Part 1: The First Four - Our Relationship with the Divine

The first half of the 10 Commandments isn’t about micromanaging your life. It's about getting your priorities straight before everything else falls apart. It's less “God needs your attention” and more “you need some kind of anchor if you don't want to drift.”

Let’s walk through them.

1. "You shall have no other gods before Me"

Back then, this meant ignoring the golden calf or whatever idol was trending. Today, it's a little less obvious, but not by much.

We chase money, approval, status, brands, anything that promises meaning but usually delivers anxiety. This commandment isn't just about what you bow to. No, it's about what you build your life around. And if you're not careful, you end up serving things that don't care about you.

2. "You shall not make for yourself an idol"

The ancient world was big on carving statues. We’re big on idolizing people, ideas, and lifestyles. Same thing, different tools.

When your self-worth rises and falls based on your follower count, your job title, or someone else's approval, you're basically worshiping an idol. This commandment calls you out (gently) before you build your whole life around something that can’t love you back.

3. "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God"

This isn't just about not using profanity (although, sure, that's part of it). It's about not using God's name to sell your own agenda, or to cover up bad behavior.

Saying you’re about faith while treating people like dirt? Calling yourself a Christian while cheating your customers? That’s what misusing God’s name looks like today. It’s not just bad manners. It’s bad faith.

4. "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy"

We’re terrible at this. Rest isn’t just nice, it’s necessary. Sabbath isn’t about checking a religious box. It’s about resisting the pressure to prove your worth every waking hour.

Take a day (or even just a few hours) to stop hustling. Not because you’re lazy, but because you’re more than what you produce.

Part 2: The Last Six - Guiding Our Interactions with Others

The second half of the 10 Commandments shifts focus from your connection with God to your connection with everybody else. You can't claim to love God and treat people like trash.

Let’s break them down.

5. "Honor your father and mother"

This isn’t about pretending your parents are perfect. It’s about recognizing that you didn’t get here on your own. Even if your family situation is complicated (and whose isn’t?), honoring your parents can mean treating them (and your past) with a little dignity.

It’s about carrying your story, not resenting it.

6. "You shall not murder"

Seems obvious, but it’s deeper than just “don’t stab anyone.” It’s also about the quieter ways we can destroy each other: gossip, cruelty, neglect, dehumanization.

When we forget that other people’s lives matter just as much as ours, things fall apart fast.

7. "You shall not commit adultery"

Real loyalty isn’t flashy, but it’s rare. This commandment isn’t just about marriages. It’s about honoring the promises you make and the trust people place in you.

Betray trust, and everything else starts to unravel.

8."You shall not steal"

It’s not just about grabbing someone’s wallet. It’s about refusing to take what hasn’t been freely given, whether that’s credit, ideas, time, or emotional energy.

Respecting boundaries builds trust. Ignoring them burns bridges.

9. "You shall not bear false witness"

Lying isn’t a harmless shortcut. It’s a wrecking ball.

When you bend the truth (even “just a little”), you mess with people’s ability to make good decisions. You distort reality. Communities need trust to survive. Break that, and everything gets shaky fast.

10. "You shall not covet"

Comparison is a thief, and envy is its getaway driver. When you spend your life wishing you had what someone else has, you miss what’s already in your hands.

This isn’t about settling. It’s about choosing gratitude over greed.

Representation of a Commandment engraved on an ancient stone tablet (image generated with Midjourney)

Do the Ten Commandments Still Apply the Same Way Today?

Yes and no.

The heart behind the Ten Commandments hasn’t changed. Honesty is still better than lying. Faithfulness is still better than betrayal. Respect is still better than chaos.

But how we live them out? That takes a little more thought.

Take the Sabbath, for example. In ancient Israel, it meant a full, strict day of no work. Today, depending on your faith tradition (or lack of one), it might mean setting boundaries with your phone, taking Sundays off, or just refusing to let your job swallow your whole life. 

The principle (honoring rest and remembering you're not a machine) still stands. The way we practice it might look different.

Or look at the commandment about idols. In Moses’s time, people literally bowed to statues. These days, we bow to things like money, beauty, fame, and political ideologies (without even realizing it).

Same issue. New packaging.

Different religious traditions even organize or emphasize the commandments a little differently.

• In Jewish teaching, honoring the Sabbath has an even deeper cultural and national meaning.
• In Catholic and Lutheran traditions, "You shall not covet" gets split into two separate commandments.
• Some Protestant traditions bundle them slightly differently, too.

The details can vary, but the foundation doesn’t: The Ten Commandments still push us to live bigger than our selfish instincts. They’re a mirror we can hold up to ourselves, not to beat ourselves up, but to ask better questions about the lives we’re building.

