Part 6 - By Dr. Adrian Rogers
The Commandments Of God
"All these have I observed from my youth..."
Long ago, a king went beneath the deck of a great ship to interview the slaves who were chained to the oars
He asked one man, "Why are you here?"
"I'm here because I wan an innocent bystander when a crime was committed."
The king went to another. "Why are you here?"
"I'm suffering for the crimes of a business associate. I was falsely accused."
He asked another, "Why are you here?"
"I'm here because someone lied about me and put me in this place."
He asked one more, "Why are you here?"
"I'm here because I've sinned against heaven, and against my king. I'm a criminal." He named off his dastardly deeds and said, "Now I'm suffering the just reward of my sinful life."
When the king heard that, he said, "You knave, you rascal, you felon! What are you doing here among so many (honest) people? Guards, come and release him and get him out of here."
So it is with our God! He rewards our honesty. Before we can be saved, we must stop creating alibis. Like the young ruler, we try to obey the commandments. But, obeying the law and having moral purity is not the same as what I call "Authentic Christianity."
The second thing Jesus emphasized were the commandments of God. In Mark 10:10, Jesus said, "Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor thy father and mother." After Jesus revealed the character of God. He told the commandments of God. Why? Because if God is a holy God, then He will have holy laws.
If a man has a distorted idea of the character of God, he will have a diminished idea of the commandments of God. Jesus showed this man that God is absolute goodness, holiness, and righteousness. Then, this holy God has established commandments for us to follow.
This man came to Jesus Christ asking, "What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Christ answered him by quoting the commandments.
Now Christ didn't tell this man that he could be saved by keeping the commandments. Jesus was just testing him. He wanted to know if the young ruler thought that keeping commandments would save him.
But notice the rich man's question: "What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" He had the idea that somehow he could be saved by obedience. A man of success naturally has this idea. The world had taught him that good actions bring rewards. He gained wealth and position through his shrewd action, why not eternal life too?
End of Part 6
The Commandments Of God
"All these have I observed from my youth..."
Long ago, a king went beneath the deck of a great ship to interview the slaves who were chained to the oars
He asked one man, "Why are you here?"
"I'm here because I wan an innocent bystander when a crime was committed."
The king went to another. "Why are you here?"
"I'm suffering for the crimes of a business associate. I was falsely accused."
He asked another, "Why are you here?"
"I'm here because someone lied about me and put me in this place."
He asked one more, "Why are you here?"
"I'm here because I've sinned against heaven, and against my king. I'm a criminal." He named off his dastardly deeds and said, "Now I'm suffering the just reward of my sinful life."
When the king heard that, he said, "You knave, you rascal, you felon! What are you doing here among so many (honest) people? Guards, come and release him and get him out of here."
So it is with our God! He rewards our honesty. Before we can be saved, we must stop creating alibis. Like the young ruler, we try to obey the commandments. But, obeying the law and having moral purity is not the same as what I call "Authentic Christianity."
The second thing Jesus emphasized were the commandments of God. In Mark 10:10, Jesus said, "Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honor thy father and mother." After Jesus revealed the character of God. He told the commandments of God. Why? Because if God is a holy God, then He will have holy laws.
If a man has a distorted idea of the character of God, he will have a diminished idea of the commandments of God. Jesus showed this man that God is absolute goodness, holiness, and righteousness. Then, this holy God has established commandments for us to follow.
This man came to Jesus Christ asking, "What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Christ answered him by quoting the commandments.
Now Christ didn't tell this man that he could be saved by keeping the commandments. Jesus was just testing him. He wanted to know if the young ruler thought that keeping commandments would save him.
But notice the rich man's question: "What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" He had the idea that somehow he could be saved by obedience. A man of success naturally has this idea. The world had taught him that good actions bring rewards. He gained wealth and position through his shrewd action, why not eternal life too?
End of Part 6
Last edited:
