God's Law is a guiding star for every Christian. This is the only way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The modern world is very difficult for any person. Therefore, everyone should see the need for the 10 commandments of God and the 7 deadly sins. This applies not only to adults, but also to children. That's why many people turn to such authoritative guidance. The 10 commandments of God in Russian appeared relatively long ago.

Interpretation of the 10 biblical commandments

God created rules and laws. People must have an understanding of evil and good, of their own intentions and actions. Children cannot understand the commandments in an adult way, which means they need to be explained in a simple form. That’s why God’s commandments are presented here with clear interpretations for children.

God is one

The Bible says, “I am the Lord your God, and there are no other gods besides Me.” There is only one Creator, and there is no one else but him, therefore you must believe with all your soul and heart. This is equivalent to believing your parents - mom and dad. The Creator who created the world does not forget about people and takes care of everyone. God must always be remembered and revered, and one must turn to him only through prayer.

God said so that people do not create any image for themselves, do not serve or worship it. If any idol appears, many forget about the commandments and about God himself. A bad child is one who is able to exchange his father and mother for a computer or dolls.

An example can be taken of Kai, who became addicted to evil, therefore, he lost love and goodness, because he chose the snow queen as an idol. The fairy-tale character had different toys, but he had no happiness. Only after Gerda came to the ice castle, Kai’s heart was filled with kindness and love, after which he came to life again. For Christians, God becomes above all, and the next lower level is occupied by loved ones. Idols can be not only things, but also people, for example, celebrities. Therefore, you should not get carried away by popular people who will not do anything good for your soul.

Don't take the name of the Lord in vain

The Lord's name should be treated with reverence and not pronounced unnecessarily. One must speak the name of God only with great reverence and attention. Every appeal to the Lord is done through prayer. One priest once said that it is like a telephone conversation: at one end of the tube they speak, and at the other they listen. Therefore, a Christian person should not cry out to God without reason. The Lord's name is kept in the heart with all thrift and there is no point in letting it out in vain. If during a conversation the words “Lord” were accidentally said, then immediately in addition the words “Glory to you” or “Have mercy on me” are said.

Six day work week

For 6 days you can do all the things and work, but on the 7th day you can’t do this - this is God’s day and is dedicated only to him. The seventh day is Sunday. On ordinary days one must fulfill all the commandments and pray, but on Sunday everyday chores stop and attention is devoted to the Heavenly Father. To fulfill the fourth commandment, you should go to church and take communion, and also take part in the divine service.

Honor your parents

Christ said that those who honor their parents will be blessed on earth. Children are obliged to help their parents and obey them. When children are small, parents raise them and help them until they become adults. Adult children should not forget about their elderly mother and father.

Respect is not limited to politeness; specific assistance must be provided. Parents will be at the end of their lives, so adult children should provide all possible help, both materially and spiritually. Support means a lot, so you should listen to your elders and respect mentors and teachers. To be worthy, you need to treat people well.

Don't kill

The taking of human life by another human being is truly the most horrific event. God gave life - it is a priceless gift. No one has the right to take such a gift from a person. If we take various wars as an example, killing aggressors is also considered a sin, but to a lesser extent. This sin is justified, but refusing to defend yourself is truly a betrayal and such a decision is considered a terrible sin. You always need to protect loved ones from invaders.

Adults and teenagers must understand that it is possible to commit murder without a weapon in your hands. It is enough to take a sneaky step with a word or deed. Although the one who conceived the terrible intention did not participate in direct contact, he is the murderer who conceived such an intention. It is unacceptable to mock our smaller brothers: domestic animals, birds, beasts and insects - all those who have life. God created man to take care of them.

Don't commit adultery

You cannot cross love. It is also prohibited to betray. This law of fidelity is about those who are loved by a person and love him. To save the family, it is important to observe the commandment of fidelity. A husband should not look at other women - this is adultery. Even thoughts about others develop into lust, which in turn is sin.

A husband and wife who are faithful to each other will remain together forever and live a long and happy life. Any factor of betrayal is treason. It is difficult to live with such a feeling of guilt, and besides, a person will bring a terrible sin onto his soul.

Do not steal

The next bad thing is stealing, which means taking other people's things without returning them. Most people are inclined to believe that if an item was found on the street, then the act is not considered theft.

For example, a man was walking along the road from work and discovered an expensive phone. There are two options: take it with you, no matter how much it costs, or find the owner of the device. In the second case, the act will become noble. You can't steal or take someone else's property. In this way, God tests a person’s faithfulness, so you should not be tempted and take sin on your soul.

Don't bear false witness

Sometimes people deliberately use lies to hide the truth and overcome some unpleasant situations in life. They think it will help them. It is important to understand: no matter what the deception, it will always be revealed, even later, but this cannot be avoided. It is a sin if one person comes up with something bad to say about another. Many engage in slander to defame innocent people.

Don't covet anything that belongs to others

Envy knows no bounds; it destroys joy. Therefore, you cannot be jealous. Usually this happens because someone lives better than another. There is a saying: “The miser pays twice.” There are moments in life when a greedy and envious person uses cunning to buy some product, but after a while, even if it’s a long time, that person will also be tricked. You can’t do this; you have to rejoice in positive situations, when something good happens to friends or loved ones. We should thank God for such an event, and not grind our teeth and envy. In Christianity they do not envy “white envy”; they can only rejoice. Such virtue is much better than envy and greed.

