The Ten Commandments God’s “Top Ten” Rules

It seems with all the lawsuits flying back and forth about the posting of God’s “Top Ten” in government buildings and schools, there is a rock solid connection between Americans and the Ten Commandments.

After all they’re taken from The Bible, the most influential book ever written, and best-selling book of all time.

How Many Americans Can Name The Ten Commandments

When the average Joe was put to the test about his or her knowledge of the Commandments and their source, The Bible, surprisingly most people knew little about them.

According to an article from Pew Research, 60% of Americans couldn't name five of the Ten Commandments, and 80% say they believe in “absolute standards of right and wrong.”

Sadly, only a third placed religious teachings at the top of thier list as the source for setting their standards.

When it comes to the reward stages of the Commandments, 74% of people believe that those who have led good lives will enter into a heaven to be eternally rewarded.

Fewer people, 59%, believe those who have led bad lives and die without repenting will suffer the consequences of an eternal hell.

Just read "What are The Ten Commandments And Why They Should Matter To You", to find out what's in store for those who fail to repent.

Those statistics fully explain why 68% said, there is more than one way to interpret the teachings of their religion.

What Americans Believe About The Bible

Maybe they are viewing Jesus' New Covenant as an escape clause, that makes nill the need to follow The Ten Commandments at all. That’s not a good idea, if you ask me.

When you start asking questions about the Bible, you really get a true mental picture of how important it is for Christians to treat the Bible as a living document to be poured over rather than blindly accepted.

Test Your Religious Knowledge

The Pew Research article also pointed-out these facts:

50% of high school seniors think Sodom and Gomorrah were married

49% of mainline Protestants say they seldom or never read their religion’s holy texts.

70% or more of self-professing Christians have no idea what the Holy Bible teaches to be true and 10% think that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.

How many of The Ten Commandments can you name? If you would like to test your religious literacy here is a link to the religious literacy quiz.

What Are The Ten Commandments And Why They Should Matter To You?

Men gnawed their tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of what they had done.
That scripture is taken from the New Testament Book of Revelations it describes just some of the punishment that awaits those who have failed to keep God's Law and turn from their sinful ways.

However, if you’re a good person and have never violated any of The Ten Commandments, right, then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

How Being A Good Person Can Cost You Your Life

The truth of the matter is, everyone falls short and the Ten Commandments are a mirror to expose the wickedness of our sins and why we need salvation.

No matter how good of a Christian you may think you are or how good you try to be, when you compare yourself to God’s standard, you’ll realize that you should be grateful for his mercy and grace that allows you to be forgiven for your trespasses.

More Of The Ten Commandments

Let’s take a brief look and see what Commandments most Christians seem to have the biggest problem obeying. "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not covet," and how about this one, "Thou shalt love thy fellow man as much as thou lovest thyself."

Maybe you truly avoid doing any wrong to your fellow man and you haven’t had a problem following any of these Commandments yet, then wait until we get to the remainder of them and you’ll see how good you really have been.

God’s designed the system and principles by which every Christians should live that are based on faith, trust and obedience to his word. The Bible states (Galations 3:24) the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ.

Why God's Law Should Matter To You

Jesus revealed to us, that no on can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again (John 3) and whoever rejects the Son will not enjoy eternal life, for God’s wrath remains on him.

Does it matter, whether the wrath of God is upon you? Don't settle for just being a good person when you can become a new creation?

What Are The Ten Commandments and Why All The Fuss?

You cannot post "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery," and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians...It creates a hostile work environment.

(quote from the web)

Overview Of The Commandments

I want to continue with the overview of the Ten Commandments to help those new Christians who don’t understand the history and importance these divine laws hold for all mankind.

In the preface to the Ten Commandments or Decalogue, (Deut 6: 24-25) it states “the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. Then it will be righteousness for us”.

There are only four or five Commandments that are purely theological in content. They have a major influence on the manner of worship and other principles of the Jewish and Christian religions. The Decalogue predates just about all the religions of the world.

Should We Follow The Ten Commandments

The remaining Commandments address moral and ethical rules of behavior.
Although they have traditionally been regarded as the foundational laws for Christians, various text, traditions and tenets of other religions incorporate the Ten Commandments. Although it does not contain the actual text, Islam’s holy book, the Qur'an makes a reference to them that urges they be followed.

No one has openly claimed that abiding by these rules for Christian living is outdated or pretentious, but an attack on their display in public places has been underway for over a decade.

The Clash Over Separation of Church and State

Until the beginning of the Revolutionary War, nine of the thirteen colonies forced colonist to support a particular religion. Thomas Jefferson authored these words as part of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, “the Holy Author of our religion, who, being Lord both of body and mind, yet chose not to propagate it by force”

The clash between proponents of separation of church and state and Christians today, is nothing like the institutionalized religion that once used an iron hand to dominate society.

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The next post will show more about the current battle being waged to have the Ten Commandments removed from the publics view. Click on the RSS button to subscribe to Brother to Brother and have the entire Series on the Ten Commandments and great Christian resources available to read at your leisure.

What Are The Ten Commandments?

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The Lord never intended the laws that he gave to Moses to be rules for the godly. These clearly are written to warn the ungodly to change their ways. When you take a look at the things that they address, it's easy to determine that the 10 Commandments are to help sinners see that they are not pleasing God.

All of the laws that have ever been written stem from two important commandments. The main focus of these two important laws remind us, to value the intrinsic need for a personal relationship with God and each other.

The Most Important Commandment

The most important relationship that anyone can ever have is their relationship with God. By including the requirement to love the Lord, as a law, it shows how essential worship and love are to the well-being of humans.

In the Gospel of Matthew, a Pharisee, who was an expert on the law of Moses, asked Jesus which of the commandments was the most important, his reply was, to love the Lord thy God.

Love Thy Neighbor

Jesus told us the second most important commandment is likened to the first one. The command to "love thy neighbor as thy self". This stresses the need for each of us to give and receive an unconditional love. It doesn't elevate any particular group of people, the rulers or the rich over others, but shows that we are all due the same quantity and quality of love.This means Christians should treat everyone with the same level of respect.

These laws were surely written by a just and merciful God and not designed by man.

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