The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Reading the "ten commandments"

Has your church read from the pulpit the “ten commandments” within the past year?

Reading the "ten commandments" multiple choice, up to 1 choices
	YES
	NO
Votes accepted starting: Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:55 PM You must vote before you can view the results of this poll.

I voted "YES" even though I know what you are asking isn't a practice in our church, i.e., a complete recitation of the Decalogue, a tradition in some old-line Dutch Reformed churches. The practice has its merits and demerits to be sure. However, the individual commandments of the Decalogue are often mentioned or groups of them are referenced in the preaching of the Word in our church and applied therein.

I answered "Yes." For ten weeks the reading of the Law was one commandment at a time from the recapitulation of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy.

I voted "yes" because this is practice in our churches which are indeed in the Dutch Reformed tradition.

Johan

I voted yes even though as a church we don't recite the commandments as practice they usually come forth on a regular basis.

I also voted "yes" as we follow a suggested order of liturgy for the morning worship service on the Lord's Day.

I have noticed some older hymnals even non-reformed have the "Ten Commandments and their Summary" so should I conclude that the reading of them was done more so in the past than in these latter days?

I don't know if you can rightly conclude that they were read as part of the morning worship service just because the 10 Commandments were included in the back of the hymnal. For example, in the back of the Trinity Hymnal the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter Catechism, along with some forms can be found. It would not be correct to assume that all of those are read each Lord's Day.

However, what is true is that the 10 Commandments were given much more recognition in the past than they are today. And, that is very unfortunate.

In His grace,

Good answer thanks. The Trinity hymnal also has opening sentences. What about the Puritians?

IF <---- you are wondering if it was standard practice to read the 10 Commandments from the pulpit every Sunday morning in many/most churches I think you would be hard pressed to find the practice outside of the Dutch Reformed Church, although there could have been exceptions, but nothing "regulated" on a denominational basis. As I have already stated briefly, the practice has its merits but also demerits as does most everything that is repeated on a too frequent basis.

However, it was common practice to preach the Commandments and apply them. But again, this was not 'regulated', i.e., mandated/suggested as part of the church order of worship, and repetitive.

Dear William,

I was able to say "Yes" to the explicit wording of your question because our elders preached through nearly all of Deuteronomy for most of 2008, but it had probably been 8-12 years since they preached through Exodus, so for most years I would not have been able to say "Yes".

However, like several others here have said, the 10 commandments are, I believe, well-taught in our church through catechesis/teaching in baptism classes, covenant membership classes and all levels of Sunday School, through 1 hymn that goes through the 10 commandments and a summary (we often sing it when the worship passage is centered on some aspect of the Law), and most frequently through constant back-reference from the worship and/or sermon passage.

Esteemed Brother Paul,

Thank you for your unbiased reply to my simple poll question. I only posted it in an attempt to help others and myself discern the current trend in Christendom today and I am glad to read that many here on the Highway including yourself are in faithful churches.


Have a good Lord's day,
William


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William,

I'm somewhat curious to know the relationship between the "reading of the Ten Commandments" and a "faithful church", as you have put it. A corollary question might be: "Is a faithful church synonymous with a true church in your understanding?

In His grace,

Faithful only in the sense that they are given "recognition" thru application, thru coming forth on a regular basis, thru being taught over a ten week period, and thru constant back-referencing. A true church is where the gospel purely preached, where the sacraments are rightly administered, and where church discipline is practiced. So no they are not synonymous. Actually there can be no preaching of the pure gospel without the preaching of the law.













Have a good Lord's day,
William