TEN

COMMANDMENTS
PREPARED BY: ARTIAGA, A. | BAJARO, L. | CONCEPCION, A. | LONGORIA, W. | OPERIO, P.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
1 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

2 DISCUSSION OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

3 ANTIDOTES TO COVETOUSNESS

4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COMMANDMENTS

5 CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
& BACKGROUND
 INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND
God first refers to his Commandments in Genesis 26:5, the
first of five books of the Law of Moses, also known as the Torah, the
law, or Pentateuch. The Ten Commandments of God are called the
Decalogue and are recorded in both the books of Exodus 20:1-17
and Deuteronomy 5:6-21. God gave Moses the Ten Commandments
on two tablets of stone on Mount Sinai in Exodus 24:12 to confirm
the moral precepts of the Sinai Covenant between God and his
people the Israelites.
In Catholicism, the Ten Commandments are considered
divine law because God himself revealed them. And because they
were spelled out specifically with no room for ambiguity, they’re
also positive law. Hence they’re also known as divine positive law.
DISCUSSION OF THE
COMMANDMENTS
 THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
“YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.”

This commandment forbids idolatry, the worship

of false gods and goddesses, and it excludes
polytheism, the belief in many gods, insisting inst
ead on monotheism, the belief in one God. This
commandment forbids making golden calves,
building temples to Isis, and worshipping statues
of Caesar, for example.

This commandment is also not just about pagan

gods and false religions. Anything that we put as
higher priority than the true God causes us to sin.
 THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
“YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.”

Hence, this commandment is a reminder to focus

on the awesome power and majesty of our
Creator, God, whose power was on display when
He thundered these commandments from Mount
Sinai.

As God’s people, we need to seek His help to

see things from His perspective—to get outside
our own selfish worldview.
 THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
“YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN.”

To not take God’s name in vain means to not

take it lightly and to never use God’s holy name
as a thoughtless, hateful curse!

This commandment tells us to stop using

blasphemy and filthy language and to bless
rather than curse. Instead of using His name in
vain with profanity, we are to reverence God and
represent His name well.
 THE SECOND COMMANDMENT
“YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN.”

Instead of using profanity, we are to “do all in the

name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).

The faithful are required to honor the name of

God. It makes sense that if you’re to love God
with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, then
you’re naturally to respect the name of God with
equal passion and vigor.
 THE THIRD COMMANDMENT
“REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY.”

The Jewish celebration of Sabbath (Shabbat)

begins at sundown on Friday evening and lasts
until sundown on Saturday. Catholic, Protestant,
and Orthodox Christians go to church on Sunday,
treating it as the Lord’s Day instead of Saturday
to honor the day Christ rose from the dead.

The Sabbath is more than just a day for sleeping

and doing nothing — it’s a day for doing
something different: refocusing on God,
worshipping and fellowshipping with Christians of
like mind.
 THE THIRD COMMANDMENT
“REMEMBER TO KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH DAY.”

The Sabbath is a day to bond with family,

appreciate the creation and do good, perhaps
visiting the widows and orphans (James 1:27).

The Sabbath should be a delight, not by doing

our own hobbies, interests and pleasures, but by
honoring God and seeking to please Him and do
His will (Isaiah 58:13-14).
 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
“HONOR THY FATHER AND MOTHER.”

This commandment obliges to show respect for

the parents — as children and adults. Children
must obey their parents, and adults must respect
and see to the care of their parents, when they
become old and infirm.

This commandment helps us see how learning

respect and honor in the family setting helps
prepare us to show honor to our ultimate Father.
 THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
“HONOR THY FATHER AND MOTHER.”

All of God’s commandments are given for our

benefit, but this one is especially highlighted by
God for the blessings that it brings for the
individual, the family and society in general.

A smooth functioning society and happy

relationships are based on respect and
obedience to authority. It is much easier if we
learn this early in life instead of learning it by
being fired—or by going to prison.
 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALT NOT KILL.”

The better translation from the Hebrew would be

“Thou shalt not murder” — a subtle distinction
but an important one to the Church. Killing an
innocent person is considered murder. Killing an
unjust aggressor to preserve your own life is still
killing, but it isn’t considered murder or immoral.

God values life highly. He tells us to choose life.

God showed the value of human life by requiring

capital punishment for the murder of another
person (Exodus 21:12, 14).
 THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALT NOT KILL.”

Jesus Christ expounded on this commandment

to emphasize its spiritual intent. He told us not to
become angry without a cause or to allow anger
to cause us to do violence to or even abuse
another person verbally.

The Bible shows that hate is the attitude of

murder. Therefore, we are not to hate even an
enemy, but to love, bless, do good and pray for
them.
 THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.”