Seven deadly sins

In this regard, there is a widespread opinion that the “seven terrible sins” are an equal number of committed actions. This is wrong. The list of small sinful acts can be very long, for example:

Simply, the number 7 consists of main groups and has many subgroups of bad deeds. Saint Gregory the Great first proposed the idea of ​​such a classification. This happened in 590. But in the church there was a slightly different classification, and there were eight sins.

Deadly sins in Orthodoxy, list of main addictions:

1. pride. A slight contempt for a person gives rise to pride. If a proud person feels contempt for others because they are low in origin, poor and ignorant, then he independently ascribes himself to the wisest people. After all, he is rich, strong, noble and prudent. He resists and mocks the preferences of others. But he can be healed if he turns to God. After all, it was said that the Lord gives grace to the humble, but resists the proud;
2. envy. The well-being of a neighbor always upsets an envious person. Therefore, the human soul becomes evil. The vice of an envious person manifests itself in this way: to see the happy as unhappy, the rich as poor, the healthy as poor. The happiness of an envious person appears when the happy life of another person is overtaken by disaster. Such a vice, penetrating the heart, forms the launching pad for all other sins, not counting the many upcoming small and large dirty tricks. As a result, a terrible sin can happen - murder, due to the fact that someone lives better and has his own good deed. Perhaps the envious person is not capable of committing a crime, but this will always make him feel bad. Vice will begin to intensify and devour the soul. A person will needlessly bring himself to the grave, but the afterlife will not save him. There he will continue to suffer;
3. gluttony. There are three types of gluttony: eating at different times is the first type; the second is oversaturation, and the third is the consumption of exclusively tasty dishes. A true Christian must be careful: meals are taken at a strictly defined time, one must not oversatiate oneself, one must thank God, even for the meager food. With gluttony, the stomach is in its own slavery. This is not only excessive gluttony at the dinner table, but also an insane culinary pickiness with a preference for gourmet dishes. If you look at it from a cultural point of view, there is a huge gap between a gourmet and an unrestrained glutton. Nevertheless, they are doomed to food slavery. For this category, food is not an ordinary source of energy, but becomes the main goal in life;
4. fornication. Man is not omnipotent and succumbs to various temptations, but one cannot stop fighting and repenting of sins. Only in this way can the path to holiness be paved. At every step in a modern metropolis one encounters a wide variety of images. These perversions are shown on TV, and the Internet is full of all sorts of bad things. Often a young person overshadows his good desires with poisonous images and is unable to think about anything else. The demon of passion begins to take possession of him. Walking next to women, a young man perceives them as females. The intoxicated brain is filled with lustful thoughts, and the heart craves the satisfaction of dirty thoughts. Such depravity is not inherent even in animals, but man is capable of stooping even to such a level. Fornication is considered not only extramarital sex life and infidelity, but also similar thoughts;
5. anger. In a fit of anger, a person entails great danger. He swears at himself, yells at those around him, and becomes feverish with anger. Such a person is like a demon. But for the human soul, anger is considered a natural property. The Lord God specifically invested such a quality in man, but in order to resist and be angry at sin, and not at people. Over time, righteous anger became perverted and began to be directed at one’s neighbor. Over trifles, fights, swearing, shouting and murder occur. This is a harmful sin;
6. greed. Many people claim that only wealthy people who want to increase their wealth can be greedy. But such sin applies to everyone: both rich and poor people. Passion consists of painful attempts to possess things and increase material wealth;
7. laziness. Expressed by extreme pessimism and general physical and spiritual relaxation. A strong-willed person purposefully moves towards a goal with jealousy in his heart, which moves him forward. And despondency manifests itself in an unattainable goal. A person sets himself too difficult a task, therefore, the will is not moved by jealousy, which in turn results in laziness. A person becomes upset that he cannot achieve what he wants, and gives up, despondent for days on end. This happens when a person moves away from the Creator and directs all his thoughts to earthly affairs, and not to heavenly ones.

Ten Interesting Facts About the Bible

The most legendary book is the Holy Scripture. It was written in ancient times several thousand years ago. It is one of the most famous and purchased on the entire planet.

Interesting Facts:

Each religious tradition offers its followers a certain set of moral rules that must be followed in order to gain and strengthen faith and move along the spiritual path. The basis of Christian morality is the 10 commandments of God; they are also used in Orthodoxy, although they essentially belong to the Old Testament tradition.

According to tradition, on the 50th day of the exodus from Egypt, Moses ascended the mountain, and there the Lord dictated to him the Ten Commandments, with which he descended from the mountain in order to give these covenants to the people of Israel. Nevertheless, people, in the absence of their prophet (Moses was on the mountain for 40 days in fasting and prayer), created a golden calf, which they began to worship. The disappointed prophet broke the tablets.

After this, he was instructed to cut out new tablets and go to the mountain again. As a result, Moses writes the commandments on tablets and gives them to his people.

There are references to these events in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy, which, in turn, refer to the Torah (Pentateuch), which is related to the Old Testament, consisting of 39 books.

