INTRODUCTION :

Exodus 34:27-28 And the Lord said to Moses, Write these words to yourself, for in these words I make a covenant with you and with Israel. And Moses stayed there with the Lord for forty days and forty nights, neither eating bread nor drinking water; and wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten chapters.

Deuteronomy 10:4 And He wrote on the tablets, as it was written before, the ten words which the Lord spoke to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the meeting, and the Lord gave them to me..

The Ten Commandments, otherwise called ten words , are a brief set of immutable moral laws. These commandments were given by God to his chosen people of Israel on Mount Sinai approximately fifty days after their departure from Egypt ( Exodus 19:10-25).

They were written by the finger of God on tablets of stone. The first tablets were broken in anger by Moses when he came down from the mountain with them ( Exodus 32:19 “When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, then he was inflamed with anger and threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them under the mountain.”). Later, by order of the Lord God, Moses climbed the mountain a second time so that God would write again on new tablets "the words that were on the former tablets" (Exodus 34:1).

These tablets of the Ten Commandments were later placed in the Ark of the Covenant ( Deuteronomy 10:5 “And I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made to be there, as the Lord commanded me.”, 1 Kings 8:9 “There was nothing in the ark except two tablets of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel after they came out of the land of Egypt.”).

What happened to them next is unknown to history. The Word of God also calls them "covenant" ( Deuteronomy 4:13), "tablets of the covenant" ( Deuteronomy 9:9,11; Hebrews 9:4) and "ten words" ( Deuteronomy 4:13).

Let's look at some frequently asked questions about the Ten Commandments.

Old Testament about the Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments are listed in two places Old Testament: V Exodus 20:1-17 and in Deuteronomy 5:6-21. Let's look at one of them:

Exodus 20:1-17 And God spoke all these words, saying: I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; Let you have no other gods before Me. 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.
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.
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; six days thou shalt work and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: on it thou shalt not do any work, neither thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy livestock, nor thy 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.
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Dont kill. Don't commit adultery. Don't steal. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor. 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.

God is Spirit (John 4:24), and the Ten Commandments are a condensed version of spiritual law, given to a person By God. This is why the Ten Commandments are called the Law of God.

List of the Ten Commandments:

1. Honor God and serve Him alone.
2. Do not make yourself an idol.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. Don't kill
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10. Do not covet anything that your neighbor has.

Lord God is “God is jealous, 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.” (Exodus 20:5-6). He wants us to love Him. That is why He said that He would punish those who hated Him, and bless those who loved Him.

Under the word Love This means not just a feeling of adoration, but first of all - obedience: Deuteronomy 11:1 Therefore you shall love the Lord your God and keep what He has commanded. observe . John 14:15 If you love me, observe My commandments.

New Testament about the ten commandments

Many people believe that when Jesus Christ came, He abolished the Old Testament Law and brought His New law. In reality, everything is completely different. Let's turn to the Bible and see what the New Testament says about this:

A. Jesus did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it:

Matthew 5:17-19 Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will pass from the law until it is all fulfilled. So, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches people to do so, he will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven; and whoever does and teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

B. Jesus Explains the Spiritual Side of the Law: (Matthew 5:21-45)

1. Thou shalt not kill
Matthew 5:21-26 You have heard what was said to the ancients: do not kill; whoever kills will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment; whoever says to his brother: “raka” (fool) is subject to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, “You fool,” is subject to fiery hell. So, if you bring your gift to the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Make peace with your opponent quickly, while you are still on the way with him, lest your opponent hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the servant, and they throw you into prison; Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid the last coin..

2. Do not commit adultery
Matthew 5:27-30 You have heard what was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye offends you, pluck it out and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members should perish, and not all your body was cast into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.

3. About divorce
Matthew 5:31-32 It is also said that if anyone divorces his wife, he should give her a divorce decree. But I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for the guilt of adultery, gives her a reason to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

4. Don’t break your oath
Matthew 5:33-37 You have also heard what was said to the ancients: do not break your oath, but fulfill your oaths before the Lord. But I say to you: do not swear at all: not by heaven, for it is the throne of God; nor the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black. But let your word be: yes, yes; no no; and anything beyond this is from the evil one.

