Were the Ten Commandments in Force Before Moses?
Herbert W. Armstrong BookletIt is commonly believed that the Ten Commandments are part of the ritualistic law, and that they lasted only until Christ. But here is the rest of the story.
The Ten Commandments
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsGod's Ten Commandments are the divine law and standard that regulate human conduct. As our world testifies, they are still very much needed today!
Have the Ten Commandments Passed Away?
'Ready Answer' by Earl L. HennMany Protestant denominations teach that God's law is done away, calling it 'the ministry of death.' Butt II Corinthians 3:7 does not support this.
The Tenth Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughEveryone is out to acquire as much as possible for himself. The tenth commandment, however, governs this proclivity of human nature, striking at man's heart.
The Tenth Commandment (1998)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughOne commentator said all public crime would cease if this one law was kept. Another said every sin against one's neighbor springs from breaking this commandment.
The Commandments (Part Ten)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe fifth commandment provides a bridge, connecting our relationships with God and the relationships with our fellow human beings.
The Tenth Commandment
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Coveting begins as a desire. Human nature cannot be satisfied, nothing physical can satisfy covetousness, and joy does not derive from materialism.
The Tenth Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsCovetousness is an insatiable desire for worldly gain and lies at the heart of where most sin originates. The tenth emphasizes man's relationship to man.
The Fourth Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe Sabbath is foundational to a healthy relationship with God. It is special, holy day of rest and time to reconnect with our Creator.
The Commandments (Part Five)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe Sabbath is a period of time God purposefully sanctified and set apart for the benefit of mankind, a time dedicated to God's spiritual creation.
The Fourth Commandment: Idolatry
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughGod, not man, created, sanctified and memorialized the seventh day Sabbath from the time of creation, intending that man use this holy time to worship God.
The First Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe first commandment reveals our first priority in every area of life: God. Anything we place ahead of Him becomes an idol!
The Fourth Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughAt creation, God sanctified only one day, the seventh, as a day of rest. At Sinai, He again sanctified it as a holy day, tying it to creation and freedom.
The Second Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsHuman nature tries to limit God to the confines of physical objects. Men fabricate images, called idols, to aid them in worshiping a god they have concocted.
The Fourth Commandment (Part One) (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMost people think the fourth commandment is least important, but it may be one of the most important! It is a major facet of our relationship with God.
The Fourth Commandment (Part 1)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Sabbath is a special creation, a very specific period of holy time given to all of mankind, reminding us that God created and is continuing to create.
The Commandments (Part Seven)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe work required on the Sabbath is to prepare for the Kingdom of God, fellowshipping with our brethren, serving where possible, and relieving burdens.
The Second Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMost people consider the second commandment to deal with making or falling down before a pagan idol, but it covers all aspects of the way we worship.
The Commandments (Part Six)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughGod gave the Sabbath to His people so they can know Him intimately. Idolatry, scattering, and captivity are the natural consequences of Sabbath-breaking.
The Fifth Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe fifth commandment stands at the head of the second tablet of the Decalogue, which governs our human relationships. It is critical for family and society.
The Fourth Commandment (Part Two): Christ's Attitude Toward the Sabbath
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughIn the Gospels, questions about the Sabbath center on how to keep it, not whether it should be kept. The way Jesus approached the Sabbath gives us an example.
The First Commandment (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe Ten Commandments open with the most important, the one that puts our relationship with God in its proper perspective. It is a simple but vital command.
The Commandments (Part One)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughWhat have we accepted as our authority for permitting ourselves to do or behave as we do — our value system, our code of ethics or code of morality?
The Fourth Commandment (Part 2)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe Sabbath reminds us that God is Creator and that we were once in slavery to sin. The Sabbath is a time of blessing, deliverance, liberty, and redemption.
The Fourth Commandment (Part 4)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughFocusing on material and temporal things undermines faith. The Sabbath is holy time, created for building faith, energizing our minds for fellowship with God.
The Fourth Commandment (Part 3)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJesus magnified the Sabbath, giving principles by which to judge our activities. Each time Jesus taught about the Sabbath, He emphasized some form of redemption.
The First Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughIdolatry is probably the sin that the Bible most often warns us against. We worship the source of our values and standards, whether the true God or a counterfeit.
