This page contains abstracts of the last six of the Ten Commandments which relate to loving your neighbour. Click on a hyperlink to view entire article.
LoveInOurTime
People today have become legal and they miss many opportunities to help the world become a better place.
Honour Father and Mother
The fifth commandment remains valid, governing our relationship with our natural parents. When we are young, our parents have the responsibility to teach us and to care for us. When our parents are old we have the duty to care for our parents, spiritually, socially and materially. (3,800 words)
Abortion
The bible teaches that the unborn child is a living spiritual entity, with an eternal future, from the time of a few weeks after conception. (1,200 words)
Love and Hate
Jesus taught that not only should we not commit deeds of hatred, but also that our hearts should be free of malice towards those who wrong us. And it is important that we make an effort to love God's people. (1,400 words)
Media Violence
Although some violence in the media is acceptable, to create for example the excitement of battle, the level in many modern films is excessive, leading to callous indifference to human suffering. (600 words)
War
The Scriptures nowhere forbid Christians engaging in a just war. From the Scriptures we may glean some principles as to allowable purposes and conduct. (2,300 words)
Marriage
Marriage is not just a partnership. It is each party coming under the influence of the other party, who wathches for their soul and fulfils their duty. This is necessary because man has more sober judgement and greater dedication to duty whilst a woman is kinder and more pure. Both natures are flawed. We need each other. This is wonerful because we learn appreciation leading to love.
Law of Sex
Sexual union with the opposite sex in an act of mutual pleasure is an emotional experience. The mutuality and intimacy and the presence in the partner of the opposite sex of different emotions make it an emotional experience of love. When a man and a woman come together to make love, they become one flesh. This must be a permanent union if the woman binds in love to the man. Sin of a man with a woman is not because of too much pleasure but because of treating women as cheap disposable objects. (2,100 words)
Divorce
Divorce was never meant to be a means of changing partners when they grow tired of each other, as this makes the party enacting the divorce guilty. It was only to be taken in the case of a guilty party, and was meant to, by deterrence of evil, promote trust and purity in marriage. However if a divorce is taken for the woman's adultery, or the man's desertion or cruelty, the marriage is dissolved and both parties are free to remarry. (2,500 words) This was the Law. But perhaps the cardinals should reexamine two principles: men and women should not fear desertion because they are not good enough, but both parties should fulfil their duty of love and care for the other. Some men might take advantage of the fact that their wife cannot divorce, to not try hard enough to keep her. One of the curses that would come upon the Jews if they disobeyed God, was that their wives would sleep with others. (Deut 28:15,30)
Marrying a Non-Christian
The Christian life is not easy, and it is easy to be turned aside. For this reason it is important that, if possible, one's husband or wife be a help rather than a hindrance. This means that a Christian man should only marry a good woman, and a Christian woman should only marry a Christian man. (1,500 words)
Polygamy
Polygamy is clearly allowed under the Old Covenant, and is not generally disallowed under the New Covenant. Such an important change to the Law would, surely, have been stated clearly. But concubinage is disallowed under the New Covenant, as women must be treated better. (1,000 words) But the second wife should have only half the allowance of the first wife, to prevent jealousy, and the man cannot neglect to sleep with his first wife, his duty of marriage. Otherwise she can divorce, in my opininion. These was a law for concubines but it is my opinion that it should also now apply to wives.
Sexual Fantasies
While man is like the sun, which rules the day, woman is like the moon, which rules the night. Fantasies, which highlight the differences between man and woman, can be played out, and help the man to appreciate his wife. This teaches a man to appreciate his wife in a pleasurable way rather than the painful way of sexual cleansing that is also necessary, to teach this. (2,000 words)
Sexual Cleansing
Men's hearts are hard. God did not speak to Job, of whom it is recorded that there was no other such good man upon the earth and say, Be soft hearted, then see the Lord. Satan blew his house down, killed his children, stole his cattle, covered him with boils. After this Job said: God maketh my heart soft and the Almighty troubleth me. (Job 23:16) And of God he said, I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eye, but now my eye seeth thee. While women cannot do these aforementioned things like stealing cattle, they can flog their husbands for sexual impurity. The man does not necessarily need to have committed impurity. All men need to be flogged, because they would all be impure if they thought the bible said they could be. That is why they cannot see who their wives are.
Giving Money
There is a reward in heaven for giving money on earth. There is also reward on earth. Christians should give tithes to the church, and perhaps also other offerings. They should also give, generously if they are rich, to the poor. (2,800 words)
Global Stewards
Not only must we be faithful stewards of our own possessions, but we must also be faithful stewards of our common possession, the earth. We must preserve it for future generations, that they may behold its beauty, and be able to grow adequate food. (1,500 words)
Means of Giving
Giving is not the only way to help the poor. The Scriptures also speak of the merit of lending, employing, and allowing gleaning. (1,100 words)
Wealth
It is not wrong to be rich, provided that the rich have a generous spirit, to alleviate the plight of the poor. Christians have the promise that God will provide for them if they pray, work diligently, live righteously, and endure trials faithfully. (2,600 words)
Church Law
The excommunication of sinners is necessary to maintain a wholesome environment within the church. it is also conducive to the repentance of the sinner. (1,100 words)
Character Witness
The church is a place of righteousness. To preserve its holiness and vitality, true character witness is essential, that the good may be honoured and the evil discouraged. (600 words)
Interrogation
In military matters sometimes we have to be tough to prove the veracity of our evidence because drugs and hypnosis are very dangerous.
Law of the Land
The law of the land should not be administered by the church, but the state would do well to learn from the system of judgements given to ancient Israel, in many matters. The law of the land is useful in deterring evil. Christians should respect it. (1,400 words)
Lying
Christians should be honest with each other, but should be careful not to betray information to the enemy, that may hinder the work of God or jeopardise the lives of their fellow believers. (1,000 words)
Oathes
What is the balance between not swearing by the throne of God to every trivial detail of evidence, and substanciating the veracity of our testimony to innocence or guilt by an oath? (500 words)
Purgotorial Cleansing
Once we looked to God only, for inspiration unto perfection. Now men are to look to women
to lift them to a higher standard regarding being kind hearted to women whom they have slept with.
Processes of Law
War, police, parents, grown children, husbands and wives, have a very important role in improving the standard of behaviour of the world.
Rebuke and Exhortation
Christians need rebuke and exhortation to perfect them and to keep them from evil. (900 words)
Role of Law
What makes a happy, free society, finding a balance between regulation and freedom, and who is to enforce it, women or men.
Social Justice
What is to be done to curb unruly youths without psychologically harming them by confinement? Is there deterrance from cruelty in marriage, without imprisoning the husband causing the wife to perhaps lose her means of support? (700 words)
Adultery in Heart
The command not to covet women, fully applies only if the woman is married or betrothed. (800 words)
Coveting Riches
The commandment not to covet riches, fully applies only if those riches belong to someone else. (1,300 words)