Jesus Christ brought the New Testament to humanity, the meaning of which is that now every person who believes in God can be freed from the sins that make his life difficult and joyless.
The Gospel conveys the Lord's Sermon on the Mount, in which He told people the nine beatitudes. These are nine conditions, subject to which a person can gain eternal life in the abode of the Almighty.
By His death on the cross, Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of people and thereby gave them the opportunity to discover the Kingdom of Heaven within themselves during their earthly life. But in order to experience this grace, you need to fulfill the beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.
The modern Gospel differs significantly from the original source. This is not surprising - it has been translated and rewritten many times. The surviving Ostromir Gospel, dated to the mid-11th century, most accurately conveys the content of the 9 Beatitudes, but it is almost impossible for an ordinary person without special education to understand it. Not only is the Old Church Slavonic alphabet radically different from the Russian alphabet, but the Gospel uses words, expressions and concepts that have long been outdated and have fallen out of circulation. Theologians and philosophers all over the world have been and continue to be engaged in the interpretation of the Beatitudes.
The meaning of the word "bliss"
First you need to understand what the word “bliss” means. The closest synonym is bliss. When we say that we are blissful, we mean that we are basking. In the gospel understanding, beatitude means something slightly different. Christian Bliss - To experience bliss in the Christian sense is to be in a state of serene peace. In modern language, do not experience anxiety, doubt, or anxiety. Christian bliss is not analogous to the serene peace of Buddhists or Muslims, since it can manifest itself in the physical world during earthly life as a result of a conscious choice and renunciation of the manifestations of the forces of evil. The interpretation of the Beatitudes explains the meaning of this choice and self-denial.
Purpose of the commandments
The biblical commandments mark milestones in the development of man as an individual, the evolution of his spiritual world. On the one hand, they indicate what should be the goal of a person’s life, on the other, they reflect his nature and reveal what a person has an inner attraction to. The Gospel beatitudes echo those of the Old Testament. The 10 Beatitudes given by the Lord to Moses relate more to the material world and physical relationships between people in society. They indicate what a person should do, but do not affect his state of mind.
The seven prohibitions listed in the Sermon on the Mount are sometimes mistakenly called the 7 Beatitudes of Jesus Christ. It is not right. Christ did not reject the prohibitions of killing, envying, creating new idols, adultery, stealing and gluttony, but said that the result of the eradication of these sins is the emergence of pure love between people. “Love one another,” the Lord commanded, and thereby directed people not to keep track of misdeeds, but to treat each other with mercy, understanding and compassion.
The 9 Beatitudes were interpreted by such outstanding thinkers as Henri Bergson, Ignatius Brianchaninov, Nikolai Serbsky and others. Let's look at each commandment in detail.
About spiritual poverty
The first commandment of the beatitude of the Lord says that the first condition of bliss is the feeling of being spiritually poor. What does it mean? In earlier times, the concept of poverty did not mean a difficult financial situation, lack of money or property. A beggar was a person who asked for something. Poor in spirit means asking for spiritual enlightenment. Happy, or blessed, is the one who does not ask or seek material benefits, but the one who acquires wisdom and spirituality.
Bliss does not lie in experiencing satisfaction from the lack of material wealth or from its presence, but in not feeling superior to others if you have material wealth or oppressed if you do not have it.
The Beatitudes of Jesus Christ encourage the acceptance of earthly life as a means to achieve the Kingdom of Heaven, and if material wealth serves a person to increase spiritual wealth, then this is also the right path to God.
It is easier for a poor person to come to God, since he is more concerned about his own survival in the material world than a rich person. It is believed that he turns to God for help more often, and he has a greater chance of connecting with the Creator. However, this is an overly simplified idea of what constitutes the path to achieving spiritual wisdom and bliss.
Another interpretation of the commandment is based on the translation of the word “spirit” from the ancient Aramaic language. Then its synonym was the word “will”. Thus, a person who is “poor in spirit” can be called “poor of his own free will.”
Comparing both meanings of the expression “poor in spirit,” we can assume that Christ meant by the first beatitude that the Kingdom of Heaven will be achieved by those who voluntarily choose as their goal only the achievement of wisdom. And he will direct his will and mind to her alone.
About comforting those who cry
Happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted - this is how the second beatitude sounds in the modern presentation. You should not think that we are talking about any tears. It is no coincidence that this commandment comes after the one that speaks of spiritual poverty. It is on the first commandment that all subsequent ones are based.
Crying is sorrow and regret. The poor in spirit regret the years spent searching for and accumulating material things. He is sad that he did not gain wisdom earlier; he remembers his actions and the actions of other people, which destroyed their lives, as they were aimed at achieving worldly joys. He regrets the wasted time and effort. He cries that he sinned against God, who sacrificed His own Son to people in order to save them, mired in worldly squabbles and worries. Therefore, you need to understand that not every cry pleases God.
For example, a mother’s cry that her son has become a drug addict or a drunkard is not always pleasing to God - if a mother cries that she will be left alone in old age, without the care and concern that she expected to receive from her adult son, then she cries only because she is disadvantaged pride and disappointment. She cries because she will not receive worldly goods. This kind of crying will not lead to comfort. He can turn a woman against other people whom she will assign to blame for what happened to her son, and the unhappy mother will begin to think that the world is unfair.
And if this woman begins to cry because her son stumbled and chose a disastrous path because of her own oversight, because from an early age she instilled in him only the desire for material superiority over others, but did not explain the need to be kind and honest , merciful and condescending to the shortcomings of other people? With such repentant tears, a woman will cleanse her soul and help her son to be saved. It is about this kind of crying that it is said: “Blessed are those who mourn who are sad because of their own sins. The Lord will find consolation for them, for the sake of such tears the Lord will show mercy and give the miracle of forgiveness.”
About the meek
Christ called meekness the third beatitude. It seems that there is no point in explaining this bliss. Everyone understands that a person who does not object, does not resist, and humbles himself before people and circumstances is called meek. However, not everything is so simple here either. A person who does not contradict those who are stronger and more powerful than him cannot be considered meek in the gospel understanding. Divine meekness comes from the first two beatitudes. First, a person realizes his spiritual poverty, then he repents and cries for his sins. Sincere contrition for them makes a person tolerant of the evil shown by other people. He knows that they, like himself, will sooner or later come to understand their own guilt for the troubles happening to them, realize their responsibility and guilt for the injustice and evil that they do to others.
