- Sermon - Mickey Anders

Text: Exodus 20:1-15

Today I want remind you of two important four syllable words - imperative and indicative. They are words we all know even if we don’t use them every day. And their meanings are very straight-forward.

Imperative means something that is absolutely necessary or required, as in, "It is imperative that we leave." This word speaks of commands such as, "Listen! Go!" It is something that demands attention or actions. It is an unavoidable obligation or requirement. Using this word, we would say, "It is imperative that we keep the Ten Commandments."

By contrast, "indicative" means showing, signifying, point out. It describes something that is. As the word implies, it indicates something, as in, "These symptoms are indicative of anemia." "This insignia is indicative of high rank." And in our faith, we might say, "Keeping the Ten Commandments is indicative of a person of faith."

Are the Ten Commandments imperative or indicative?

First, I want to suggest that they are a Divine Imperative.

In his catechism class, a famous doctor of theology (Dr. Theo Bovet of Basle) raised the question, "What is religion?" Immediately a small boy replied, "Religion shows us the things we must not do."

I would suggest that that is probably the attitude most of us have toward the Ten Commandments. We must keep the Ten Commandments. We sometimes define religion as the thing that tells us what to do and what not to do. After all, as someone has said, they are commandments, not suggestions. It is imperative that we keep the Ten Commandments.

However, some of us take this approach to our faith and push it just a little too far. We begin to define the very purpose of our religion as obedience to the commandments. It defines us. It is our imperative.

I was leading a Bible study group in Pikeville, when one of our members pointed out that some religious people only think about what they do not do. She called them “the Do Not People.” Should we really be defined by what we do not do?

Back in my college days, I heard a little ditty at BSU that went like this:

"We don't drink and we don't chew,

And we don't go with the girls who do."

Some people, some churches, some denominations are best known for what they do not do and what they are against. In fact, it would seem that some have difficulty explaining what they are for. They are Do Not People.

If we take the imperative approach, we cannot help but say, “It is imperative that we keep the Ten Commandments, or else God will punish us.” The picture of God is that of a gigantic policeman in the sky with a billet club ready to zap us when we break one of the commandments.

This approach to faith focuses on a disturbing, but prominent, theme in the Bible – the fear of God. In the first part of the Bible, we are frequently told to fear God. In fact, Proverbs 1:7 declares, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…”

In our Disciple Bible Study class tonight, we will be studying the passage in Genesis where Abraham is commanded to sacrifice Isaac. It is a poignant passage where God frequently calls Isaac, “your son, your only son, whom you love.” It is a puzzling and difficult passage, but at the climax of the story where God stays the hand of Abraham and provides a ram instead, God says, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me” (Genesis 22:12).

I would suggest that there is a positive and a negative way in which we are to fear God. We should fear God like Abraham did in that he was absolutely obedient to God. By his actions, Abraham demonstrated unwavering faith in God. He so trusted God that he was willing to perform the ultimate sacrifice, and fortunately this pivotal story made clear once and for all that God does not require human sacrifice. I think Abraham’s kind of fear was more a deep respect and sense of awe.

But I think there is a negative approach to fearing God. We can’t have much of a positive relationship with a divine being of whom we are scared. I really don’t believe it is a healthy thing for us to have a genuine fear of God. I would appeal to the New Testament where we are told that God is love. Jesus wanted us to have the kind of respect and awe and love for God that we too could call God “Our Father.”

Let me be clear, there are many people, churches and denominations that want to foster fear of God. Their clear approach to religion is to scare people enough that they will profess faith in God. It’s the time of year again for many conservative churches to put on their replacement for haunted houses at Halloween. They are sometimes called “hell house.” Even though many conservative churches are against Halloween, they like to use the mood of the season to attempt to scare the hell out of people. If they scare you enough, maybe you will fear God. It is imperative that you keep the Ten Commandments!

One of the problems with this approach to Christianity is that it sets the standards so low. That may sound surprising, but it is a rather easy thing to not do something. It may sound daunting when we hear the ominous words, “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet.” But in reality it can be fulfilled with a rather passive approach.

