The Ten Commandments

Many parents will see the Ten Commandments as a set of rules, that if followed, will guarantee entrance into heaven after death. However the purpose of the Ten Commandments is to force people to realize that they cannot perfectly obey the Law set by God, and are therefore in need of God’s mercy and grace! Remember to teach your children the truth - that NO ONE can perfectly obey the Ten Commandments! The Ten Commandments demonstrate that we have all sinned and are therefore in need of God’s mercy and grace, available only through faith in Jesus Christ!


1) “You shall have no other gods before me.” This command is against worshipping any god other than the one true God. All other gods are false gods. Remind your children of this OFTEN because they will be told by the worldly views that it does not matter which god you worship, you will allll bbeeee fiinnnee.

2) “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them..." This command is against making an idol, a visible representation of God. There is no image we can create that can accurately portray God. To make an idol to represent God is to worship a false god. Tell your child that creating a god that serves as a convenience to them is not okay!

3) “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name.” This is a command against taking the name of the Lord in vain, such as "oh my G*!, etc. Teach your child that we are not to treat God’s name lightly. We are to show reverence to God by only mentioning Him in respectful and honoring ways!

4) “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." This is a command to set aside the Sabbath as a day of rest dedicated to the Lord.

5) “Honor your father and your mother" This is a command to always treat one’s parents with honor and respect. Even from a very young age, I began to teach this in my home! Treating parents with honor and respect could be taught by - teaching your child to obey immediately without argument, helping parents without being asked, cleaning up your own messes, using your manners with your parents, do what your parents ask of you even if others do not, etc.

6) “You shall not murder.” This is a command against the premeditated murder of another human being. Simply, to children, we do not kill.

7) “You shall not commit adultery.” This is a command against have sexual relations with anyone other than one’s spouse. Teach your children the basics about what it means to be married, the rest will come later!

8) “You shall not steal.” This is a command against taking anything that is not one’s own, without the permission of the person to whom it belongs. This, of course, is easy to teach!

9) “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” This is a command prohibiting testifying against another person falsely. It is essentially a command against lying. Again, easy to teach. When your child does lie or take something that does not belong to them, correct them and explain to them why they are wrong - be sure that they apologize to you and to God.

10) “You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” This is a command against desiring anything that is not one’s own. Coveting can lead to breaking one of the commandments listed above: murder, adultery, and theft. If it is wrong to do something, it is wrong to desire to do that same something! Teaching children to be content with what they have can be difficult in this "me me me me" age! Everyone is taught to get this and that because they deserve it! Do what makes you happy! Many are not teaching the youth to simply be content and happy with what you already have.

Bible verses to check concerning the Commandments:

Romans 3:23, Romans 7:7-11, Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:6-21, Ecc. 7:20