“How so? Why should we not take it literally? Is there not a danger of sliding into gnosticism if we assume what things mean? Why, if people can do that, would they not assume that other parts of the Bible are non-literal?
“Each commandment cover sins in that category.”
I’m don’t think you can find that in the Bible, that the 10 commandments are the superclasses of sins, and other sins come under those.”
We should take it literally.
To understand the ten commandments as a summarization of all the 600 plus case laws in Scripture is not much of a stretch. There are numerous examples of God’s law being expanded so.
When asked what was the greatest law, Jesus further summarized the law, saying, “Love the LORD your God with all your might, with all your mind, and with all your soul (paraphrase) and added that the second greatest was like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He stated that on these two laws hang all the commandments.
Summarizations are perfectly normal methods of communication and by no means teach us that God’s word shouldn’t be taken literally - far from it.
I’m sorry, I appreciate you think that with the best of intent, but I disagree.
I disagree that Luke 10:27/Matthew 22:37/Mark 12:30 is a “summary”. In fact Jesus himself calls it the “first and great”, not anything like “summary”. He says the law and the prophets hangs on it, and the second “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”. That doesn’t mean it’s the superclass of all other laws.
I want to be honest and true to the literal Bible, and I see that you do too; I don’t want to be arguing with you. But I think you are assuming something that isn’t there.
The act of adultery is the disgusting act of breaking a marriage covenant by sex with another outside of that covenant. And Jesus is saying if you even thought about that, you are guilty of it. That makes sense. But for him to be saying that if a young single man initially looked at a young single woman with lust, which he later tempered into something more reasonable, that young man is guilty of adultery, I just don’t think that fits the sens of what Jesus is saying. I think that’s man, putting his own fears and loathings into his interpretation.