Relevance in Orthodoxy

The Orthodox Church tradition has included writings from the Old Testament, in particular, the commandments given to Moses are considered part of the canon. Nevertheless, the Bible does not list these rules, and if we remember what Jesus himself said, we should talk about the beatitudes that were given at the Sermon on the Mount.

Nevertheless, as the Savior himself said, He came not to destroy, but to fulfill the law. Therefore, there is no contradiction here. The commandments given to Moses are honored and observed.

The New Testament teaching of Christ is simply, let’s say, a more progressive and humane development of the topic. If the Old Testament tradition consisted mostly of prohibitions that were created in order to protect people from sin, then New Testament Christianity leads people to perfection and, ultimately, Salvation. Christ himself spoke about this: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another,” “be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”

Therefore, the Orthodox tradition does not deny the list of commandments of Moses. However, it also focuses on the Beatitudes, which are to a greater extent a means to Salvation and spiritual perfection.

Especially here the 10th commandment should be emphasized. It is there that the emphasis shifts to the inner world of man, on which Christ placed special emphasis, speaking not about external prohibitions, but about internal perfection (which inevitably leads to the external): “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with all your mind,” “Love your neighbor as yourself.” He only needed such a basis, but this basis points to the very essence of faith.

Now we should characterize the 10 Orthodox commandments of God's law in more detail. Of course, interpretations of each commandment can be varied; here we offer universal ones, compiled on the basis of the works of Orthodox theologians and priests. A deeper understanding of each commandment requires personal spiritual experience and careful reflection.

1. “I am the Lord your God... let you have no other gods before me.” We are talking about the biblical Host, which can also appear in the form of the Holy Trinity. If you do not delve into etymology and deep comprehension, which requires religious and mystical experience, then the commandment indicates the presence of a supreme principle from which all things come. The Light of the Lord permeates every creation of this world; He entered timelessness from timelessness and created a world that is completely saturated with Him. Therefore, it is strange to look for other gods and choose something else. The commandment indicates the need to turn to a higher principle, since only there is truth.
2. “You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything in heaven above, or on the earth below, or in the waters under the earth. Do not worship them and do not serve them...” The text is not given here in full. In some ways a continuation of the previous commandment, a prohibitive commandment that indicates the need to follow the true path and the consequences of choosing the wrong one. Most often here they point to the factor of the creation of the idol, which is well illustrated by the example of icon veneration in Orthodoxy. In this tradition (unlike, for example, Catholicism), icons are revered in a special way, they are an active part of religious practice, they help to tune in to prayer, but there is an essential detail: icons are revered as a window to the spiritual world. To be more precise, the spiritual world itself is revered; the icon is only a window through which one looks. In fact, we are simply talking about a piece of wood or other surface with the presence of some kind of color composition, and worshiping the image itself is incorrect and exactly corresponds to the creation of the idol. Even if an icon is miraculous, it is not the piece of wood that does the miracles, but the Lord, who is addressed through the image. Therefore, the believer should avoid any creation of idols and realize the true purpose of worship.
3. “Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.” We are talking about using the name of the Lord in vain; according to Orthodox tradition, it must be pronounced during prayer or church services. This emphasizes a certain respect. Also, of course, one should not remember the Lord with curses or anything like that. You need to separate the ordinary and worldly from the heavenly and realize what words are needed for what.
4. “Remember the Sabbath day...Six days you shall work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: on it you shall not do any work.” The text of this commandment is not given in full, but the essence is one thing - rest on the Sabbath day. Rest is perceived as detachment from worldly affairs, the best of which is, of course, prayer, reading spiritual literature and the like. It is more difficult for people who do not live in Israel to keep this commandment literally, but it is about the need to dedicate at least a day every week to the Lord. In this way, man becomes like the Lord, who rested on the seventh day after creating the world for six days.
5. “Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” It is thanks to parents that a person gets the opportunity to see this world, learn faith and gain the opportunity to save his soul. Parental love is limitless, so they deserve to be honored. This commandment also points to the need to extrapolate this love to other people. If a person learns to honor his parents, then in the future he will respect every man and woman in general.
6. "Dont kill". It is a grave sin, and this prohibition is given to people so that they do not doom themselves to eternal suffering, since it is incredibly difficult to atone for such an offense. In fact, each person is an inseparable part of the Lord, and if he encroaches on another, he actually encroaches on himself, because people in this sense are indistinguishable.
7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery." Initially, the prohibition spoken of in the 7th commandment concerns having a relationship with a married woman. For this period, it can extend to any relationship that contradicts the norm of morality.
8. "Don't steal." This includes not only the appropriation of another person’s property, but also any deception committed for this purpose, obtaining some kind of property and property in a not entirely honest way. By and large, even if a person receives more than is due for some work, or in some not entirely honest way extracts money from others, then such behavior also falls under the scope of this commandment. Therefore, you need to be careful when receiving any property and income from activities.
9. “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” This commandment also includes the closest one, that is, the person himself. Thus, it is also prohibited to deceive other people about oneself, for example, to boast about something or mislead about one’s personality. You also shouldn’t lie about other people; such deception always has a negative impact, because at least the one they’re lying about always knows where the truth is.
10. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his servant… anything that is your neighbor’s.” This commandment is often emphasized because of its unique wording to the Mosaic laws. This particular commandment is often called a kind of transition from the Old to the New Testament, which Christ brought. If the reader pays attention, he will see the phrase “do not covet” that is different from the previous ones. The remaining commandments are prohibitive, and they prohibit certain actions. In fact, the believer may not think much about it. If the priest competently explained how to follow the previous 9 commandments, then the believer may well simply follow these instructions, but the 10 commandments of the Lord would not be complete without this final one. Here the appeal is not to action, but to thoughts. A primitive interpretation may indicate a simple meaning - do not envy. Such an interpretation really exists, but you need to look deeper: from every harmful desire comes a harmful action. If someone wants someone else's property, then for this they can plot murder, theft or adultery. Many sins and violations of commandments come precisely from sinful thoughts and intentions. In modern words, you need to control your consciousness and cleanse it of all negativity. In particular, one should cultivate basic righteous aspirations in oneself and eradicate harmful ones, which in the Orthodox tradition are explained by the influence of passions, demons and Satan.