5. Eye for an eye
Matthew 5:38-42 You have heard that it was said: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him; and whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give it to him and outerwear; and whoever forces you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks from you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

6. Love your neighbor, hate your enemy
Matthew 5:43-47 You have heard that it was said: love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to 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, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what will be your reward? Don't publicans do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what special thing are you doing? Don't the pagans do the same?

Jesus came not to abolish or break the Law, but to fulfill it and bring to us the true spiritual meaning of the Law of God. Using the example of various commandments, Jesus showed that if a person does not sin in behavior, but sins in thoughts, then he is guilty of violating the entire Law of God.
Jacob 2:8-9 If you fulfill the royal law, according to Scripture: love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you act with partiality [favoritism], then you commit a sin and find yourself criminals before the law.

Christ also explained that people like the scribes and Pharisees, the servants of the Law, only pretended to fulfill the Law of God. In reality, they only pretended to fulfill the Law. In God's eyes, they looked like children whose parents told them to clean their room, but they threw their toys under the bed and swept the trash under the rug. From the outside it seems that the room is in order, but in fact it is only the appearance of order.

God is primarily concerned with the state of our hearts, not our deeds. That is why Jesus warned us that the appearance of fulfilling God's commandments and the so-called “spiritual show of dust” will not save us:
Matthew 5:20 For, I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

By His life and teaching, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed the true spiritual meaning of the Ten Commandments and showed the desire of our Creator to see us holy and blameless - the way we were created by Him in the image and likeness of God:

Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

The most important commandment

Almost every person has thought at least once about which of the Ten Commandments is the most important. Someone asks this question consciously and formulates it this way: “Which commandment is more important?” Others address this issue, often without realizing it, in the following statements: “We are all sinners. And so am I, but I did not rob or kill anyone.” Such statements indicate that they still believe that not all ten commandments are equal in importance and significance.

Let's turn to the Holy Scriptures and find out which of the Ten Commandments is the most important.

1. Jesus' answer
Matthew 22:36-40Teacher! What is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said to him: 1) Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind: this is first and greatest commandment; 2) The second one is similar to her: love your neighbor as yourself.

As we see, this question worried people 2000 years ago. Even then they tried to figure out which of the 10 commandments was the most important. Jesus answered this question very in an interesting way. He named two commandments that are the most important in the Law: (1) Love God and (2) Love your neighbor.

2. All the Law and the Prophets are based on these two commandments.

This phrase, the title of point two, can be found in Matthew 22:40. This is the conclusion Jesus made when answering the question of which of the 10 commandments is the most important in the Law of God. Why did Jesus single out only 2 commandments from the entire Law and say that it is on them that “the whole Law rests”? Why are these two commandments so remarkable? And in general, where did Jesus read the second commandment he mentioned - “Love your neighbor”? Under what number is it written in the 10 commandments?

Ten Commandments can be divided into 2 large categories:

 Commandments towards God.

 Commandments towards one's neighbor.

First Four Commandments- (1) Honor God and serve Him alone, (2) Do not make yourself an idol. (3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, and (4) Remember the Sabbath day - relate to our relationship with God. Jesus formulated this relationship as love of God. If you love the Lord God with all your heart and mind, then you will try to please Him and do His will.
The remaining six commandments- (5) Honor your father and mother, (6) Do not kill, (7) Do not commit adultery, (8) Do not steal, (9) Do not bear false witness against your neighbor, and (10) Do not covet anything that your neighbor has. yours - relate to our relationships with others. Jesus formulated this relationship as love for neighbor.
Romans 13:9 For the commandments: do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not covet someone else’s, and all the others are contained in this word: love your neighbor as yourself.
If you love those around you, you will not plot evil against them, you will not envy them or offend them with words or deeds.

3. Love is the fulfillment of the Law.

If you have paid attention to these two commandments, emphasized by Jesus, on which “all the Law and the Prophets rest,” then you have probably noticed that keyword they contain the word " love".

Romans 13:8 Do not owe anyone anything except mutual love; for he who loves another fulfilled the law .

Romans 13:10 So there is love execution of the law .

God is love. 1 John 4:8 He who does not love has not known God, because God is love. 1 John 4:16 God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

The law of God is built on love. That is why Jesus formulated the essence of the entire Law in two commandments of love- love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself!

Keeping the Ten Commandments

Many people wonder, “Am I good enough to go to heaven?” One way to find the answer to this question is to analyze yourself through the lens of the 10 Commandments. Sometimes people reason like this: “Just think, if I suddenly broke some small commandment. But I didn’t kill anyone or do anything like that in my life.”