A repentant sinner, like no one else, knows well that before God all people are equal. The repentant does not put up with evil, but, having experienced many sufferings, he comes to understand that man’s salvation is only in the hands of God. If He saved him, then He will save others too.
The preaching of the Beatitudes is not divorced from real life. The Lord Jesus Christ was meek, but he angrily attacked the merchants who exchanged sacrificial doves and candles for money in the temple, but He did not give us the right to do the same. He commanded us to show meekness. Why? Because He Himself commanded that the person who shows aggression will suffer from aggression.
The Lord teaches us that we must be thoughtful, but thinking about our own sins, and not about others, even if they are committed by a priest of the highest rank. John Chrysostom interprets this beatitude this way: do not object to the offender, lest he hand you over to the judge, and he, in turn, to the executioner. Injustice often rules in worldly life, but we should not complain. We must accept the world as God created it and devote our energy to improving our own personality.
It is interesting that many modern authors who have written instructions on how to make friends, how to become happy and successful, how to stop worrying and start living, give the same advice as Christ, but their advice does not work well. This is explained by the fact that they are not coordinated with each other and do not have outside support. In these pieces of advice, a person is opposed to the whole world and must cope with it alone, and following the Gospel, a person receives help from God Himself. Therefore, all such books quickly go out of fashion, but the Gospel continues to remain relevant for more than 2,000 years.
About those who thirst for truth
At first glance, this beatitude appears to repeat the first. The poor in spirit seek divine truth, and the hungry and thirsty seek the truth. Are they not acquiring the same thing?
Let's consider this example. A certain person says about himself: “I don’t know how to lie. I always tell the truth to everyone.” Is it so? Thirsting for the truth of the Gospel does not mean telling it to everyone all the time. That lover of truth, whom we called “a certain person,” often turns out to be just a boor who bluntly tells his opponent, who does not share his opinion or has made some mistake, that he is stupid. Not only is this lover of truth not distinguished by great insight and he himself does not always do everything right, he is unlikely to tell this truth of his to someone who is stronger and more powerful than him.
So, what is Divine truth and the desire for it, and what does it mean “those who thirst for truth will be satisfied with it”? John of Kronstadt explains this very clearly. A hungry man craves food. After being full, some time passes, and he is hungry again. This is natural in the case of food. But as far as Divine truth is concerned, everything is somewhat different. God loves those who have received the first three beatitudes. For this he gives them a calm and peaceful life. Such people, like a magnet, attract others to themselves. So, Emperor Leo left his throne and went to the desert where Saint Moses Murin lived. The emperor wanted to know wisdom. He had everything he wanted, could satisfy any of his worldly needs, but he was not happy. He longed for wise advice on what to do to regain the joy of life. understood the emperor’s mental anguish. He wished to help the worldly ruler, thirsted for divine truth and received it (was satisfied). Like grace, the holy elder poured out his wise speeches on the emperor and restored his peace of mind.
The Old Testament Adam and Eve lived in the presence of God, and His truth accompanied them at every moment of their lives, but they did not thirst for it. They had nothing to repent of, they did not experience any torment. They were sinless. They did not know losses and sorrows, therefore they did not value their well-being and, without any doubt, agreed to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For this they lost the opportunity to see God and were expelled from paradise.
God gave us an understanding of what we should value and what we should strive for. We know that if we strive to fulfill His commandments, He will reward us and give us real happiness.
About the merciful
There are several parables about mercy in the Gospel. These are the parables of the publican and the mite of the poor widow. We all know that giving alms to the poor is a God-pleasing act. But even if we approach this issue wisely and give the beggar not money, which he will most likely spend on alcohol, but food or clothing, we are not like either the tax collector or the widow. After all, by giving alms to a stranger, we, as a rule, do not infringe upon ourselves. Such mercy is commendable, but it cannot be compared with the mercy of God, who gave people His Son, Jesus Christ, for salvation.
The Beatitudes are not as easy to fulfill as they seem at first glance. However, we are quite capable of them. How often, having learned about the troubles of a person, do we utter the following phrases: “Never mind - you have a lot of problems of your own,” “His fate, of course, is difficult, but everyone has their own cross,” or “Everything is God’s will.” " By saying this, we are removed from the manifestation of true, Divine mercy.
True mercy, subject to a person, can be expressed in such sympathy and desire to help another, which will make a person think about the cause of this misfortune, that is, take the path of fulfilling the first bliss. The greatest mercy is that, having cleansed our own hearts and souls from sin, we ask God to help a stranger to us so that He hears and fulfills it.
About the pure in heart
Mercy must be done only with a pure heart. Only in this case will it be true. Having performed an act of mercy, we are often proud of our action. We rejoice that we have done a good deed, and we rejoice even more that we have fulfilled one of the important beatitudes.
Orthodoxy and other Christian religions encourage free material assistance that people provide to each other and the church. They thank donors, call their names during sermons, award certificates, etc. Unfortunately, all this does not at all promote purity of heart; on the contrary, it encourages vanity and other, no less unpleasant qualities inherent in human nature. What can I say? God loves the one who, in the silence of his home, prays with tears for the granting of health and daily bread to some unfortunate person, about whom he only knows his name.
These words are not a condemnation of those who donate to churches or show their generosity clearly and publicly. Not at all. But those who do mercy in secret maintain purity of heart. sees. Not a single good deed goes without reward for him. The one who has received recognition from people has already been awarded - he is in a good mood, everyone praises and honors him. He will not receive the second reward, which is from God, for this deed.
About those who bring peace
The 7th Beatitude speaks of peacemakers. Jesus Christ considers peacemakers to be his equals, and this mission is the most difficult. In every quarrel there is the fault of both one and the other side. It is very difficult to stop hostility. It is not those who have known divine love and bliss who quarrel, but, on the contrary, people who are preoccupied with worldly problems and grievances. Not everyone can establish peace between people obsessed with hurt pride, envy, jealousy or greed. Here it is important to choose the right words and to calm the anger of the parties so that the quarrel stops and does not happen again. The peacemakers will be called the sons of God. This is what Christ, the Son of God, said, and His every word is filled with great meaning.
