Moses receives the Law from God, divinely written on stone tablets - we began to call it the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament.
The commandments were given to people through Moses at the dawn of the formation of religion, in order to protect them from sin, to warn them of danger, while the Christian Beatitudes (there are one less of them), described in the Sermon on the Mount of Christ, are of a slightly different plan, they relate to a more spiritual life and development. Today we will talk specifically about their biblical meaning.
How and when did God give the 10 commandments to Moses?
This significant event occurred on Mount Sinai when the Israelis approached it on the 50th day from the beginning of the exodus from Egyptian captivity. The moment of God's coming was recorded in the Bible:
Jean-Leon Gerome. Moses on Mount Sinai
On the third day, when morning came, there were thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud over Mount [Sinai], and the sound of a very strong trumpet... Mount Sinai was all smoking because the Lord had descended on it in fire; and smoke rose from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain shook greatly; and the sound of the trumpet became stronger and stronger... ( Book of Exodus, chapter 19 )
Moses climbs the mountain to meet God, who addresses him directly and gives Ten Commandments, containing orders to worship only the only God, observe the Sabbath day, honor parents, not make idols for yourself, do not blaspheme, do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, and do not covet your neighbor’s house and property.
Subsequently, these commandments, written on stone tablets (tables) “by the finger of God” (Ex. 24.12, 31.18), formed the basis of the Jewish Law.
God then lays out additional rules to Moses, including those concerning the construction of the tabernacle—the portable place of God’s “presence”—and the ark, that is, the chest in which the stone tablets and other sacred relics are to be kept.
After Moses, seeing that his people worship a golden statue of a calf, breaks the tablets of the Covenant in anger, God gives him another one. For Jews, the giving of the Law is the main event of the Jewish religion, and traditionally the Ten Commandments were read daily as a reminder of the obligations of the righteous.
God wrote the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone not once, but twice, because Moses broke the first tablets in anger when he saw his people worshiping an idol.
Interpretation of the commandments
In Christianity, the attitude towards the Ten Commandments is ambiguous. Some believe that the teachings of Jesus Christ replace the Law of Moses and that the most important commandments expressed by Jesus are “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22.37; 22.39 ).
The first four commandments regulate the relationship between man and God, the remaining six - the relationship between people. The Ten Commandments are described twice in the Bible: in the twentieth chapter of the book Exodus, and in the fifth chapter Deuteronomy.
1. I am the Lord your God, and there are no other gods besides Me.
The first commandment says that everything that exists is created by God, lives in God and will return to God. God has no beginning and no end. It is impossible to comprehend it. All the power of man and nature comes from God, and there is no power outside the Lord, just as there is no wisdom outside the Lord, and there is no knowledge outside the Lord.
In God is the beginning and the end, in Him is all love and kindness.
2. Do not make for yourself an idol or any image; do not worship them or serve them.
All power is concentrated in God. Only He can help a person if necessary. People often turn to intermediaries for help. But if God cannot help a person, are intermediaries able to do this? According to the second commandment, you cannot deify people and things - this can lead to sin or illness.
In other words, one cannot worship the Lord's creation instead of the Lord Himself.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
According to the third commandment, it is forbidden to mention the name of the Lord unless absolutely necessary. You can mention the name of the Lord in prayer and spiritual conversations, in requests for help, but you cannot mention it in idle or blasphemous conversations.
We all know that the Word has great power in the Bible. With a word, God created the world.
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.
God created the world in six days, so man must work for six days, and the seventh day is for rest and rest. This is a day that every believer should devote to contemplation and prayer.
In the Old Testament, the day of rest was Saturday, in Orthodoxy this day is Sunday. On Sunday, Christians do not work; they go to church to pray. It is also good to dedicate Sunday to helping those who need it.
5. Honor your father and mother, that you may be blessed on earth and live long.
The fifth commandment says that every child must honor his parents at any age. It was they, together with God, who gave you life and took care of you. Honoring your parents means being patient and obedient, helping and caring for them in return.
If a person does not honor his parents, he eventually ceases to honor God. Honoring elders makes families stronger and people happier.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
God gives life to man and only He has the right to take it away. He who encroaches on the life of another encroaches both on the will of God and on His plan. The same commandment states that you cannot take your own life. By killing the life in ourselves, we also violate this commandment, for our life does not belong to us, but only to God.
