Question 12: What does God require in the ninth and tenth commandments?

Answer 12: Ninth, that we do not lie or deceive, but speak the truth in love. Tenth, that we are content, not envying anyone or resenting what God has given them or us.

The ninth command is “you shall not bear a false witness against your neighbor”, or shorthand, “you shall not lie”. The positive side of it is, telling the truth or speaking the truth in love. This is such an important thing for us to remember. We’ve all heard the little kids rhyme, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” But we have all probably had someone lie about us or to us and what does that do? It hurts. Much harm is done in our world with words. Romans 3:10-18 sums up the sin problem of all humanity and much of it has to do with sinning with our mouths. James 3 says our tongues are a restless evil.  The devil is the father of lies and those who belong to him will be liars as well. We live in a world run through with deceit and lies. We live in a world run through with deceit and lies. But as Christians forgiven and indwelt by the Spirit, we love our neighbor by speaking the truth about him and telling the truth to him in love. 

The tenth and final commandment is “you shall not covet.” It’s interesting that the second table of the law (commands 5-10) ends with this. We know that the whole law of God is summed up in loving God and neighbor. So the commands 5-10 have to do with loving neighbor. And the relevance and importance and practicality of this is seen in the tenth commandment, “you shall not covet”. Coveting comes from a heart of envy. Jealousy at what your neighbor has, whether it be his house, car, job, wife, opportunities, looks, or whatever else it is. We are not to be envious of our neighbor. Furthermore we are not to resent what God has given them and what God has given (or not given) to us.

Now again, the law is summed up in love. Loving God and loving our neighbor, which Christ has fulfilled for us in the perfection of his life and atoning death. And we are to fulfill progressively through the strength and power of the Spirit. And so, we love our neighbor  by telling the truth and not bearing false witness about him and by not being envious of him, and coveting what he has. 

James 2:8 - If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.