Based on this list, 10 sins arise in Orthodoxy, which are a violation of these instructions. For example, if a person has created an idol for himself and begins to worship a beautiful picture, another person or pleasure, then he moves away from the Lord and is a violator of the commandment.

Connection with sins

Some may confuse the commandments of God and mortal sins a little, which are somewhat similar and may even have identical meanings, but still belong to different lists. In particular, in the Orthodox tradition, there are seven or eight main sins that have a negative effect on believers and that need to be eradicated.

Various interpretations

In Catholicism There is a widespread division into serious and ordinary sins, which, as the name implies, entail different consequences. This teaching is more aimed at ordinary people and is something like a social norm.

In Orthodoxy, the concept of fundamental sins was developed by the institution of ascetics. Spiritual ascetics, on their path to perfection, purified their nature from various passions and ultimately identified what a believer needs to fight in order to achieve the ideal. We are talking about passions such as:

Orthodoxy also uses a scheme with eight sins:

There are other schemes that can be used in the books of various ascetics and saints. For example, John Climacus identifies 33 stages of spiritual development, and in each of these stages it is possible to choose to overcome the corresponding sin.

The main thing here, perhaps, is not exactly how many sins are on the list, but understanding the basic passions and abstaining from them. For example, in the second list, pride is divided into vanity and arrogance - similar qualities. However, the point is not to get rid of vanity and arrogance individually or pride in general, but to get rid of these passions.

God's commandments- an external law given in addition to a person’s weakened (due to a sinful life) internal guideline - .

“Jesus said...: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words” ().

God gave the Ten Old Testament Commandments (Decalogue) on Mount Sinai through Moses to the Jewish people when he was returning from Egypt to the land of Canaan, on two stone tablets (or tablets). The first four commandments contain the duties of love for God, the last six contain the duties of love for one's neighbor (i.e., all people).

Ten Commandments of the Old Testament
(; )

1. I am the Lord your God, and there are no other gods besides Me.
2. Do not make for yourself any image; do not worship them or serve them.
3. Do not remember yours in vain.
4. Six days you shall work and do all your work, but the seventh is a day of rest, which you shall dedicate to the Lord your God.
5. Honor your father and mother, that you may be blessed on earth and live long.
6. Don't.
7. Don't.
8. Don't
9. Do not bear false witness.
10. Don't.

Nine Beatitudes of the New Testament
(Gospel according to)

To complement the 10 Old Testament commandments, Christ taught the 9 Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. In them the Lord outlined a pattern of life characteristic of His followers, Christians. Without canceling what was prescribed by the Old Testament, the Savior expands and elevates the meaning of the ancient commandments, instilling in people the desire for ideal perfection and outlining the path to this perfection.

The Beatitudes are a declaration of Christian moral values. It contains everything necessary for a person to enter the true fullness of life. All the Beatitudes speak of the rewards that those who are faithful to Christ will receive: those who mourn will be comforted, those who hunger for righteousness will be satisfied, the meek will inherit the earth, the pure in heart will see God. But already now, by fulfilling the commandments of Christ, a person receives consolation and joy on the eve of the fullness of existence - the advent of the Kingdom of God.

And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
1. Blessed are they, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
2. Blessed are they for they will be comforted.
3. Blessed are they for they will inherit the earth.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they will be satisfied.
5. Blessed are they, for they will receive mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure, for they will see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
9. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven (...).

The Ten Commandments were given to the Old Testament tribes to keep wild and rude people from evil. The Beatitudes were given to Christians to show what spiritual disposition they should have in order to draw closer and closer to God and achieve holiness. Holiness, born of closeness to God, is the highest bliss that a person can desire. The Old Testament Law is the law of strict truth, and the New Testament Law is the law of Divine love and grace. They do not contradict, but complement each other.

The content of all the commandments of both the Old and New Testaments can be summarized in two commandments given by Christ: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is similar to it - love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other greater commandment than these.”(, ). And the Lord also gave us faithful guidance on what to do: “As you would have people do to you, do so to them, for this is the law and the prophets.”() .

