The Ten Commandments

by Courtney Jacob
Aug 20, 2021

What questions do you have about the Ten Commandments? In one way, the Ten Commandments are common knowledge in North American culture. Blockbuster movies have been made about them and we regularly encounter references to them in literature, on television, and even in our everyday conversations. However, much of what we hear about the Ten Commandments is fairly superficial.  

Do you ever wonder about the significance of when and how God gave the Ten Commandments to his people? Or maybe you wonder why Christians still follow these Old Testament laws, but not others? If you’re asking any of these questions, you’re probably not alone. Understanding the historical and biblical context of the Ten Commandments commandments can shed light on questions asked by both new and lifelong Christians. Join Groundwork as we dig into Exodus, as well as additional scripture passages from both the New and Old Testaments, in our series “The Ten Commandments.” Together we’ll study these guiding principles of our faith and come to better understand how they still apply to us today. 

What are the Ten Commandments?

We first encounter the Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus, chapter 20. God had just led the Israelites out of Egypt, delivering them out of slavery. They’ve been wandering the desert and they’ve crossed the Red Sea. God has demonstrated his ability to provide for them with manna, quail, and water. Now God sets out to re-establish them as a nation and teach them again what it means to live as people of the one, true God. Moses, the reluctant Israelite leader, obeys God and goes up Mount Sinai. There he receives God’s Ten Commandments for his people. 

We next encounter a nearly identical version of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 5. The Israelites are settling in the Promised Land and Moses gathers them to remind them of God’s deliverance and faithfulness and urges them to stay faithful to God by keeping his law. 

Faith and the Ten Commandments

The way the Ten Commandments are recorded in scripture can certainly make them feel like a list of do’s and don’ts, a legalistic way to approach the life of faith. However, when we read them in the context of all of scripture, we discover the beauty of how this list can help us cultivate our faith and shape all aspects of our life.

I invite you to join us as we study the Ten Commandments and examine scripture passages in both the Old and New Testaments to help us better understand their meaning through our Groundwork series “The Ten Commandments”: 

...and together we’ll discuss what it looks like to follow these core commandments, as Christians saved by Jesus Christ, in today’s world.

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The Ten Commandments

 

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