The Decalogue, also known as the ten commandments in the Bible, are the basis of the entire Law of Moses. It was given to Moses by God on Mount Sinai to deliver to the nation of Israel as God’s chosen people.
If you are looking for where to find the ten commandments in the Bible, it is given in two different books of the Bible. The book of Exodus 20: 2 – 17 and Deuteronomy 5: 6 – 21.
These are the second and the fifth books in the Bible or the Christian canon, and they are among the five books of Moses, otherwise known as the Law of Moses or the books of the Law.
The fundamental Ten Commandments were given in Exodus 20: 2 – 17, and it was reinstated again in Deuteronomy 5: 6 – 21 as a reminder of God’s covenant with them; hence we have it in two different portions of the scriptures.
Furthermore, you may ask what the ten commandments in the Bible are in order. The ten commandments in the Bible are in two orders, our relationship with God and our relationship with fellow humans.
The first half talks about our relationship with God, and the second half talks about our dealings with our fellow humans. So what did Jesus say about keeping the commandments?
Jesus said, the summary of the entire Law of Moses (the ten commandments inclusive) is love; to love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, and might, and the love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matthew 12: 30, 22: 37).
By making this statement, Jesus didn’t add to the ten commandments or any of the laws, nor did He remove anything from it or condemn it.
Instead, he reinstated what had been there before; hence, He defined the ten commandments of Christianity to be love, making love the key to keeping the ten commandments in the Bible. As we further discuss this subject, let us briefly see the Law of Moses.
What Is The Law Of Moses?
If you are one of those who often ask what is the Law of Moses and if it is different from the ten commandants, then this is for you.
The Law of Moses is a phrase used in the Bible to mean two things, the ten commandments and the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), also known as the Pentateuch.
The term the Law, when used in the New Testament by Christ and the Apostles, or any of the New Testament authors, is also referring to the Law of Moses, and it was quoted on several occasions by Christ and the Apostles.
These first five books of the Bible are called the Law of Moses because God gave the Ten Commandments through Moses (John 1: 17). These commandments are found in two of these books (Exodus and Deuteronomy).
Apart from the Ten Commandments, the ceremonial laws and judicial/ civil laws of Israel are also stated in these portions of the scriptures.
Types Of The Law Of Moses
The Law of Moses is divided into three-fold; moral, ceremonial, and judicial/ civil laws. These aspects of the Law are tightly interwoven; they all work side by side. One cannot be taken away from the other. Let us look at them in more detail.
1. Moral Laws
The moral laws or ‘mishpatim’ in Hebrew are the ten Commandments written in Exodus 20: 2 – 17 and Deuteronomy 5: 6 – 21.
These moral laws are the base of the ceremonial and judicial laws, and the base of the moral Law is Love, love for God. It also states how your love for God helps you relate with your fellow humans, which implies love for your neighbor.
It expresses the character and will of God for the world, and it transcends through time and space, ethnicity and cultures. This means the moral Law, which is the ten commandments in the Bible, can be applied anywhere, anytime; hence they are binding.
2. Ceremonial Laws
The ceremonial laws are regulations for worship under Israel’s old covenant with God, which includes different sacrifices, rituals, food and drink, religious festivals and many others.
The ceremonial laws are specific religious ceremonial rites to be carried out when a person breaks any of the moral laws. The book of Leviticus has a record of all of these religious ceremonial rites.
These religious ceremonial rites were carried out once a year, on the Day of Atonement. It was a shadow of Christ (Hebrews 10: 4 – 10); hence with the advent of the coming of Christ, it is no longer effective because it has been completed.
3. Judicial/ Civil Laws
The Judicial Law or ‘chuqqah’ in the Hebrew language means “custom of the nation” (Deuteronomy 4: 44 – 28: 68). It was the civil/ judicial Law given to Israel by God to govern them as a nation under God.
It dealt with issues under domestic affairs, how they would use the promised land, how to deal with matters of debt, etc.
This aspect of the Law is binding to us today, but not in the literal practical sense as it was practiced by the Israelites back then, but in the underlying principles. The lessons from the civil judicial laws can be applied to our everyday Christian life.
10 Commandments In The Bible – How We Can Apply Them Today
1. You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me
God opens the ten commandments in the Bible with Himself, giving a stern warning prohibiting the people of Israel from worshipping other gods or even having other gods over Him.
When this commandment was given, worshipping and having others gods was common among the surrounding nations.
The Israelites just came out of Egypt, where Polytheism was a common practice, so it is what they have known and were used to their whole life.
For us today, depending on the part of the world where you are, Polytheism might still be a common practice in your area, or perhaps it is not. However, there are still traces of Polytheism in every nation today.
In this commandment, God is warning against Polytheism in the sense of religious worship. That is to worship other gods by giving them reverence, attention, paying allegiance, and loyalty.
