Ever eaten a salad and gotten a big piece of green stuck in your teeth? And you didn’t realize it was there until you looked in the mirror? (Because no one ever told you!)
Once you noticed it, did you rub your tooth against the mirror to clean it?
Of course not!
The purpose of the mirror is to show you the food in your teeth—not clean the food out.
The Ten Commandments (also called the Decalogue or the Law of Moses) were established in the Old Testament to serve a similar purpose. They can’t do anything to forgive us or cleanse us. But they show us what sin is and isn’t—and they help us understand how the kingdom of God works.
For this reason, Seventh-day Adventists view the Ten Commandments as the foundation for a Christian life. They teach us how to love God and how to love others.
We allow them to shape our daily decisions—not as a means of earning salvation, but because Jesus Christ has saved us and we want to live by His principles of love.
Let’s delve into this topic by answering the following questions:
- What is the role of the Ten Commandments for Adventists?
- Why are they important to us?
- How do we apply them to our daily lives?
What is the role of the Ten Commandments for Adventists?
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The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5) are our guidelines for Christian living—which really boils down to love toward God and our fellow human beings. They help us recognize what sin is, or what practices and behaviors are contrary to acts based on love.
Then, they lead us to Jesus—the only one who can cleanse us, set us on the right path, and empower us to live in a way that reflects His love, grace, and mercy.
Jesus Himself affirmed the importance of the Law of God. When asked what the greatest commandment is, He said:
“‘…Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands’” (Matthew 22:37-40, CSB).
In other words, Jesus summarized it as love to God and love to humankind.
And this law is the foundation of who God is (Psalm 119:172; Jeremiah 23:6)—meaning that it existed even before God gave it to Moses on Mount Sinai.
Photo by August de Richelieu
God gave it to the people of Israel because they had just come out of slavery in Egypt and needed to be reminded of the principles of the kingdom of God.
It was almost like having to parent young children. They had to learn all over again what it really meant to love God and others.
The first four commandments have to do with our relationship with God:
1. Having no other gods (Exodus 20:3)
2. Not worshiping idols (Exodus 20:4-6)
3. Respecting God’s name (Exodus 20:7)
4. Setting aside the Sabbath to spend with Him (Exodus 20:8-11)
And the last six show us how to relate to others:
5. Honoring parents (Exodus 20:12)
6. Not murdering (Exodus 20:13)
7. Not committing adultery (Exodus 20:14)
8. Not stealing (Exodus 20:15)
9. Being honest (Exodus 20:16)
10. Not coveting (Exodus 20:17)
By showing us these things, the Ten Commandments point out sin to us. Sin is breaking the law (1 John 3:4), or when we fail to love God or others. When we sin, the Ten Commandments reflect to us what/how we’ve done wrong, and the Holy Spirit helps bring about this conviction within us. Then, we turn to Jesus for cleansing and forgiveness.
The apostle Paul explains this idea:
“What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, ‘You shall not covet’” (Romans 7:7, NKJV).
He’s referring to the Ten Commandments because He mentions the tenth one as an example.
Paul goes on to make a critical point in Romans 7. The Ten Commandments show us how to live, but they can’t change our hearts (Romans 7:14-25). We would continue to struggle and fail if it weren’t for Jesus Christ, who writes His law on our hearts, helps us to mature in our character, and keeps us from falling back into the grasp of sin (Hebrews 8:10; Jude 24-25).
Why are the Ten Commandments important to us?
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The Ten Commandments are important to Adventists, first and foremost, because they are important to God. They are evidence of the way He has changed our lives. They also benefit our lives in countless ways, making them more enjoyable, peaceful, and harmonious.
Jesus Himself told His disciples:
“If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15, NKJV).
And though this verse reads like an instruction, it’s a description of what those who love Jesus do.
When we love Him, it’s natural to obey Him.
After Jesus’ time as a human on earth, the New Testament writer James gave the following instruction to all Christians—both Jews and non-Jews:
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty” (James 2:8-12, NKJV).
There’s no question which royal law James was referring to—he gives examples directly from the Ten Commandments. And he calls it the “law of liberty,” recognizing that true freedom comes from having healthy boundaries that respect the rights of others.
While keeping God’s law is loyalty toward Him, it also greatly benefits us. It promotes our peace and happiness as the Word of God emphasizes:
“My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you” (Proverbs 3:1-2, NKJV).
Liberty, a long life, peace—things we’d all like to have!
And the Ten Commandments make those qualities possible in so many areas of our lives:
- Morality and ethics—We live in a way that respects God and others.
- Home—We live with a focus on God and eternity rather than ourselves. This helps us to approach challenges with a selfless perspective and live in harmony with our family members.
- Social—The commandments set boundaries for our relationships, enabling them to flourish. They create a place of safety so that we can trust our loved ones.
- Work—When put into practice, they help us demonstrate consideration, integrity, and respect. This can be evident in the work we do, and overflow among the people we work with and the environment we work within.
- Society and government—They provide principles that help us establish effective laws of conduct and fairness, and they help us uphold the value of each human being.
Truly, imagine what the world would be like if everyone kept the commandments!
No murder, no child abuse, no affairs.
No disrespect of property, no theft, no dishonesty.
We can’t even comprehend it because of our sinful, evil world. But as Adventists, we strive to reflect this ideal and make the world a better place. Here’s what that looks like.
How do Adventists apply the commandments to their daily lives?
Keeping the commandments is more than just agreeing with them in theory. It’s more than posting a plaque on the wall. And though we most definitely see the Sabbath as an important commandment that should not be overlooked, we value all of the commandments and believe in practicing them in our lives.