Let's look at this issue in more detail...

1. Honor God and serve Him alone.

Is God first and foremost in your life?

I'll tell you a story: One man bought a huge TV for his children. When he came home from work, the children did not even come forward to greet him, as they had done before. The father was very offended by this, realizing that now it is not he who occupies first place in the hearts of his children, but the TV...
Likewise, if something or someone other than God takes first place in our hearts and in our lives, then we are guilty of breaking the very first commandment. IN Matthew 10:37 it is said that if someone loves their parents or children more than God, then they are not worthy of Him. This does not mean that we should not love our family and friends. This only emphasizes that if we love them more than God, then this love is not worthy of God. God wants more from us...

2. Do not make yourself an idol.
There is a saying: “God created man in His image and likeness, and man created God for himself in his own image and likeness.”
That which takes first place in our life and in our heart (unless, of course, it is GOD) is our idol. What (or whom) we love more than our own lives is our idol. It could be money, power, fame, things, people and their opinions, a system or way of life, some kind of goal in life... Anything! An idol is not necessarily a figurine, as was previously believed...
Idolatry is one of the oldest sins of mankind. But the Bible is clear that idolaters will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven: 1 Corinthians 6:9

4. Remember the Sabbath day.
Saturday (translated as "rest"). God gave people one day off. Not just so that they can relax and do whatever they want, but so that they can find time to talk about their Creator. Our Lord wants us to come to Him and “find rest for our souls” ( Matthew 11:29).

5. Honor your father and mother.
Try to remember how often in childhood and youth you were disobedient to your parents? We are no longer talking about relationships with parents today, we are only remembering childhood and youth... Surely, a lot has already been forgotten... However, God has not forgotten anything. He does not remind us of our sins only when we confess them and ask Him for forgiveness:
Isaiah 43:25 I, I Myself, blot out your crimes for My own sake and I will not remember your sins. Hebrews 8:12 I will be merciful to their iniquities, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

6. Don't kill
You may not have killed anyone. But Jesus said that he who hates his neighbor is a murderer ( Matthew 5:21-26). Thus, it turns out that you can break the commandments even in your thoughts and intentions.

7. Do not commit adultery.
This commandment warns against sexual sins such as sex before marriage, sex outside marriage, sex with a same-sex partner, sex with relatives, sex with animals, etc. In addition, Jesus emphasized that adultery in the heart (in thoughts) is tantamount to real adultery ( Matthew 5:27-3). Remember that fornicators will not inherit the Kingdom of God ( 1 Corinthians 6:9)!

8. Don't steal.
Has this ever happened when you, wittingly or unwittingly, appropriated something that did not belong to you? Moreover, this can be not only a thing or money, but also time, title, fame, idea, etc. and so on. But this is a violation of the commandment: do not steal.

9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
If you have ever deceived someone or told a lie about someone (including a lie about yourself), then you are guilty of violating the ninth commandment.

10. Do not covet anything that your neighbor has.
This commandment explains itself. Envy is the same sin as lying or theft.

CONCLUSION: We looked at all 10 commandments and looked at what it means to fulfill the Law of God. For those who believe that one commandment is more important than another, and therefore think that some commandments can be broken and others cannot, we advise you to familiarize yourself with the following words from the Bible:

James 2:10 Whoever keeps the whole Law and sins in one thing becomes guilty of everything. For the same One who said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” also said, “Thou shalt not kill”; therefore, if you do not commit adultery, but kill, then you are also a transgressor of the Law.

Now let's take a moment to think about ourselves and our relationship with God. And the question that arises in connection with the topic under consideration is " Am I a transgressor of God's law or not??"

Purpose of the Ten Commandments

I. WHY DID GOD GIVE US THE 10 COMMANDMENTS?

1. God gave us His Law to show that He wants His people to be holy and worthy of Him.
Leviticus 11:44 Be holy, for I am holy.
Matthew 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

2. God gave the Law for the benefit of people, and not to simply prohibit something.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 I call heaven and earth as witnesses before you today: I have offered you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life, so that you and your descendants may live, love the Lord your God, listen to His voice and cleave to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days.

