Life53.全世界有哪个民族不知道偷盗、奸淫、杀人、作假证是邪恶呢？人们若不知道这一点，不立法阻止犯这些邪恶，就不复存在了；因为没有这些法律，一个社会，团体或国家就会灭亡。谁会以为以色列民族就比其它民族愚蠢得多，以至于不知道这些是邪恶？因此，人们可能会纳闷，耶和华为何以如此大的神迹从西乃山上颁布这些全世界众所周知的法律。但请注意听：它们以如此大的神迹被颁布出来，是为了叫人们知道，这些法律不仅是文明和道德的法律，还是属灵法律；违反它们不仅是向同胞和国家行恶，还得罪神。因此，这些法律通过耶和华从西乃山上颁布而变成宗教律法。因为显而易见，凡耶和华神所吩咐的，都是为了使它成为宗教的一部分而吩咐的；遵行这吩咐不是为了主的缘故，而是为了人的缘故，是为了叫他可以得救。
53. The Ten Commandments Tell Us Which Evils Are Sins
IS there any society anywhere on the globe that does not know that it is evil to steal, commit adultery, murder, and bear false witness? If they did not know this, and if they were not prevented by laws from doing these things, it would be all over for them, because any community or republic or kingdom would collapse if it did not have these laws. Could anyone presume that the Israelite nation was so much more stupid than everyone else that they did not know these things were evil? So we might wonder why these laws, so well known over the whole face of the earth, were made public by Jehovah himself from Mount Sinai in such miraculous fashion.
But the truth is that they were made public in such miraculous fashion to let Israel know that these laws are not merely civil and moral laws but are spiritual laws as well, and that breaking them is not only harmful to our fellow citizens and communities but is also a sin against God. So the proclamation of these laws from Mount Sinai by Jehovah made them laws of religion. It is obvious that if Jehovah God commands something, he does so in order to make it a part of our religion, as something that needs to be done for his sake and for the sake of our own salvation.
53. The Ten Commandments Tell Us What Evils Are Sins
What nation, in the whole world, does not know that it is evil to steal, to commit adultery, to kill and to bear false witness? If they did not know this, and if they did not pass laws to guard against anyone’s doing these things, it would be the end of them, for any society, republic or kingdom would collapse without these laws.
Who can suppose that the Israelite nation was, more than any other nation, so stupid as not to know that these acts are evil? One may wonder, therefore, why these laws, universally known the world over, were promulgated from Mount Sinai by Jehovah Himself, accompanied by so great a miracle.
But listen, they were promulgated with so great a miracle in order for people to know that these laws were not only civil and moral laws, but also spiritual laws, and that to disobey them was not only to do evil to one’s fellow citizen and community, but was also to sin against God. By being promulgated by Jehovah from Mount Sinai, therefore, these laws became laws of religion. For it is plain that whatever Jehovah God commands, He intends to be a commandment of religion, and that it must be obeyed for His sake, and for the sake of people’s salvation.
53. VI. THE DECALOGUE TEACHES WHAT EVILS ARE SINS
What nation throughout the whole world does not know that it is evil to steal, to commit adultery, to commit murder, and to bear false witness? If nations did not know this, and by laws did not prevent these evils from being committed, they would cease to exist, for a society, state or kingdom without these laws would perish. No one can suppose that the Israelitish nation was, beyond all others, so stupid as not to know that these were evils. One may wonder then that these laws, universally known throughout the world, should have been promulgated in so miraculous a manner from Mount Sinai by Jehovah Himself. But note: the reason why they were so miraculously promulgated was that men might know that these laws were not only civil and moral but also spiritual laws; and that to act contrary to them was not only to do evil against one's fellow citizen and the state, but also to sin against God. Therefore these laws, by their promulgation from Mount Sinai by Jehovah, became also laws of religion. For it is evident that whatever Jehovah God commands, He commands as a principle of religion; and that it ought to be done for His sake, and for man's sake that he may be saved.
53. THE DECALOGUE TEACHES WHAT EVILS ARE SINS.
What nation in the wide world is not aware that it is evil to steal, to commit adultery, to kill, and to bear false witness? If men were not aware of this, and if they did not by laws guard against the commission of these evils, it would be all over with them; for without such laws the community, the commonwealth, and the kingdom would perish. Who can imagine that the Israelitish nation was so much more senseless than other nations as not to know that these were evils? One might therefore wonder why these laws, known as they are the world over, were promulgated from Mount Sinai by Jehovah Himself with so great a miracle. But listen: they were promulgated with so great a miracle in order that men may know that these laws are not only civic and moral laws, but are also spiritual laws; and that to act contrary to them is not only to do evil to a fellow-citizen and to the community, but is also to sin against God. For this reason those laws, through promulgation from Mount Sinai by Jehovah, were made laws of religion; for it is evident that whatever Jehovah God commands, He commands in order that it may be of religion, and that it is to be done for His sake, and for the sake of the man that he may be saved.
53. (VI.) QUOD DECALOGUS DOCEAT QUAENAM MALA SUNT PECCATA.
Quaenam gens in universo terrarum orbe non novit quod malum sit furari, adulterari, occidere, et false testari? Nisi haec scirent, et ne quis talia faciat, per leges caverent, actum foret de illis; nam societas, respublica et regnum, absque illis legibus caderent. Quis autumare potest quod gens Israelitica prae omnibus aliis tam stupida fuerit, ut ignoraverit, quod illa essent mala Quapropter mirari quis potest, cur leges illae, universaliter in terrarum orbe cognitae cum tanto miraculo e Monte Sinai ab Ipso Jehovah promulgatae fuerint. Sed audi: cum tali miraculo promulgatae fuerunt, ut scirent quod leges illae non modo leges civiles et morales essent, sed etiam leges spirituales; et quod facere contra illas, non modo esset malum facere contra concivem et contra societatem, sed etiam esset peccare contra Deum: quare leges illae, per promulgationem e Monte Sinai a Jehovah, factae sunt leges religionis; evidens enim est, quod quicquid Jehovah Deus mandat, hoc mandet ut religionis sit, et quod faciendum propter Ipsum, et propter hominem ut salvetur.