Rooted & Unwithered

In the New City Catechism’s brief trek through the Ten Commandments, we come now to the final two. Unlike the prohibitions against murder, adultery, or theft, we might be tempted to these final two commandments deal with less severe sins. The reality, however, is that the Ninth and Tenth Commandments are just as endemic and deadly as the ones we have studied so far.

Men, brethren, and fathers, you are called to a high and holy calling: your work is full of danger, full of duty, and full of mercy. You are called to the winning of souls; an employment near akin unto our Lord's work,—the saving of souls; and the nearer your spirits be in conformity to his holy temper and frame, the fitter you are for, and the more fruitful you shall be in, your work.

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Like an athlete practices to compete or a soldier trains for war, we must devote ourselves to keeping the commands of our God. Diligence should mark the life of God’s people.

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Much as the first three commandments set our minds squarely upon how we ought to love God supremely with all our being, the three before us in this question focus upon how we ought to love our neighbor as ourselves.

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To keep the LORD’s testimonies, to hold onto them with all one’s might, seeking the Him with the entirety of the heart, must naturally lead to shunning all wrongdoing. 

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Scientific consensus is not the same as truth.

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The two commandments before us are unique among the Ten. Only the Fourth and Fifth Commandments are not prohibitions. God prohibits idolatry, blaspheme, adultery, theft, and the others because He knows that we will commit such sins when given the opportunity. Likewise, He commands us to rest and to honor our father and mother because He knows that we will not do those things naturally.

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The Ten Commandments are often divided into two tables, one pertaining to the love of God and the other describing how we are to love our neighbor. The most traditional division is between the Fourth and Fifth Commandments. The Fourth Commandment, after all, requires the remembering and keeping of the Sabbath day holy, while the Fifth Commandment demands honor to be given to our parents. Thus, the Fourth describes an aspect of our obedience to God, while the Fifth commands us to respect our very first neighbors.

Pretty simple, right?

Well, I believe that the Fourth Commandment uniquely falls under both loving God and loving neighbor. Allow me to explain.

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Opening your home and providing for others is messy business; demanding the government to care for them is less intrusive to our personal lives while still feeling as if we have done something.

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