Now understand - God Commandments mean not only what they say in words, but they touch your thoughts, heart, and imaginations. The Law means a great deal more than the mere word seems to convey. The very thought of adultery and fornication is condemned. The indulgence of an unclean look has broken the 7th commandment already. The Law deals with desires and the imaginations, where you fantasize and picture your sins within your mind, and feel a sinful pleasure in a picture, though you have not actually committed the sin, you are already guilty. God looks at our thoughts, imaginations, desires, and words as well as at our actions. We stand in awe of the Law, for we cannot keep it, we are already condemned by it. What way of escape is there for us? How can I get my sins forgiven? How can I be reconciled to God?
If a man says that he can keep the Law, it is because He does not know what the Law is. Human pride breaks the Law as much as lust, lying, or murder. It is utterly impossible to come up to the holy standard of God's Law. Only by perfection can you live by the Law, and you know that human perfection is impossible. The Law is a sharp arrow and it pierces deep into the heart and conscience. You cannot save yourself by your own doings, you cannot keep the strict Law. The Law takes in all your actions, private as well as public; your words, even your idle words and gossip. You cannot live without sinful thoughts for you are a rebel in your nature. Just your sinful thoughts are enough to send you down to the lowest hell. You cannot keep the Law, it is impossible, the Law is too holy and great, you cannot attain unto its holiness. But Christ kept the Law perfectly for you.
The commandment is exceeding broad. The Law examines our unchaste glances, lustful thoughts, vile imaginations, causeless hatred, and covetous desires. Evil desires break the Law of God. Uncleanness of thought is as obnoxious to God as uncleanness of life. This ends our life of pride and self-security. Bitter and hasty words are written down in God's book as being a sin. The Law condemns covetous desires, you are not as secure as you thought. You cannot afford to be proud, you cannot afford to judge others any longer, you can only judge yourself. Men live a proud, haughty life until they understand the spirit of God's divine Law. By the Law is the knowledge of sin. Perceive the impossibility of ever keeping the Law of God, leave off attempting to work out salvation by an obedience of your own. The holiness which the Law demands absolute sinless Perfection, no sinner can do that.
God knows all about your sins, He has seen them all, heard them, and wrote them down in His book of remembrance. I the Lord search the heart (Jeremiah 17:10). God knows all about your motives and thoughts. He has seen all your selfishness, and you trying to save yourself. You seek to do what is right merely that you might be saved by it. God has watched all the wanderings of your heart, and all the evil imaginations of your mind. The Law will show you no mercy, it will only condemn and punish the guilty.
It is not just the overt act, merely, that will damn a man; it is the thought, the imagination, this is the conception of sin, and it is sufficient to ruin your soul. If you had never committed one single act of sin, yet the thought and desire for sin, the imagination of it is enough to send you to Hell. The Law detects the heinous evil of sin and the weight of guilt. You begin to fear dying in your lost state.
Be honest for just one minute - your conscience often whispers to you and reminds you of your past sins. You have rejected Christ, despised the Holy Spirit's call, trampled many prayers, and wasted numerous sermons. You are by nature at enmity with God, you neglect Him, you intensely hate Him. It is a fearful thing to die with God as your enemy. Your inward nature is hostile toward Christ. You snub Jesus Christ, you think He is not needed in your life at all. But Jesus took your sin, shame, and blame on the Cross. You are indifferent toward honesty and purity. You resist the Holy Spirit's tender call to Repentance. For which of Christ's works do you hate Him? Do you hate Him because He has spared your life by His tender mercy? Why are you at enmity with God? You curse Him for some odd reason. But you are only hurting yourself by rejecting Jesus Christ.
You have intense hatred toward God's holy Person. God keeps breath in your nostrils, He continually gives you health, food, raiment, and shelter. Answer this question - Do you hate the mother who led and fed and clothed you all your life, or do you despise your father who wisely watched over you? No. But you hate God, because He has been so Good to you, and that is because you are so evil, and that your heart is so far removed from right. This is your great and crying sin. God gave you talents and money and you have turned these things against your Good Creator and Sustainer. This is a diabolical crime. You are indifferent to Christ - and it is a terrible sin to be at enmity with God.