3. God gave us His Law so that man would understand that he is not able to fulfill it.
Romans 3:19-20 But we know that whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth is stopped, and the whole world becomes guilty before God, because By the works of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight. ...

The Law was given to man so that he would understand that he was unable to achieve God's perfect standards through his own strength and effort. Not a single person on Earth is capable of fulfilling the holy Law of God. Only Jesus Christ - God in the flesh - fulfilled the entire Law. And if any of us considers himself an executor of God's Law and His Ten Commandments, then he is a liar. Because:
Firstly, there are no perfect people among us. And if you do not violate God’s Law in action, then you will definitely violate it in your thoughts.
Jacob 2:8-9 If you fulfill the royal law, according to Scripture: love your neighbor as yourself, you do well. But if you act with partiality, then you commit a sin, and you find yourself criminals before the law.
A Secondly, if you violate at least one commandment of the Law, then you become guilty of violating the entire Law:
Jacob 2:10-11 Whoever keeps the whole law and sins in one point becomes guilty of all. For the same One who said: Thou shalt not commit adultery, also said: Thou shalt not kill; Therefore, if you do not commit adultery, but kill, then you are also a transgressor of the law.

4. God gave us His Law so that we humans could “know sin through the Law.”
If there were no commandments, a person would not know what is possible and what is not; what is good and what is bad; what pleases God and what is an abomination in His sight.
Romans 7:7 ...I knew sin no other way than through the law. For I would not understand desire if the law did not say: do not desire.
Romans 5:13 For even before the law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Romans 3:20 ...for sin is known by law.

If anyone hopes to be justified before God by fulfilling His Law, then he is deceived, because the Bible says that it is impossible to be justified by the Law:
Galatians 3:11 But that by law no one is justified before God is clear, because the righteous will live by faith.

The Word of God warns that the only way to be justified before God is by faith in Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice on the cross:
Galatians 2:16 ...A person is not justified by the works of the law, but only by faith in Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved, through faith; and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not by works, so that no one can boast..

II. HOW IS A BELIEVER JUSTIFIED BEFORE GOD THROUGH FAITH?

The answer is simple: another law of God applies to a believer in Jesus Christ - Law of Grace:

Romans 3:21-26 But now, regardless of the law, the righteousness of God has appeared, to which the law and the prophets testify, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ in all and on all who believe, for there is no difference, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, getting an excuse for nothing, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God offered as a propitiation in His blood through faith, for the demonstration of His righteousness in the forgiveness of sins committed before, during the forbearance of God, for the demonstration of His righteousness at this time, that He might appear righteous And who justifies the one who believes in Jesus .

Romans 8:1-4 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. Since the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless, God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as a sacrifice for sin and condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not live according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit..

All you have to do is accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now! Give Him your heart and dedicate the rest of your life to Him. Believe me, you will never regret it.

God's Law is a guiding star for every Christian. This is the only way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Modern world 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. U fairy tale character there were various toys, but he was not happy. 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

Deprivation human life another person - this is truly the most terrible 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 life situations. 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 not only considered out of wedlock sex life and betrayal, 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:

prot. Alexander Men

priest Pavel Gumerov

mit. Kirill

St.

Notes on Moral Theology

St.

St.

Vitaly Kovalenko

prot. Alexander Glebov

Archpriest Viktor Potapov

priest C. Galeriu

prot.

A. D. Troitsky

St.

priest Mikhail Shpolyansky

priest Vasily Kutsenko

prot. Pavel Velikanov

Training test:

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)

