The ten commandments--are they a stringent legal code, or are they guidelines for harmonious living? Noting that perfect obedience is beyond our capability, G. Corwin Stoppel proposes that the commandments are a framework for our personal and corporate relationships, and that they give us a glimpse of life as lived in harmony with God's best hopes for the world. In this engaging book, Stoppel looks to the past and present to examine each commandment, and offers insights into the challenges of applying them to life in the twenty-first century.
It is little wonder that many people treat the commandments with awe and reverence while others dismiss or ignore them. . . . In this swirling vortex of meaning, Christians are enjoined to understand them through Jesus' words and example. When asked about the commandments, Jesus said that if we so much as think and dwell on something that is forbidden by the Law, we are already as guilty as if we had performed the deed itself. What a formidable task we face!
--from the Introduction
The onus for keeping the Ten Commandments or the Two Great Commandments is on each individual. We are liberated from long laws, meaningless rituals, and a sense of being either inferior or superior people. At the same time, we are to give careful thought, based on prayer, meditation, reflection, and discernment, to everything we do. As we initiate any project, as we open our mouths to speak, we must weigh our actions and words against the Two Great Commandments, asking ourselves: Does this bring glory to God? Is this something that will benefit the other person? So we seek to do the right thing, and that, according to God, is all that is required of us.
--from the Epilogue