About those expelled for the truth
War is an excellent way to solve the economic problems of one state at the expense of another. We know examples of how the high standard of living of some peoples is supported by the fact that the governments of their countries start wars around the world. Honest diplomats, journalists, politicians and military personnel who have the opportunity to influence public opinion are always persecuted. They are imprisoned, killed, and defamed with lies. It is impossible to imagine that any of the world wars would end after an honest peacemaker brought to the attention of the general public information about the personal interest of a certain representative of the royal family, the presidential clan, a financial or industrial magnate in the production and supply of weapons to the warring parties.
What pushes famous and authoritative people to speak out against unjust wars, despite the fact that they cannot help but understand that their initiative will be punished? They are driven by the desire for a just world, the preservation of the life and health of civilians, their families, homes and way of life, which means true mercy.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ communicated the Beatitudes to all who listened to him. These were people of different nationalities and faiths. The Lord said that the feat in the name of peace would make them equal to the Son of God. Does it matter to God what faith they profess? Of course not. The Lord came to bring faith and salvation to everyone. Children's doctor Leonid Roshal and Jordanian doctor Anwar el-Said are not Christians, but they are peacemakers who prevented the death of several hundred people captured by terrorists during a performance in a Moscow cultural center. And there are many such examples.
About those oppressed for the love of God
How many Beatitudes did the Lord give to people? Just nine. The commandment about those persecuted for faith and love of God is the last. It refers to a greater extent to the great Christian martyrs who, by their death, established faith in Jesus Christ on earth. These people remained in history as saints. Thanks to them, Christians can now openly profess their faith and not fear for their lives and for their loved ones. These saints were given the grace to intercede before the Lord for sinners and ask for forgiveness for them. They help believers in God cope with various difficulties - both ordinary, everyday ones, and in the fight against the forces of evil. With their heavenly prayers they keep the world from destruction. Akathists and entire liturgies are dedicated to them, which are read in all churches on the days of their remembrance.
St.God's commandments- an external law given in addition to a person’s weakened (due to a sinful life) internal guideline - .
“Jesus said...: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words” ().
God gave the Ten Old Testament Commandments (Decalogue) on Mount Sinai through Moses to the Jewish people when he was returning from Egypt to the land of Canaan, on two stone tablets (or tablets). The first four commandments contain the duties of love for God, the last six contain the duties of love for one's neighbor (i.e., all people).
Ten Commandments of the Old Testament
(; )
- I am the Lord your God, and there are no other gods besides Me.
- Do not make yourself any image; do not worship them or serve them.
- Don't remember yours in vain.
- Six days you shall work and do all your work, but the seventh is a day of rest, which you shall dedicate to the Lord your God.
- Honor your father and mother, may you be blessed on earth and have long life.
- Not .
- Not .
- Don't bear false witness.
- Not .
Nine Beatitudes of the New Testament
(Gospel according to)
To complete the 10 Old Testament commandments, Christ taught the 9 Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. In them the Lord outlined a pattern of life characteristic of His followers, Christians. Without canceling what was prescribed by the Old Testament, the Savior expands and elevates the meaning of the ancient commandments, instilling in people the desire for ideal perfection and outlining the path to this perfection.
The Beatitudes are a declaration of Christian moral values. It contains everything necessary for a person to enter the true fullness of life. All the Beatitudes speak of the rewards that those who are faithful to Christ will receive: those who mourn will be comforted, those who hunger for righteousness will be satisfied, the meek will inherit the earth, the pure in heart will see God. But already now, by fulfilling the commandments of Christ, a person receives consolation and joy on the eve of the fullness of existence - the advent of the Kingdom of God.
And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:
1. Blessed are they, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
2. Blessed are they for they will be comforted.
3. Blessed are they for they will inherit the earth.
4. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they will be satisfied.
5. Blessed are they, for they will receive mercy.
6. Blessed are the pure, for they will see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
8. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
9. Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and slander you in every way unjustly because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven (...).
The Ten Commandments were given to the Old Testament tribes to keep wild and rude people from evil. The Beatitudes were given to Christians to show what spiritual dispositions they should have in order to draw closer and closer to God and achieve holiness. Holiness, born of closeness to God, is the highest bliss that a person can desire. The Old Testament Law is the law of strict truth, and the New Testament Law is the law of Divine love and grace. They do not contradict, but complement each other.
The content of all the commandments of both the Old and New Testaments can be summarized in two commandments given by Christ: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is similar to it - love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other greater commandment than these.”(, ). And the Lord also gave us faithful guidance on what to do: “As you would have people do to you, do so to them, for this is the law and the prophets.”() .
“God in His Commandments commands us to do something and not do something else, not because He “just wants to.” Everything that God commanded us to do is beneficial to us, and everything that God forbade us to do is harmful.
Even an ordinary person who loves his child teaches him: “drink carrot juice - it’s healthy, don’t eat a lot of sweets - it’s harmful.” But the child doesn’t like carrot juice, and he doesn’t understand why eating a lot of candy is harmful: after all, candy is sweet, but carrot juice is not. That's why he resists his father's word, pushes away the glass of juice and throws a tantrum, demanding more sweets.
Likewise, we, adult “children,” strive more for what gives us pleasure and reject what does not suit our whims. And by rejecting the Word of the Heavenly Father, we commit sin.”
Archpriest Alexander Torik, .
Why do 80% of baptized people answer the question about what commandments there are, without saying a word: “Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal”? Why are they called the sixth and eighth commandments of the Old Testament? Not the first, not the third, not the tenth?.. I thought about this for a long time and came to an interesting conclusion: out of all the commandments, a person chooses those to fulfill which he nothing needs to be done. “I didn’t kill, I didn’t steal - I’m a great guy, and leave me alone!” Do you know the seventh commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” why they skip it? Yes, a very “inconvenient” commandment in our dissolute times. So man deceives himself, choosing from the law of God only what is convenient for him, and consciously or unconsciously trampling on what prevents him from living in his own way. Lawyers say that ignorance of the law does not excuse one from responsibility. This is also true in relation to spiritual life, and precisely because knowledge (or ignorance) of the law depends entirely on us, on our good or bad will. ...
