What Are The 10 Commandments Laws That Define Sin
The Bible uses the word sin to describe disobeying Gods laws, including the 10 Commandments. Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness . The King James Version translated the last part, Sin is the transgression of the law.
Sin is the opposite of Gods lawthe antithesis of how God thinks and acts. And, as we mentioned, sin causes suffering. Its eventual result is death: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord .
Sadly, every human being has sinned and disobeyed the 10 Commandments . It is only because of the mercy of God that Jesus Christ was willing to pay our death penalty for us.
When we repent, Jesus Christs blood covers our sins that are past. But does Gods grace and forgiveness somehow give us license to continue doing things that God hates?
No. Christ died so we dont have to die if we repent of every sin. He did not keep the law so that we wouldnt have to.
God wants us to stop doing the things that hurt ourselves and others.
The apostle Paul made this very clear.
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! Paul said . Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts .
Christians are given access to the power of God through the Holy Spirit to combat the temptations to sin .
You Shall Not Commit Adultery
Bible reference – Exodus 20:14:You shall not commit adultery.
Explanation: Do we need a greater regard for the sanctity of the home today? Do we need more honest obedience to marriage vows? Do we need more husbands and wives true to each other? What is the answer? You know the answer. It is YES! A thousand times yes!
In Luke 17:30, our Saviour predicted that a Sodom-like moral condition would precede His return to this earth. Now is the time for every Christian home to stand as an example of right living.
Remember, you can’t write SIN in big letters without the law of God. This seventh commandment must stand, or our civilization will go down in disregarding it. Proverbs 14:34 says, Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.
The 10 Commandments In The New Testament
A full list of the 10 Commandments is given twice in the Old Testament , and each commandment is mentioned many more times. But some have argued that obeying the 10 Commandments is not required of Christians if they are not listed in the New Testament.
Actually, the Old and New Testaments make up a unified whole, and Gods spiritual law and His thinking do not change .
Still, all of the 10 Commandments are mentioned in the New Testament, and as a group they are called:
- The way to enter into life .
- Necessary to be called great in the kingdom of heaven .
For more about the 10 Commandments in the New Testament, and especially about the Sabbath commandment and the New Testament Church, read our articles Are the 10 Commandments Upheld in the New Testament? and Jewish Sabbath? Or Is the Sabbath a Gift for All?
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We Are Still Accepted By God And Welcomed As His Children
Now, to be clear, there are consequences when we sin against the Lord. Our fellowship with God is disrupted and we miss out on blessings from the Lord. Pastor Adrian Rogers said:
“What is the blessing of obedience? Intimacy with God. You will come to know things that you could never know any other way when you become intimate with God. And yet people are still asking, How do I understand the Bible? Friend, you will have a knowledge that surpasses anything you could gain from a school of learning when you serve the Lord in obedience.”
If we want to experience nearness and intimacy with God, we must seek to obey His commandments. We just need to be careful to always remember that our obedience doesnt make us righteous before God. Only Jesus can do that.
What Happens If We Disobey
Even after we become Christians, there will still be times when we disobey the commands of God. Though our disobedience is displeasing to the Lord, it doesnt cut us off from God. Our salvation, forgiveness, and relationship with God is secure in Jesus Christ.
Just as our obedience doesnt make us more righteous in Christ, our disobedience doesnt make us less righteous.
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What Was The Purpose Of The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments were part of the Mosaic Law. That Law code included over 600 commandments and formed the terms of an agreement, or covenant, between God and the ancient nation of Israel. God promised the people of Israel that they would prosper if they obeyed the Mosaic Law. However, the main purpose of the Law was to prepare the Israelites for the promised Messiah, or Christ.Galatians 3:24.
Works In Which The Number Of Commandments Is Not 613
- Sefer Yereim by Eliezer ben Samuel lists only 417 commandments .
- Menahem Recanati, in his book Taamei haMitzvot, counted 250 positive and 361 negative commandments, for a total of 611. These 611 include the two commandments of Exodus 20:2, indicating that this list is incompatible with the approach of R’ Hamnuna in the Talmud .
- Sefer Mitzvoth Katan, by Rabbi Isaac of Corbeil, listed 320 commandments applicable nowadays. To reach a total of 613, one would have to add 293 commandments applicable only while the Temple stood. As the number of Temple-only commandments appears to be much lower than 293 , it seems that the overall count of commandments would likely be lower than 613.
- According to Dr. Asael Ben-Or, Gersonides‘ commentary to the Torah indicates that he counted a total of 513 commandments.
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The 10 Commandments In The Bible Transformed The World By Human Government
We have talked about the Ten Commandments and the rule of law, but we might also apply the rule of law to the larger framework of human government. Each of the commandments carries within it principles that when studied and applied, create human government that is taught in Scripture. In this day and age where there is talk of so-called benefits of socialism, we would do well to return to the biblical principles for human government that are clearly revealed in the word of God. Our founders certainly did.
Where Were The Ten Commandments Given
The first time God gave the commandments to the people of Israel was on Mount Sinai or also called Mount Horeb , where Moses was in the presence of God for 40 days and 40 nights receiving all the necessary indications to govern the people of Israel. However, the Bible relates that the people of Israel became so impatient with Moses delay that they decided to create and worship a golden calf. Later, when Moses came down from the Mount and saw the idolatry of the people, he became so angry that he threw down the Ten Commandments and broke them. .
