Beyond Today Daily

The 10 Commandments in the New Testament: Part 9

The Ninth Commandment is referenced in the book Ephesians. It is God’s desire for every one of us to tell the truth.

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[Steve Myers] We’ve been talking about the commandments found in the New Testament. And we’ve zeroed in on Ephesians in the last few. And I’d like to have you notice, the Ninth Commandment also referenced in Ephesians. And in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 25, the apostle Paul wrote to Ephesus, “Put away lying. Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.” Now, what we find here is the apostle Paul is getting down to the fact that it’s not just avoiding lying. And all too often I think we fall into that aspect in our lives, that we think if we just avoid evil that we’re doing okay.

And yeah, of course, that’s good. But that’s not what we’re shooting for. It’s more than just avoiding evil. We must do good. And that’s where Paul zeroes in on our responsibility. It’s not just about not lying. We have to be truth-tellers. That’s God’s honest desire for every one of us, that we tell the truth.

And in fact, there is an amazing Hebrew word for “truth” – this is a variation of it, “emet” – that encapsulates something that’s kind of interesting when you think about truth-telling, being one who is truthful.

This word for “truth” in Hebrew – they have an interesting aspect to it. It has what would be the first letter, which is the very first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The “m” as it’s transliterated is the middle letter of the Hebrew alphabet. And you’ll never guess what is transliterated as a “t” for us is in the Hebrew alphabet – it’s the last letter. And so it’s been noted that the word for “truth” should be something that we take to heart at the beginning, at the middle, and at the end.

It encompasses the first things we do, the middle things that we do, and the last things that we do. Kind of realizing that everything we do in our life must be wrapped around the truth. That gets to the real spiritual intent behind “Don’t bear false witness”.

All right, that’s BT Daily. We’ll see you next time.

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The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20 & Deuteronomy 5)

The Ten Commandments

Don't you think it's about time you learned what the 10 Commandments are all about? Sadly, most people know little about the Ten Commandments or where to find them in the Bible (read Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5). Few people can name more than three or four of them. Those who take the time to study the commandments find they're not a list of "Do nots," but are in fact God's guide to the good life—a life full of blessings. That's why the Bible calls them "the royal law" and "the law of liberty." There's much more to these commandments than meets the eye. They're not just God's way of preventing us from having a good time. The commandments are relevant to us today and are designed to protect us, our families and our communities. They're a guide to transforming the way we think, what we do and how we live. They truly are ten keys to a successful and happy life! Learn more about God's Commandments and how you can begin having a life full of blessings.

Steve Myers

Steve is the Operation Manager for Ministerial and Member Services of the United Church of God. He is also an instructor at Ambassador Bible College and served as a host on the Beyond Today television program.  Together, he and his wife, Kathe, have served God and His people for over 30 years.