Chuck Huckaby, pastor of St. Andrew's Church in Lawrenceburg, TN, joined the Pastor's Circle to talk about the Ten Commandments and how they apply to our lives. Below are the "CliffsNotes" of his interview.
We talk about the Ten Commandments a lot, but I wonder how many of us actually know them.
I had a situation happen to me the other day when I was reviewing my catechism and I realized that I didn't know them, or integrate them into life, as well as I would like.
What's your perspective on Jesus' summation of the Ten Commandments: Love God, love your neighbor?We often complain when the Ten Commandments are removed from a public setting, yet we often don't even know and live them as Christians.
In a sense the Ten Commandments are the summary of all the Mosaic law given in the OT, but then Jesus further summarizes the law in the NT.
I don't think we even hear people talking about the two commandments of Jesus, let alone really understanding or remembering the Ten Commandments. I think that seeing the Ten as the two tables of the law, our relationship with God and our relationship with other people, is an acceptable way of looking at them.
Some people even believe that the commandment to love your parents is the beginning point of loving God rightly.
Several traditions even have different ways to number them though. I like to start with the prescript to the Ten Commandments, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."
When you see that God's commands are preceded by what He has already done for us - it reminds us that the obligation to obey is not something that we earn, but is based upon the grace of God.
What should be the family's approach to the Ten Commandments?
When the children are as young as possible we needed be teaching these kids things like the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer. It is a priceless experience to be able to instill a biblical way of thinking when they are very young. The Ten Commandments are the basis for all Christian ethics
Do you have any tips on how a family can memorize together?
Most basically I just think repetition is the key. Just going over it time and time again. Try to make it fun. Emphasize that we are disciples together. We all need to learn these things.
You can't ignore these things when your kids are 3 and expect them to know and do these commandments when they are 21. Another positive is that this type of memorization helps us to learn how to pray.
No comments:
Post a Comment