God is a jealous God (Exodus 20: 5; 32: 14; Deuteronomy 4: 24; 32: 16). He desires total loyalty, attention, reference, and allegiance from those He has chosen to be His people.
All false gods stand in opposition to the one and only true God; worshipping these false gods is incompatible with worshipping Yahweh.
So God prohibits us from worshipping any other gods, but we are to worship Him alone as the one and only true God (1 Corinthians 8: 6, 1 Timothy 2: 5).
2. You Shall Not Make Idols
Here is another prohibition that is still focused on God and worship. In the first commandment, God established that worship should be given to Him alone as the only true God.
In this second commandment, God warns us from makings idols out of created things. Idols are gods of our creation; in this context, they can go beyond physical objects to our desire to have a job, marriage, relationship, or a particular meal.
There is nothing wrong with any of these things and nothing wrong with desiring to have any of them. Hence the focus is not on the thing or the desire to have them.
However, when our desire for any of these things becomes so great that we lust after them, and they begin to control us to the point that we start to live for them, then we have made them idols.
Anything we lust after that controls our life other than God is an idol. And here, God is warning us not to make any of our desires an idol. We should not live for any other purpose other than to serve God.
3. You Shall Not Take The Name Of The Lord Your God In Vain
This is another commandment that is focused on our relationship with God. Here God prohibits us from using His name wrongfully.
We should not use God’s name in such a way that it will bring disregard upon His personality and character; it is using the name of the Lord wrongfully.
These wrongful manners and disrespectful use of the name of God are in slandering and blaspheming the name of God. Or when you take an oath in the name of God and refuse to keep that oath, this is using God’s name in vain.
This can also be applied to us believers today; when we profess to follow Christ and not live up to it, it is taking the name of the Lord God in vain. The Bible says to let your “yes” mean “yes” and your “no” mean “no” (Matt. 5:37; James 5:12).
4. Remember The Sabbath Day To Keep It Holy
The Sabbath day was the seventh day of the week, and it was a day God finished His creative acts, so He blessed the day and set it aside to be Holy (Genesis 2: 2 – 3).
God commanded that the seventh day be remembered and set aside as a Holy day. Therefore, they were to cease doing any work and devote the whole day to the worship of God.
This law is not applied to believers today because of the difference in economy and times. But it can be applied in the spiritual sense of seeing Jesus Christ as our Sabbath.
And since Sabbath means to rest or cease from works, this means as believers, we are to rest in Christ and cease trying to please God through the works of the law.
That is, we are not to engage in the ceremonial practices of the law. Like, animal sacrifice, observing the Sabbath day, etc.
5. Honor Your Father And Your Mother
One of the keys to societal stability is when children have a stable relationship with their parents. And one of the ways to have a long-lasting relationship with your parents is to honor them.
It was vital in keeping the society of the nation of Israel stable, and it still applies to believers today. Paul quoted this text to address the Church of Ephesus (Ephesians 6: 1 – 2).
Jesus also talked about honoring our parents by caring for them (Matthew 5: 4 – 6). So this commandment is still literally applicable to believers today.
6. You Shall Not Murder
Murder is to take one’s life unlawfully. This sixth commandment prohibits committing violence and taking a life. This is the first commandment that deals with our relationship with our fellow humans.
We are created in the image of God (Genesis 1: 26 – 27), so life has value. Murdering someone means that a person’s life has no value compared to your priorities. This commandment is still very applicable today and applies to fellow humans.
Jesus took this law further to say that murder is beyond the physical, that un-forgiveness, bearing grudges, and hatred are also considered murder (Matthew 5: 21 – 22).
This is necessary because these also apply to the premeditated killing of our fellow humans (Romans 13: 9; 1 Peter 4: 15).
7. You Shall Not Commit Adultery
To commit adultery is to have sexual relations with a married person. This is another of the ten commandments in the Bible, which has to do with how we relate with our fellow humans.
This commandment forbids breaking the sacredness that binds marriage by having sexual relations with anyone other than your spouse (1 Corinthians 6: 9 – 10, John 8: 1 – 20).
This applies to both men and women, which is still in effect in Christianity today. Faithfulness in marriage is a model of faithfulness in our relationship with God.
Jesus took this further to say that anyone that looks at the opposite sex lustfully has already committed adultery with the person in their heart (Matthew 5: 27 – 28).
No wonder the book of Job says, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl (Job 31: 1 NIV).
8. You Shall Not Steal
Stealing is when you forcefully or craftily take what does not belong to you from the owner. That is when one acquires another’s wealth or assets through dishonest means.
You shall not steal; this is one of the 10 commandments in the Bible that also deals with our relationship with our fellow humans. This command prohibits taking someone else’s possessions without the owner’s permission (Ephesians 4: 28, Luke 19: 8).