7. Do not commit adultery.
Adultery is considered a sin and destroys a person physically and spiritually. The most terrible diseases are spread by human adultery. First of all, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for the sin of adultery.
8. Don't steal.
Disrespect for another person can result in theft of property. Any benefit is illegal if it is associated with causing any damage, including material damage, to another person.
9. Do not bear false witness.
The ninth commandment tells us that we must not lie to ourselves or others. This commandment prohibits any lies, gossip and gossip.
10. Don't covet anything that belongs to others.
The tenth commandment tells us that envy and jealousy are sinful. Desire in itself is only a seed of sin that will not germinate in a bright soul. The tenth commandment is aimed at preventing the violation of the eighth commandment. Having suppressed the desire to possess someone else's, a person will never steal.
It also differs from the previous nine, since the commandment is not aimed at prohibiting sin, but at preventing the thought of sin. The first nine commandments speak to the problem itself, while the tenth speaks to the root (cause) of the problem.
Based on materials from the site bibliya-online.ru
The 10 commandments of Christianity are the path about which Christ said: “I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The Son of God is the embodiment of virtues, since virtue is not a created thing, but a property of God. Every person needs their observance in order to achieve his measure, which brings him closer to God.
The commandments of God were given to the Jews on Mount Sinai after a person began to weaken domestic law because of sinfulness, and they stopped hearing the voice of their conscience.
Basic commandments of Christianity
Humanity received the Ten Old Testament Commandments (Decalogue) through Moses - the Lord appeared to him in the Fire Bush - a bush that burned and was not consumed. This image became a prophecy about the Virgin Mary - who accepted the Divinity into herself and did not burn. The law was given on two stone tablets; God Himself inscribed the commandments on them with his finger.
Ten Commandments of Christianity (Old Testament, Exodus 20:2-17, Deuteronomy 5:6-21):
- I am the Lord your God, and there are no other gods besides Me.
- Do not make for yourself an idol or any image; do not worship them or serve them.
- Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Six days you shall work and do all your work, and the seventh—Sabbath—is a day of rest, which you shall dedicate to the Lord your God.
- Honor your father and mother, may you be blessed on earth and have long life.
- Thou shalt not kill.
- Don't commit adultery.
- Don't steal.
- Don't bear false witness.
- Don't covet anything that belongs to others.
Many people think that the main commandments of Christianity are a set of prohibitions. The Lord made man free and never encroached on this freedom. But for those who want to be with God, there are rules for how to spend their lives in accordance with the Law. It should be remembered that the Lord is the source of blessings for us, and His law is like a lamp on the path and a way not to harm oneself, since sin destroys a person and his environment.
Basic ideas of Christianity according to the commandments
Let us take a closer look at what the basic ideas of Christianity according to the commandments are.
I am the Lord your God. May you have no other gods before Me
God is the Creator of the visible and invisible worlds and the source of all strength and power. The elements move thanks to God, the seed grows because the power of God lives in it, any life is possible only in God and there is no life outside its Source. All power is the property of God, which He gives and takes away when He pleases. One should ask only from God and expect only from Him abilities, gifts, and various benefits, as from the Source of life-giving power.
God is the source of wisdom and knowledge. He shared His mind not only with man - every creature of God is endowed with its own wisdom - from a spider to a stone. A bee has a different wisdom, a tree has another. The animal senses danger, thanks to the wisdom of God, the bird flies to the very nest that it left in the fall - for the same reason.
All kindness is possible only in God. There is this kindness in everything He created. God is merciful, patient, good. Therefore, everything that is done by Him, the bottomless Source of virtue, is overflowing with kindness. If you want good for yourself and your neighbors, you need to pray to God about it. You cannot serve God, the Creator of everything, and another at the same time - in this case a person will be ruined. You must firmly decide to be faithful to your Lord, to pray to Him alone, to serve, to fear. To love Him alone, fearing to disobey, as your Father.
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.
Do not deify the creation instead of the Creator. Whatever, whoever it is - no one should occupy it sacred place in your heart is worship of the Creator. Whether sin or fear turns a person away from his God, one must always find strength within oneself and not look for another god.
After the Fall, man became weak and fickle; he often forgets the closeness of God and His care for each of his children. In moments of spiritual weakness, when sin takes over, a person turns away from God and turns to His servants - creation. But God is more merciful than His servants and you need to find the strength to return to Him and receive healing.
