Are The Ten Commandments Abbreviated Better Than The Complete Version Of The Ten Commandments?

Part 3

The Abbreviated Version

You might think, “What is wrong with the abbreviated version?” On face value, there does not appear to be much wrong with it; except, like the Reader’s Digest version of the Bible, it is very condensed.  The abbreviated version goes:

  1) You shall not have other God’s before me.

  2) You shall not make for yourselves any graven images.

  3) You shall not use God’s name in vain.

  4) You shall remember the Sabbath.

  5) You shall honor your mother and father.

  6) You shall not kill.

  7) You shall not commit adultery.

  8) You shall not steal.

  9) You shall not tell lies.

10) You shall not covet.

There are some variations to this. Commandment no. 4 is often recited as “You shall remember the Sabbath as a day of rest”, or “You shall remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy”. Commandment no. 5 is sometimes: “You shall honor your parents” or “You shall honor your Father and Mother”. Commandment no. 6 is sometimes, You shall not murder. ”Commandment no. 9 is sometimes, “You shall not bear false witness.”

These might seem like minor points, but they do have different connotations. In this exploration of the Ten Commandments, and what they really mean for us today, we will discover their significance, and how they can benefit us. We will also see how they can be distorted, misunderstood, dismissed, and overlooked.

The full version of the Ten Commandments has been taken from the English Standard Version of the Bible. Here is Exodus chapter 20, where the Ten Commandments are first mentioned in the Bible. We shall consider the whole chapter to provide a little context and throw some light on the awesomeness of the occasion when these great truths were first presented to the people of Israel.

The Complete Version

The First Commandment

And God spoke all these words, saying,

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

"You shall have no other gods before me. (Ex. 20:1-3).

The Second Commandment

"You shall not make for yourselves a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, 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 the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments (Ex. 20:4-6).

The Third Commandment

"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain (Ex. 20:7).

The Fourth Commandment

"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy (Ex. 20:8-11).

The Fifth Commandment

"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. (Ex. 20:12).

The Sixth Commandment

"You shall not murder (Ex. 20:13).

The Seventh Commandment

"You shall not commit adultery (Ex. 20:14).

The Eighth Commandment

"You shall not steal (Ex. 20:15).

The Ninth Commandment

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor (Ex. 20:16).

The Tenth Commandment

"You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s" (Ex. 20:17).

Who Wants To Be Wise?

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.
Proverbs 18:2
He who gets wisdom loves himself; he who keeps understanding will prosper.
Proverbs 19:8 

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The Only Words Written By The Finger Of God

Why Do The Ten Commandments Exist?

Why The Ten Commandments

—they are A Guide To Successful Living

Part 1 

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him” (John 1:1-3 New Living Translation).

Jesus said to those who professed to know God in His day that they knew neither the scriptures nor the power of God. Knowing one without the other is bad enough, not to know either is worse. To know the power of God but not know the scriptures would be like living on a volcano without the knowledge of what to do when it blows. Whereas, to know the scriptures but not the power of God is like having architectural plans for a house but no materials with which to build—not to mention the skills required.

Many claim they know the scriptures, yet observations of their lives indicate they do not have the skills to interpret them. This is because interpreting the scriptures is an applied science and not a theory—like many scoffers would have us believe. 

Often, there are different views that create problems for people. At one discussion group I attended, two diametrically opposed views were expressed that created a volatile situation. One person believed that it is negligent and irresponsible stewardship not to insure one’s house and belongings against loss from fire, theft or acts of God. The other person claimed that to take out insurance was to demonstrate a lack of faith in God. The two individuals had different worldviews, even though they both claimed to be Christians who justified their position from scripture.

Another person I know severely injured his shoulder. Instead of having an x-ray to discover the extent of the injury, this person claimed he was going to believe God to heal him. Six months later, the last time I saw him, his shoulder appeared to have gotten worse and his agony more excruciating. Surely,  in this person’s case, a better option would have been to find out exactly what was the problem with his shoulder and then express his faith in God to show him how he would be healed.

Knowledge and faith go together; we cannot have faith without knowledge. The more sound our knowledge, the more effective our faith.

When Moses was up on Mt Sinai getting instructions from God, the people below became impatient and built a golden calf to worship. Moses came down and broke the tablets upon which God had written the Ten Commandments and ordered the sons of Levi to slay people. Three thousand people were slain that day, because people chose to rebel against God (Exodus 32:7-28).

On the day of Pentecost, three thousand souls were baptized into the name of the Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins in order to receive the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 1:37-41).

One preacher I heard comparing the two aforementioned scriptural passages, from the books of Exodus and Acts, claimed that this demonstrated that the old covenant of the Law could not bring life, only the new covenant of the Holy Spirit could bring life and the power to heal—evidently, this preacher had overlooked the promise of healing that was made at Marah (Exodus 15:26) before the Law was given to the Israelites.

The truth is the three thousand people who were killed by the sons of Levi had not yet received the Law and perished through a lack of knowledge. The Law did not bring death, since death reigned before the Law was introduced. What the Law does is provide people with the knowledge of the salvation of God.

Knowledge is an important element in understanding how we can apply our faith. Incorrect interpretation of events and a lack of applied knowledge results in merely a theoretical faith in God, which is ignorance. Ignorance is not what faith is about. Faith is not wishful thinking. Faith is not blind devotion. Faith comes from applied knowledge through understanding the principles of salvation found in the Word of Life, the Word of God.

When the Word became flesh, no one had seen God with his or her physical eyes. To quote that very literal English translation, The Emphasized Bible: “No one, hath seen, God, at any time: An Only Begotten God, The One existing within the bosom of the Father, He, hath interpreted him” (John 1:18). Jesus effectively interpreted how to live a righteous life in accordance with the Ten Commandments by loving the Father and His neighbor as Himself. Jesus’ interpretation of the scriptures was not a theoretical display of knowledge; rather it was a demonstration of the power of a Godly life. We can say from a modern perspective, Jesus demonstrated that applied science is living the truth of the scriptures.

In the book of Romans, chapter two, verse twenty, we learn that the Law has the “embodiment of knowledge and truth” (ESV). Since the Law of God embodies knowledge and truth, and Jesus demonstrated the powerful benefits of living in accord with the Law, by not transgressing the Ten Commandments once, surely this would be a good enough reason for us to desire to know them. What other guide to successful living exists?  The promise of Psalm One is all who meditate on the Law will prosper in what they do.

These Ten Commandments are so powerful that because Jesus kept them, He has been able to bequeath, in His last will and testament, life to every human being at His death (Hebrews 9:15-17). However, this life is conditional in that it is only available to whosoever is willing to accept the truth and grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16; 2 Peter 1:2; John 8:31-32). If we are to partake of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and yet do not understand the just requirements of the Law, we are like people seeking to harness the power of a volcano without the required knowledge. This is something the people of Thera, living on what is now known as the Greek Island of Santorini, once tried to do before it destroyed their civilization. In other words, without the Ten Commandments, there is no hope for true success in life. We are beaten before we start. Fortunately, we can thank God; this need not be the case.

The Ten Commandments were once taught in schools everywhere in Western Countries but these days they are considered irrelevant, no longer fashionable, antiquated, and even superseded—but, by what? As you will discover, without the Ten Commandments, there is no hope for anyone.