Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. (Deuteronomy 6:4–6, ESV)
I’ve got a quiz for you. Fill in the blanks below for the 10 Commandments (click here for print version):
10 Commandments Quiz
1st Commandment
You shall have no ___________ ____________.
2nd Commandment
You shall not______________ the________________ of the Lord your God.
3rd Commandment
Remember the _____________ ___________ by keeping it holy.
4th Commandment
Honor your____________ and your _______________.
5th Commandment
You shall not ________________.
6th Commandment
You shall not ______________ _____________.
7th Commandment
You shall not _____________.
8th Commandment
You shall not give false______________ against your ______________.
9th Commandment
You shall not_______________ your neighbor’s _______________.
10th Commandment
You shall not covet your neighbor’s ______________, or his manservant or maidservant, his_____________ or donkey, or anything that belongs to your _____________.
Answers are at the bottom of this post.
When Martin Luther wrote the Small Catechism, he included 6 Chief Parts. They included the 10 Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Confession, and the Lord’s Supper. These Chief parts were not original to Luther. Luther did not write the 10 Commandments – God did. But what Luther did was to identify these basic fundamentals faith.
Fundamentals are so very important. You could not be a baseball player if you did not know the fundamentals of how to throw a ball and swing a bat. You could not read and write without the mastering the basic fundamental of the alphabet. Before a person can advance to more complicated aspects of a skill they must master the fundamentals in such a way that they do not even need to think about them.
So how are you doing at the fundamentals of the faith? Consider the quiz above. How have you done with the fundamental 10 Commandments?
Our Verse of the Week this week is an encouragement to rehearse the fundamentals of the faith. Don’t leave the Word on the pages of the book. Take it from the pages of the book and put it in your mind. And from your mind, put it in your heart. Learn it. Memorize it. Internalize it. Live it.
Fully mastering the fundamentals of faith is a life-long endeavor we will never achieve in this lifetime. As a way of working towards mastering this basic fundamental of faith, take some time to review the commandments. Then write out what it means to you. Consider the deeper and fuller meaning. The 5th Commandment is: “You shall not murder.” You likely have not taken the life of another human being. You may not think the commandment applies to you. But what would be the opposite of murder. It would be actively pursuing and working to protect, preserve, and improve the lives of others. What opportunities has God put before you to do that?
In the end, sin is not just defined by what we do. We also sin through the things we fail to do.
The 10 Commandments
1st Commandment
You shall have no other gods.
2nd Commandment
You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
3rd Commandment
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
4th Commandment
Honor your father and your mother.
5th Commandment
You shall not murder.
6th Commandment
You shall not commit adultery.
7th Commandment
You shall not steal.
8th Commandment
You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
9th Commandment
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.
10th Commandment
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
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