Christian Living

DEEDS THAT OUGHT NOT TO BE DONE

by Chi Onwuchekwa
09/25/18
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“… thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done.”  Genesis 20:9

Welcome to this edition of the REVIVE Journal.

Abimelech, king of Gerar, without the Torah or the Bible says to Abraham ‘… you have done to me deeds that ought not to be done’. Unarmed with any document serving as a guide to God’s moral pathway, he however accuses Abraham of deceiving him and concludes that deceiving another is a deed that ought not to be done.

And God agrees with Abimelech’s judgement – that there are things we must never do to others. Beginning with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), God commands:

1. Exodus 20:13 – We must not murder another. In its generic sense, it of course speaks directly of physical killing. But the New Testament expands this definition in 1 John 3:15.It states – “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.” Now we know that we must not HATE one another for he that hates is a murderer.

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2. Exodus 20:14 – We must not commit adultery. In other words we must stay faithful to one another in relationships, especially marriage and courtship. Again, our Lord expands this in the New Testament when He said in Matthew 5:28 - “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” In other words to look at a woman (or a man) other than the one we are married or courting is adultery.

3. Exodus 20:15 – We must not take what belongs to another without their knowledge or permission. This includes public funds and property – these belong to the people. My General Overseer – Pastor E A Adeboye spoke of how the Holy Spirit convicted him when he tried to use the office envelopes costing less than £0.01 to post his private letter.

4. We must not call another a fool: In Matthew 5:22, Jesus said – “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.”

5. We must not stir up strife or hostility amongst brothers (or friends): Proverbs 6:16-19 gives a list of the 7 things that are an abomination to God and the seventh of this in verse 19 is ‘… one who sows discord among brethren.’ We must desist from pitching people against one another and from saying those words that we know if spoken will stir up strife/hostility against another. Also, we must consciously play the peacemaker when there are arguments or contention amongst persons. Whatever counsel we give must make room for peace to prevail. In this we affirm that we are the sons of God – (Matthew 5:9).

6. We must not dishonor our parents (biological or spiritual): Exodus 20:12 exhorts us to honor our parents. Exodus 21:15 commands us not to strike our father or mother while verse 17 commands us not to curse (insult or speak ill of) our father or mother. While all of these refer in the first instance to our biological parents, it also extends to our spiritual parents. Honor your parents in the reverse side means do not dishonor your parents. And God’s reason for this? – that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you. You want to stay long in God’s divine purpose and blessings for your life? – then honor your parents, and completely refrain from cursing or physically abusing them.

This list is in no way exhaustive of God’s moral pathway for His own. Looking inwards and from the many years of handling crisis resolutions amongst brethren, it is clear that whatever things we do that hurts, humiliates, embarrasses, demeans, distresses, debases, puts to shame another are indeed things that should not have been done.

I accept the possibility that some might react to this article as an attempt to take us back to ‘the law’. It is not. And we must humbly acknowledge that God’s grace in no way releases us from the need for obedience to God (John 14:15). Also, 1 Peter 1:15 exhorts us to be holy in everything we do, and that includes how we treat the people we relate with.

Would you please join me in asking the Father to forgive us for the things we did that we ought not to have done, for the things we said that we ought not to have said and for our failure to do the things that we ought to have done to another. And Father we ask that you give us the exceeding grace that would help us to always do right by others in Jesus name.

I pray that God will help put to death the things in us, that part of us that is prone to doing things that ought not to be done to others; I pray that the Holy Spirit will take His rightful place in our hearts and be the sole inspiration of all that we do or say to others in Jesus name. Amen.

Shalom!

Chi Onwuchekwa