By breaking the commandments, a person does not even insult God. God is holy and cannot be mocked. But a person cripples his own life and the lives of his loved ones, because the commandments are not some kind of shackles: life is already difficult, and then some other commandments must be kept! No, it's not like that. The commandments of God are precisely the conditions for a normal, fulfilling, healthy and joyful life for every person. And if a person violates these commandments, he harms, first of all, himself and his loved ones.
priest Dimitry Shishkin
From the Sermon on the Mount, and above all from the Beatitudes, it follows that a person must cleanse himself of passions, cleanse his heart of all thoughts that dwell in it, and acquire humility of spirit in order to become worthy of seeing God. The word of Christ is clear:
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God...
().
The Beatitudes show the spiritual path of man, the path of deification, the path that leads to healing. Consciousness of one's own spiritual poverty, that is, awareness of the passions that have taken root in the heart leads a person to repentance and blessed sorrow. To the extent of the depth of this sorrow, Divine consolation comes to his soul. It is on this path that a person gains humility and inner peace. Living in spiritual humility, he is even stronger thirsts for God's justification and strives to keep God’s commandments in his daily life. By keeping the commandments of God, he is granted knowledge favors God's and purifies your heart even more. IN cleansing the soul and this is the purpose of the commandments. Some of them relate to the purification of the rational, others to the purification of the irritable nature of the soul. And when the soul is cleansed of passions, a person achieves the contemplation of God.
The Beatitudes reveal the essence of spiritual life and the way to heal a person. A person who keeps the commandments is sealed with the seal of the Holy Spirit and becomes a member of the Body of Christ, a temple of the All-Holy Spirit.
Let none of us think: we go to God, we pray, making many bows, and for this we will receive the Kingdom of Heaven. No; the one who keeps the commandments of God will receive it.
Reverend
They often say: in order to be a Christian, you must fulfill the commandments of Christ. Certainly; however, the commandments of Christ are not orders that He gives us: they say, we must live this way, we must live that way, and if you do not live this way, you will be punished for it... No, the commandments of Christ are His attempt to figuratively show us how we could would be, if you become and be a real, worthy person. Therefore, the commandment of Christ is not a command, but a revelation before our eyes about what we are called to be and can be; what we, therefore, should be.
metropolitan, « »
If it is difficult to be a Christian, it is not because the Lord’s commandments are difficult, but only because the power of sin, the hereditary corruption of soul and body, is great.
Professor
At the time of Jesus, according to tradition, there were 613 prohibitions and injunctions, but by the same time a tradition had developed of reducing them to a much smaller number.
Thus, the psalmist king David reduced all the commandments to just eleven ():
God! who can dwell in Your habitation?who can dwell on Your holy mountain?
He who walks uprightly and does what is right,
and speaks the truth in his heart;
who does not slander with his tongue,
does not harm anyone sincerely
and does not accept reproach against his neighbor;
the one in whose eyes the outcast is despised,
but who glorifies those who fear the Lord;
who swears, even to an evil person, and does not change;
who does not lend his silver at interest
and does not accept gifts against the innocent.
He who does this will never be shaken.
The Prophet Isaiah further reduced the number of commandments and brought it to six (): One who walks in righteousness and speaks the truth; He who despises self-interest from oppression, keeps his hands from taking bribes, stops his ears so as not to hear about bloodshed, closes his eyes so as not to see evil;he will dwell on the heights...
The Prophet Micah () limited himself to only three commandments: Oh man! It has been told to you what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
The Prophet Isaiah elsewhere () mentions two commandments: Thus says the Lord: maintain judgment and do righteousness...
Finally, the prophet Amos () summarized all the commandments to one: For this is what the Lord says to the house of Israel: Seek Me and you will live.
Gospel commandments, Commandments of Christ - the commandments set out within the framework of the New Testament, given to the disciples by Jesus Christ. These commandments are the basis of Christian morality and Christian doctrine itself. The most important part of these commandments are the Beatitudes given in the Sermon on the Mount.
Commandments of loveMain article: Commandments of love
In answer to the scribe’s question about the greatest, most important of all the commandments, Jesus Christ calls the greatest two commandments, about loving God and loving your neighbor as yourself. The spirit of these two commandments permeates the entire messianic teaching of Christ.
37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 The second is similar to it: Love your neighbor as yourself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 22:37-40
BeatitudesMain article: Beatitudes
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of unjust things against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven: just as they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
(Mt 5:3-12)
[edit] Other commandments of the Sermon on the MountMain article: Sermon on the Mount
21 You have heard that it was said to the ancients: Do not kill; whoever kills will be subject to judgment.
22 But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without cause will be subject to judgment; whoever says * to his brother: “cancer” is subject to the Sanhedrin; and whoever says: “madman” is subject to fiery hell.
23 So if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something * against you,
24 Leave your gift there before the altar, and go, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 Make peace with your adversary quickly, while you are still on the way with him, lest your adversary hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the servant, and you be thrown into prison;
26 Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid the last coin.
27 You have heard that it was said to the ancients, “You shall not commit adultery.”
28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away from you, for it is better for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.
31 It is also said that if a man divorces his wife, he should give her a divorce decree.
32 But I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for the guilt of adultery, gives her cause to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
33 Again you have heard what was said to the ancients: Do not break your oath, but fulfill your oaths to the Lord.
34 But I say to you: do not swear at all: not by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King;
36 Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.
37 But let your word be: yea, yea; no no; and anything beyond this is from the evil one.
38 You have heard that it was said: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
39 But I say to you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other also to him;
40 And whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your outer garment too;
41 And whoever forces you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles.
42 Give to the one who asks from you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
43 You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you,
45 May you be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don't publicans do the same?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what special thing are you doing? Don't the pagans do the same?
48 Therefore be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.
(Mt 5:21-48)
1 Be careful that you do not do your alms in front of people so that they will see you: otherwise you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room and, having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.
14 For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
15 But if you do not forgive people their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
16 Also, when you fast, do not be sad, like the hypocrites, for they put on gloomy faces in order to appear to people as fasting. Truly I tell you that they are already receiving their reward.
