close

The Ten Commandments

Combined ShapePathAbout the ChurchPathWhat we BelievePathOur CatechismPathThe Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments

Q. What are the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments are the laws given to Moses and the people of Israel.

  1. I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other gods but me.
  2. You shall not make for yourself a graven image.
  3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
  4. Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.
  5. Honour your father and your mother.
  6. You shall do no murder.
  7. You shall not commit adultery.
  8. You shall not steal.
  9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.
  10. You shall not covet anything that is your neighbour’s.

Q. What do we learn from these commandments?
A. We learn two things: our duty to God, and our duty to our neighbours.

Q. What is our duty to God?

A. Our duty is to believe and trust in God:

  1. To love and obey God and to bring others to know him
  2. To put nothing in the place of God
  3. To show God respect in thought, word, and deed
  4. And to set aside regular times for worship, prayer, and the study of God’s ways.

Q. What is our duty to our neighbours?
A. Our duty to our neighbours is to love them as ourselves, and to do to other people as we wish them to do to us:

  1. To love, honour, and help our parents and family; to honour those in authority, and to meet their just demands
  2. To show respect for the life God has given us; to work and pray for peace; to bear no malice, prejudice, or hatred in our hearts; and to be kind to all the creatures of God
  3. To use all our bodily desires as God intended
  4. To be honest and fair in our dealings; to seek justice, freedom, and the necessities of life for all people; and to use our talents and possessions as ones who must answer for them to God
  5. To speak the truth, and not to mislead others by our silence
  6. To resist temptations to envy, greed, and jealousy; to rejoice in other people’s gifts and graces; and to do our duty for the love of God, who has called us into fellowship with him.

Q. What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments were given to define our relationship with God and our neighbours.

Q. Since we do not fully obey them, are they useful at all?

A. Since we do not fully obey them, we see more clearly our sin and our need for redemption.

← The Old CovenantSin and Redemption →