This commandment is for God’s people to show respect for others people’s possession and respect the right to ownership of private property. Furthermore, stealing means you doubt God’s absolute power to adequately provide for your needs as His child.
9. You Shall Not Bear False Witness Against Your Neighbor
To bear false witness means to lie against someone, to speak falsely in any matter against anyone. We are commanded not to bear false witness in court cases or to lie against our neighbor.
This is one of the 10 commandments in the Bible that deals with our relationship with our fellow humans. God wants law and order in the world, so He gave these commandments.
Therefore, for this to be possible, we must not bear false witness for justice to be accurately served because any false testimony cannot serve justice.
Furthermore, speaking the truth and keeping to promises glues and holds society together. As believers, God expects us always to tell the truth. So let your yes be yes, and your nay be nay (Matthew 5: 37; James 5: 12).
10. You Shall Not Covet
To covet means to desire what belongs to another person, to have a strong desire to own what belongs to someone else.
God prohibits us from desiring what does not belong to us because He wants us to pay close attention to our hearts; He wants us to guide our hearts (Proverbs 4: 23).
The Bible says the heart of man is deceitful (Jeremiah 17: 9); this means when we desire to have what others have, our heart can deceive us to think we can find euphoria in it.
And as the desire grows stronger, it can lead to lust, which can cause us to fall into temptation. James 1: 14 (NIV) says, “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their evil desire and enticed.” Hence, this commandment is still applicable to this day.
Did Jesus Do Away With The 10 Commandments?
One of the questions often asked about the 10 commandments in the Bible is, did Jesus do away with the 10 commandments?
Jesus did not do away with the Ten Commandments; He did not do away with the Law. As He specifically said, I did not come to abolish the Law and the prophets but to fulfill them (Matthew 5: 17 – 18).
To perfectly fulfill the Ten Commandments and the entire Law of Moses, Jesus took them to the cross and nailed them there.
However, nailing them on the cross does not mean the ten commandments are no longer effective today.
Instead, it means that when we come to Christ, we are given the power to live a life that fulfils the Law by default. Today some believers believe that the ten commandments are no longer effective because Jesus has fulfilled them, but that is incorrect.
Yes, Christ perfectly fulfilled the entire Law of Moses and nailed it all on the cross. The ceremonial and judicial/ civil laws have been done away with. But the moral laws or the Ten Commandments are still in effect as it transcends cultures and time.
Christ didn’t do away with the Ten Commandments; neither did He change nor add anything to them; rather, He reinstated the Law of Moses, elevated it and fulfilled it.
Does The Law Of Moses Still Apply?
Another question people likely ask is, does the Law of Moses still apply?
The Law of Moses still applies today, but not in the literal sense; instead, it is used in expressing love. Although Christ perfectly fulfilled the entire Law of Moses, the ceremonial and judicial/ civil laws were done away with; hence it is no longer applicable today.
But the 10 commandments in the Bible are still very much applicable today, although not in the absolute literal sense. By this, I mean, as believers in Christ, by God’s grace, we live to fulfill the Law of Moses when we manifest the fruit of the Spirit, which is love.
So we are expected to manifest love, which is the sum of the Law of Moses. Christ said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, and might, and love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matthew 12: 30, 22: 37).
What Did Jesus Say About Keeping The Commandments?
If you want to know what did Jesus say about keeping the commandments?
Jesus said if you love me, keep my commandment (John 14: 15). He went further to tell anyone who knows and keeps His commandment will be loved by His Father, and He will manifest Himself in the person (John 14: 21).
By this, He implied that keeping His commandment is dependent on love. When asked what the greatest commandment is, he replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, and might (Matthew 12: 30, 22: 37).
So Christ summarized the Ten Commandments to be love; thus, when you express love to your fellow human as the reflection of your love for God, you are already keeping the ten commandments in the Bible.
Are There More Than 10 Commandments In The Bible?
One of the questions people also ask is, are there more than ten commandments in the Bible?
Although we have about six-hundred and thirteen laws that were part of the Jewish ceremonial rites and judicial/ civil system, when it comes to the commandments, we only have 10 of them.
As stated earlier in this post, the Law of Moses is in three parts: the moral laws (the Ten Commandments), the ceremonial laws, and the judicial/ civil laws. All of these make up the six-hundred and thirteen laws that are in the Old Testament of the Bible.
And they are all found in the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), which is why these books are called books of the Law or the Laws of Moses.
Conclusion
All of the Ten Commandments are stern prohibitions, stopping the children of Israel from engaging in different unholy acts. All of the 10 commandments in the Bible are still very much active today.
However, not all are active in the absolute literal sense, but they are active when we practice love. They allow us to express our love for God in how we relate with our fellow humans.
So at the end of the day, the ten commandments in the Bible are all about LOVE, it is the crux of it, and the entire Laws of Moses hinges on it.
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