The Sixth Commandment (Part 2): War! (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughA reason lies behind the devastating wars that have plagued mankind since the beginning. The reason is simple: Men have broken the sixth commandment!
The Second Commandment (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMany fail to perceive the difference between the first and second commandments. The second commandment defines the way we are to worship the true God.
The Fourth Commandment (Part 5)
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe reason for refraining from many activities on the Sabbath is not labor or energy, but the overall motivation. Certain works are perfect for the Sabbath.
The Third Commandment (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMany think the third commandment deals only with euphemisms and swearing, but it goes much deeper. It regulates the quality of our worship and glorifying God.
The Commandments (Part Nine)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughBenign neglect of the Sabbath covenant can incrementally lead us into idolatry. We must treat this holy time as different from the other days of the week.
The Commandments (Part Eight)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughIn our hectic culture, we commit far too little time to God, depriving ourselves of the Holy Spirit and attenuating the faith required to draw close to God.
The Third Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughMany think the Third Commandment merely prohibits profane speech. In reality, it regulates the purity and quality of our worship of the great God.
The Commandments (Part Three)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughIdolatry derives from worshiping the work of our hands or thoughts rather than the true God. Whatever consumes our thoughts and behavior has become our idol.
The Commandments (Part Two)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughIdolatry constitutes the fountainhead from which all other sins flow, all of which amplify obsessive self-centeredness and self-indulgence.
The Third Commandment: Idolatry
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn the the Third Commandment, God's name describes His character, attributes, and nature. If we bear God's name, we must reflect His image and His character.
The Second Commandment: Idolatry
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe natural mind craves something physical to remind us of God, but the Second Commandment prohibits this. Any representation will fall short of the reality.
The Third Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe third commandment may be the most misunderstood of all. This commandment covers the quality of our worship — how we bear God's name before others.
The Fifth Commandment (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe fifth commandment begins the section of six commands regarding our relationships with other people. Children should learn proper respect in the family.
The First Commandment: Idolatry
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIdolatry is the most frequently committed sin, seen in five commandments. God challenges us to either defend our body of beliefs or drop them in favor of His.
The Commandments (Part Four)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughThe prohibition against taking God's name in vain is the least understood commandment. When we bear God's name, we are to bear His character and nature.
The Eighth Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe eighth commandment seems so simple: You shall not steal. Yet, it seems that just about everyone on earth has his hand in someone else's pocket!
The Eighth Commandment
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)Though God indicts Gentile nations for violent crimes, He indicts Israelitish nations for untrustworthiness and their tendency to defraud or misrepresent.
The Fifth Commandment
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughThe fifth commandment teaches our responsibility to give high regard, respect, and esteem to parents and other authority figures, leading to a prosperous life.
The Eighth Commandment (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughWe can steal by burglary, larceny, embezzlement, robbery, shoplifting, or plagiarizing. We can defraud, hold up, lift, loot, pinch, pilfer, snatch and swindle.
The Commandments (Part Nineteen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughJesus taught that all outward sin stems from inner inordinate desire. What we desire or lust after automatically becomes our idol.
The Commandments (Part Thirteen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughGod has never given mankind the prerogative to determine whether war is just or not. God has promised to protect us, conditioned on our obedience to our covenant.
The Commandments (Part Twelve)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughParents need to teach their children to consider the long-range consequences of current behaviors, chastening and disciplining them while there is hope.
The Ninth Commandment
Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)We must embody truth as did Jesus Christ, absolutely refusing to bear false witness in our words, our behavior, and our cumulative reputation.
The Seventh Commandment: Adultery
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughIn Amos' prophecy, faithlessness and sexual immorality loom large, like a a prostitute chasing after lovers. Faithlessness extends into not keeping one's word.
The Sixth Commandment
Sermon by John W. RitenbaughJesus magnifies the Law in Matthew 5, moving beyond the behavior into the motivating thought behind the deed, warning that we do not retaliate in kind.
The Sixth Commandment (Part One) (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughOur society is becoming increasingly violent. The sixth of the Ten Commandments covers crime, capital punishment, murder, hatred, revenge and war.
The Commandments (Part Seventeen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughWealth accumulated by honest work and diligence will be blessed, but hastily acquired by any kind of theft or dishonesty will be cursed.