A person can consider his wealth, on which he has placed all his hopes and confidence, as a deity; even a family can be such a deity - when for the sake of other people, even the closest ones, God’s law is trampled underfoot. And Christ, as we know from the Gospel, said:
“Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37).
That is, it is necessary to humble ourselves in front of circumstances that seem cruel to us, and not to renounce the Creator. A person can make an idol out of power and glory if he also gives his whole heart and thoughts to it. You can create an idol from anything, even from icons. Some Christians worship not the icon itself, not the material from which the cross is made, but the image that became possible thanks to the incarnation of the Son of God.
Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain.
You cannot pronounce the name of God carelessly, casually, when you are subject to your emotions, and not to longing for God. IN Everyday life we “blur” the name of God by pronouncing it irreverently. It should be pronounced only in prayerful tension, consciously, for the sake of the highest good for oneself and others.
This blurring has led to the fact that today people laugh at believers when they utter the phrase “do you want to talk about God.” This phrase has been spoken in vain many times, and the true greatness of the name of God has been devalued by people as something trivial. But this phrase carries great dignity. Inevitable harm awaits a person for whom the name of God has become banal and, at times, abusive.
Work six days and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God
The seventh day was created for prayer and communion with God. For the ancient Jews this was the Sabbath, but with the advent of the New Testament we acquired the Resurrection.
It is not true that, in imitation of the old rules, we should avoid all work on this day, but this work should be for the glory of God. For a Christian, going to church and praying on this day is a sacred duty. On this day one should rest, in imitation of the Creator: for six days He created this world, and on the seventh He rested - it is written in Genesis. This means that the seventh day is especially sanctified - it was created for thinking about eternity.
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.
This is the first commandment with a promise - fulfill it, and your days on earth will be long. It is necessary to respect parents. Whatever your relationship with them, they are the ones through whom the Creator gave you life.
Those who knew God even before you were born are worthy of veneration, just like everyone who knew the Eternal Truth before you. The commandment to honor parents applies to all elders and distant ancestors.
Dont kill
Life is a priceless gift that cannot be encroached upon. Parents do not give life to a child, but only material for his body. Eternal life is contained in the spirit, which is indestructible and which God himself breathes in.
Therefore, the Lord will always seek a broken vessel if someone encroaches on someone else’s life. You cannot kill children in the womb, as this new life, belonging to God. On the other hand, no one can kill life completely, since the body is just a shell. But true life, as a gift from God, takes place in this shell and neither parents nor other people - no one has the right to take it away.
Don't commit adultery
Illegal relationships destroy a person. The harm that is caused to the body and soul from breaking this commandment should not be underestimated. Children must be carefully guarded against the destructive influence that this sin can have on their lives.
The loss of chastity is the loss of a whole mind, order in thoughts and life. The thoughts of people for whom fornication is the norm become superficial, unable to comprehend the depth. Over time, hatred and disgust for everything holy and righteous appear, and evil habits and bad habits take root in a person. This terrible evil is being leveled out today, but this does not make adultery and fornication cease to be a mortal sin.
Don't steal
Therefore, stolen goods will only entail greater losses for the thief. This is the Law of this world, which is always observed.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
What could be more terrible and offensive than slander? How many destinies have been destroyed due to false denunciation? One slander is enough to put an end to any reputation, any career.
Destinies turned in this way do not escape the punishing gaze of God, and denunciation will follow in an evil tongue, since this sin always has at least 3 witnesses - who was slandered, who was slandered and the Lord God.
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
This commandment is a transition to the New Testament beatitudes - a higher moral level. Here the Lord looks at the root of sin, its cause. Sin is always born first in thought. Envy causes theft and other sins. Thus, having learned the tenth commandment, a person will be able to keep the rest.
A brief summary of the 10 basic commandments of Christianity will allow you to acquire knowledge for a healthy relationship with God. This is the minimum that any person must observe in order to live in harmony with himself, the people around him and God. If there is a recipe for happiness, a mysterious Holy Grail that gives the fullness of being, then these are the 10 commandments - as a cure for all diseases.
Basic commandments that everyone must live by Orthodox people, set forth in the Bible, in the section (book) “Exodus”. They are traditionally called the Commandments because they were bequeathed - “commanded” - by the Lord to the people of Israel and transmitted to them through a prophet named Moses (Exodus 20:2-17).
All this happened during the days of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. Moses led the children of Israel freed from Egyptian captivity through the desert to the promised land. The journey turned out to be long and difficult.
