What are the Ten Commandments?

Commandment 2: Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

As humans, we naturally want some higher power to give us some help. The danger is that we look somewhere other than God.

History is replete with people worshipping idols. Our tendency is to bow to various substitutes for God. The common danger is to make idols out of anything in our control. When we value our resources higher than God, they have become idols, even if we don't pray to them or bring them gifts.

God speaks of jealousy to let us know that he actually wants a relationship with us, and values it. He speaks of justice and mercy to let us know about those aspects of his character. Jesus restates this last phrase when he says, "If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15)

Commandment 3: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Our society is filled with misuse of Jesus' name. Not only does this refer to disrespect of God's name, but also the way we live can take God's name in vain. We take the name Christian, and should live up to His requirements -- exhibit His character.

All swearing is not appropriate for a Christian: "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No', 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37)

"Every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:36,37)

Commandment 4: Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Remember! Have we forgotten? How many still keep the seventh day Sabbath holy? Here we are pointed back to creation, to the time our Creator formed our world, and our first parents.

The world was not formed over a long period of time, but rather in six days. The seventh-day Sabbath reminds us weekly to worship our Creator.

The fiction of evolution has been promoted and taught as science, but we must stand firm for the truth revealed from God himself. Who will REMEMBER the Sabbath day? It was kept as a holy day for thousands of years, long before this recent invention of fiction called evolution.

Commandment 5: Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

This is a beautiful promise of long life and land that God gives you... as you honor your father and mother.

Implied is that father and mother teach us the principles of God's word, and then we stay true to the faith. "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

It is the honor of developing a character that is worthy. It also means to treat parents with respect and care for them.

Commandment 6: Thou shalt not kill.

Life is sacred -- a gift from God. We did not evolve -- God created us. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;" (Psalm 139:13,14)

Yes, even unborn infants are created by God! No individual has the right to take the life from another person.

Jesus also expanded this commandment to apply to hatred. For hatred is the beginning of murder. "Whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment." (Matthew 5:21-45)

Commandment 7: Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Our society has tried to invent its own morality. The results are disastrous.

Jesus expanded on this commandment as well: "Whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart." (Matthew 5:28)

Because, out of our minds come our actions: "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man." (Mark 7:21-23)

To put this commandment in the positive: Build the wall around your home -- put the effort and attention to your relationship and keep it faithfully. Treat your relationship with the high value it deserves. "Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." (Mark 10:9)

Commandment 8: Thou shalt not steal.

Here is respect for property and ownership. Fallen human nature wants an easy way to wealth, rather than the effort and work that it takes.

"Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need." (Ephesians 4:28)

“The soul of the lazy man desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.” (Proverbs 13:4)

Commandment 9: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

All form of dishonesty and lying are prohibited by this commandment. To put it in the positive: Be truthful! Truth is the foundation of God's character: “I am the way and the truth and the life." (John 14:6)

"Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight." (Proverbs 12:22)

We do not want to be on the wrong side at the end of this world: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, AND ALL LIARS, shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone: which is the second death." (Revelation 21:8)

Once again, at the very end, we want to be inside the New Jerusalem -- not on the outside: "For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." (Revelation 22:15)

Commandment 10: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Coveting is the basis for many sins. Wanting other's property can cause stealing or murder.

To put this in the positive, we should be content with what talents God has given us, and be willing to put effort to improve them with exercise.

"But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

"The wicked brag about the things they want. They bless the greedy but hate the LORD." (Psalms 10:3)