Written in Stone

When God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He wrote them with His finger on two tablets of stone. Since then, the Ten Commandments have not only been widely-accepted, basic moral standards for living but also the term "written in stone" became a well-known expression for something non-negotiable. The Marriam-Webster dictionary defines it as "permanent or not able to be changed."

Oddly enough, none less than the current Pope seems to have a different opinion of the Ten Commandments. He considers them "not as absolutes." But what good do the Ten Commandments do, when they are not absolute, permanent anymore? If mankind decides for himself when to observe "do not kill," "do not steal," etc. and when not, he creates his own commandments and exalts himself to the place of God. Of course, Christian theology includes that mankind is not justified by keeping commandments but by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. But does this mean we don't even need to try to keep the commandments anymore? No, it simply means that when we fail to keep God's law there is always grace for forgiveness.