Commandments
- Michael Haldas
- Jun 3, 2023
- 4 min read
“Genuine love is expressed in deeds, and not in words alone. It is expressed through what one actually does in one’s life. It is manifested in concern for others through kindly speech and generosity with one’s earthly possessions given by God. It is revealed in one’s works of faith in keeping all of God’s commandments.” (Fr. Thomas Hopko)
“Faithfulness means making the free choice, again and again, to be obedient to the commandments of God, and returning to obedience whenever we fail. Being faithful does not mean that we earn salvation—how could we ever earn life among the heavenly hosts? But it is what it takes to remain in the Kingdom of Christ. It is the same as faithfulness in a marriage—it is not made or unmade in a single act or by fulfilling a single requirement. It is lived and nurtured and therefore grows and deepens.” (Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick)
“…the commandments of God are a projection of the eternal life of God into the world, but at the same time they become gateways to divine life. This is why, through the keeping of the commandments, man acquires likeness to God. The revelation of God is first imparted to the heart, which is the spiritual core of every man. From the Parable of the Sower we see that, the fruit that the word of God will bring depends on the state of the earth of our heart. The Jesus Prayer and the humble tears of repentance are a plough, wherewith we can cultivate our heart so that it can receive the word of God and bring fruit. The eye of the soul to understand the Scripture is not the intellect. With his intellect, man can only make some scholastic observations, which may be useful on a practical, historical level. Yet, if we are to understand the mind of the Scriptures, we must approach with humble faith that helps the word enter into the heart. If man is to receive the word of God, his heart must be free to follow the path of the commandments of the Lord. When the heart is enslaved to the passions, it is unable to hear and accommodate the word of God, and it can even reject it.” (Father Sophrony, Archbishop Peter)
“Because, according to God’s word, there aren’t any great or small commandments. Since they all have their origin in the word of God, they represent his personal action and are directly linked to each other. Each of God’s commandments either unites us with Him or distances us from Him, depending on our attitude and our actions. Do I observe all of God’s words? Then I’ll find Him within me. Do I ignore Him because I judge (and the whole of human egotism is revealed in that word) that something doesn’t carry the same weight? Then I set aside God and all of His deifying and redemptive activity. The Lord Himself revealed this truth to us, and the apostles and saints also preached it because they had living experience of it. ‘Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:19). And Saint James, the Brother of our Lord, says: ‘For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder”. If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker’ (James 2:10-11).” (Protopresbyter Georgios Dorbarakis)
“When we ask the Lord for His will to be done on earth, in us and through us, He will help us to keep His commandments. He will shower grace on us should we humbly and faithfully accept the sufferings required if we are to follow His orders.” (Dynamis 11/10/2020)
“The Ten Commandments, the heart of God’s law, are just as applicable today as they were 3,000 years ago because they proclaim a lifestyle endorsed by God. They are the perfect expression of who God is and how He wants people to live.” (Life Application Study Bible, Deuteronomy 4:8)
“The Cross points vertically as a reminder that we are to love God, and horizontally, as a reminder that we are to love each other. Christ commanded this and we cannot have, nor do, one without the other…when you consider the order of the Ten Commandments, the first four instruct us how to worship God, the fifth one instructs us to honor our parents, and the final five are about how we should treat each other. This ties the ten commandments to the cross and what Christ says are the greatest commandments in a way that make sense for many and serves as a good reminder to remember its above loving each other too as well as God.” (Sacramental Living Ministries)
"The Holy Spirit’s presence is vital for every Christian who struggles to keep the Lord’s commandments and cope with the realities of loving others..." (Dynamis 5/10/2014)
"Unfortunately, because God’s commandments are not easy to keep (due to our own sins and weaknesses), we are apt to dismiss them as unrealistic and idealistic. We also tend to think of them as negative burdens rather than as positive opportunities." (Archimandrite Vassilios Papavassiliou)
“We benefit each time we apply one of God’s commandments to our lives.” (Dynamis 3/6/2015)
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