The Ten Commandments

Don't you think it's about time you learned what the 10 Commandments are all about? Sadly, most people know little about the Ten Commandments or where to find them in the Bible (read Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5). Few people can name more than three or four of them. Those who take the time to study the commandments find they're not a list of "Do nots," but are in fact God's guide to the good life—a life full of blessings. That's why the Bible calls them "the royal law" and "the law of liberty." There's much more to these commandments than meets the eye. They're not just God's way of preventing us from having a good time. The commandments are relevant to us today and are designed to protect us, our families and our communities. They're a guide to transforming the way we think, what we do and how we live. They truly are ten keys to a successful and happy life! Learn more about God's Commandments and how you can begin having a life full of blessings.

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A Royal Law of Love

Many religious people embrace the idea of loving others as themselves but remain blissfully unaware of how the Bible defines love. As a result, they do not understand the necessity of putting into practice the biblical principles that determine the success or failure of their relationships.

The First Commandment: What Is Our Greatest Priority?

1. "You shall have no other gods before Me." Establishing, developing and maintaining that personal relationship with the true and living God is the most important commitment we can ever make. That is the primary focus of the first of the Commandments.

Our Dependence on the God Who Created Us

Do we realize how fragile our existence is, how constantly dependent we are on God’s care?

The Second Commandment: What Is God Like?

2. "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them." The Second Commandment goes to the heart of our relationship with our Creator. What is the proper way to worship the only true God?

The Third Commandment: From Profanity to Praise

3. "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." The use of God's name in a degrading or in any way disrespectful manner expresses an attitude of disdaining the relationship we are supposed to have with Him. Having a relationship with God demands that we represent Him accurately, sincerely and respectfully.

God's Many Names Reveal Much About Him

The Bible uses a variety of names for God. He calls things what they are, and He calls Himself what He is.

The Fourth Commandment: Key to a Relationship With Our Creator

4. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." The Fourth Commandment, to remember the Sabbath, concludes the section of the Commandments that specifically helps define a proper relationship with God—how we are to love, worship and relate to Him. It explains why and when we need to take special time to draw closer to our Creator on the seventh day.

The Fifth Commandment: A Foundation for Success

5. "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you." The primary focus of the Fifth Commandment is the importance of learning to respect others while we are still children.

How Should We Treat Parents Who Are Difficult to Honor?

How can we honor parents or grandparents whose behavior is unworthy of admiration? How can we apply this commandment to them?

The Sixth Commandment: Life Is a Precious Gift

6. "You shall not murder." Who possesses the authority to take human life? Who has the right to make that decision? The emphasis in the Sixth Commandment is on the word you. You shall not murder! You are not to deliberately kill-premeditatedly or in the anger of the moment.

The Seventh Commandment: Protect the Marital Relationship

7. "You shall not commit adultery." Unless the natural desires that attract us to members of the opposite sex are channeled exclusively toward a loving marriage relationship, the temptation to engage in sexual immorality can easily overpower our self-control. This weakness is the focus of the Seventh Commandment.

The Eighth Commandment: Practice Giving Rather Than Getting

8. "You shall not steal." The Eighth Commandment safeguards everyone's right to legitimately acquire and own property. God wants that right honored and protected.

The Ninth Commandment: Truth as a Way of Life

9. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." How important is truth? To fully appreciate the Ninth Commandment, with its prohibition of lying, we must realize how important truth is to God.

The Tenth Commandment: True Righteousness Comes From the Heart

10. "You shall not covet." The last of the Commandments—against coveting—is aimed directly at the heart and mind of every human being. In prohibiting coveting, it defines not so much what we must do but how we should think. It asks us to look deep within ourselves to see what we are on the inside.

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The Ten Commandments

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