In fulfillment of the 10 Old Testament commandments, Christ Sermon on the Mount taught the 9 beatitudes. 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 dispositions 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 a common 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, complete, 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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Really kind Christian life can only be for someone who has the faith of Christ in himself and tries to live according to this faith, that is, fulfills the will of God with good deeds.
So that people knew how to live and what to do, God gave them His commandments - the Law of God. The prophet Moses received the Ten Commandments from God approximately 1500 years before the birth of Christ. This happened when the Jews emerged from slavery in Egypt and approached Mount Sinai in the desert.
God Himself wrote the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets (slabs). The first four commandments outlined man's duties towards God. The remaining six commandments outlined man's duties towards his fellowmen. People at that time were not yet accustomed to living according to the will of God and easily committed serious crimes. Therefore, for violating many commandments, such as: for idolatry, bad words against God, for bad words against parents, for murder and for violation of marital fidelity, the death penalty was imposed. The Old Testament was dominated by a spirit of severity and punishment. But this severity was useful for people, as it restrained their bad habits, and people little by little began to improve.
The other Nine Commandments (the Beatitudes) are also known, which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave to people at the very beginning of His preaching. The Lord ascended a low mountain near Lake Galilee. The apostles and many people gathered around Him. The Beatitudes are dominated by love and humility. They set out how a person can gradually achieve perfection. The basis of virtue is humility (spiritual poverty). Repentance cleanses the soul, then meekness and love for God’s truth appear in the soul. After this, a person becomes compassionate and merciful and his heart is so purified that he becomes able to see God (feel His presence in his soul).
But the Lord saw that most people choose evil and that evil people will hate and persecute true Christians. Therefore, in the last two beatitudes, the Lord teaches us to patiently endure all injustices and persecution from bad people.
We should focus our attention not on the fleeting trials that are inevitable in this temporary life, but on the eternal bliss that God has prepared for people who love Him.
Most of the commandments of the Old Testament tell us what we should not do, but the commandments of the New Testament teach us how to act and what to strive for.
The content of all the commandments of both the Old and New Testaments can be summarized in two commandments of love 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—thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. " And the Lord also gave us the right guidance on how to act: “As you want people to do to you, do so to them.”

Ten Commandments of the Old Testament.

An explanation of the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament.

The first commandment of the Old Testament.

“I am the Lord your God; let you have no other Gods besides Me.”

With the first commandment, the Lord God points man to Himself and inspires us to honor His one true God, and besides Him, we should not render Divine veneration to anyone. With the first commandment, God teaches us correct knowledge of God and correct worship of God.
Knowing God means knowing God correctly. Knowledge of God is the most important of all knowledge. It is our first and most important duty.
To acquire the knowledge of God we must:
1. Read and study the Holy Scriptures (and children: the book of God’s Law).
2. Regularly visit God’s temple, delve into the content of church services and listen to the priest’s sermon.
3. Think about God and the purpose of our earthly life.
Worship of God means that in all our actions we must express our faith in God, hope for His help and love for Him as our Creator and Savior.
When we go to church, pray at home, observe fasts and worship church holidays, we obey our parents, help them in any way we can, study hard and do our homework, when we are quiet, do not quarrel, when we help our neighbors, when we constantly think about God and are aware of His presence with us - then we truly honor God , that is, we express our worship of God.
Thus, the first commandment to a certain extent contains the remaining commandments. Or the remaining commandments explain how to fulfill the first commandment.
Sins against the first commandment are:
Atheism (atheism) - when a person denies the existence of God (for example: communists).
Polytheism: worship of many gods or idols (wild tribes of Africa, South America and etc.).
Unbelief: doubt about Divine help.
Heresy: a distortion of the faith that God gave us. There are many sects in the world whose teachings were invented by people.
Apostasy: renunciation of faith in God or Christianity due to fear or hopes of receiving a reward.
Despair is when people, forgetting that God arranges everything for the better, begin to grumble dissatisfiedly or even attempt to commit suicide.
Superstition: belief in various signs, stars, fortune telling.

The second commandment of the Old Testament.

“You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, that is on the earth below, or that is in the waters under the earth. You shall not bow down or serve them.”

Jews revere the golden calf, which they themselves made.
This commandment was written when people were very inclined to revere various idols and deify the forces of nature: the sun, stars, fire, etc. Idol worshipers built idols for themselves representing their false gods and worshiped these idols.
These days such gross idolatry is almost non-existent in developed countries.
However, if people give all their time and energy, all their worries to something earthly, forgetting family and even God, such behavior is also a kind of idolatry, which is prohibited by this commandment.
Idolatry is excessive attachment to money and wealth. Idolatry is constant gluttony, i.e. when a person only thinks about this, and does only that, to eat a lot and tasty. Drug addiction and drunkenness also fall under this sin of idolatry. Proud people who always want to be the center of attention, want everyone to honor them and obey them unquestioningly also violate the second commandment.
At the same time, the second commandment does not prohibit the correct veneration of the Holy Cross and holy icons. It does not prohibit it because, while honoring the cross or icon where it is depicted true God, a person gives honor not to the wood or paint from which these objects are made, but to Jesus Christ or the saints who are depicted on them.
Icons remind us of God, icons help us pray, because our soul is structured in such a way that what we look at is what we think about.
When we honor the saints depicted on icons, we do not give them equal veneration as equals to God, but we pray to them as our patrons and prayer books before God. Saints are our older brothers. They see our difficulties, see our weakness and inexperience and help us.
God Himself shows us that He does not prohibit the correct veneration of holy icons; on the contrary, God shows help to people through holy icons. There are many miraculous icons, for example: Kursk Mother of God, crying icons in different parts light, many updated icons in Russia, China and other countries.
In the Old Testament, God Himself commanded Moses to make golden images of cherubim (Angels) and place these images on the lid of the Ark, where the tablets with the commandments written on them were kept.
Images of the Savior have been revered in the Christian Church since ancient times. One of these images is the image of the Savior, called “Not Made by Hands.” Jesus Christ put a towel to his face, and the image of the Savior’s face miraculously remained on this towel. The sick king Abgar, as soon as he touched this towel, was healed of leprosy.