17 And you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
18 That you may appear to those who fast, not before men, but before your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.
19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal,
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal,
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
24 No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one and neglectful of the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will wear. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing? Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
(Mt 6, 1, 3, 6, 14-21, 24-25)
1 Judge not, lest ye be judged,
2 For with the judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the plank that is in your own eye?
4 Or how will you say to your brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,” and behold, there is a plank in your eye?
5 Hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see how to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
21 Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord!” Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven.
(Matthew 7, 1-5, 21)
Other commandments of Jesus Christ8 But you are not called teachers, for you have one Teacher - Christ, yet you are brothers;
9 And call no one on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven;
10 And do not be called instructors, for you have only one instructor—Christ.
11 The greatest of you shall be your servant:
12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
(Mt 23:8-12)
Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into temptation: the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
(Matt. 26:41)
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, let you also love one another.
(John 13:34)
The numbers on the left indicate the verse numbers. Chapter numbers are indicated at the end of the blocks.
26 So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, and nothing secret that will not be known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, speak in the light; and whatever you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.
- Matthew, chapter 10.
People who are far from the Church and have no experience of spiritual life often see in Christianity only prohibitions and restrictions. This is a very primitive view.
In Orthodoxy everything is harmonious and natural. The spiritual world, as well as the physical world, has its own laws, which, like the laws of nature, cannot be violated; this will lead to great damage and even disaster. Both physical and spiritual laws are given by God Himself. We constantly encounter warnings, restrictions and prohibitions in our daily lives, and not a single normal person would say that all these regulations are unnecessary and unreasonable. The laws of physics contain many dire warnings, as do the laws of chemistry. There is a well-known school saying: “First water, then acid, otherwise big trouble will happen!” We go to work - they have their own safety rules, you need to know and follow them. We go out into the street, get behind the wheel - we must follow the rules of the road, which contain a lot of prohibitions. And so it is everywhere, in every area of life.
Freedom is not permissiveness, but the right to choose: a person can make the wrong choice and suffer greatly. The Lord gives us great freedom, but at the same time warns of dangers on the path of life. As the Apostle Paul says: Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial(1 Cor 10:23). If a person ignores spiritual laws, lives as he wants, regardless of moral standards or the people around him, he loses his freedom, damages his soul and causes great harm to himself and others. Sin is a violation of very subtle and strict laws of spiritual nature; it primarily harms the sinner himself.
God wants people to be happy, to love Him, to love each other and not to harm themselves and others, therefore He gave us commandments. They express spiritual laws, they teach how to live and build relationships with God and people. Just as parents warn their children about danger and teach them about life, so our Heavenly Father gives us the necessary instructions. The commandments were given to people back in the Old Testament, we talked about this in the section on Old Testament biblical history. New Testament people, Christians, are required to keep the Ten Commandments. Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill(Mt 5:17) says the Lord Jesus Christ.
The main law of the spiritual world is the law of love for God and people.
All ten commandments say this. They were given to Moses in the form of two stone slabs - tablets, on one of which the first four commandments were written, speaking about love for the Lord, and on the second - the remaining six. They talk about attitude towards neighbors. When our Lord Jesus Christ was asked: What is the greatest commandment in the law?- He replied: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind: this is the first and greatest commandment; the second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself; on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets(Mt 22:36-40).
What does it mean? The fact is that if a person has truly achieved true love for God and others, he cannot break any of the Ten Commandments, because they all talk about love for God and people. And we must strive for this perfect love.
Let's consider ten commandments of God's law:
- I am the Lord your God; Let you have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; do not worship them or serve them.
- Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; Six days you shall work and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
- Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.
- Dont kill.
- Don't commit adultery.
- Don't steal.
- Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.
First commandment
I am the Lord your God; Let you have no other gods before Me.
The Lord is the Creator of the Universe and the spiritual world. He is the First Cause of everything that exists. Our entire beautiful, harmonious and very complex world could not have arisen by itself. Behind all this beauty and harmony is the Creative Mind. To believe that everything that exists arose on its own, without God, is nothing less than madness. The madman said in his heart: “There is no God”(Ps 13:1), says the prophet David. God is not only the Creator, but also our Father. He cares and provides for people and everything created by Him; without His care the world could not exist.
God is the Source of all good things, and man must strive for Him, for only in God does he receive life. We need to conform all our actions and actions to the will of God: whether they will be pleasing to God or not. So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Cor 10:31). The main means of communication with God are prayer and the Holy Sacraments, in which we receive the grace of God, Divine energy.
Let us repeat: God wants people to glorify Him correctly, that is, Orthodoxy.
For us there can be only one God, glorified in the Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and we, Orthodox Christians, cannot have other gods.
Sins against the first commandment are:
- atheism (denial of God);
- lack of faith, doubt, superstition, when people mix faith with unbelief or all kinds of signs and other remnants of paganism; those who say: “I have God in my soul” also sin against the first commandment, but do not go to church and do not approach the Sacraments or do so rarely;
- paganism (polytheism), belief in false gods, Satanism, occultism and esotericism; this includes magic, witchcraft, healing, extrasensory perception, astrology, fortune telling and turning to people involved in all this for help;
- false opinions contrary to the Orthodox faith, and falling away from the Church into schism, false teachings and sects;
- renunciation of faith, relying on one’s own strength and on people more than on God; this sin is also associated with lack of faith.
Second Commandment
You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; do not worship them or serve them.
The second commandment prohibits worshiping a creature instead of the Creator. We know what paganism and idolatry are. This is what the Apostle Paul writes about the pagans: calling themselves wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image similar to corruptible man, and birds, and four-legged creatures, and reptiles... They replaced the truth of God with a lie... and served the creature instead of the Creator(Rom 1, 22-23, 25). The Old Testament people of Israel, to whom these commandments were originally given, were the custodians of faith in the True God. It was surrounded on all sides by pagan peoples and tribes, and in order to warn the Jews not to adopt pagan customs and beliefs under any circumstances, the Lord establishes this commandment. Nowadays there are few pagans and idolaters among us, although polytheism and the worship of idols exist, for example, in India, Africa, South America, and some other countries. Even here in Russia, where Christianity has been around for over a thousand years, some are trying to revive paganism.
