2026
This is the mid-way point in this treatment of the Ten Commandments, and as the treatment of the second table ends tonight, it is done as the first three commandments on that table are considered. What began with looking at covetousness, which leads to and encapsulates sins against all of the commandments, then moved to looking at the relatedness between lying and stealing, will now conclude as you hear of the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Commandments.
Luther taught:
- You shall not murder.
We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.
and
- You shall not commit adultery.
We should fear and love God so that we lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife love and honor each other.
On these two you might think that Luther’s teaching sounds similar to Jesus’ from the Sermon on the Mount.
Both taught that murder and adultery is much more than unjustly taking another’s life and sleeping with someone who is not your spouse, respectively. To keep these commandments is also not to be unjustly angry or insulting your neighbor, and even to defend him in his body—whether that is as little as a clump of cells beginning their division or as near the end as the person a breath away from dying, and everyone in between—and to be pure in thought, word, and dead with regard to sexuality, in such manner loving and lying with only your spouse.
Much like stealing, these two commandments are easy to understand, if only a little more complex.
So, I want to focus on the Fourth.
- Honor your father and your mother.
We should fear and love God so that we do not despise or anger our parents and other authorities, but honor them, serve and obey them, love and cherish them.
As much as the sin of covetousness is the gateway to all other sin and vices, so all other sins against the Commandments on the Second Table begin with a breach of the Fourth. How does that work? Because righteous living—that is, living as an honorable citizen and member of society—begins in the home. Father and mother instruct their children in the ways of proper attitude and behavior, and children, when they obey their parents and heed their instruction, honor their parents. That obedience and honor extend, therefore, to those who fill—even in some small part—the role of a parent, such as a teacher, police officer, governor, or other earthly authority.
As to loving and cherishing them, as Luther taught, that is to be done because these are the gifts that God has giving to every person. Everyone comes from a father and a mother. Everyone lives under some sort of authority, even kings have and do. As St. Paul wrote,
All authority is derived from God; not only that of the government of a country, but also that of the government in the home. Father, mother, and all authorities are established by God; therefore, not to obey them—except in matters contrary to the Word of God—is to sin against God. “We must obey God, rather than men,” St. Peter declared (Acts 5:29), and God did give the Fourth Commandment by which He instructs you to obey those who are in positions of authority over you.
The Law contained on the Second Table finds repetition in the laws of man, especially in the codes and statutes under which all men are subject by way of a governing authority. God declares it a sin to take unjustly the life of another. Governments call it illegal to do the same. In many places, there are equivalents in the laws of nations to the Law of God. Sin carries with it the punishment of death, as such is the wages of sin. (cf. Romans 6:23) The breach of the codes and statutes of man carries with them anything from fines and levies to incarceration and death. Therefore, in honoring father and mother, and the instruction one receives in the home to obey those in authority, you find a curb against breaking the laws of man and falling under the due punishment for the same, and in so doing, a curb against breaking the Law of God as found on the Second Table.
In other words, perhaps the threat of punishment by civil authorities would be enough to hinder man from breaking the Law of God and risking eternal damnation. This would be especially true for those who do not know God in this life, if only keeping the Law were a means of earning salvation. Sadly, laws and threats of punishment are never enough to prevent crime. Despite laws and the Law of God, people still murder other people, still commit adultery, still lie and cheat, and still covet the things which belong to their neighbor. And more and more, as per the observation of many, the obedience and honor to father and mother seems to grow less and less with each passing generation.
So, if salvation were to be found in the keeping of the Law, no one would be saved—not even among those who would be counted among the elect. For, just as the Law of God may be easily explained in the simplest understanding, there are facets in each Commandment which make them more complex. Do not unjustly take the life of your neighbor, but be of service to him in defending him and helping him in every physical need. So, you may not have taken his life, but you might as well have by not helping him to preserve it in whatever physical need he has. And the list of charges goes on and on, with each Commandment.
Nevertheless, out of great grace and mercy, there was One who was perfectly obedient to His Father. For this One, the Son of God, Jesus the Christ, obeyed the Father’s will and gave His life as your ransom. Where you have transgressed the Law of God, He kept it perfectly, doing everything that was demanded of you and even submitting to the punishment you deserve for your sin. Furthermore, in honoring and obeying His Father, He was made subject even to the rules, laws, and statutes of men, under which He was tried, convicted, and crucified—He stood silently against the accusations of crimes and sins which you in your own flesh have committed and for which you should die.
But the Son of God, in His great grace and mercy, having assumed your flesh, took into that perfect flesh every sin and crime you have committed and suffered the punishment for the same, dying the death sentence for the crimes against man, and shedding His blood as the propitiation for the sins against the Law of God. He did it for you, and the sentence against you is fulfilled. Therefore, instead of death, you receive life for the sake of Christ.
This is your hope and trust: Christ, the life of all the living and the death of death, your foe, has conquered death and given you life. He has kept the promise made to the serpent in the garden, and his head is crushed. And since his head is crushed, he has no dominion over you. Let him accuse all he likes, you are covered in the propitiatory blood of Christ. By His sufferings, death, and merit, you eternal life inherit. Christ the crucified, risen, and ascended now sits on the throne of your renewed heart, and you are forgiven for all of your sins.