“God in His Commandments commands us to do something and not do something else, not because He “just wants to.” Everything that God commanded us to do is beneficial to us, and everything that God forbade us to do is harmful.
Even an ordinary person who loves his child teaches him: “drink carrot juice - it’s healthy, don’t eat a lot of sweets - it’s harmful.” But the child doesn’t like carrot juice, and he doesn’t understand why eating a lot of candy is harmful: after all, candy is sweet, but carrot juice is not. That's why he resists his father's word, pushes away the glass of juice and throws a tantrum, demanding more sweets.
Likewise, we, adult “children,” strive more for what gives us pleasure and reject what does not suit our whims. And by rejecting the Word of the Heavenly Father, we commit sin.”
Archpriest Alexander Torik, .

Why do 80% of baptized people answer the question about what commandments there are, without saying a word: “Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal”? Why are they called the sixth and eighth commandments of the Old Testament? Not the first, not the third, not the tenth?.. I thought about this for a long time and came to an interesting conclusion: out of all the commandments, a person chooses those to fulfill which he nothing needs to be done. “I didn’t kill, I didn’t steal - I’m a great guy, and leave me alone!” Do you know the seventh commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” why they skip it? Yes, a very “inconvenient” commandment in our dissolute times. So man deceives himself, choosing from the law of God only what is convenient for him, and consciously or unconsciously trampling on what prevents him from living in his own way. Lawyers say that ignorance of the law does not excuse one from responsibility. This is also true in relation to spiritual life, and precisely because knowledge (or ignorance) of the law depends entirely on us, on our good or bad will. ...
By breaking the commandments, a person does not even insult God. God is holy and cannot be mocked. But a person cripples his own life and the lives of his loved ones, because the commandments are not some kind of shackles: life is already difficult, and then some other commandments must be kept! No, it's not like that. The commandments of God are precisely the conditions for a normal, fulfilling, healthy and joyful life for every person. And if a person violates these commandments, he harms, first of all, himself and his loved ones.

priest Dimitry Shishkin

From the Sermon on the Mount, and above all from the Beatitudes, it follows that a person must cleanse himself of passions, cleanse his heart of all thoughts that dwell in it, and acquire humility of spirit in order to become worthy of seeing God. The word of Christ is clear:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God...
().

The Beatitudes show the spiritual path of man, the path of deification, the path that leads to healing. Consciousness of one's own spiritual poverty, that is, awareness of the passions that have taken root in the heart leads a person to repentance and blessed sorrow. To the extent of the depth of this sorrow, Divine consolation comes to his soul. It is on this path that a person gains humility and inner peace. Living in spiritual humility, he is even stronger thirsts for God's justification and strives to keep God’s commandments in his daily life. By keeping the commandments of God, he is granted knowledge favors God's and purifies your heart even more. IN cleansing the soul and this is the purpose of the commandments. Some of them relate to the purification of the rational, others to the purification of the irritable nature of the soul. And when the soul is cleansed of passions, a person achieves the contemplation of God.

The Beatitudes reveal the essence of spiritual life and the way to heal a person. A person who keeps the commandments is sealed with the seal of the Holy Spirit and becomes a member of the Body of Christ, a temple of the All-Holy Spirit.

Let none of us think: we go to God, we pray, making many bows, and for this we will receive the Kingdom of Heaven. No; the one who keeps the commandments of God will receive it.
Reverend

They often say: in order to be a Christian, you must fulfill the commandments of Christ. Certainly; however, the commandments of Christ are not orders that He gives us: they say, we must live this way, we must live that way, and if you do not live this way, you will be punished for it... No, the commandments of Christ are His attempt to figuratively show us how we could would be, if you become and be a real, worthy person. Therefore, the commandment of Christ is not a command, but a revelation before our eyes about what we are called to be and can be; what we, therefore, should be.
metropolitan, « »

If it is difficult to be a Christian, it is not because the Lord’s commandments are difficult, but only because the power of sin, the hereditary corruption of soul and body, is great.
Professor

At the time of Jesus, according to tradition, there were 613 prohibitions and injunctions, but by the same time a tradition had developed of reducing them to a much smaller number.
Thus, the psalmist king David reduced all the commandments to just eleven ():
God! who can dwell in Your habitation?who can dwell on Your holy mountain?
He who walks uprightly and does what is right,
and speaks the truth in his heart;
who does not slander with his tongue,
does not harm anyone sincerely
and does not accept reproach against his neighbor;
the one in whose eyes the outcast is despised,
but who glorifies those who fear the Lord;
who swears, even to an evil person, and does not change;
who does not lend his silver at interest
and does not accept gifts against the innocent.
He who does this will never be shaken.

The Prophet Isaiah further reduced the number of commandments and brought it to six (): One who walks in righteousness and speaks the truth; whoever despises self-interest from oppression, keeps his hands from taking bribes, stops his ears so as not to hear about bloodshed, closes his eyes so as not to see evil;he will dwell on the heights...

The Prophet Micah () limited himself to only three commandments: Oh man! It has been told to you what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

The Prophet Isaiah elsewhere () mentions two commandments: Thus says the Lord: maintain judgment and do righteousness...

Finally, the prophet Amos () summarized all the commandments to one: For this is what the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek Me and you will live..