The third commandment of the Old Testament.

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”

The third commandment is forbidden to pronounce the name of God in vain, without due reverence. The name of God is pronounced in vain when it is used in empty conversations, jokes, and games.
This commandment generally prohibits a frivolous and irreverent attitude toward the name of God.
Sins against this commandment are:
Bozhba: frivolous use of an oath with the mention of the name of God in ordinary conversations.
Blasphemy: bold words against God.
Blasphemy: disrespectful treatment of sacred objects.
It is also prohibited here to break vows - promises made to God.
The Name of God should be pronounced with fear and reverence only in prayer or when studying the Holy Scriptures.
We must avoid distraction in prayer in every possible way. To do this, it is necessary to understand the meaning of the prayers that we say at home or in church. Before saying a prayer, we must calm down even a little, think that we are going to talk with the eternal and omnipotent Lord God, before whom even the angels stand in awe; and finally, say our prayers slowly, trying to ensure that our prayer is sincere - coming straight from our mind and heart. Such reverent prayer pleases God, and the Lord, according to our faith, will give us the benefits that we ask.

The fourth commandment of the Old Testament.

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall work and do all your work in them, but the seventh day is a day of rest, dedicated to the Lord your God."

The word "Sabbath" in Hebrew means rest. This day of the week was called this because on this day it was forbidden to work or engage in everyday affairs.
With the fourth commandment, the Lord God commands us to work and attend to our duties for six days, and to devote the seventh day to God, i.e. on the seventh day to perform holy and pleasing deeds to Him.
Holy and pleasing to God deeds are: caring for the salvation of one’s soul, prayer in the temple of God and at home, studying the Holy Scriptures and the Law of God, thinking about God and the purpose of one’s life, pious conversations about the objects of the Christian faith, helping the poor, visiting the sick and others good deeds.
In the Old Testament, the Sabbath was celebrated in memory of the end of God's creation of the world. In the New Testament from the time of St. The apostles began to celebrate the first day after Saturday, Sunday - in remembrance of the Resurrection of Christ.
On Sunday, Christians gathered for prayer. They read the Holy Scriptures, sang psalms and received communion at the liturgy. Unfortunately, now many Christians are not as zealous as in the first centuries of Christianity, and many have become less likely to receive communion. However, we must never forget that Sunday should belong to God.
Those who break the fourth commandment are those who are lazy and weekdays does not work or does not perform his duties. Those who continue to work on Sundays and do not go to church violate this commandment. This commandment is also violated by those who, although they do not work, spend Sunday in nothing but fun and games, without thinking about God, good deeds and the salvation of their souls.
In addition to Sundays, Christians dedicate to God some other days of the year, on which the Church celebrates great events. These are the so-called church holidays.
Our greatest holiday is Easter - the day of the Resurrection of Christ. It is "the celebration of celebrations and the celebration of celebrations."
There are 12 great holidays, called the twelve. Some of them are dedicated to God and are called the Lord's feasts, others of them are dedicated to the Mother of God and are called the Theotokos feasts.
The Lord's holidays: (1) Nativity of Christ, (2) Baptism of the Lord, (3) Presentation of the Lord, (4) Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem, (5) Resurrection of Christ, (6) Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles (Trinity), (7) Transfiguration of the Lord and (8) Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. Feasts of the Mother of God: (1) Nativity of the Mother of God, (2) Entry into the Temple Holy Mother of God, (3) Annunciation and (4) Dormition of the Mother of God.