The second installment of the law of God or Sinaitic covenant is presented after Moses returns to Mount Sinai and receives again the tablets of the covenant written by the finger of God after being again 40 days and 40 nights with God, but this time without eating bread or drinking water. .
The ten commandments or also known as the ten statements or the Decalogue, from the Greek words and were delivered by God twice on Mount Sinai or Mount Horeb.
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The 10 Commandments In The Bible Transformed The World By Revelation
The Ten Commandments came to Israel by direct revelation from Almighty God. Because of the fear of Israel, Moses became the intermediary who received the stone tablets on which were recorded the Commandments. Until this point, ancient Near Eastern pagan religions were disseminated to people for practice by the cult of priesthood. Only the priests had access to the deities. The Ten Commandments is a significant part of the narrative that God has revealed to humanity about Himself, about ourselves, and the awful loss of relationship lost by sin. In short, to quote the late great Dr. Francis Schaeffer, There is a God and he has spoken.” This revelation from God to man was something altogether different than the superstitious, nature-power-focused cults of the Near Eastern world. Quite simply, mankind could think thoughts after God because God had revealed His mind to humankind. And everything changed.
What Are The 10 Commandments The Law Of The Kingdom Of God
The good news of the Bible is that this age of human misrule and sin will be replaced by the Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ will intervene to save humanity from self-destruction . Jesus Christ will bring real peace and will teach the way of peace that has been so elusive in human history.
What will the laws of the Kingdom of God be that will produce peace? The same laws that have been consistently proclaimed throughout the BibleGods laws, including the 10 Commandments.
Even the last chapter of the Bible, speaking of the New Jerusalem and eternity, says: Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city .
Gods commandments are part of the way of life that will produce peace forever!
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When Were The Ten Commandments Given
The people of Israel lived without law for a long time, in fact from Adam and Eve to patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not live in the covenant of Gods law but in Gods covenant with Abraham .
From the sons of Jacob and due to the great famine in the days of Joseph in Egypt the people of Israel moved to Egypt and lived there for 430 years where they were enslaved in harsh bondage.
Gods Ten Commandments were given to the people of Israel after their deliverance from Egypt by Moses after crossing the Red Sea and arriving in the wilderness of Sinai.
Why Did God Give Us The 10 Commandments
To answer this question we must first understand that God established this law in Moses because man at the beginning of creation sinned. Adam sinned and as a result of that sin there was an open moral debt against God, the world from Adams disobedience went into chaos, but since there was no law, sin was not taken into account.
That is to say, sin and death reigned from Adam until Moses , so God through Moses wanted to introduce a law that would allow man to reconcile with God and behave in a proper and dignified manner on this earth.
God gave the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel so that they would become aware of their wickedness, know sin and Gods judgment. In this way each person could compare their values against the divine law and thus know if they were fulfilling Gods law. Any deviation from this divine parameter should be recognized as sin , so that human beings could identify whether they were living under Gods will or, on the contrary, in disobedience and rebellion.
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What Are The 10 Commandments Of The Torah
The following Ten Commandments are from the book of Exodus in the Torah: I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before Me . You shall not take the name of God in vain. Remember and observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. Honor your father and mother. You shall not murder . You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal.
You Shall Not Take The Lords Name In Vain
Bible reference – Exodus 20:7: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.
Explanation: Has the world advanced so far that we do not need this commandment any more? Has all profanity ceased? Have menand women and children, tooceased to take Gods name in vain? Have they at last learned to honor the holy name of our Saviour?
How many millions violate this commandment every day! And how many do about the same thing with common slang! Let us remember what Jesus said to some careless talkers of His day.
It is recorded in Matthew 12:36, 37, But I say to you that for 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.
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Works Enumerating The Commandments
There is no single definitive list that explicates the 613 commandments. Lists differ, for example, in how they interpret passages in the Torah that may be read as dealing with several cases under a single law or several separate laws. Other “commandments” in the Torah are restricted as one-time acts, and would not be considered as “mitzvot” binding on other persons. In rabbinic literature, Rishonim and later scholars composed to articulate and justify their enumeration of the commandments:
The 10 Commandments List In Deuteronomy : 6
Moses repeated the 10 Commandments after the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. There are only a few changes in the wording from Exodus 20. These minor differences are found in the Fourth, Fifth and 10th Commandments.
I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me.
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You Shall Not Bear False Witness
Bible reference – Exodus 20:15: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Explanation: This commandment forbids bribery and forgery and even the least suggestion contrary to truth. It forbids libel, slander, and backbiting, and calls for the truth and nothing but the truth.
In Revelation 22:15, we are told that whoever loves and practices a lie will be outside the gates of the New Jerusalem, and in Revelation 21:27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lambs Book of Life.
Are The Ten Commandments Relevant Today
Yes. Because the Ten Commandments reveal Gods thinking, we can benefit from studying them. The Ten Commandments are based on reliable principles that will never go out-of-date. In fact, many of these principles underlie the teachings of what is commonly called the New Testament.See Principles from the Ten Commandments reflected in the New Testament.
Jesus taught that the entire Mosaic Law, including the Ten Commandments, rested on two fundamental commandments. He said: You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. The second, like it, is this: You must love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the whole Law hangs. So although Christians are not expected to observe the Mosaic Law, they are commanded to love God and their fellow humans.John 13:34 1 John 4:20, 21.
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Two Greatest Commandments From Jesus
In simple terms, you could summarize the 10 Commandments given to Moses in the two “greatest commandments” given by Jesus: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and Love your neighbor as yourself.” As Jesus continued, “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. ~