Vereshchagin E. M.

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Today, many Christian denominations believe that the Decalogue (ten 10 commandments) is outdated, therefore, with the permission of God, it was slightly “corrected” by the church. I hope you are convinced that the New Testament does not teach abolition everyone commandments of the Old Testament. Moreover, the ten 10 commandments are inviolable. To confirm this, let's pay a little more attention to them.

Let us remember that the ten 10 commandments were given to people two stone tablets. Attention: not on one, not on three, etc., but on two. Therefore, it is generally accepted that the commandments were divided into them as follows:

On the first tablet, the first four commandments reflected the relationship between man and God (Ex. 20:1-11):

1. May you have no other gods before Me.

2. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; six days you shall work and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: on it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your maidservant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger. who is in your dwellings; For in six days the Lord created heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them, and rested on the seventh day; Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.

on the second table, commandments five through ten were intended to regulate relationships between people (Ex. 20:12-17):

5. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.

6. Dont kill.

7. Don't commit adultery.

8. Don't steal.

9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

It is easy to see that the first of the two commandments specifically noted by Jesus in the Old Testament “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God...” is in tune with the teaching of the first tablet. Think about it, you cannot truly love God and at the same time have other gods (1st point), create idols, images, worship and serve them (2nd point), mention the name of God in vain (3rd point) zap) and not devote time to the Creator (4th zap). Indeed, God, through specific commandments, explained to believers how and in what ways people’s love for Him should be expressed.

Think about it, if there were no law, then each person could show his feelings towards the Creator in the way that seems right to him, but not in the way that pleases the Creator. Let us remember that the Lord compared Himself and His people to a married couple, where He is the husband, and the Israelites in the Old Testament, the church in the New - the wife (see Isa. 54:5, Jer. 3:1, Hos. 1:2, Ephesians 5:25, Rev. 12:1,6, Rev. 19:7). Now imagine that the wife will treat her husband the way she likes, without being interested in the feelings and desires of her other half. Will such a marriage be strong and happy? Of course not. This is what we see in the example of the Israelites, knowing how they repeatedly deviated from God’s commandments. That is why the Creator included the corresponding instructions in the Constitution of His law - in the Decalogue (ten 10 commandments), showing believers how important Right show your love and respect for Him - spouse Your chosen people.

And the commandment of Scripture, called by Christ the second most important "Love your neighbor...", is close in spirit to the second tablet, as it teaches relationships between people. Look at what Jesus said to the young man when asked: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”:

Here we see an incomplete list of the conditions for inheriting eternal life, since among those named there are not many important commandments, including the most important: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”(Mark 12:30, see also Deut. 6:5, Matt. 22:37). It is obvious that Christ did not intend with this instruction to give exhaustive a list of saving commandments, but wanted to point out the need to observe Total God's law. Look, speaking about the conditions of the inheritance of eternal life, Jesus here quoted five of the ten 10 commandments of the Decalogue (Ex. 20:12-16) and other commandments of the law of Moses: in the Gospel of Mark - "Do not hurt"(Mark 10:19 - in the OT Lev. 25:17), in the Gospel of Matthew - "Love your neighbor"(Matt. 19:19 – in OT Lev. 19:18). At the same time, Jesus began the enumeration precisely with the ten 10 commandments of the Decalogue. This lesson of Christ clearly confirms His lack of desire to replace all the commandments of the Old Testament, including the Decalogue (ten 10 commandments), with one or two “generalizing” commandments. If Christ had such a goal, He would have said so. However, as we have already noted, Jesus constantly quoted the commandments of the Old Testament Scripture, including the ten 10 commandments, and urged people to keep them.

After Christ, the apostles continued to proclaim the Decalogue - the ten 10 commandments. Paul spoke reverently about 5th commandments: “Honor your father and mother, this is the first commandment with a promise: that it may go well with you, and that you may live long on earth.”(Eph. 6:2,3).

Paul also noted the connection between the second table of the Decalogue and the commandment that Jesus called the second most important in the law of Moses:

“The commandments: do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not covet the things of others, and all the others are contained in this word: love your neighbor as yourself» (Rom. 13:9).

In previous chapters we saw that many of the commandments of the Old Testament were fulfilled by Christ. However, the commandments of the Decalogue (ten 10 commandments) remained among those in force. Moreover, the ten 10 commandments are unchanged the law of God. In the chapter “God’s Law” we have already noted that in relation to the Decalogue the Lord in His Word uses only meaningful epithets revelation, covenant, testimony. We also compared the Decalogue (ten 10 commandments) with the Constitution established by the Creator. All this allows us to conclude that the ten 10 commandments of the Decalogue will not lose their relevance in the future - in the eternal life promised by God. There is plenty of evidence for this claim in the Bible, some of which we will look at now and some in later chapters of this book.

God himself is special singled out Decalogue (ten 10 commandments) from the law of Moses, thereby showing its immutability. Otherwise, why did He do it? Only ten 10 commandments were written personally by God (see Exod. 32:16, Deut. 5:22), only ten 10 commandments were not on scrolls, but on stone - an eternal carrier of information, and they were made twice (see Exod. 34:1, Deut. 10:1,2,4), only ten 10 commandments were constantly in the ark (see 1 Kings 8:9, 2 Chron. 5:10, Heb. 9:4), over which he appeared Lord (see Ex. 25:22, Ex. 30:6, Lev. 16:2, Num. 7:89). Let us remember that the law of Moses, written on scrolls, lay next to the ark (see Deut. 31:26).