The fifth commandment of the Old Testament.

“Honor your father and your mother, so that it may go well with you and may you live long on earth.”

With the fifth commandment, the Lord God commands us to honor our parents and for this he promises a prosperous and long life.
To honor parents means: to love them, to be respectful to them, not to insult them either by words or deeds, to obey them, to help them in daily labors, to take care of them when they are in need, and especially during their illness and old age, also pray to God for them both during their life and after death.
The sin of disrespect for parents is a great sin. In the Old Testament, anyone who spoke bad words to their father or mother was punished by death.
Along with our parents, we must honor those who in some respect replace our parents. Such persons include: bishops and priests who care about our salvation; civil authorities: the president of the country, the governor of the state, the police and everyone in general from those who have the responsibility to maintain order and normal life in the country. Therefore, we must also honor teachers and all people older than us who have experience in life and can give us good advice.
Those who sin against this commandment are those who do not respect elders, especially old people, who are distrustful of their comments and instructions, considering them “backward” people and their concepts “outdated.” God said: “Rise up before the face of the gray-haired man and honor the face of the old man” (Lev. 19:32).
When a younger person meets an older one, the younger one should say hello first. When the teacher enters the classroom, students must stand up. If an elderly person or a woman with a child enters a bus or train, the young person must stand up and give up his seat. When a blind person wants to cross the street, you need to help him.
Only when elders or superiors require us to do something against our faith and law should we not obey them. God's law and obedience to God are the supreme law for all people.
In totalitarian countries, leaders sometimes make laws and give orders that are contrary to God's Law. Sometimes they demand that a Christian renounce his faith or do something against his faith. In this case, a Christian must be ready to suffer for his faith and for the name of Christ. God promises eternal bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward for these sufferings. “He who endures to the end will be saved...Whoever gives his life for Me and for the Gospel will find it again” (Matt. 10th chapter).

The sixth commandment of the Old Testament.

"Don't kill."

The sixth commandment of the Lord God prohibits murder, i.e. taking life from other people, as well as from oneself (suicide) in any way.
Life is the greatest gift of God, therefore no one has the right to take this gift away.
Suicide is the most terrible sin because this sin consists of despair and murmuring against God. And besides, after death there is no opportunity to repent and make amends for your sin. A suicide condemns his soul to eternal torment in hell. In order not to despair, we must always remember that God loves us. He is our Father, He sees our difficulties and has enough strength to help us even in the most difficult situation. God, according to His wise plans, sometimes allows us to suffer from illness or some kind of trouble. But we must firmly know that God arranges everything for the better, and He turns the sorrows that befall us to our benefit and salvation.
Unjust judges violate the sixth commandment if they condemn a defendant whose innocence they know. Anyone who helps others commit murder or helps a murderer escape punishment also violates this commandment. This commandment is also violated by the one who did nothing to save his neighbor from death, when he could well have done so. Also the one who exhausts his workers with hard work and cruel punishments and thereby hastens their death.
The one who wishes the death of another person also sins against the sixth commandment, hates his neighbors and causes them grief with his anger and words.
Besides physical murder, there is another terrible murder: spiritual murder. When a person tempts another to sin, he spiritually kills his neighbor, because sin is death for the eternal soul. Therefore, all those who distribute drugs, seductive magazines and films, who teach others how to do evil, or who set a bad example, violate the sixth commandment. Those who spread atheism, unbelief, witchcraft and superstition among people also violate this commandment; Those who sin are those who preach various exotic beliefs that contradict Christian teaching.
Unfortunately, in some exceptional cases it is necessary to allow murder to stop an inevitable evil. For example, if the enemy attacked a peaceful country, warriors must defend their homeland and their families. In this case, the warrior not only kills out of necessity to save his loved ones, but also puts his life in danger and sacrifices himself to save his loved ones.
Also, judges sometimes have to condemn incorrigible criminals to death in order to save society from their further crimes against people.

The seventh commandment of the Old Testament.

"Thou shalt not commit adultery."

