God. Real. Right.

This commandment simply recognizes that saying something is “right” means something real, and something more than saying that it “works”. It is the contrast between what is called “moral realism” and either “moral nihilism” or utilitarianism. Two Proverbs make the point that people choose to do things because they are right, even though the result of those things makes it obvious they were not. “There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is the way of death.” Moral judgments become basically meaningless when the definition of what is right becomes malleable. (For those paying close attention, I should point out that “the way of death” is not the same as “death” itself, and so these Proverbs are not utilitarian. For everyone else this parenthetical note probably should have been skipped. :O)
Paul also expressed this point to Timothy: “if a man is trying to achieve something, he will not receive his prize unless he strives for it according to what is right.” (2 Timothy 2:5)
When Christians make moral judgments based on what will work BEFORE they have discovered whether the act itself is right or whether a character capable of doing such an act is virtuous, then they are not following Jesus. It is crystal clear (from the crucifixion itself, to the command that to follow Jesus means to deny self and take up the cross) that the result is not the responsibility of a follower; obedience is.
At its base, this commandment is inescapable for those wishing to have a Christian worldview. There is an absolute and universal truth in Christ which includes what is right and what is wrong. The expression of right and wrong may take a different form in every culture. But it will still be either right or wrong, and the difference between the two will not change. To hug an old friend may be right in America and wrong in India. But it is right in both places to care about others and be respectful of them as persons.
Acknowledging different expressions (called the context sensitivity thesis) does not compromise moral reality. Determining that something is right (like helping someone in need) and then choosing which act to do based on what will work best (like pushing rather than pulling their car) does not compromise moral reality. But determining that something is right just because it brings about desired results absolutely does compromise any commitment to moral reality. So don’t do that!

Believe it or not, this commandment is derived from the tenth real commandment, not to covet. Consider the four steps of disparity between the expectations almost inherent in our culture and the attitude described in Psalm 103:9-10.
Our presumption: Even when things are good, I deserve better.
A step closer to the right attitude: When things are bad, I deserve better.
A step even closer: When things are good, I have enough (so I am grateful).
The appropriate attitude for followers (as in Psalm 103.9-10): When things are bad, I deserve worse, and therefore I am grateful.
Although that self-deprecating attitude is almost universally renounced in a culture which defines psychological health as self-approval, it is the starting point for the kind of attitude which is capable of receiving God’s goodness as grace.
This commandment relates to why it is possible “in every thing to give thanks” and to learn “in whatever state we are to be content.” Demanding self-aggrandizement is not Christian. Self-denying contentment, whether accompanied by wealth or poverty, is.

Just as the third, this commandment, the fourth, is inspired by the spirit of the real commandments as a whole. Those real commandments make our failures painfully obvious. But their very expression is evidence that God still cares enough to communicate with us rather than simply throw us away. This idea is often expressed using the vocabulary of Ephesians 4:15, “speaking the truth in love.” It is not simply a plea to coat difficult or even hateful words in sugar. Rather, it is a reminder that the motivation and goal of every correction is correction, not destruction.
What James calls “the fruit of righteousness” (in James 3:18) is the thing every believer wants to encourage in others and see fulfilled in the world. It is the product or result which comes from doing right. That product will not come if we are not willing to be frank about where it is missing. Hence, “be brutally honest.” But it also will not come if our goal is simply to attack or humiliate those who do not have it. Hence, “be persistently kind.”
Understanding this commandment also maintains the distinction between legitimate tolerance and the ridiculous redefinition of “tolerance” to mean “approval.” It is possible to say “you are wrong” and be motivated to say so because of kindness, not fear or anger. It is possible to believe another person is completely wrong and still respect their worth as a person completely. And it is the follower’s responsibility to do so.
At its very base, this commandment is indispensable to the communication of the message of believers (the gospel). To say there is a Saver (yes, that’s how I meant to spell it) is to imply there is a need to be saved. But it should not just be implied. It ought to be expressed. Conversely, the only reason to communicate that “all have failed” or “all have sinned” is that the One they failed has chosen to do something about that failure and offer them both a new start and a different future through Jesus.

This commandment is inspired by the purpose of the real commandments, explained in Romans 3:20. They reveal our failure to live up to what is expected of us. But they accomplish that task by reminding us that what we have failed to live up to is expected of us.
It makes perfect sense that many normal people do not have hope that they can change, that the world can be different, and that there is something better not only to dream about but actually to achieve.
But that kind of “we-might-as-well-just-live-with-it” mentality is entirely inappropriate for Christians. Paul’s most direct statement of this reality for followers of Jesus is in Philippians 3:12-14. In that passage it is clear both that a believer will never be perfect and that he can never be satisfied with being less than perfect.
Interestingly, or sadly, this culture’s obsession with death is a natural product of the belief that things cannot be better in this life and that there is no other life to anticipate.
In contrast, followers do not stop in the middle of a journey and abandon the trip simply because they have not arrived at the destination yet. For followers the destination is real and worth every minute of the trip it takes to get there.