The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments as written by the very finger of God Himself on Mount Sinai 3500 years ago. Do you know them ? When is the last time you reviewed them or looked at them to truly understand and know what God expects of us ?
There are many Christians who believe that the Ten Commandments are outdated and that Jesus Christ has died, forgiven us and paid the penalty for our sins so the old laws no longer apply. That my friends could not be further from the truth. Jesus Christ Himself said in Matthew 5:17,18 “ Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets, I did not come to destroy but to fulfill them. V18 “ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot[iota]or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."
The Ten Commandments are the high moral standards that God expects us to live by and to obey as faithful followers of Christ. Jesus taught that the laws are spiritual and are the supreme essence of God loving us and we loving Him. The first four commandments show us how to love God the way He wants us to love and obey Him. The last six commandments show us how to love our neighbors.
Moses summarized the Ten Commandments to the people as found in Deuteronomy 6:5,6 “ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.”
Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior summarized the Ten Commandments 1400 years later as found in Matthew 22:37-39 “ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. “ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is just like it; “ You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Let this be a refresher for readers who have forgotten them or have never heard of them. It shall be in more of a summary form and taken from the book of Deuteronomy 5:7-21 also found in Exodus 20:1-17.
1. YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GOD’S BEFORE ME. - Deuteronomy 5:7 ; 6:13;10:20
Matthew 4:10 “ You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” John 4:23,24 “ True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” v24 “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
2. YOU SHALL NOT MAKE [OR HAVE] IDOLS. (emphasis mine) - Deuteronomy 5:8-10 Going on with this commandment God says “ You shall not bow down(worship) to them(idols) or serve them for I Am a jealous God but will show mercy to those who love Me and Keep My commandments.”
We all have a master that holds us as a slave and that is what we serve, love and worship. We are either a slave to sin and idolatry or we are a slave to God serving Him in love and obedience. Placing anything of value in your life above God is Sin, pure and simple.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “ Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God ? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God “ Galatians 5:19-21 “ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like.” Ephesians 5:5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolator, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.”
3. YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN. - Deuteronomy 5:11
Colossians 3:8 “ But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth.” 1 Timothy 6:1 “ Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrines may not be blasphemed.” James 2:7 “ Do not blaspheme that noble name by which you were called.”
4. REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY. - Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Luke 4:16 “ He(Jesus) went in to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read.” Luke 23:56 “ And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.” Hebrew 4:9 “ There remains a rest for the people of God.”
5. YOU SHALL HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER. - Deuteronomy 5:16
All throughout scripture God reveals Himself as our loving Father, no father deserves honor as much as our Heavenly Father. The Bible repeatedly shows since the beginning of time that people failed to honor and respect our Creator God. Malachi 1:6 “ A son honors his father[mother], and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor ? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence? (emphasis mine)
Ephesians 6:1-3 “ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and your mother which is the first commandment of promise.” God wants us to learn to honor all people as found in 1 Peter 2:17 “ Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the King.” and to submit to authority as found in Romans 13:1.
6. YOU SHALL NOT MURDER - Deuteronomy 5:17
God is the giver and creator of life as found in Genesis 2:7 “ And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostril the breath of life; and man became a living being.” God values life very highly and taking the life of another has dire consequences and punishment.
The Bible tells us that even hatred is the attitude of murder as Jesus taught in Matthew 5:21,22. Also in 1 John 3:15 “ Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”
7. YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY - Deuteronomy 5:18
The sanctity of marriage and sexual relations shall only be between a husband and a wife. Many verses are found throughout the scripture concerning marriage. God commanded this from the very beginning of time. Genesis 2:24 “ A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Jesus says in Matthew 19:9 “ And I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.”
1 Corinthians 6:13 “ Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. v18 “ Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.”
8. YOU SHALL NOT STEAL - Deuteronomy 5:19
A rich man asked Jesus what good things he must do to enter into eternal life ? Christ replied and said in Matthew 17,18 “ If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Which ones the man asked ? Jesus replied “ You shall not murder, ‘ You shall not steal,’ You shall not bear false witness,’ Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘ You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
In Romans 13:9-10 the Apostle Paul spoke these same words of truth “ For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this; “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” v10 “ Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
9. YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS - Deuteronomy 5:20
God is the standard and essence of truth. Deuteronomy 32:4 “ He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.”
Christ Jesus said in John 14:6 “ I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except thru Me.” and in John 17:17 “ Your word is truth”
This commandment includes slander, lying, dishonesty, discord, deception which corrupt the heart and are an abomination to God. (see Proverbs 6:16-19)
10. YOU SHALL NOT COVET - Deuteronomy 5:21
God makes it very clear that His laws are more than just our actions. Obeying the moral laws of God involve our thoughts, attitudes and is all a matter of the heart. Coveting, and all sin begins in our hearts. Coveting is an intense desire and craving to have what we don’t have or what doesn’t belong to us. (see Jeremiah 17:9,10)
Jesus speaks the truth as found in Matthew 15-18 “ But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man.” Notice how this all ties in with the second commandment(idolatry), the sixth (murder), the seventh (adultery), the eighth (theft) and the ninth (lying)
The original sin as found in Genesis 3:6 “ When the woman[Eve] saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise, she took of its [forbidden] fruit and ate.” (emphasis mine) Satan had deceived her in believing that it she could be just like God to know good and evil. Of all the many other trees in the garden, she focused and chose the one which was forbidden as commanded by God.
1 John 2:15,16 “ Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” v16 For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.” In a word to covet is to lust after what the world[Satan] has to offer Not what God desires and commands us to faithfully obey.
We either worship and serve ourselves, our possessions, our careers, and money OR we worship, love and serve God. The Ten Commandments are not burdensome as many think, but are liberating and set us free from the bonds of evil and sin. Romans 8:2 “ For the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
Start today – Don’t delay and change your life - Let the power of God’s words speak to you and be filled with a peace and joy beyond measure.
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