Lesson No. 8
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT
OUR DUTY TOWARD OUR FELLOW MEN ?
(Commandments 4-6)
A Look At God's Word
By Oswald Riess
 

1.WHAT IS THE SUMMARY OF THE LAST SEVEN COMMANDMENTS, OR OF THE SECOND TABLE OF THE LAW ?
 THE BIBLE SAYS -

 *Matt. 22:39. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
 Matt. 5:44. Love your enemies.

FROM THIS WE LEARN -
 The last seven commandments demand of everyone of us perfect love to all our fellow men.

The Fourth Commandment

* THOU SHALT HONOR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH THEE AND THOU MAYEST LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.

2. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS COMMANDMENT ?
 THE BIBLE SAYS -

  (a) Prov. 30:17. The eye that mocketh at his father, and  despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.
  (a) Rom. 13:2. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power (government), resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to them selves damnation.
  (b) Col. 3:20. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
  (b) Matt. 22:21. Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
  (b) 1 Pet. 2:18. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
  (b) Acts. 5:29. We ought to obey God rather than men.

FROM THIS WE LEARN -
  (A) We should NOT despise or disobey our parents and all others who by God's ordinance are placed over us in the home, the church, the state, at school, or at the place where we work.
  (B) We SHOULD honor our superiors as God's representatives and willingly obey them in all things in which God has placed them over us. (Separation of Church and state.)

The Fifth Commandment
* THOU SHALT NOT KILL

3. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS COMMANDMENT ?
 THE BIBLE SAYS -

  (a) Gen 9:6. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man.
  (a) Matt. 26:52. All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
  (a) Rom. 13:4. He (the government) beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
  (b) Rom. 12:19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
  (c) 1 John 3:15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
  (d) Rom. 12:20. If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink, for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
  (e) Eph. 4:32. Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

FROM THIS WE LEARN -
 We should NOT
  (A) Take the life of a fellow man (murder, lynching, killing the unborn) nor our own life (suicide): (The government has the right to inflict the death  penalty and wage just wars.)
  (B) Do or say anything which may destroy, shorten, or embitter our neighbor's life
  (C) Bear anger or hatred in our heart against him.

 We SHOULD
  (D) Help and befriend our neighbor in every bodily need;
  (E) Be merciful, kind, and forgiving towards him.

The Sixth Commandment
* THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.

4. WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES TEACH OF MARRIAGE ?
 THE BIBLE SAYS -

 (a b) Gen. 2 18-24. (Read this passage.)
 (b) Mark 10:8. And they twain shall be one flesh.
 (c) Matt. 1:18-20. (Read this passage. Note: "Espoused" and "before they come together", yet "her husband" and "thy wife".)
 (c) Col. 3:20. Children, obey your parents in all things.
 (c) Gen. 24:58. And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man ? And she said, I will go. (Read the whole chapter.)
 (c) Lev. 18:6. None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him.
 (d) 1 Tim. 4:5. It is sanctified by the Word of God and prayer.
 (e) Gen. 1:28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply.
 (e) Gen. 2:18. It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an helpmeet for him.
  (e) 1 Cor. 7:2. To avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
  (f) Rom. 7:2. The woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth.
  (g) Eph. 5:24, 25. As the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for it.

FROM THIS WE LEARN -
 (A) Marriage is a holy estate, having been instituted by God Himself.
 (B) It is a union of one man and one woman unto one flesh.
 (C) Marriage should be entered into willingly, and with parental consent, only with those who are eligible and are not close relatives. 
[Note: Unlike our modern engagement, an espoused couple were legally man and wife. However, they were expected to remain celibate until the groom took the bride to his home, usually with a procession that was followed by a feast.]

 (D) Christians desire to have their marriage ceremony sanctified with the Word of God and prayer, and therefore have it performed by the pastor of their church.
 (E) The purpose of marriage is the rearing of children, mutual helpfulness and companionship, and the prevention of fornication.
 (F) Marriage is a lifelong union.
 (G) Married people are to love and honor each other, the husband his wife as his God-given helpmeet, and the wife her husband as her God-given head.

5. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT ?
 THE BIBLE SAYS -

  *(a) Matt. 19:6. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
  *(a) Matt. 19:9. Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry
  another, committeth adultery.
  (a) 1 Cor. 7:15. If the unbelieving depart, let him depart.  A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases.
  (b) Matt. 15:19. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, ... adulteries, fornications.
  (b) Matt. 5:28. Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
  (b) Eph. 5:3, 4. Fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
 (c) 1 Tim. 5:22. Keep thyself pure.
 (d) Gen. 39:9. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God ?
 (d) Ps. 51:10. Create in me a clean heart, O God.
 (d) Prov. 23:31-33. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.  At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.  Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.
  (e) 1 Cor. 6:18, 19. Flee fornication ... Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own ?
 (e) Prov. 1:10. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

FROM THIS WE LEARN -
 We should NOT
  (A) Break the marriage vow by unfaithfulness, desertion, or unscriptural divorce; (In the case of adultery or malicious desertion the innocent party may protect himself, or herself, by getting a divorce.)
 (B) Defile ourselves with impure thoughts, desires, words, and deeds.

We SHOULD
 (C) Lead a chaste and decent life in thoughts, desires, words, and deeds, and to this end
 (D) Fight against, and over come, all impure thoughts and desires with God's Word and prayer, work, and temperance; and
 (E) Flee and avoid all opportunity for unchasteness.
 

Before the Next Lesson
FILL OUR Work Sheet No. 8.
MEMORIZE the Bible passages marked with an asterisk (*).
  U U U
READ Genesis, chapter 50, to Exodus, chapter 6.
 

Work Sheet No. 8

ONE
Read 1 Sam. 20:31-33. Note that Jonathan disobeyed his father Saul
(A) Did Jonathan thereby sin against the Fourth Commandment?
(B) Prove the correctness of your answer, using a Scripture passage.
 

TWO
Jesus fulfilled the Fourth Commandment for us and, at the same time, gave us a beautiful example.

(A) When as a twelve-year-old child He _______________________________________

(B) When on the cross He __________________________________________________

(Complete these sentences.)
 

THREE

The commandment, "Thou shalt not kill", forbids capital punishment.  True. [_]  

                                                                                                                     False.[_]
(Check whether true or false.)
 

FOUR

The Roman Catholic Church praises the celibate life as purer and holier than married life and forbids priest and nuns to marry.

What does the Bible say about this ? (Heb. 13:4; 1 Tim.4:1-5.)

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FIVE
Many ministers no longer use the word "obey" in the marriage ceremony.

(A) Is the intentional omission of this word right or wrong? _______________________

(B) Why ? _______________________________________________________________
 

SIX
Scriptural reasons for divorce or remarriage are:
(A) Incompatibility [_]
(B) Adultery [_]
(C) Cruelty [_]
(D) Incurable sickness or insanity [_]
(E) Malicious desertion [_]
(F) A penitentiary life sentence [_]
(G) Habitual drunkenness [_]
(Check the Scriptural reasons.)
 

SEVEN
The celebrated sculptor Dannecker had finished a fine statue of Christ when Napoleon l gave him an order for a Venus. (Venus is the pagan goddess of beauty and unchastity.) The sculptor refused and gave the noble reason: "I have looked upon Christ."

What did Dannecker mean ?

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