| Law | As written in Exodus chapter 20 | Summary |
|---|---|---|
1 |
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt , out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. |
You shall have no other gods, which can mean money, work or sport – ie anything that prevents a full relationship with God. |
2 |
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. |
You shall not make or worship idols
He is a merciful God who provided the way of life, through the death of Jesus Christ |
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. |
You shall not blaspheme the name of the Lord which means more than swearing. An action that denigrates the name of God is blasphemed – for example suggesting He did not create the world. |
4 |
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. |
You shall keep the Sabbath holy. |
5 |
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. |
You shall honour your father and mother, which applies to both young children and grown up children – the latter are to support and care for their parents. |
6 |
Thou shalt not kill. |
You shall not kill – Jesus said that hating someone was equivalent to killing them. |
7 |
Thou shalt not commit adultery. |
You shall not commit adultery. Sex belongs between a man and women who are married. Jesus said that lusting for sex with a person who is not your spouse is adultery. |
8 |
Thou shalt not steal. |
You shall not steal, which includes time and money. |
9 |
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. |
You shall not lie. |
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. |
You wall not covet which means wanting something you cannot afford, wanting something just because someone else has it or wanting something out of greed. You need to know the difference between wanting and needing something – most westerners have no idea of this concept. |
Note that Christians are not under the Law of Moses; they are under the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2, Romans 8:2), which includes expanded forms of some, but not all these commandments. More about the Law of Christ can be found here, and why the Law of Moses including the 10 Commandments are not inoperative can be found here.
And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so (Acts 17:10)