In fact, I would suggest that by this measure, a rock could be a perfect Christian. Just think of the sins that a rock does not commit. It never commits adultery, murder, lust, envy, jealousy. It never tells a lie. It never covets. It is not addicted to crack cocaine, methamphetamines or alcohol. It never gossips, and never gets angry. A rock can be a perfect Christian by most of our popular ways of measuring goodness.

I am afraid that is a logical conclusion to an imperative approach to the Ten Commandments. Something has to be wrong with an understanding of the faith where a rock fulfills the expectations!

Instead, let’s look at the indicative approach. Remember the definition of our second word – indicative.

It means showing, signifying, pointing out. It describes something that is. It indicates something. "These symptoms are indicative of anemia." "This insignia is indicative of high rank." And in our faith, we might say, "Keeping the Ten Commandments is indicative of a person of faith."

Rather than saying, “Here is what we must do in order to have God love us.” We would say keeping the Ten Commandments is an indication that we love God in response to God’s gracious love for us.

In fact, the most important verse in Exodus 20 is verse 1, which lays the foundation for our obedience as a response to God’s gracious actions, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.”

The whole premise of Exodus 20 is that God has acted graciously and in a loving manner to the people of Israel first! Then the Ten Commandments how the people can indicate their love in response.

Motive is very important here. If we are fearful of God and obey in order that God may love us, then we are trying to earn our salvation. It is a classic example of works righteousness.

However, if we are obedient in response to God’s gracious love, then our actions come from the right motive, love, and not the wrong motive, fear. The Ten Commandments are indicative of people of faith.

The Ten Commandments are often described as being in two sections or tablets. The first tablet contains commandments 1-4; the second tablet contains 5-10. Imagine these tablets in your mind. The first deals with having a right relationship with God and says, “You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself and idol. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of God. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.” The essential meaning is that we are to have a right relationship with God.

The second tablet deals with our relationships with others and says, “Honor your father and mother. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet.” The essential meaning is that we are to have a right relationship with other people.

The Kingdom of God is the kingdom of right relationships and the Ten Commandments are indicative of having right relationships! They indicate that we are Christians.

I find it interesting that there are three times in Matthew that Jesus deals with the Ten Commandments, and every time he used the indicative approach not the imperative approach.

In Matthew 5, when Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment…”

Jesus is making clear that being right with others is not about rule-breaking. Rather, it is about having right relationships and that begins in our hearts.

A little later he says, “You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Jesus is saying that right relationships are not about rule-breaking. Rather, right relationships begin in our hearts. Keeping the Ten Commandments is indicative of right relationships.

In Matthew 19, we find the story that is often called the story of the Rich Young Ruler. He comes to Jesus and asks, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?”

Jesus replies, “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

The young man asks, “Which ones?”

Then Jesus names five of the Ten Commandments, “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. Honor your father and mother.”

The young man smiled as this imperative approach to religion and proudly announced, “I have kept all these, what do I still lack?”

Jesus replied, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”

I believe Jesus was saying, “Right relationships cannot be measured by rule-breaking. Even a rock can keep those commandments! If you want to be right with God, do something positive. Do something that indicates your heart is right. Go sell your possessions,, and give the money to the poor!”

In Matthew 22, some Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

Here was a good place for Jesus to affirm the imperative approach to the Ten Commandments. He could have said, “They are all important! Keep every one of them or you will go to hell.”

Or he might have prioritized them by naming one. He could have said, “Thou shalt not murder. That is the most important commandment. It is the only one that will require your life if you break it.”

Instead, Jesus redefined the whole issue. He replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

I believe Jesus was saying, “The commandments are not imperatives that you perform out of fear of God. They are indications that you love God and you love others. If you get your relationships right, then everything else will fall into place. Keeping the Ten Commandments is indicative that you have your relationships right.”

Let me conclude with a passage from 1 John 4 that beautiful sums up what I have been trying to tell you today.

“God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them… There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because God first loved us. Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.”

The Ten Commandments are not imperatives. They are indicative that we love God and love others.

Endnotes:

Thanks to the following sources for some of the ideas in this sermon.

"Ten Words as a Guide for Living in Covenant" by Laceye Warner, The Minister's Manual for 2002, edited by James W. Cox, pp. 229-230.

"The Divine Indicative" by C. Welton Gaddy, The Minister's Manual for 2003, edited by James W. Cox, pp. 221-222.