By the seventh commandment, the Lord God prohibits adultery and all illegal and unclean relationships.
The married husband and wife made a promise to live together all their lives and share both joys and sorrows together. Therefore, with this commandment God forbids divorce. If a husband and wife have different characters and tastes, they should make every effort to smooth out their differences and put family unity above personal gain. Divorce is not only a violation of the seventh commandment, but also a crime against children, who are left without a family and after a divorce are often forced to live in conditions alien to them.
God commands unmarried people to maintain purity of thoughts and desires. We must avoid everything that can arouse unclean feelings in the heart: bad words, immodest jokes, shameless jokes and songs, violent and exciting music and dances. Seductive magazines and films should be avoided, as well as reading immoral books.
The Word of God commands us to keep our bodies clean, because our bodies “are members of Christ and temples of the Holy Spirit.”
The most terrible sin against this commandment is unnatural relations with persons of the same sex. Nowadays, they even register a kind of “families” between men or between women. Such people often die from incurable and terrible diseases. For this terrible sin, God completely destroyed the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, as the Bible tells us about (chapter 19).

Eighth commandment of the Old Testament.

"Don't steal."

By the eighth commandment, God prohibits theft, that is, the appropriation in any way of what belongs to others.
Sins against this commandment can be:
Deception (i.e. appropriation of someone else's thing by cunning), for example: when they evade paying a debt, hide what they found without looking for the owner of the found thing; when they weigh you down during a sale or give the wrong change; when they do not give the worker the required wages.
Theft is the theft of someone else's property.
Robbery is the taking of someone else's property by force or with a weapon.
This commandment is also violated by those who take bribes, that is, take money for what they should have done as part of their duties. Those who violate this commandment are those who pretend to be sick in order to receive money without working. Also, those who work dishonestly do things for show in front of their superiors, and when they are not there, they do nothing.
With this commandment, God teaches us to work honestly, to be satisfied with what we have, and not to strive for great wealth.
A Christian should be merciful: donate part of his money to the church and poor people. Everything that a person has in this life does not belong to him forever, but is given to him by God for temporary use. Therefore, we need to share with others what we have.

The ninth commandment of the Old Testament.

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against another.”

By the ninth commandment, the Lord God forbids telling lies about another person and forbids all lies in general.
The ninth commandment is broken by those who:
Gossiping - retelling to others the shortcomings of his acquaintances.
Slanders - deliberately tells lies about other people with the aim of harming them.
Condemns - makes a strict assessment of a person, classifying him as bad people. The Gospel does not forbid us to evaluate actions themselves in terms of how good or bad they are. We must distinguish evil from good, we must distance ourselves from all sin and injustice. But we should not take on the role of a judge and say that such and such our acquaintance is a drunkard, or a thief, or a dissolute person, and so on. By this we condemn not so much evil as the person himself. This right to judge belongs only to God. Very often we see only external actions, but do not know about a person’s mood. Often sinners themselves are then burdened by their shortcomings, ask God for forgiveness of sins, and with God’s help overcome their shortcomings.
The ninth commandment teaches us to bridle our tongue and watch what we say. Most of our sins come from unnecessary words, from idle talk. The Savior said that man would have to give an answer to God for every word he spoke.

Tenth commandment of the Old Testament.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, you shall not covet your neighbor’s house, nor his field... nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

With the tenth commandment, the Lord God forbids not only doing anything bad to others, our neighbors, but also forbids bad desires and even bad thoughts towards them.
The sin against this commandment is called envy.
Anyone who envyes, who in his thoughts desires what belongs to others, can easily lead from bad thoughts and desires to bad deeds.
But envy itself defiles the soul, making it unclean before God. The Holy Scripture says: “Evil thoughts are an abomination to God” (Prov. 15:26).
One of the main tasks of a true Christian is to cleanse his soul from all internal impurity.
To avoid sin against the tenth commandment, it is necessary to keep the heart pure from any excessive attachment to earthly objects. We must be content with what we have and thank God.
Students in school should not be jealous of other students when others are doing very well and doing well. Everyone should try to study as best as possible and attribute their success not only to themselves, but to the Lord, who gave us reason, the opportunity to learn and everything necessary for the development of abilities. A true Christian rejoices when he sees others succeed.
If we sincerely ask God, He will help us become true Christians.

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. This is where the emphasis shifts to inner world man, on which Christ placed special emphasis, speaking not about external prohibitions, but about internal perfection (which inevitably leads to external ones): “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your 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, a 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 limitless, so they deserve to be revered. 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 relations with 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 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.