Sometimes you can hear accusations against the Orthodox: they say, veneration of icons is idolatry. The veneration of holy icons cannot in any way be called idolatry. Firstly, we offer prayers of worship not to the icon itself, but to the Person who is depicted on the icon - God. Looking at the image, we ascend with our minds to the Prototype. Also, through the icon, we ascend in mind and heart to the Mother of God and the saints.
Sacred images were made back in the Old Testament at the command of God Himself. The Lord commanded Moses to place golden images of Cherubim in the first mobile Old Testament temple (tabernacle). Already in the first centuries of Christianity, in the Roman catacombs (meeting places of the first Christians) there were wall images of Christ in the form of the Good Shepherd, the Mother of God with raised hands and other sacred images. All these frescoes were found during excavations.
Although there are few direct idolaters left in the modern world, many people create idols for themselves, worship them and make sacrifices. For many, their passions and vices became such idols, requiring constant sacrifices. Some people have been captured by them and can no longer do without them; they serve them as if they were their masters, because: whoever is defeated by someone is his slave(2 Pet 2:19). Let us recall these idols of passion: gluttony, fornication, love of money, anger, sadness, despondency, vanity, pride. The Apostle Paul compares serving the passions with idolatry: covetousness... is idolatry(Col 3:5). Indulging in passion, a person stops thinking about God and serving Him. He also forgets about love for his neighbors.
Sins against the second commandment also include passionate attachment to any business, when this hobby becomes a passion. Idolatry is also the worship of any person. Many people in modern society treat popular artists, singers, and athletes as idols.
Third Commandment
Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
To take the name of God in vain means in vain, that is, not in prayer, not in spiritual conversations, but during idle conversations or out of habit. It is an even greater sin to pronounce the name of God in jest. And it is a very serious sin to pronounce the name of God with the desire to blaspheme God. Also a sin against the third commandment is blasphemy, when holy objects become the subject of ridicule and reproach. Failure to fulfill vows made to God and frivolous oaths invoking the name of God are also violations of this commandment.
The name of God is holy. It must be treated with reverence.
Saint Nicholas of Serbia. Parable
One goldsmith sat in his shop at his workbench and, while working, constantly took the name of God in vain: sometimes as an oath, sometimes as a favorite word. A certain pilgrim, returning from holy places, passing by the shop, heard this, and his soul was indignant. Then he called out to the jeweler to go outside. And when the master left, the pilgrim hid. The jeweler, not seeing anyone, returned to the shop and continued working. The pilgrim called out to him again, and when the jeweler came out, he pretended to know nothing. The master, angry, returned to his room and began to work again. The pilgrim called out to him for the third time and, when the master came out again, he stood silently again, pretending that he had nothing to do with it. The jeweler furiously attacked the pilgrim:
- Why are you calling me in vain? What a joke! I'm full of work!
The pilgrim answered peacefully:
“Truly, the Lord God has even more work to do, but you call on Him much more often than I call on you.” Who has the right to be angry more: you or the Lord God?
The jeweler, ashamed, returned to the workshop and from then on kept his mouth shut.
Fourth Commandment
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; Six days you shall work and do all your work, and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
The Lord created this world in six days and, having completed creation, blessed the seventh day as a day of rest: consecrated it; for in it he rested from all His works, which God created and created(Genesis 2, 3).
In the Old Testament, the day of rest was the Sabbath. In New Testament times, the holy day of rest became Sunday, when the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead is remembered. This day is the seventh and most important day for Christians. Sunday is also called Little Easter. The custom of honoring Sunday comes from the times of the holy apostles. On Sunday, Christians must attend the Divine Liturgy. On this day it is very good to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. We dedicate Sunday to prayer, spiritual reading, and pious activities. On Sunday, as a day free from ordinary work, you can help your neighbors or visit the sick, provide assistance to the infirm and elderly. It is customary on this day to thank God for the past week and prayerfully ask for blessings on the work of the coming week.
You can often hear from people who are far from the Church or have little church life that they do not have time for home prayer and visiting church. Yes, modern people are sometimes very busy, but even busy people still have a lot of free time to often and for a long time talk on the phone with friends and relatives, read newspapers, and sit for hours in front of the TV and computer. Spending their evenings like this, they do not want to devote even a very short time to the evening prayer rule and read the Gospel.
People who honor Sundays and church holidays, pray in church, and regularly read morning and evening prayers, as a rule, manage to do much more than those who spend this time in idleness. The Lord blesses their labors, increases their strength and gives them His help.
Fifth Commandment
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.
Those who love and honor their parents are promised not only a reward in the Kingdom of Heaven, but even blessings, prosperity and many years in earthly life. To honor parents means to respect them, to show obedience to them, to help them, to take care of them in old age, to pray for their health and salvation, and after their death - for the repose of their souls.
People often ask: how can you love and honor parents who do not care for their children, neglect their responsibilities, or fall into serious sins? We don’t choose our parents; the fact that we have them like this and not some others is God’s will. Why did God give us such parents? In order for us to show the best Christian qualities: patience, love, humility, the ability to forgive.
Through our parents, God gave us life. Thus, no amount of caring for our parents can compare with what we received from them. Here is what St. John Chrysostom writes about this: “Just as they gave birth to you, you cannot give birth to them. Therefore, if in this we are inferior to them, then we will surpass them in another respect through respect for them, not only according to the law of nature, but also primarily before nature, according to the feeling of the fear of God. The will of God decisively demands that parents be revered by their children, and rewards those who do this with great blessings and gifts, and punishes those who violate this law with great and grave misfortunes.” By honoring our father and mother, we learn to honor God Himself, our Heavenly Father. Parents can be called co-workers with the Lord. They gave us a body, and God put an immortal soul in us.
If a person does not honor his parents, he can very easily come to disrespect and deny God. At first he does not respect his parents, then he stops loving his Motherland, then he denies his mother Church and gradually comes to denying God. All this is interconnected. It is not without reason that when they want to shake the state, to destroy its foundations from within, they first of all take up arms against the Church - faith in God - and the family. Family, respect for elders, customs and traditions (translated from Latin - broadcast) hold society together and make people strong.
