This week our pastor preached on the ten commandments. This caused disproportionate excitement in our house, sadly not just because the commandments are so central to the Judeo-Christian faith, but also because they come with a catchy song which we sang on the way to church to practise the order of the commandments and therefore got to feel wonderfully smug in the service (totally not the point, of course). Also because the pastor, also a parent of primary-age children, was wise enough to include it as part of the service.
I could write a whole blog on the joy that is “Slugs and Bugs” and what they have done to help us memorise Scripture, but perhaps another time. (Suffice to say that for the first 30-odd years of my life I had succeeded in memorising only John 3:16, but thanks to them we can all whip out a catchy Bible reference to go with almost any situation. Messy house? ”Where there are no oxen the manger is clean.” Dispute over a card game? “Be kind and compassionate”. You get the idea…). This ten commandment song has a helpful non-scriptural refrain: “no one can keep them all… that’s why we need a Saviour.”
And, yes, don’t we know we can’t keep them all in our household.
One of our boys has been having some challenges with truthfulness. One night recently as I put him to bed, I challenged him that his version of events about something wasn’t actually what had happened, and he spontaneously burst out, crying, “They shouldn’t include that one! It shouldn’t be a commandment not to lie! It’s just too hard!”
Now, that last part really is the truth.
Not lying – it sounds such an impossibly hard standard. Up there with a bit of coveting. I’m quite partial to a bit of casual comparing and coveting. I like to kid myself about how harmless it is (a victimless crime, surely? except of course my heart and my relationships are the victims).
I think my son at his tender age has grasped a deep theological point, though – keeping the commandments is too hard for any of us. Paul writes to the Roman Christians “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. It's just that a lot of the time we like to pretend we're doing ok, whereas a child is perhaps more willing to admit to his failures.
My understanding of the commandments is that whilst they show us something of the character of God and of the right way for living, they also show us our inability to match up to God’s perfect standards.
We had a leaving party for some American friends this weekend (funny that I have now twice written about leaving parties for American friends – it’s really not something that happens often https://sarahhadfi.wixsite.com/website/post/on-when-it-s-ok-is-not-ok ) and I told the boys they had to help me get ready. One boy had the never popular job of sweeping the conservatory floor, which he did a small patch of in an ineffective manner then declared himself done.
Me: But you haven’t actually swept the floor. There’s still lots of leaves and bits.
Son (incredulous and outraged): What – I have to do all of it? The whole floor?
Me: Yes, that is what I meant when I said you had to sweep the floor.
Slave-driver that I am! But isn’t that the attitude many of us have to the commandments? I’ve done ok on the not murdering bit so I’ll declare myself done and assume that suffices.
Coincidentally, also this weekend (it’s been a busy one!) I’ve been marking a set of religious studies assessments, which included a question on Christian beliefs on getting to heaven. Bearing in mind that these particular students have been taught by ME (who knows pretty well that “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9, and incidentally a beautiful catchy song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAAfqyFbpyQ ) I was a bit perturbed to read that all the students bar one wrote that Christians think they get to heaven by following the commandments. Internally, I’m like, Have you never met a Christian? Do you not think we might have done a spot of commandment-breaking and therefore by this logic heaven will be a very empty place?
To be fair to my students, they’re not exactly wrong either. Following the commandments ie living a totally righteous life could theoretically lead to a place in heaven. But only One has lived like this: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” The rest of us sadly lie about whether we have brushed our teeth that evening.
So the commandments point us to God and His standards, to ourselves and our failures, but ultimately to Jesus.
Or as my beloved “Slugs and Bugs” puts it: “the ten commandments… that’s why we need a Saviour.”
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