Jerry Sandusky, the Penn State football coach convicted of abusing boys, was given 30 to 60 years in prison. That means the rest of his life.
We all have points of reference that we use to evaluate public news or the smaller things that happen in our personal lives. One reference point for Christians is the Ten Commandments. How do you analyze the Sandusky crimes in light of the Ten Commandments?
“Honor thy father and thy mother” is about authority. His crimes broke laws. “Thou shalt not kill” on the flip side means to promote life. He didn’t, damaging people for the rest of their lives. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” The positive side of that command is to uphold marriage and sexual chastity. He didn’t and the enormity of his sin will grow if and when the abused become abusers. “Thou shalt not steal.” How much money and time was diverted from good purposes to his prosecution and imprisonment? “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” His family has been shamed.
That quick run-through shows that the commandments are a fabric, a whole that God has given to bless and guide our entire lives. “Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.” (James 2:10) What’s the key to keeping the wholeness God intends for us? The first and greatest commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37) If God is all in all to you, then you’ll say, as Joseph did, “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9) Closing question: Do you use God’s Commandments as a frame of reference for your life?
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