“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:20, NIV)
I find it somewhat ironic that the United States Supreme Court will finally decide on the constitutionality of the public display of the Ten Commandments. Ironic because I fear that the high court will rule against it, even though they hold court in a building that has a rendering of Moses for his importance as a law giver, and at least two representations of the Ten Commandments in the architectural embellishment of the building. Moses, for example, is one of eighteen law givers located on the wall just above the courtroom bench where the justices sit. Imagine the irony of the nation’s highest court honoring someone for handing down God’s law and then striking it down as unconstitutional.
The frightening possibility that the Supreme Court might rule against the display of the Ten Commandments in public buildings underscores importance of this year’s presidential election. It is highly likely that one or more Supreme Court Justices will be resigning some time during the term of the next president. Vote for the individual that you believe will make a nomination that will honor God with his or her opinions.
All of this makes a very important point for me. The Ten Commandments are not some ancient laws that have no meaning in today’s culture. Their importance to our way of governing is exactly why local county commissioners and city council members across the country want to see them displayed in their courthouses and city halls.
More important, the Ten Commandments still offer the guidance we need to order our daily lives. Even though the Apostle Paul acknowledged in the above verse that we will never be saved by obedience to the law, he knew, as many Christians know today, that one of the important roles of the Ten Commandments is to keep us ever mindful of sin in our own lives. In short, they point to the need for our Savior!
I attend a local civic club meeting here in my own community that begins with prayer. Most of our members are Christians and so most of the prayers that are offered up to God on our behalf are spoken by Christians. Recently, a Buddhist in our community led the group in prayer. Here’s my life application question for you: Should Christians respect his right to offer a Buddhist prayer and bow their heads in humble submission?
The answer is yes and no. As Christians, and as Americans, we should always respect the freedom of any individual to worship the god of their choosing. However, we also must remember the Second Commandment: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3) For me, it means that I will not bow my head to any other god other than my God. Since my God is not the god to whom this Buddhist worships, I did not bow my head as I believed such an act violated this important Second Commandment.
There are another interesting couple of verses in the Twentieth Chapter of the Book of Exodus that I also believe are right on point and further strengthen the position I just took. I’ll end my column with it and leave it there for you to pray about as you decide how to apply this important Commandment to everyday living: “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:5-6)
Share on Facebook