The First Commandment

God declares that He, the creator of the earth, is our God and our only God. Through this commandment, God asks us to show our love and commitment to Him by having no other Gods. This first commandment is the first of four commandments that identify the relationship between God and humans. It is important to maintain a personal relationship with God, and by following this commandment, respect and love is shown to God.

The Second Commandment

Because God loves His people so much, He is jealous of other Gods; He does not want us to share our love with anyone else whom we choose to make idols for ourselves. God is our only idol and is the only one we should worship.

The Third Commandment

By not using God’s name in vein, we are respecting Him. He wants us to convey our feelings about Him in a respectful way. By using God’s name disrespectfully, we are encompassing a negative attitude towards Him. It dishonours our relationship with God, and shows a lack of regard for Him. It is important to not use God’s name in a flippant way, so that we can maintain a respected attitude towards Him.

The Fourth Commandment

God asks us to set aside this day of rest so that we can remember to have a day of holiness, spending time with God. This commandment explains to us how we can relate to God, and why we should spend this special time with Him.

The Fifth Commandment

God explains that we can love our parents by honouring them. This commandment is the first of the six that refer to the relationships between people. With broken families comes tragedy and sadness; in this commandment, God enforces the importance of loving and respecting your family, and accepting their influence.

The Sixth Commandment

God asks us to show each other love by not murdering. It is no one’s right to decide someone’s life should be taken away from them. Only God has this authority. This commandment enforces that God has not allowed any human to intentionally take another person’s life. We must respect and protect God’s most treasured possession: human life.

The Seventh Commandment

This commandment states that there must be purity in relationships. He asks us to show our love for our partners by not committing adultery. By committing this sin you are engaging in the violation of a marriage, and going also going against all sexual morality. God asks us to only participate in sexual intercourse with whom you are married to, and adultery obliterates this.

The Eighth Commandment

God enforces the importance of honesty in our lives. He asks us to not steal from one another. God does not want our most important pursuit in life to be obtaining material possessions. God wants to uphold everybody’s right to our own property, and although he wants us to enjoy physical possessions, He does not want the greed for them to motivate our actions.

The Ninth Commandment

Christian life is held together by truth. The Ninth Commandment tells us to acquire truth in our lives. Do not tell lies, especially not to hurt others. God wants truth to be the basis of our lives.

The Tenth Commandment

God asks us to be content with our lives. When we start to crave what others have it can ensnare us into greater sin. To want more than we deserve, or to want something that already belongs to somebody else is a sin in the eyes of God. He asks us to celebrate when somebody is blessed and not be bitter about it, because this bitterness can motivate sinful actions.