W Our Savior and Saint John's Lutheran ChurchesW

Dear Brethren;

Holy Scripture tells us that God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses on two tablets of stone; nothing is said, however, of how many Commandments were on the first tablet, and how many on the second.

Traditionally, though, the Church has seen a difference between the first three Commandments and the last seven, in that the first three Commandments (to have no other gods, not to abuse the name of the Lord, and to keep the Sabbath day holy) give directions as to how to relate with God, whereas the other Commandments reveal to us how to relate to other people. And from that observation it seemed logical to distinguish between the first group of Commandments as the “first table” of the Law and the second group as the “second table”.

Whether or not this was historically the case, that the first three commandments were written on one stone tablet, and the seven others on another, the distinction is a very practical tool for understanding the Ten Commandments, and how the fall in two parts.

Looking at what Scripture teaches us about the first three Commandments we see a precious chain linking them together. The First Commandment points to God alone as the God of our salvation: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” The Second Commandment teaches us to call upon the name of God in all need; for not to is the greatest abuse of all!

And the heart of the Third Commandment about worship is to teach us to seek the salvation of God in His Word and in the festive meal of salvation; for that is what Christian worship is.

In this manner the first three Commandments of God are really proclamations of the Gospel, God's precious promise of salvation, only in the form of commands. God alone is our Saviour, and our salvation comes from Him alone; that is why we should not seek salvation in anything else, such as our own goodness, our good works, or our good intentions, nor should we seek salvation in anyone else, such as what our friends or family will tell us is good and right, nor should we seek salvation in ourselves and our own sense of fulfilment and worth. The Promise of God is that “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”; that is why we should use His name to call upon for salvation, and not for all sorts of nothingness and naughtiness. And true worship of God is to receive salvation from Him, for God is a God of giving, and nothing is greater to Him than our salvation, and therefore the heart of our life with Him is for Him to give us salvation in Christ, and for us to embrace His salvation. And on that we should not miss out. That is why we should not neglect the Word and worship of God. For great things are given to us in His Word and worship.

In short, once again, the Law of God reveals to us that His love for us is at the heart of all things. Sincerely Jais H. Tinglund