The question of the importance of the ten 10 commandments can be approached from another angle. We will discuss the concept of “holiness” in detail later, but for now let’s analyze the text of the Bible for the holiness of the Decalogue (ten 10 commandments). According to the Holy Scriptures, on Earth there was only one saint the city of Jerusalem (see Neh. 11:1), in it there was one saint Mount Zion (see Ps. 2:6, Is. 10:32), on this mountain stood the only one on the ground saint temple of the God of Israel (see Ps. 5:8), in this temple there was sacred department (see Heb. 9:2), in it there is another department - holy of holies(see Heb. 9:3), and in this holy of holies stood saint the ark of the covenant (see 1 Kings 8:6, 2 Chron. 35:3). Next to the ark was a scroll of the law of Moses (see Deut. 31:26). What was the value of the Ark of the Covenant? Of course, what was important to God was not the casket itself, nor the stones lying in it, but the ten 10 commandments written on them. Thus, according to the Holy Scriptures, the center of everything saint on Earth was God's law, and its “epicenter” was Decalogue - ten 10 commandments.

The earthly temple and the commandments of the law of Moses associated with serving in it ceased to exist, having been fulfilled in Jesus. A current the commandments of God's law remained saints and to this day. And of course, first of all, the Decalogue - the ten 10 commandments. Let us remember how the Apostle Paul spoke about the commandments of God:

« The law is holy, And the commandment is holy» (Rom. 7:12).

Christians who belittle the importance of the Decalogue (Ten 10 Commandments) often refer to the words of the Apostle Paul from the 3rd chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians (see below 2 Cor. 3:7), where he speaks of stone tablets as about deadly letters. In chapters "Sin and the Law", “The law embedded in the heart. Grace" You and I have already discussed the relationship between the commandments and sin. Indeed, the law of Moses “condemned” man “to death” according to the commandment “The soul that sins shall die”(Ezek. 18:4, see also Gen. 3:17,19, Heb. 9:22, Rom. 6:23, James 1:15). And the grace of forgiveness now justifies the sinner by imputing the righteousness of Christ to him (see 1 Pet. 3:18, 2 Cor. 5:21, Philip. 3:9, Rom. 3:21,22, Rom. 5:17, Rom. 10:4 and also chapter “Justification by faith. Faith and works"). Of course, in the letter to the Corinthians about lethality of letters The Decalogue speaks in the same sense.

If you carefully read this letter of Paul in its entirety, it will be clear that the apostle here is not talking about the abolition of the Decalogue (ten 10 commandments). He explains that, unlike in previous times, from now on there is not so much writing, but Christians themselves should be a living letter of the Lord, an example for other people: « You are our letter written in our hearts, recognized and read by all people; You show yourself What you are a letter Christ's, through our written ministry Not ink, but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, But on the fleshy tablets of the heart» (2 Cor. 3:2,3).

Above, we have already talked about the law of God, which must be written in the heart, and about the new spirit of a Christian. That is, here Paul repeats the same thoughts, giving them a different form and accompanying them with new examples. The Apostle compares the Jewish clergy - ministers of the “letter”, with Christians - ministers of the “spirit” (see 2 Cor. 3:6), contrasting a system of numerous rules with a heart always open to the guidance of the Spirit of God. Therefore Paul says:

"If serving deadly letters, inscribed on the stones, it was like this nice that the children of Israel could not look upon the face of Moses because the glory of his face was passing away, is it not much more must be nice ministry of the spirit?» (2 Cor. 3:7,8)

"Service to Deadly Letters" here refers not only to the Decalogue (ten 10 commandments), since just above Paul mentions ink(see above 2 Cor. 3:3), with which the scrolls of the law were written. We are talking in general about the law of Moses, which pointed to the “killing” sin, in comparison with the grace of God revealed through Christ, which can justify the sinner and clear his from all untruth(see 1 John 1:9). The apostle calls the covenant made on Mount Sinai glorious (see 2 Cor. 3:7 above), while the New Testament, based on Jesus, more glorious than before. Paul goes on to emphasize this again:

"Transient nice, those more nice abiding"(2 Cor. 3:11).

However, not everyone accepted the spirit of the New Testament. Many Jews covered their hearts, which Paul went on to compare to the veil of Moses (see 2 Cor. 3:13-16). Then at Mount Sinai, after Moses recounted the words of the Lord to the children of Israel and his face shone, he covered his head with a veil so that people would not see the fading of the Glory of God (see Exodus 34:30-35). So now, with the coming of Christ, the Jews did not want to get rid of such a veil from their hearts, which did not allow them to see the fading of the glory of the Old Testament. Only from the hearts of those who saw the fulfillment of the law in Jesus was this veil removed.