In short, this looks like living out the selfless love of Christ.
But let’s get some more details.
1. “You shall have no other gods before me”
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The first commandment is about making God foremost in our lives.
Though we may not bow down or worship another deity, things in our lives can become “gods” that consume our time and attention. For example, someone could be so driven to make money that it slowly becomes the god of their lives—because that’s what they put all their effort, time, and thought into (Matthew 6:24).
In following the first commandment, we choose an eternal perspective rather than getting caught up with what we want, or even what we think we need. We seek His kingdom first rather than allowing things, ideas, people, or activities—even good ones—to rule our lives (Matthew 6:33).
On a practical level, it may look like:
- Taking time for “devotions”—prayer and Bible study—each day
- Memorizing Scripture to meditate on throughout the day
- Setting times in the day for family worship
- Making decisions according to God’s principles
- Keeping Him and His will as your highest priority
2. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image [idol]”
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Adventists obey this commandment by choosing not to use any objects to worship God—such as rosaries, crucifixes, incense, prayer beans, etc. That reduces the risk that the object becomes more of a focus than the God who deserves the worship.
But more than that, this commandment is a continuation of the first one. It leads us to be careful of any idols in our lives—things we can end up assigning more worth or priority in our lives than God, such as relationships, money, possessions, dreams for the future, or even ministry. Anything we can “idolize” can become an idol if we search for satisfaction and fulfillment from it instead of in God.
3. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”
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Most commonly, this commandment is regarded to mean that we should speak about God’s name in a respectful way. Yet respect for His name goes beyond what we say.
We have to ask ourselves:
If we profess to be Christians, His followers, do we live in a way that honors that name?
Are we accurately representing a loving, all-powerful God?
We also have to ask ourselves if we’re using the name of God for purposes that are “in vain,” or fruitless or meaningless in comparison to His perfect will.
For example, if someone tells another person to donate money to their personal ministry project “because God wants you to be generous”…that’s using God’s name in vain.
Yes, God wants us to be generous people! But no one has license to use God’s name to fit their own ambitions, needs, or goals, however justified or “right” those might seem.
Following this commandment means aspiring to live our lives with integrity toward the God we worship.
4. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”
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This commandment is the reason Adventists uphold the seventh-day Sabbath as a day of rest.
On this day, we avoid our daily work and instead focus on activities that nurture our relationship with God and with others, such as:
- Attending church to worship God
- Spending time with other believers
- Going for a walk in nature
- Singing at a nursing home
- Visiting and encouraging people who are sick
- Reading the Bible or another spiritual book
- And so much more!
5. “Honor your father and mother”
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Honoring parents is about respecting them, seeking to meet their wishes, and following their godly counsel.
The apostle Paul expands on this verse in Ephesians 6:1:
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (NKJV).
We are always called to respect our parents, but Paul clarifies that we should only obey them when doing so does not conflict with obeying the Lord.
In this command, God also calls us to respect and honor others who are older than us or in authority over us—such as grandparents, teachers, mentors, employers, and government officials.
6. “You shall not murder”
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The command against murder specifically applies to killing someone with the intent of hate. Jesus Himself noted that holding onto hatred was as bad as murder because it is the root of this sin (Matthew 5:21-22).
Most of us probably wouldn’t think of murdering someone, but for Adventists, this commandment is also about valuing and protecting life in general.
7. “You shall not commit adultery”
The seventh commandment protects the marriage commitment. It prohibits any behavior that would hurt marital faithfulness and break the trust and safety of that relationship (Hebrews 13:4). These include behaviors such as viewing pornography, harboring lustful [selfish] thoughts (Matthew 5:27-28), and sex outside of marriage (Galatians 5:19).
8. “You shall not steal”
It might be obvious that taking what doesn’t belong to you is wrong. But Adventists believe in following this commandment even in the more subtle areas:
- Being honest with our taxes
- Following laws of copyright
- Working faithfully when clocked in at work
9. “You shall not bear false witness”
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When you hear of “false witness,” you might think of the witness oath to tell “the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” But this commandment also has to do with honesty in our day-to-day relationships.
It means:
- Not gossiping
- Verifying information before passing it along
- Not telling white lies
- Not giving a wrong impression through body language
The idea is that we should realize how the things we say and do can affect how other people view someone. So we should avoid saying or doing things that might unfairly or inaccurately represent someone.
10. “You shall not covet”
Covetousness is an “eager or excessive desire, especially for wealth or possessions.”
In a society that is saturated in materialism, this may be one of our greatest temptations. Social media, advertisements, celebrities, movie or TV characters…these things constantly encourage us to want what we don’t have.
The latest car. The newest iPhone. The trending styles.
Keeping the tenth commandment, then, is really about contentment and gratitude for God’s gifts. 1 Timothy 6:6-7 reminds us:
“Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (NKJV).
The Ten Commandments help us thrive
To Adventists, keeping the Ten Commandments is not about saving ourselves by our works or doing enough good deeds to get into heaven.
Instead, it’s about allowing the Spirit of God to work in us so that we can live the most fulfilling lives possible. It’s about aligning with the way He designed us to thrive.
And truly, why wouldn’t we want to live in a way that leads to so much beauty, peace, and harmony?
In our selfishness, we become blind to those benefits. Sometimes it can feel so difficult to live a principled life when the people or situations around us don’t also uphold those principles. But when we allow Jesus to change us, He gives us a new mindset that longs to live in harmony with His plan (Ezekiel 36:26).
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