What are the Ten Commandments?
You’ve heard of them all your life. Could you name all ten? And do they still matter for Christians today?
The Ten Commandments are the ten laws God gave Moses on Mount Sinai, written on two stone tablets (Exodus 20:1–17; Deuteronomy 5:6–21). The first four are about loving God; the last six are about loving people. Jesus summed them up: love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37–40). They don’t save you; no one keeps them perfectly. But they show God’s heart and our need for Jesus, and they still guide how believers live. The commandments are a mirror, showing us who God is and how far we fall short, and they point us to the Savior.
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The mountain shook
Three months after God brought Israel out of Egypt, they camped at the foot of Mount Sinai. On the third day there was thunder and lightning, a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, and everyone in the camp trembled. The whole mountain was covered in smoke because the LORD had come down on it in fire, and the mountain shook violently. Then God spoke the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:16–20:17).
The ten
1. Have no other gods before Me: God comes first.
2. Do not make or worship idols: nothing takes His place.
3. Do not take the LORD’s name in vain: treat His name as holy.
4. Remember the Sabbath day: make room for rest and worship.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. Do not murder.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not give false testimony: don’t lie about others.
10. Do not covet: don’t crave what belongs to someone else.
Do Christians still follow them?
Christians are not saved by keeping the law, but by grace through faith. The moral commands still show us how to love God and people, and nine of the ten are repeated in the New Testament. The Sabbath is fulfilled in our rest in Jesus. “Love is the fulfillment of the Law” (Romans 13:10).
What the Bible says
- 01
The Ten Commandments.
“And God spoke all these words: “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heavens above, on the earth below, or in the waters beneath. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who takes His name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them, but on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy. Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.””
Exodus 20:1–17 - 02
At Mount Sinai.
“On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram’s horn went out, so that all the people in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. And as the sound of the ram’s horn grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God answered him in the thunder. The LORD descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the summit. So Moses went up,”
Exodus 19:16–20 - 03
The greatest commandments.
““Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?” Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.””
Matthew 22:36–40 - 04
The law shows our need.
“Therefore no one will be justified in His sight by works of the law. For the law merely brings awareness of sin. But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets. And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 3:20–24 - 05
Love fulfills the law.
“Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Romans 13:8–10 - 06
Leading us to Christ.
“So the law became our guardian to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
Galatians 3:24
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.
Read Exodus 20:1–17 and ask God which one He wants you to grow in this month.
Common questions
Where are the Ten Commandments in the Bible?
Exodus 20:1–17 and Deuteronomy 5:6–21.
Which commandment is the greatest?
Jesus said: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37–39).
Do I have to keep the Sabbath on Saturday?
Christians are not bound to Saturday. See our answer on the Sabbath.
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