The ongoing debate between how "literal" one is to take the accounts and Commands of the Bible is filled with pomposity, self-righteousness, and thorough inconsistency on all sides.

Back in the Jesus Movement days of the 1970s, putting out fleeces before the Lord, according to the example of Gideon in Judges 6, was a popular method of determining God's will.

We have already spoken of those few Commands too specific and unclear of meaning to be grouped with others. Near the top of the list are surely, Have salt in yourselves and, Don't cast your pearls before swine.

The proverb "practice what you preach" is so common in everyday parlance that most probably do not realize that it was Jesus who coined the phrase.

The Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew 28 is surely one of the most well-known, important, and yet misunderstood and misapplied passages in the Bible.

It is a sobering truth to realize that in God's eyes causing another to sin may be more serious than sinning ourselves.

The command to "turn the other cheek," which we considered earlier as Let people injure you without retaliating, is actually a two-part command.

All the Commands are subject to misunderstanding, overemphasis, and underemphasis. The Commands of Jesus can be taken so out of context and misapplied, that they can even become false gods and idols that blind vision from the true nature of the Commands.

As we have noted before, many of Jesus' specific words must be broadened to incorporate the fullness of what he intended as Commands of obedience upon his followers.

This may appear on the surface to be identical with the first command: Obey my Commands. From Jesus' conversation with the man we call the "rich young ruler," however, the inference can be made that Jesus is specifically speaking of the Ten Commandments of Exodus 20.