The Ten Commandments
Ten ancient words that still shape how Christians love God and their neighbour.
The Ten Commandments are ten short statements that God gave to his people through Moses at Mount Sinai. They are recorded in Exodus 20:1-17 and repeated in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. For thousands of years they have stood at the heart of how Jewish and Christian people understand a good and faithful life. They are sometimes called the Decalogue, which simply means "ten words."
By the end of this lesson
- Locate the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 and explain why they begin with God's act of rescue rather than a command.
- Recall the ten and sort them into the two tablets: love for God and love for neighbour.
- Connect the commandments to the two great commandments Jesus names in Matthew 22:37-40.
- Explain why the tenth commandment, against coveting, reveals that the law reaches the heart and not only outward actions.
- Describe fairly how Christian traditions differ on numbering the commandments and on the Sabbath day.
Scripture
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