The Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20:3-23 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21. Interestingly, neither of these passages calls this list the Ten Commandments (although the phrase is used in Exodus 34:28, Deuteronomy 4:13, and Deuteronomy 10:4). The Ten Commandments are:
- Do not have any other gods.
- Do not worship idols.
- Do not use God’s name wrongly.
- Keep the Sabbath day holy.
- Honor your parents (there is a promise of blessing if we do)
- Do not murder
- Do not commit adultery
- Do not steal
- Do not lie (give false testimony)
- Do not covet
When asked which command was the greatest, Jesus said we should love God fully; the second greatest is to love others as much as ourselves. He concluded by saying everything else hinges on these two principles of loving God and loving others.
Key verse about Ten Commandments: Then the Lord spoke to you out of the fire. You heard the sound of words but saw no form; there was only a voice. He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets. And the Lord directed me at that time to teach you the decrees and laws you are to follow in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. (Deuteronomy 4:12-14, NIV)
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