On the 50th day of his wanderings, when the people were very tired and began to complain, Moses decided to turn to God and ask him for help or guidance.
He climbed Mount Sinai and began to pray. In response to his passionate prayers, the Lord himself appeared. He pronounced 10 laws by which from now on all Christians were to live.
God personally inscribed the 10 Commandments of the two stone slabs, tablets. Shocked and grateful, Moses carried these stone “writings” from the mountain and declared God's will to people.
This moment is considered key in Orthodoxy. It was the giving to people of the highest, God’s commandments that determined the entire future fate faith and the course of history. The 10 Commandments of God are an inviolable and fundamental law that determines the standards of human life.
He who keeps the commandments and loves Jesus Christ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven and be able to behold the Face of the Lord. This highest award and grace such as any mere mortal man could hope for.
10 commandments in Orthodoxy:
God's 10 commandments reflect the main tenets of faith, philanthropy and mercy that Christianity proclaims. They also determine why it should be avoided in every possible way. These are the commandments:
First Commandment: “I am the Lord your God”
In this message, the Creator proclaims the highest Truth: He is the Lord, the only Creator and Heavenly Father of all living things on earth. People should honor only Him and should not invent for themselves any false gods or idols. “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:2-17).
Second Commandment: “You shall not make for yourself any graven image... neither in heaven nor on earth.”
The Lord created everything on earth and in heaven. Life itself is His will and the fruit of His efforts. People should always remember this and honor the Creator as the only creator. Anyone who begins to pray to other gods commits a sin against his true God.
Third Commandment: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord... in vain”
God's name is as valuable as His deeds. It cannot be repeated unless absolutely necessary. This is disrespect and neglect of the most sacred thing that is given to man. The one who pronounces God’s name “in vain” (that is, just like that, in everyday life, along the way, without giving it special meaning). God's name should evoke sacred awe and gratitude in the human heart.
The fourth commandment: “Work 6 days... the seventh (dedicate) to the Lord God”
This commandment reflects another important position of Orthodoxy. According to the Biblical canon, the Lord created the Universe and the Earth in 6 days. On the seventh day He rested and rejoiced in the beauty of everything that He had created. A person should do the same. 6 days of the week exist for work, the seventh is to dedicate to God, go to church for services, .
Advice. Be sure to go to Church every Sunday! Go to confession so that your sins will be forgiven.
Anyone who works on days off falls into the sin of pride. He seems to put himself above God, showing that he is able to work all seven days without rest. In addition, the sinner neglects the time that should be devoted to prayer, and thereby destroys his immortal soul.
Fifth Commandment: “Honor your father... and your mother”
This provision shows that God’s Commandments only determine how a person is supposed to honor God, but also regulate relationships within society and family. The relationship of a child with his parents is a reflection of a person’s relationship with the Creator. He who respects his father and mother prolongs his days on earth and pays tribute to the Lord.
Sixth Commandment: “Thou shalt not kill”
This is perhaps the shortest and most obvious commandment. Since God created life, only he has the right to take it away. A sinner who encroaches on this right commits a monstrous crime against humanity and the Lord himself. Life is the most incomprehensible miracle, the sacred mystery of the universe. This includes abortion, because it is one of the most serious sins.
Seventh Commandment: “Thou shalt not commit adultery”
The family in Orthodoxy is also considered sacred. God sanctifies marriage during the sacrament. Anyone who cheats on his wife and has illicit relationships with other women is breaking his vows made in church to the Lord himself. Loyalty and love are the basis of all living things.
Eighth Commandment: “Thou shalt not steal”
This commandment, on the one hand, regulates social norms. A person who encroaches on someone else's property violates the laws of society. He is a criminal in the eyes of his brothers, who earn the wealth they own through hard daily work. Every person is obliged to honestly earn his bread. Everything that is received undeservedly or stolen is from the evil one.
On the other hand, this commandment determines where the line is, crossing which a person denigrates his heart and loses spiritual purity, so pleasing to God. The Lord wants to see his children pure in heart and thoughts, like angels. The bright Kingdom of God is prepared for such creatures.
Ninth Commandment: “Thou shalt not bear false witness”
Perjury is a crime against your neighbor, whom Jesus Christ commanded to love as yourself. A person who slanderes his neighbor or just an acquaintance is likened to a murderer and a thief.
He encroaches on the honorable name and even the life of the slandered. True children of God must be honest with others and with themselves. Only in this case will their souls be pure and their deeds pleasing to God.