Look, in the letter to the Hebrews it is described in detail that Jesus, in the form of a sacrifice and at the same time a High Priest, entered true the heavenly temple, in the image of which the earthly tabernacle was made:

"For Christ has entered not into man-made sanctuary, in the image of the true arranged, but in the most sky... He ... appeared to destroy sin sacrifice Yours" (

In this article we have listed the Ten Commandments of Christianity. We have also prepared for you an interpretation of God's laws.

Ten Commandments of Christianity

These are the Commandments that the Lord God of Hosts gave to the people through His chosen one and the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 20:2-17):

1. Dont kill.
2. Don't commit adultery.
3. Don't steal.

Truly, this law is short, but these commandments say a lot to anyone who knows how to think and who seeks the salvation of his soul.

Anyone who does not understand this main law of God in his heart will not be able to accept either Christ or His teachings. Whoever does not learn to swim in shallow water will not be able to swim in deep water, for he will drown. And whoever does not first learn to walk will not be able to run, for he will fall and be broken. And whoever does not first learn to count to ten will never be able to count thousands. And whoever does not first learn to read syllables will never be able to read fluently and speak eloquently. And whoever does not first lay the foundation of the house will try in vain to build a roof.

I repeat: whoever does not keep the commandments of the Lord given to Moses will knock in vain on the doors of Christ’s Kingdom.

FIRST COMMANDMENT

I am the Lord your God... You shall have no other gods before Me.

This means:

God is One, and there are no other gods besides Him. All creation comes from Him, thanks to Him they live and return to Him. In God resides all power and might, and there is no power outside of God. And the power of light, and the power of water, and air, and stone is the power of God. If an ant crawls, a fish swims and a bird flies, then it is thanks to God. The ability of a seed to grow, of grass to breathe, of a person to live - the essence of the ability of God. All these abilities are the property of God, and every creation receives its ability to exist from God. The Lord gives to everyone as much as he sees fit, and takes back when he sees fit. Therefore, when you want to gain the ability to do anything, look only in God, for the Lord God is the source of life-giving and mighty power. There are no other sources besides Him. Pray to the Lord like this:

“Merciful God, inexhaustible, the only source of strength, strengthen me, weak, and give me greater strength so that I can better serve You. God, give me wisdom so that I do not use the power I have received from You for evil, but only for the good of myself and my neighbors for the magnification of Your glory. Amen".

SECOND COMMANDMENT

You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth.

It means:

Do not deify the creation instead of the Creator. If you climbed a high mountain, where you met the Lord God, why would you look back at the reflection in the puddle under the mountain? If a certain person longed to see the king and, after much effort, managed to appear before him, why would he then look left and right at the king’s servants? He can look around for two reasons: either because he does not dare to face the king alone, or because he thinks: the king alone cannot help him.

THIRD COMMANDMENT

Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain.

What, are there really people who decide to commemorate, without reason or need, a name that awes - the name of the Lord God Almighty? When the name of God is pronounced in the sky, the heavens bow, the stars flash brighter, the Archangels and Angels sing: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts,” and the saints and saints of God fall on their faces. Then which mortal dares to remember the Most Holy Name of God without spiritual trembling and without deep sighing from longing for God?

FOURTH COMMANDMENT

Work six days and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.

This means:

The Creator created for six days, and on the seventh day He rested from His labors. Six days are temporary, vain and short-lived, but the seventh is eternal, peaceful and long-lasting. By creating the world, the Lord God entered time, but did not leave eternity. This mystery is great...(Eph. 5:32), and it is more fitting to think about it than to talk about it, for it is not accessible to everyone, but only to God’s chosen ones.

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.

This means:

Before you knew the Lord God, your parents knew Him. This alone is enough for you to bow to them with respect and give praise. Bow down and give praise to everyone who knew the Highest Good in this world before you.

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

Dont kill.

This means:

God breathed life from His life into every created being. Life is the most precious wealth given by God. Therefore, the one who encroaches on any life on earth raises his hand against the most precious gift of God, moreover, against the life of God itself. All of us living today are only temporary carriers of the life of God within ourselves, guardians of the most precious gift that belongs to God. Therefore, we do not have the right and cannot take away the life borrowed from God, either from ourselves or from others.

SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

Don't commit adultery.

And this means:

Do not have an illicit relationship with a woman. Truly, in this, animals are more obedient to God than many people.

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

Don't steal.

And this means:

Do not upset your neighbor by disrespecting his property rights. Don't do what foxes and mice do if you think you are better than the fox and the mouse. The fox steals without knowing the law on theft; and the mouse gnaws at the barn, not realizing that it is harming anyone. Both the fox and the mouse understand only their own needs, but not the loss of others. They are not given to understand, but you are given. Therefore, you cannot be forgiven for what is forgiven for a fox and a mouse. Your benefit must always be legal, it must not be to the detriment of your neighbor.

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT

Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.

A this means:

Do not be deceitful, either to yourself or to others. If you lie about yourself, you know you are lying. But if you slander someone else, that other person knows that you are slandering him.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; neither his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.

And this means:

As soon as you desire something that belongs to someone else, you have already fallen into sin. Now the question is, will you come to your senses, will you come to your senses, or will you continue to roll down the inclined plane towards which the desire of someone else is taking you?

Desire is the seed of sin. A sinful act is already a harvest from the seed sown and grown.