Sixth Commandment
Dont kill.
Murder, taking the life of another person, and suicide are among the most serious sins.
Suicide is a terrible spiritual crime. This is rebellion against God, who gave us the precious gift of life. Committing suicide, a person leaves life in a terrible darkness of spirit, mind, in a state of despair and despondency. He can no longer repent of this sin; there is no repentance beyond the grave.
A person who takes the life of another through negligence is also guilty of murder, but his guilt is less than that of one who deliberately encroaches on the life of another. Also guilty of murder is the one who contributed to this: for example, a husband who did not dissuade his wife from having an abortion or even contributed to it himself.
People who shorten their lives and harm their health through bad habits, vices and sins also sin against the sixth commandment.
Any harm caused to one's neighbor is also a violation of this commandment. Hatred, malice, beatings, bullying, insults, curses, anger, gloating, rancor, malice, unforgiveness of insults - all these are sins against the commandment “thou shalt not kill”, because everyone who hates his brother is a murderer(1 John 3:15), says the word of God.
In addition to bodily murder, there is an equally terrible murder - spiritual, when someone seduces, seduces a neighbor into unbelief or pushes him to commit a sin and thereby destroys his soul.
Saint Philaret of Moscow writes that “not every taking of life is a criminal murder. Murder is not unlawful when life is taken by office, such as: when a criminal is punished with death by justice; when they kill the enemy in the war for the Fatherland.”
Seventh Commandment
Don't commit adultery.
This commandment prohibits sins against the family, adultery, all carnal relations between a man and a woman outside of legal marriage, carnal perversions, as well as unclean desires and thoughts.
The Lord established the marriage union and blessed carnal communication in it, which serves childbearing. Husband and wife are no longer two, but one flesh(Genesis 2:24). The presence of marriage is another (though not the most important) difference between us and animals. Animals do not have marriage. People have marriage, mutual responsibility, duties to each other and to children.
What is blessed in marriage, outside of marriage is a sin, a violation of the commandment. The conjugal union unites a man and a woman in one flesh for mutual love, birth and raising of children. Any attempt to steal the joys of marriage without mutual trust and the responsibility that a marriage implies is a serious sin, which, according to the testimony of Holy Scripture, deprives a person of the Kingdom of God (see: 1 Cor 6:9).
An even more serious sin is the violation of marital fidelity or the destruction of someone else's marriage. Cheating not only destroys a marriage, but also defiles the soul of the one who cheats. You can’t build happiness on someone else’s grief. There is a law of spiritual balance: having sowed evil, sin, we will reap evil, and our sin will return to us. Shameless talking and failure to guard one's feelings are also violations of the seventh commandment.
Eighth Commandment
Don't steal.
A violation of this commandment is the appropriation of someone else's property - both public and private. Types of theft can be varied: robbery, theft, deception in trade matters, bribery, bribery, tax evasion, parasitism, sacrilege (that is, appropriation of church property), all kinds of scams, fraud and fraud. In addition, sins against the eighth commandment include all dishonesty: lies, deception, hypocrisy, flattery, sycophancy, people-pleasing, since by doing this people are trying to acquire something (for example, the favor of their neighbor) dishonestly.
“You can’t build a house with stolen goods,” says a Russian proverb. And again: “No matter how tight the rope is, the end will come.” By profiting from the appropriation of someone else's property, a person will sooner or later pay for it. A sin committed, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is sure to return. A man familiar to the authors of this book accidentally hit and scratched the fender of his neighbor's car in the yard. But he didn’t tell him anything and didn’t compensate him for the damage. After some time, in a completely different place, far from his home, his own car was also scratched and they fled the scene. The blow was struck on the same wing that he damaged his neighbor.
The passion of love of money leads to violation of the commandment “Thou shalt not steal.” It was she who led Judas to betrayal. The Evangelist John directly calls him a thief (see: John 12:6).
The passion of covetousness is overcome by cultivating non-covetousness, charity towards the poor, hard work, honesty and growth in spiritual life, for attachment to money and other material values always stems from lack of spirituality.
Ninth Commandment
Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
With this commandment, the Lord prohibits not only direct false testimony against one’s neighbor, for example in court, but also all lies spoken about other people, such as slander, false denunciations. The sin of idle talk, so common and everyday for modern man, is also very often associated with sins against the ninth commandment. In idle conversations, gossip, gossip, and sometimes slander and slander are constantly born. During an idle conversation, it is very easy to say unnecessary things, to divulge other people’s secrets and secrets entrusted to you, and to put your neighbor in a difficult position. “My tongue is my enemy,” people say, and indeed our language can bring great benefit to us and our neighbors, or it can do great harm. The Apostle James says that with our tongues we sometimes we bless God and the Father, and with it we curse men, created in the likeness of God(James 3:9). We sin against the ninth commandment not only when we slander our neighbor, but also when we agree with what others say, thereby participating in the sin of condemnation.
Judge not lest ye be judged(Matthew 7:1), the Savior warns. To condemn means to judge, to boldly admire a right that belongs only to God. Only the Lord, who knows the past, present and future of man, can judge His creation.
The story of St. John of Savvaitsky
One day a monk from a neighboring monastery came to me, and I asked him how the fathers lived. He answered: “Okay, according to your prayers.” Then I asked about the monk who did not enjoy good fame, and the guest told me: “He has not changed at all, father!” Hearing this, I exclaimed: “Bad!” And as soon as I said this, I immediately felt as if in delight and saw Jesus Christ crucified between two thieves. I was about to worship the Savior, when suddenly He turned to the approaching Angels and said to them: “Cast him out, - this is the Antichrist, for he condemned his brother before My Judgment.” And when, according to the word of the Lord, I was driven out, my robe was left at the door, and then I woke up. “Woe is me,” I then said to the brother who came, “I am angry this day!” "Why is that?" - he asked. Then I told him about the vision and noticed that the mantle I left behind meant that I was deprived of God’s protection and help. And from that time I spent seven years wandering through the deserts, not eating bread, not going under shelter, not talking to people, until I saw my Lord, who returned my mantle to me.
That's how scary it is to make a judgment about a person.
