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Again which comes first? The Gospel or instructions in obedience? Do the 10 commandments save us?

The Matthew 18 reference in context teaches us how we are to handle sin within the church. Which neither one of us could cast stones on the other given we both know every church out there is not in full obedience of this passage.

>>>Do the 10 commandments save us?<<<

We only need keep one:

"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." (Mat 7:12)

"Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law." (Rom 13:10)

"For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Gal 5:14)

"If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:" (Jam 2:8)

Of course, to keep that one requires us to also keep another, but they are similar:

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Mat 22:36-40)"

I interpret that to mean, if you hate yourself, you still have no right to hate your neighbour.

This was Jesus' chief (maybe the only serious) complaint against the Jews. Love thy neighbour was the part of the Law that the rabbi's and Jewish leadership tended to ignore. They certainly were not very neighbourly to the prophets. Recall this:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." (Mat 23:23)

Loving one's neighbor was clearly written in the Law:

"Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord." (Lev 19:18)

Philip

I am not sure what you are getting at. I am sure you are trying to lead me to some conclusion. It depends on the context - 1. a public sinner who is within the church should receive instruction in catechesis as the first priority, 2. a person who is in the church but who has not been sinning (I say that loosely as we all sin)but who still has much more to learn about God's will would receive catechesis before evangelization, 3. For almost everyone else I guess the focus would be on evangelization.