Sources: Gemini and ChatGPT

The 10 Commandments – Old Testament

Found in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5, they are:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. You shall not make idols.

3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord.

4. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.

5. Honor your father and your mother.

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness.

10. You shall not covet.

New Testament

While the New Testament does not present a brand-new list, it redefines, deepens, and shifts the emphasis of the Ten Commandments in several major ways:

1. Internalizing the Intent (The Sermon on the Mount)

In Matthew 5:21–28, Jesus expands the original prohibitions from external actions to internal motives and attitudes:

• Murder (6th): Upgraded to include harbored anger, hatred, or contempt toward others.
• Adultery (7th): Upgraded to include lustful intent in the heart.

2. Summarizing into Two Core Commands

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus condenses the Law into two directives:

1. Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind (summarizes Commandments 1–4).
2. Love your neighbor as yourself (summarizes Commandments 5–10).

Jesus concludes that “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

3. Reaffirming Nine, Leaving Out One

Throughout the New Testament epistles (e.g., Romans 13:8–10, Ephesians 6:1–2), nine of the ten commandments are explicitly reaffirmed for Christians.

• The missing exception: The 4th Commandment (Keep the Sabbath) is never explicitly commanded for New Covenant believers. In scriptures like Colossians 2:16 and Hebrews 4:1–11, the physical Sabbath rest is described as a shadow pointing to spiritual rest in Christ rather than a strict legal obligation.

4. The “New Commandment”

In John 13:34, Jesus raises the standard of love even further:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Instead of using oneself as the standard (“love your neighbor as yourself”), believers are called to use Christ’s self-sacrificial love as the new standard.

For a deeper look into this topic, The 10 Commandments in the New Testament provides a great video walkthrough on how Jesus and the apostles reinterpreted these principles.

Sharing “Matthew 22:36-40 NIV – “Teacher, which is the greatest – Bible Gateway”

While the New Testament does not replace the Ten Commandments with a brand-new list, it significantly reframes their purpose, scope, and application.

Here is a side-by-side comparison of how the commandments function across both testaments:

1. Direct Comparison Matrix

#	Commandment	Old Testament Focus (Exodus 20 / Deut 5)	New Testament Reinterpretation
1	No other gods	External exclusive worship of Yahweh over pagan deities.	Absolute devotion; loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37-38).
2	No idols	Prohibits crafting physical images/statues to represent God.	Internalized to include greed, covetousness, and putting anything above God (Colossians 3:5).
3	Do not take God’s name in vain	Respecting God’s sacred name; avoiding false oaths or swearing untruthfully in His name.	Let your “Yes” be “Yes” and “No” be “No”; living in a way that accurately reflects God’s character (Matthew 5:33–37).
4	Remember the Sabbath	Physical cessation of work on the seventh day (Saturday) as a covenant sign.	Not explicitly commanded to Christians. Framed as a shadow pointing to spiritual rest in Christ (Colossians 2:16–17, Hebrews 4:9–10).
5	Honor father and mother	Social duty tied to the promise of long life in the Promised Land.	Reaffirmed as the “first commandment with a promise,” emphasizing heart submission and mutual respect (Ephesians 6:1–3).
6	Do not murder	Prohibits the unlawful physical taking of a human life.	Extended to include internal hatred, unresolved anger, and contempt (Matthew 5:21–22, 1 John 3:15).
7	Do not commit adultery	Prohibits physical sexual intercourse outside of marriage.	Extended to include lustful intent in the heart (Matthew 5:27–28).
8	Do not steal	Prohibits taking another’s physical property or livestock.	Reaffirmed, with an emphasis on working hard to share generously with those in need (Ephesians 4:28).
9	Do not give false testimony	Prohibits lying in legal proceedings or slandering neighbors.	Reaffirmed as putting away all deceit and speaking truth in love (Ephesians 4:25).
10	Do not covet	Prohibits desiring a neighbor’s house, spouse, slaves, or assets.	Identified as the root cause of evil desires and idolatry; countered by contentment (Romans 7:7, 1 Timothy 6:6–10).

2. Key Differences in Approach

• Letter vs. Spirit: The Old Testament formulation focused heavily on prohibitions of external actions (“Thou shalt not”). The New Testament shifts the standard to the attitudes of the heart, meaning one can break a commandment through thought and motive without committing the physical act.
• Legal Obligation vs. Fruit of the Spirit: In the Old Covenant, keeping the law was tied to national blessings and covenant standing. In the New Covenant, keeping God’s moral law is described as the natural result of living by the Holy Spirit rather than an attempt to earn salvation (Romans 8:3–4, Galatians 5:22–23).
• Summary Standard: Jesus condenses the entire Decalogue into two primary commands—Love God (Commandments 1–4) and Love Neighbor (Commandments 5–10)—noting that all other laws hang on these two (Matthew 22:36-40).