Tenth Commandment: “You shall not covet a house… a wife… a slave… anything that is your neighbor’s.”
The tenth commandment is envy. Christianity, as opposed to paganism, brought people such a concept as “conscience.” This means that appearing righteous in the eyes of others is not enough. You need to be like this in your soul. The Lord looks directly into a person’s heart. He sees all the black feelings and thoughts of his creatures.
If a person does nothing wrong, but secretly goes out of his way to envy someone, he has already sinned. In his thoughts, he took away, stole, took away the object of driving. In his heart, he has already committed adultery with the woman he secretly desires. The sinner broke the seventh and eighth commandments.
The receipt of the Ten Commandments from God is the most significant event in the Old Testament. The very education of the Jewish people is connected with the Ten Commandments. Indeed, before receiving the commandments, a Semitic tribe of powerless and brutalized slaves lived in Egypt; after the Sinai legislation, a people emerged, called to believe and serve God, from which the great prophets, apostles and saints of the first centuries of Christianity subsequently emerged. From him the Savior of the world Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, was born in the flesh.
The book of Exodus tells about the circumstances of receiving the Ten Commandments in chapters 19-20 and 24. One and a half thousand years before the birth of Christ, after the great miracles performed by the prophet Moses in Egypt, Pharaoh was forced to release the Jewish people, and they, having crossed miraculously Red Sea, walked south through the desert of the Sinai Peninsula, heading towards the promised (Promised) Land. By the fiftieth day after the exodus from Egypt, the Jewish people approached the foot of Mount Sinai and camped here. (Sinai and Horeb are two peaks of the same mountain). Here the prophet Moses ascended the mountain, and the Lord announced to him: “ Tell the children of Israel, If you obey My voice and keep My Covenant, you will be My people. “When Moses conveyed the will of God to the Jews, they replied: “ Let us do everything that the Lord has said and be obedient. " Then the Lord commanded Moses to prepare the people for the adoption of the Law by the third day, and the Jews began to prepare for it by fasting and prayer. On the third day, a thick cloud covered the top of Mount Sinai. Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and a loud trumpet sound was heard. Smoke rose from the mountain, and the whole of it shook violently. The people stood in the distance and watched in awe what was happening. On the mountain, the Lord told Moses His law in the form of the Ten Commandments, which the prophet later retold to the people.
Having accepted the commandments, the Jewish people promised to observe them, and then a Covenant (alliance) was concluded between God and the Jews, consisting in the fact that the Lord promised His mercies and protection to the Jewish people, and the Jews promised to live righteously. After this, Moses again ascended the mountain and remained there in fasting and prayer for forty days. Here the Lord gave Moses other ecclesiastical and civil laws, commanded the construction of the Tabernacle (a portable temple-tent) and gave rules regarding the service of priests and the performance of sacrifices. At the end of forty days, God wrote His Ten Commandments, previously given orally, on two stone slabs (tablets) and commanded them to be kept in the “Ark of the Covenant” (a gilded box with images of cherubim on the top of the lid) as an eternal reminder of the Covenant made between Him and Israel. by the people. (The location of the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments is unknown. In Chapter 2 of the Second Book of Maccabees, it is narrated that during the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in the 6th century BC, the prophet Jeremiah hid the stone tablets and some other temple paraphernalia in a cave on Mount Nev "Fr. This mountain is located twenty kilometers east of where the Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea. Just before the Israelites entered the Promised Land (1400 BC), the prophet Moses was buried on the same mountain. Repeated attempts to find the tablets with The Ten Commandments were unsuccessful). We present these commandments here:
1. I am the Lord your God, so that you shall have no other gods besides Me.
2. Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of anything in heaven above, or on the earth below, or in the waters below the earth; do not worship or serve them.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the day of rest, to spend it holy; work for six days and do all your work in them, and the seventh day - a day of rest - will be dedicated to the Lord your God.
5. Honor your father and your mother, so that it will be good for you and that you may live long on earth.
6. Don't kill.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, and thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant... nor anything that belongs to thy neighbor.
The family has always been and will be the basis of society and the Church. Therefore, the holy apostles took care of establishing correct relationships between family members. They instructed: “ Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and don't be harsh with them. Children, be obedient to your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, lest they become discouraged.. ” “Let children learn to honor their family and pay tribute to their parents: for this pleases God ” (Eph. 5:22-23; 6:1-4, Col. 3:18-20; 1 Tim. 5:4).