Tenth Commandment
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.
This commandment prohibits envy and grumbling. It is impossible not only to do evil to people, but even to have sinful, envious thoughts against them. Any sin begins with a thought, with a thought about something. A person begins to envy the property and money of his neighbors, then the thought arises in his heart to steal this property from his brother, and soon he puts sinful dreams into action.
Envy of the wealth, talents, and health of our neighbors kills our love for them; envy, like acid, eats away at the soul. An envious person has difficulty communicating with others. He is delighted by the sorrow and grief that befell those whom he envied. This is why the sin of envy is so dangerous: it is the seed of other sins. An envious person also sins against God, he does not want to be content with what the Lord sends him, he blames his neighbors and God for all his troubles. Such a person will never be happy and satisfied with life, because happiness depends not on earthly goods, but on the state of a person’s soul. The kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). It begins here on earth, with the correct spiritual structure of man. The ability to see the gifts of God in every day of your life, to appreciate them and thank God for them is the key to human happiness.
In this article we have listed the Ten Commandments of Christianity. We have also prepared for you an interpretation of God's laws.
Ten Commandments of Christianity
These are the Commandments that the Lord God of Hosts gave to the people through His chosen one and the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 20:2-17):
- Dont kill.
- Don't commit adultery.
- Don't steal.
Truly, this law is short, but these commandments say a lot to anyone who knows how to think and who seeks the salvation of his soul.
Anyone who does not understand this main law of God in his heart will not be able to accept either Christ or His teachings. Whoever does not learn to swim in shallow water will not be able to swim in deep water, for he will drown. And whoever does not first learn to walk will not be able to run, for he will fall and be broken. And whoever does not first learn to count to ten will never be able to count thousands. And whoever does not first learn to read syllables will never be able to read fluently and speak eloquently. And whoever does not first lay the foundation of the house will try in vain to build a roof.
I repeat: whoever does not keep the commandments of the Lord given to Moses will knock in vain on the doors of Christ’s Kingdom.
FIRST COMMANDMENT
I am the Lord your God... You shall have no other gods before Me.
This means:
God is One, and there are no other gods besides Him. All creation comes from Him, thanks to Him they live and return to Him. In God resides all power and might, and there is no power outside of God. And the power of light, and the power of water, and air, and stone is the power of God. If an ant crawls, a fish swims and a bird flies, then it is thanks to God. The ability of a seed to grow, of grass to breathe, of a person to live - the essence of the ability of God. All these abilities are the property of God, and every creation receives its ability to exist from God. The Lord gives to everyone as much as he sees fit, and takes back when he sees fit. Therefore, when you want to gain the ability to do anything, look only in God, for the Lord God is the source of life-giving and mighty power. There are no other sources besides Him. Pray to the Lord like this:
“Merciful God, inexhaustible, the only source of strength, strengthen me, weak, and give me greater strength so that I can better serve You. God, give me wisdom so that I do not use the power I have received from You for evil, but only for the good of myself and my neighbors for the magnification of Your glory. Amen".
SECOND COMMANDMENT
You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth.
It means:
Do not deify the creation instead of the Creator. If you climbed a high mountain, where you met the Lord God, why would you look back at the reflection in the puddle under the mountain? If a certain person longed to see the king and, after much effort, managed to appear before him, why would he then look left and right at the king’s servants? He can look around for two reasons: either because he does not dare to face the king alone, or because he thinks: the king alone cannot help him.
THIRD COMMANDMENT
Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain.
What, are there really people who decide to commemorate, without reason or need, a name that awes - the name of the Lord God Almighty? When the name of God is pronounced in the sky, the heavens bow, the stars flash brighter, the Archangels and Angels sing: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts,” and the saints and saints of God fall on their faces. Then which mortal dares to remember the Most Holy Name of God without spiritual trembling and without deep sighing from longing for God?
FOURTH COMMANDMENT
Work six days and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God.
This means:
The Creator created for six days, and on the seventh day He rested from His labors. Six days are temporary, vain and short-lived, but the seventh is eternal, peaceful and long-lasting. By creating the world, the Lord God entered time, but did not leave eternity. This mystery is great...(Eph. 5:32), and it is more fitting to think about it than to talk about it, for it is not accessible to everyone, but only to God’s chosen ones.
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT
Honor your father and your mother, so that your days on earth may be long.
This means:
Before you knew the Lord God, your parents knew Him. This alone is enough for you to bow to them with respect and give praise. Bow down and give praise to everyone who knew the Highest Good in this world before you.
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT
Dont kill.
This means:
God breathed life from His life into every created being. Life is the most precious wealth given by God. Therefore, the one who encroaches on any life on earth raises his hand against the most precious gift of God, moreover, against the life of God itself. All of us living today are only temporary carriers of the life of God within ourselves, guardians of the most precious gift that belongs to God. Therefore, we do not have the right and cannot take away the life borrowed from God, either from ourselves or from others.
SEVENTH COMMANDMENT
Don't commit adultery.
And this means:
Do not have an illicit relationship with a woman. Truly, in this, animals are more obedient to God than many people.
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT
Don't steal.
And this means:
Do not upset your neighbor by disrespecting his property rights. Don't do what foxes and mice do if you think you are better than the fox and the mouse. The fox steals without knowing the law on theft; and the mouse gnaws at the barn, not realizing that it is harming anyone. Both the fox and the mouse understand only their own needs, but not the loss of others. They are not given to understand, but you are given. Therefore, you cannot be forgiven for what is forgiven for a fox and a mouse. Your benefit must always be legal, it must not be to the detriment of your neighbor.
THE NINTH COMMANDMENT
Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
A this means:
Do not be deceitful, either to yourself or to others. If you lie about yourself, you know you are lying. But if you slander someone else, that other person knows that you are slandering him.
THE TENTH COMMANDMENT
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; You shall not covet your neighbor's wife; neither his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's.
And this means:
As soon as you desire something that belongs to someone else, you have already fallen into sin. Now the question is, will you come to your senses, will you come to your senses, or will you continue to roll down the inclined plane, where the desire of someone else is taking you?
Desire is the seed of sin. A sinful act is already a harvest from the seed sown and grown.
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