The Commandments (Part Fifteen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughJesus emphasized the spirit of the law, which places deterrents on the motive (anger, resentment, envy, revenge), preventing murder from ever taking place.
The Ninth Commandment (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughWe cannot measure how much evil the tongue has perpetrated, for falsehoods disguised as truth have destroyed reputations and even nations.
The Commandments (Part Eighteen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughA community can only be established upon a foundation of stability and truth. Our relationships must be based upon God's truth, producing faithfulness.
The Commandments (Part Eleven)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughHonor of parents is the basis for good government. The family provides the venue for someone to learn to make sacrifices and be part of a community.
The Ninth Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe world is so full of lying and other forms of deceit that 'bearing false witness' has become a way of life for the vast majority of humanity.
The Seventh Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe Seventh Commandment—prohibiting adultery—covers the subject of faithfulness. Unfaithfulness devastates many aspects of family and society life.
The Sixth Commandment
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughThe sixth commandment, forbidding murder, is rare among the Ten Commandments in that a clear line can be drawn between its commission and its consequences.
The Ninth Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe ninth commandment protects our relationship with God because by seeking and bearing true witness to the truth, we can have a relationship with God.
The Seventh Commandment (1997)
'Personal' from John W. RitenbaughFor decades, sexual sins have topped the list of social issues. The problem is unfaithfulness. The seventh commandment has natural and spiritual penalties.
The Eighth Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThere is more to the eighth commandment than the act of stealing. This Bible Study explores other ways of stealing and how to avoid Satan's way of get.
The Seventh Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe seventh commandment protects family relationships from a sexual standpoint. Sexual sins are highly destructive, and God wants His children to be pure.
The Sixth Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe commandment against murder is the one most universally followed by man. But Jesus shows there is much more behind it than merely taking another's life.
The Fifth Commandment
Bible Study by Martin G. CollinsThe fifth commandment bridges the two sections of love toward God and love toward man. We begin learning righteous conduct at home, with our parents.
The Commandments (Part Sixteen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughIt is absolutely impossible for lust to bring about any kind of satisfaction. Adultery cannot be entered into without irrevocably damaging relationships.
The Commandments (Part Fourteen)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughMany biblical examples illustrate that when the leader put his faith in God and submitted himself to God's rule, God supernaturally protected His people.
It's Not Our Time
Article by David C. GrabbeWe live in a society that is increasingly concerned about ownership. Yet who owns the Sabbath? How does the answer to this question affect our keeping of it?
Keeping God's Standards
Sermon by John O. ReidGod's law will be the spiritual weights and measures in the Kingdom, but until then, we must glorify God by keeping these standards as a bright light.
In Honor of the Father
Sermonette by Austin Del CastilloFather's Day is a time to not only honor our physical fathers, but also our Heavenly Father who established the family and the sanctity of marriage.
What Was the Law 'Added Because of Transgressions'?
'Ready Answer' by Earl L. HennSome think Galatians 3:19 means that God's law has been done away, but critical misunderstandings have led people astray on this verse.
Imagining the Garden of Eden (Part Nine)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe command not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is universal and for all time, applying to each and every one of us.
Colossian Law-Keeping
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughNominal Christendom cannot see God's law even though it is in plain sight. In Colossians, Paul reiterates or alludes to all but one of the Ten Commandments.
Don't Cherry Pick God's Law
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Kim MyersWhile many people like some of God's laws, they like to pick and choose, preferring a blend of their own preferences with some of God's laws added in.
God's Law Is Eternal
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsMany say that God's laws have been abolished, even though Jesus taught that until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or tittle of the Law will disappear.
The Beauty of God's Law
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughKeeping God's Law brings bountiful blessings, harmony, and profound peace (Psalm 119:165), while the 'cheap' grace brings guilt, anxiety, and pain.
Psalms: Book Five (Part Five): Psalm 119 (Part Two)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughEven though keeping the law does not justify us, it does point out to us what sin is. The law is a guide keeping us within moral and ethical boundaries.
What Do You Mean . . . Salvation?
Herbert W. Armstrong BookletNot one in a hundred knows what salvation is—how to get it or when you will receive it. Don't be too sure you do! Here is the truth, made plain.