those who turn to Christ. He took our place on the cross. He died “the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). The sinless Christ died, not for Himself, but for a lost world.
“Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, and eternal life by virtue of God’s grace.”—Charles Spurgeon
How can we be “justified in the sight of God”? The means to being justified is to be united to Christ by faith. When we accept Christ as our personal Savior, God declares us to be no longer under condemnation, but to be in a right standing before Him. Have you experienced this wonderful work of grace in your life?
“YE SHALL WALK IN ALL THE WAYS WHICH THE LORD YOUR GOD HATH COMMANDED YOU, THAT YE MAY LIVE, AND THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU” (Deut. 5:33).
If a person lives for God, “a long life is a great blessing . . . because it is in life, and in life alone, that a preparation for eternal glory may be acquired. Those who wish to die soon, have never yet learned to live, and know not the value of life or time. Many have a vain hope that they shall get either in death, or in the other world, a preparation for glory. This is a fatal error. Here, alone, we may acquaint ourselves with God, and receive that holiness without which none can see Him.”—Adam Clarke