Regarding the attitude towards strangers, the Christian faith teaches the need to show respect to everyone, in accordance with his age and position: “ Give everyone their due: give it to whom, give it; to whom quitrent, quitrent; to whom fear, fear; to whom honor, honor ” (Rom. 13:7). In the spirit of this apostolic instruction, a Christian should respect: shepherds and spiritual fathers; civil chiefs who care about justice, peaceful life and the well-being of the country; educators, teachers and benefactors and in general all elders. Those young people who sin are those who do not respect their elders and elders, considering them backward people and their concepts outdated. Even in the Old Testament, the Lord said through Moses: “ Stand up before the face of the gray-haired man and honor the face of the old man, and fear the Lord your God ”(Lev. 19:32).
But if it happened that our parents or leaders demanded from us something contrary to the faith and the Law of God, then we must say to them, as the apostles said to the Jewish leaders: “ Judge whether it is fair before God to listen to you more than to listen to God ”(Acts 4:19) must be ready to endure for the faith and the Law of God whatever comes next.
To counteract feelings of anger and revenge, the Lord taught His followers be in love all people, including their enemies: “ I tell you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you and persecute you; may you be sons of your Father in heaven ” (Matt. 5:44).
Note: How should we look at war and the death penalty for criminals? Neither the Savior nor His apostles dictated to civil authorities how they should solve their state and public problems. The Christian faith aims transform the very heart of man. As long as evil lives inside people, wars and crimes are inevitable. If people become better, then wars and crimes will stop.
There is no doubt that war is evil. But the war defensive should be recognized as smaller evil in comparison with allowing the enemy into the territory of one’s country and all the consequences of aggression. The church does not consider murder in war as a private sin of a person, when a warrior goes to “give his soul for his neighbors.” Among the warriors there are also saints, glorified by miracles: St. Great Martyr George, St. blessed prince Alexander Nevsky, saints Fyodor Tiron, Fyodor Stratelates and others. The death penalty criminal also refers to social evil and can be explained by the need to protect well-meaning citizens from greater evil - robbery, violence and murder.
By prohibiting the violent taking of life, the Christian faith teaches us to look calmly at death when an incurable illness has brought a person to its threshold. It is wrong to use heroic means to prolong the dying man's hours. It is better to help him reconcile with God and peacefully depart into eternity, where we will all meet.
The grave sin against the seventh commandment is homosexuality. The libertines are trying in every possible way to justify this sin. The Apostle Paul strictly scourges this shameful sin in the first chapter of his letter to the Romans (vv. 21-32). The ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God precisely for this sin (Genesis 19th chapter, see the conciliar letter of the apostle Jude 1:7).
Regarding carnal immorality, Scripture warns: “ Fornicators sin against their own bodies. ” “Fornicators and adulterers are judged by God ” (1 Cor. 6:18; Heb. 13:4). An intemperate life weakens a person’s health and weakens his mental faculties, especially his imagination and memory. We must maintain our moral purity, because our bodies are “ members of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit ”.
The task of our life is to acquire a pure heart. The Lord rests in pure hearts. That's why: " Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, practicing holiness in the fear of God ”(2 Cor. 7:1). The Lord Jesus Christ promises man a great reward for purity of heart: “ Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God ” (
The "Decalogue" or "Ten Commandments", which were written on Mount Sinai on two stone tablets, have come down to us unchanged. In their content, they consist of two parts, of which the first part (commandments 1-4) concerns the relationship of people to God, and the second part (5-10) concerns the relationship of people with each other.
Both parts reflect the moral essence and love of God.
And so, the relationship of man to God is 1-4 commandments.
(1st commandment)“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
from the house of slavery; Let you have no other gods before Me.
The 1st Commandment affirms faith in God. God brought Israel out with the greatest miracles: He parted the Red Sea (Red Sea) and brought them out, performing signs and wonders in the land of Egypt.
King Solomon erected pillars on the shores of the Red Sea in honor of the Jews crossing the sea, one pillar is in the museum and the second still stands on the Shores of the Red Sea.
God does not claim primacy among certain gods. He does not want to be given more attention than any other gods. He says that they should worship Him alone, because other gods simply do not exist.
The Israelites were the chosen people of God, but God clarifies that people who accepted Jesus Christ become children of God.
