When God gave the Ten Commandments, Moses went up Mount Sinai to meet God. The mountain was covered in cloud, thunder, lightning, and the sound of a trumpet. The people were commanded not to touch the mountain. Only Moses was allowed to ascend.
There, Moses received the Ten Commandments, spoken by God Himself and later inscribed on two stone tablets by the very finger of God. These commandments became the foundation of His covenant with Israel. Moses remained on the mountain for forty days and forty nights, after which God sent him down to declare His words to the people.
“So, Moses went down to the people and told them. Then God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.’”
(Exo 19: 25, Exo 20:1-2NAS)
The preface of the Ten Commandments is found in these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” In this statement, God shows His sovereignty as Jehovah, the eternal, unchanging, and almighty God. He exists in and of Himself, and all things exist by His word and power. God is the savior of all His people, just as He was to Israel long ago, so He is to all His people today. As He delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt, so He delivers us from the bondage of sin. Because of this, we are bound to acknowledge Him as our only God and to keep all His commandments.
God’s law alone is the standard of true perfection.
A true lawgiver must possess both wisdom and authority. Wisdom is necessary because laws are grounded in reason. God is infinitely wise and therefore supremely qualified to establish the law.
“Great is our Lord, and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.”
(Psa 147:5 NAS)
Authority is equally essential, for a law without authority carries no binding force. Since God created and sustains all life, He has the highest right to command those to whom He gives being. God wove His laws into the very fabric of creation. They are not arbitrary, but perfectly designed to protect humanity from lasting and irreversible harm. God’s law is not abolished. The Ten Commandments are to be taught and obeyed today the same as it was from the beginning.
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matt 5:17-19 NAS)
“For not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.” (Rom 2:13 NAS)
“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments… He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him.”
(John 14:15, 21 NAS)
The Ten Commandments are God’s Moral Law.
The commandments are not arbitrary commands, but the very foundation of moral life. The Ten Commandments are known as the moral law, because they are the rule of life and conduct. The moral law is perfect. It is the standard of truth, a guide through controversies, and a lamp to direct us toward heaven. Though it cannot justify us like Christ, it remains a faithful instructor.
“The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether.”
(Psa 19:7-9 NAS)
“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”
(Gal 3:24-25 NAS)
God writes His law upon our hearts. No longer is it only an external command, for His law now dwells within His people, guiding them from within through faith.
“But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
(Jer 31:33 NAS)
The moral law is unchanging, written by God’s own hand on tablets of stone to signify its perpetuity. Here we see God’s goodness in that He did not leave humanity lawless.
“See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You shall not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess it.”
(Deut 30:15-18 NAS)
Without God’s law, the world would fall into chaos, with people turning against one another. His law is not given only for His people, but is the standard by which all humanity is called to live.
The Ten Commandments can be summed up into two statements.
The Ten Commandments are often divided into two parts: our duty to God and our duty to our neighbor. Traditionally, the first four commandments are seen as addressing our relationship with God, while the last six focus on our responsibilities toward others. In this series, however, we will consider the first three commandments as our duty to God and the remaining seven as our duty to our neighbor.
The Pharisees asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus answered them saying,
“’You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
(Matt 22:37-40 NAS)
Jesus summarized all the Law and the Prophets in two great commands. The heart and essence of the first three commandments are drawn from the book of Deuteronomy.
“And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
(Deut 6:5 NAS)
The core and essence of the last seven commandments are expressed in the book of Leviticus.
“But you shall love your neighbor as yourself…”
(Lev 19:18 NAS)
Together, these verses capture the true meaning of the Ten Commandments. This is “the sum of the Ten Commandments:” to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself.
What does it mean to love the lord God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?
To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength means to give Him every part of who you are. Loving Him with your heart is to set your deepest affections on Him above all else.
“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
(Matt 6:21 NAS)
Loving Him with your soul is to devote your very life and being to His service.
“Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name.”
(Psa 103:1 NAS)
Loving Him with your mind is to seek Him with your thoughts, understanding, and beliefs, bringing your reasoning under His truth.
“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
(Col 3:2 NAS)
Loving Him with your strength is to use your energy, abilities, and resources to honor Him in action.
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
(1Co 10:31 NAS)
Together, this command calls us to love God completely, holding nothing back.
What does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself?
To love your neighbor as yourself means to show the same care, respect, and concern for others that you naturally have for yourself.
“Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
(Matt 7:12 NAS)
“And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way.”
(Luke 6:31 NAS)
Just as you seek your own good, food, safety, comfort, and happiness, you are called to desire and work for the good of others.
“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
(Phil 2:4 NAS)
It is not about loving others instead of yourself, but loving them as you already love yourself. This includes kindness, compassion, forgiveness, honesty, and justice.
“And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”
(Eph 4:32-1 NAS)
“Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless; Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow.”
(Isa 1:17 NAS)
At its heart, it means treating others the way you would want to be treated, because they, like you, are made in the image of God.
The preface to the Ten Commandments, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,” reminds us that God Himself is both the Lawgiver and the Redeemer. He alone has the wisdom and authority to command. His law is written not only on stone but into the very order of creation. Far from being arbitrary rules, the Ten Commandments are God’s perfect standard for life, guiding His people in holiness and protecting humanity from chaos and destruction.
Jesus showed us the heart of the commandments: to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. These two commands are not a replacement for the Ten Commandments but the essence of the Law. To love God wholly is to worship, obey, and serve Him with every part of our being. To love our neighbor is to extend to others the same care and honor we naturally desire for ourselves, recognizing that they too bear the image of God.
The Ten Commandments are therefore not relics of the past but a living expression of God’s moral will. They call us to faithfulness, to holiness in our walk with God, and to justice, mercy, and love in our dealings with others. When we keep them, we not only honor the Lord but also reflect His character to the world. In this way, the Law directs us to Christ, the only One who perfectly fulfilled it, and in whom we find both forgiveness for our failures and strength to walk in obedience.