Common Misunderstandings About the 10 Commandments

For something carved in stone, the Ten Commandments are surprisingly easy to twist around. Over the centuries, they’ve picked up a lot of baggage. Some of it was cultural, some of itwas just bad theology.

Here are a few common misunderstandings worth clearing up:

1. They’re not a checklist for getting into heaven.

A lot of people grew up thinking the Ten Commandments were basically a spiritual checklist: follow them perfectly, punch your ticket to paradise.

But that was never the point.

In the Bible, God gave the commandments after rescuing the Israelites from slavery, not as a way to earn divine love, but as a way to live in freedom. They weren’t about getting in God’s good books. They were about not falling back into old chains.

2. They’re not just “religious rules” 

These commandments aren’t a random list of do’s and don’ts. They’re built around relationships: how to stay connected to God, to your family, to your community, even to yourself. Break them, and real people get hurt.

3. They’re not ancient relics you can safely ignore.

It’s easy to roll your eyes at the idea of ancient stone tablets. But the core ideas (don’t lie, don’t steal, don’t betray the people closest to you) are the glue that still holds society together.

Ignore them, and things fall apart a lot faster than you think. You don't have to believe in the Bible to see that.

4. Jesus went even deeper.

Some people think, “Well, Jesus came, so the Ten Commandments don’t matter anymore.” Not exactly. Jesus actually summed them up:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart... and love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37–39)

In other words, he didn’t throw the commandments out, he just showed us what they were aiming for all along: real love, not just rule-following.

Artistic representation of the 10 Commandments on a stone tablet in divine light (image generated with Midjourney)

Bottom Line

At the end of the day, the Ten Commandments aren’t about being perfect. They’re about choosing a better way when everything around you pushes you toward something smaller, cheaper, easier.

They’re not old rules hanging over your head. They’re old wisdom meant to hold you up.

Whether you’re religious or not, whether you grew up hearing them or you’re meeting them for the first time, the questions they raise are still the ones that matter:

• What are you building your life around??
• How do you treat the people you’re stuck sharing this planet with?
• Who or what do you trust when everything else feels shaky?

If reading through all this stirred up more questions for you, good. That’s kind of the point. You don’t have to figure it out alone, though. If you want a space where you can explore the Bible more deeply, ask the hard stuff, and find real answers, Bible Chat App is a good place to start.

FAQ: The Ten Commandments, Made Simple

What are the 10 Commandments in order?

Here’s the classic list, straight up:

1. No other gods before God.
2. No idols.
3. Don't misuse God's name.
4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. Don't murder.
7. Don't commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Don't lie about others.
10. Don't covet what isn't yours.

What commandment is "Honor thy mother and father"?

That’s the fifth commandment. It’s the first one that talks about how we treat each other, and it comes with a promise attached: a longer, fuller life.

What is the 10th commandment in the Bible?

The 10th commandment is about not coveting. In plain English: don’t obsess over what your neighbor has. Gratitude over jealousy, always.

Do Christians have to follow the Ten Commandments in the Bible?

Yes, but not in a "follow these or else" way. Christians believe salvation comes through Jesus, not through perfectly keeping the commandments. But living by them is still a big part of what it means to love God and love people.

Are God's commandments the same as the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament?

Not exactly. The Ten Commandments are a specific set given at Mount Sinai. But throughout the Bible, God gives other commandments too, especially through the teachings of Jesus, like "love your enemies" or "forgive as you have been forgiven."

Are all 10 commandments mandatory?

They’re not optional suggestions. They were meant to be the foundation for living well, personally, spiritually, and socially. But the heart behind them matters even more than just checking off boxes.

What are the laws of God in the Bible?

“God’s laws” can refer to a lot of things:

• The 10 Commandments.
• The detailed laws given to Israel in the Old Testament (about sacrifices, festivals, justice, etc.).
• The deeper moral law Jesus talked about was to love God and love others.

The Bible’s big on the idea that real obedience isn’t about rule-keeping, but about heart-keeping.

Where are the 10 Commandments in the Bible?

You’ll find them in two places:

• Exodus 20 - when God gives them to Moses after the escape from Egypt.
• Deuteronomy 5 - when Moses reminds the people of them before they enter the Promised Land.

Same commandments, two big moments.

Are the 10 sins equal to not following the Ten Commandments?

Not exactly. Breaking a commandment can be a sin, but the Bible doesn’t officially label “Ten Sins” to match the 10 Commandments.

It’s more about understanding that ignoring these principles leads us away from love, truth, and justice, which the Bible definitely calls out as sin.

References

1. Alter, Robert. The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary. W. W. Norton & Company, 2004.
2. Childs, Brevard S. The Book of Exodus: A Critical, Theological Commentary. Westminster John Knox Press, 1974.
3. Freedman, David Noel, ed. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Doubleday, 1992.
4. Hays, Richard B. The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation. HarperOne, 1996.