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus;
all of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
There is no longer Jew or Gentile; there is neither slave nor free; there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
(Gal.3:11-29)
Let not the son of a foreigner say, (*a foreigner is a person belonging to another tribe, to a foreign nation*) who has joined the Lord: “The Lord has completely separated me from His people,” Isaiah, chapter 56:1-8
The 2nd Commandment prohibits belief in other gods.
(2nd commandment)- Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in the sky above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth; You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I am the Lord your God, 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.
The God of eternity cannot be limited to an image made of wood, stone or drawn on paper. Trying to do this humiliates Him.
When God said, “Don’t make any image for yourself,” he meant one danger: unfortunately, Satan can easily use any image and it doesn’t matter what is drawn on it.
I have personally studied such cases and I can say with caution that if you don’t have any holy images, evil spirits can actually inhabit them. An example is a story from the United States that shocked me. I am also familiar with numerous stories from Russia and Europe.
The 3rd Commandment prohibits taking God's name in vain.
(3rd 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.
This commandment not only prohibits false oaths and those common words with which people swear, but it also prevents the name of the Lord from being used carelessly or frivolously, without thinking about His holy meaning. We also dishonor God when we thoughtlessly mention His name in conversation or repeat it in vain. “Holy and awesome is His name!” (Psalm 111:9).
Contempt for the name of God can be demonstrated not only in words, but also in deeds. Anyone who calls himself a Christian and does not act as Jesus Christ taught dishonors the name of God.
The 4th Commandment states obedience to God.
(4th commandment)- Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy;
Six days you shall work and do all your work, and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God:
We must remember it and observe it in memory of the works of the Creator.
There was also a problem - very carefully not to mention the fact that the First Church naturally kept the Sabbath. Usually the church explains that it was Jesus who abolished the Fourth Commandment (only the First Church did not know about this yet), and they immediately become guilty of violating another Commandment. This is the reason for the abolition of the Commandment - the most common reluctance to have anything to do with either Jews or Jewish customs. But Jesus, His mother, all the Apostles were Jews.
(5 - 10) - people’s relationships with each other
5th commandment:“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Exodus 20:12).
The fifth commandment requires from children not only respect, humility and obedience towards their parents, but also love, tenderness, care for their parents, and preservation of their reputation; requires that children be their help and consolation in their old age.
6th commandment: “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13).
God is the source of life. He alone can give life. She is a holy gift from God. A person has no right to take it away, i.e. kill. The Creator has a certain plan for each person, but to take the life of a neighbor means interfering with God’s plan. To take the life of yourself or another is to try to stand in the place of God.
All actions that shorten life - the spirit of hatred, revenge, evil feelings - are also murder. Such a spirit, without a doubt, cannot bring a person happiness, freedom from evil, freedom to do good. Observance of this commandment implies reasonable respect for the laws of life and health. One who shortens his days by leading an unhealthy lifestyle, of course, does not commit direct suicide, but does it imperceptibly, gradually.
Life, which was given by the Creator, is a great blessing, and it cannot be thoughtlessly wasted and reduced. God wants people to live full, happy and long life.
7th commandment: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).
The marriage union is the original establishment of the Creator of the Universe. By establishing it, He had a specific goal - to preserve the purity and happiness of the people, to enhance the physical, mental and moral strength of man. Happiness in relationships can only be achieved when your attention is focused on cash, to which you give all of yourself, your trust and devotion throughout your life.
By forbidding adultery, God hopes that we will not seek anything other than the fullness of love, reliably protected by marriage.
8th commandment: “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15).
This prohibition includes both open and secret sins. The Eighth Commandment condemns kidnapping, the slave trade, and wars of conquest. She condemns theft and robbery. It requires strict honesty in the most insignificant everyday matters. It prohibits fraud in trade, and requires fair settlement of debts or in the issuance of wages. This commandment states that any attempt to profit from someone's ignorance, weakness, or misfortune is recorded in the books of heaven as deception.
9th commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).
Any deliberate exaggeration, innuendo or slander calculated to produce a false or imaginary impression, or even a misleading statement of facts, is a lie. This principle prohibits any attempt to discredit a person's reputation by unfounded suspicion, slander or gossip. Even deliberate suppression of the truth that may harm others is a violation of the ninth commandment.
10th commandment: “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife... nothing that is your neighbor’s” (Exodus 20:17).
The desire to appropriate a neighbor's property means taking the first most terrible step towards crime. Envious man can never find satisfaction, because someone will always have something that he does not have. A person turns into a slave of his desires. We use people and love things instead of loving people and using things.