This commandment forbids the actual, physical

act of having immoral sexual activity, specifically
adultery, which is sex with someone else’s
spouse or a spouse cheating on their partner.
This commandment also includes fornication,
which is sex between unmarried people,
prostitution, pornography, homosexual activity,
masturbation, group sex, rape, incest, pedophilia,
bestiality, and necrophilia.
 THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY.”

God intended the sexual relationship between a

husband and wife to be an exclusive, intimate
bond to strengthen the marriage relationship.

So the prohibition of extramarital sex—adultery—

was designed to protect the sanctity of marriage
and show the importance of faithfulness.
 THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.”
This commandment forbids the act of taking
someone else’s property. The Catholic Church
believes that this commandment also denounces
cheating people of their money or property,
depriving workers of their just wage, or not giving
employers a full day’s work for a full day’s pay.

Embezzlement, fraud, tax evasion, and

vandalism are all considered extensions of
violations of the seventh commandment.
 THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.”

This commandment protects personal property

and teaches us to respect the property of others.
More than that, in its spiritual intent it contrasts
two ways of life: getting versus giving.

It is to our benefit to remember that God is the

source of every good gift that we have
(James 1:17). So God allows us to enjoy His
blessings, and He only asks that we
acknowledge Him with a tenth (a tithe) of what
He provides.
 THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR.”

This commandment condemns lying. God is

regarded as the author of all truth, the Church
believes that humans are obligated to honor the
truth. The most obvious way to fulfill this
commandment is not to lie — intentionally
deceive another by speaking a falsehood.

God is a God of truth. He wants us to learn to

hate lying and dishonesty and to love truth.

This commandment is designed to prevent

slander and perversion of justice.
 THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST THY NEIGHBOR.”

God wants us to replace lying with honesty in our

words and our hearts and our thoughts.

Some wonder if it is possible to always tell the

truth and suggest that “white lies” are needed to
avoid hurting others. But the Bible says we
should be “speaking the truth in love”
(Ephesians 4:15). White lies are not necessary;
but tact, kindness and courtesy should always be
practiced.
 THE NINETH COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR’S WIFE.”

This commandment forbids the intentional desire

and longing for immoral sexuality. To sin in the
heart, Jesus says, is to lust after a woman or a
man in your heart with the desire and will to have
immoral sex with them. Just as human life is a
gift from God and needs to be respected,
defended, and protected, so, too, is human
sexuality. Catholicism regards human sexuality
as a divine gift, so it’s considered sacred in the
proper context — marriage.
 THE NINETH COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR’S WIFE.”

Coveting, and all sin, begins in our hearts. When

we covet, we give in to a toxic, selfish mind-set
that leads to sin and death.

The Bible gives many bad examples of coveting,

such as when David coveted Bathsheba
(2 Samuel 11:1-4).
 THE TENTH COMMANDMENT
“THOU SHALT NOT COVET THY NEIGHBOR’S GOODS.”

The tenth commandment forbids the wanting to

or taking someone else’s property. Along with the
Seventh Commandment, this commandment
condemns theft and the feelings of envy, greed,
and jealousy in reaction to what other people
have.

In modern terms, coveting often includes our

neighbor’s cars, electronic gadgets, money,
prestige, etc.
ANTIDOTES TO
COVETOUSNESS
 ANTIDOTES TO COVETOUSNESS
CONTENTMENT
Paul “learned in whatever state I
am, to be content”
(Philippians 4:11)
GENEROSITY FAITH
If we learn to be “rich in good We can trust in “the living God,
works, ready to give, willing to who gives us richly all things to
share,” we will be storing up enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17)
treasure “for the time to come,
that [we] may lay hold on eternal
life” (1 Timothy 6:18-19)
SIGNIFICANCE OF
THE COMMANDMENTS
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE COMMANDMENTS
Reading about the 10 Commandments is not enough. They are
designed to be acted on! Obeying them brings great blessings,
but disobeying brings a terrible penalty.

When we discover that we have sinned and broken God’s 10

Commandments, we should turn to God in repentance and seek His
help to overcome sin.

IT SHOWS US WHO GOD IS

01 The law is an expression of the Lawgiver’s heart and
character.

IT SETS US APART FROM THE WORLD

02 We are God’s people, set apart to live according to God’s
ways.

03 IT DON’T STRIP OUR FREEDOM, BUT INSTEAD PROVIDE IT

God means to give us abundant life (John 10:10) and true
freedom (John 8:32).
CONCLUSION
 CONCLUSION
God helps us in many different ways to live a moral life.
He gives us grace, which awakens in us the desire to say no to
temptation and sin and to choose only that which is good. God
also gives us help and grace through the Church and through our
reception of the Sacraments. He also teaches us how we should
live. One way He does this is by giving us laws to guide our
actions.
The Ten Commandments are laws that God has revealed
to us. Heeding the guidance God gives us in the commandments
will help us know how to serve God and how we should live with
each other. It also helps us to be open to the grace of the Holy
Spirit and what God can accomplish in us and through us by that
grace.
Thank you