Ten Commandments For Children

Bible Study Lesson 5.16

Ten Commandments For Children Bible Verses:
Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. A second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 22:37-39 NHEB.

You're invited to learn more about the (click) Laws of Christ.

Preliminary Bible Study Questions:
1) Why do people have to obey God?
2) To whom did God give the 10 Commandments?
3) How do kids keep the Ten Commandments?

Kids are so very special. God loves them all.

God yearns for kids to come to him for a good life on earth and eternal life in heaven. Jesus said, "In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish" (Matthew 18:14).

God loves creating kids (Psalm 139:13-16) and He loves creating a new heart in them by his Holy Spirit (Philippians 1:6).

Nothing makes God more pleased than when his love and power changes a person from the inside out (2 Corinthians 15:7).

Today's lesson will teach children the keys to understanding their relationship with God.

Ten Commandments For Children - History

Let's start with some background information so we can understand the need for the Ten Commandments for children, and adults, too! The story about God and man's relationship is fascinating. We draw all of our information from the words of God found in the Bible.

God tells us in his word that He created Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and they were good people. They perfectly loved God and each other. They obeyed their Creator, they named His animals, and their lives were good.

One day Adam and Eve disobeyed God, who told them to not eat the fruit from a certain special tree. God is always good, and He expects people to be good, like Him. Creatures always must obey their Creator. The two people ate the fruit, unfortunately, so God had to punish Adam and Eve.

The worst punishment Adam and Eve received was God removing His constant presence from the Garden of Eden. The warm relationship between God and Adam and Eve was broken. In fact, all people since Adam and Eve also disobey God, including me and you. Breaking God's Law is called sin. All people are sinners (Romans 3:23). Sin also brought sickness and death. God did not create people to die, but their sin caused both disease and death.

Awhile later, people became so bad that God became very angry. He sent a flood to destroy all people and animals. However, because He loves his creation He allowed Noah, Noah's family, and two animals of every type to survive the flood. He told Noah to build an Ark, which later saved them. Because God saved Noah, you and I are alive today!

Sometime after the great flood, God called a man named Abraham to begin a nation of chosen people who would love Him. Abraham and his wife, Sarah, started the Hebrew nation. The Hebrews grew in number, but they became slaves to the Egyptians. But, because they loved God, He blessed them and the nation grew larger while in slavery.

God chose a man named Moses to lead his beloved people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. The Promised Land was a beautiful land where God wanted his loved ones to settle down. While in the desert, God wrote and then gave Moses the 10 Commandments on stone tablets.

God expected the people who loved Him to obey the Ten Commandments, and for children, that means He wanted them to obey both Him and their parents. Unfortunately, things didn't work out so well.

Let's now learn about someone who could and would obey God.

Ten Commandments For Children - Jesus

The chosen people, the Hebrews, were always breaking God's Law, the Ten Commandments. Most of the Hebrews didn't love God with all of their heart, and they would choose to sin. This made God sad and angry. Every time a person sins God is hurt.

God's wonderful love for his people, though, led Him to do something really neat. God's Son, Jesus, came to earth. He was born to his mother, Mary. Jesus grew up, loving and obeying God his Father his entire life. He lived perfectly, pleasing his Father. Yeh! Finally, somebody was willing and able to obey God.

Mean people in the world, sadly, killed Jesus by punishing him and hanging him on a cross. They were really bad people who did a terrible thing (Acts 7:51-53).

God made something wonderful come of the trajedy. He accepted Jesus' death as a sacrifice for people's sins. He also gave Jesus life again, by raising him from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20). God will raise all people who love Him from the dead, including you and me! (1 Corinthians 15:23).

Jesus now sits on his beautiful throne in heaven telling God how much he loves us and wants us to live with them in their beautiful Kingdom of Heaven.

When Jesus was on earth he brought a New Commandment for us to obey. He tells us, "If you love Me, obey my commandments" (John 14:15). Let's learn more about Jesus' commandments and how to love him.

Ten Commandments For Children - Faith

The Ten Commandments were "filled out" by Jesus. Jesus' New Testament instructs us what the Ten Commandments for children include. People who love Jesus must learn the New Testament, so they know the rules of the Creator and Savior, Jesus.

One day, when Jesus was teaching, he said, "Truly I tell you, unless you turn from sin, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3).

People's hearts became mean (Matthew 15:19-20), but God wants to make our hearts clean (Luke 6:45). So, He tells us to turn away from sin (aka repent) and turn to Him and Jesus (aka faith). You prove your love to God by loving and learning his Word, which is how he speaks to us (Matthew 13:12).

We are told to view the Ten Commandments for children as a Teacher (Galatians 3:23-24). The Teacher instructs us that God is holy and we are not, therefore, we need rules (Galatians 3:19). The Teacher also shows us that no one can be perfect by themselves (Galatians 3:3; 1 Corinthians 2:14). The Teacher guides us to seek Jesus as our Savior, because He did obey all of the 10 Commandments (Galatians 3:26; 3:29).

God's Law teaches us to seek forgiveness from God (Matthew 6:14), so that we can live with him forever and ever.

List of the Ten Commandments For Children

Here is a short list of the Ten Commandments for children [paraphrased for clarity], and also their location in the New Testament (hover your mouse over the highlighted verses for actual text):

• 1st Commandment: "You shall have no other gods before God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ." Exodus 20:3, restated in Matthew 22:37-38 and Acts 14:15.
• 2nd Commandment: "You shall not make or worship idols." Exodus 20:4, restated in 1 John 5:21.
• 3rd Commandment: "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God." Exodus 20:7, restated in James 5:12.
• 4th Commandment: "Remember to rest in Christ's Spirit, Word, and work." Exodus 20:8-11, restated spiritually in Matthew 11:28-30 and Hebrews 4:9-11. Sabbath means "rest" and the New Covenant calls us to rest in Christ from our efforts to gain salvation.
  
• 5th Commandment: "Honor your father and your mother." Exodus 20:12, restated in Ephesians 6:1.
• 6th Commandment: "You shall not hate or kill another person." Exodus 20:13, restated in 1 John 3:15.
• 7th Commandment: "You shall not disrespect another person's body." Exodus 20:14, restated in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
• 8th Commandment: "You shall not steal anything from anyone." Exodus 20:15, restated in Ephesians 4:28.
• 9th Commandment: "You shall not lie about your neighbor." Exodus 20:16, restated in Colossians 3:9-10.
• 10th Commandment: "You shall not want other people's things." Exodus 20:17, restated in Ephesians 5:3.

This list of the kid's Ten Commandments had been modified to help children grasp the foundational principles of each command. Click the links to deeply study each command.

Ten Commandments For Children - Obedience

The most important words in this lesson are about to be spoken. Everyone must grasp this truth: People are not and cannot be good enough to please God and enter heaven (Romans 3:9-12). No amount of one's obedience will bring forgiveness and allow him or her to be with Jesus forever (Romans 3:20).

Jesus is good enough, however, and has already entered heaven (Hebrews 10:12-13).

The only way to follow Jesus to heaven is to follow him on earth, by FAITH. You must become his disciple (John 15:12-14). Believing in God, though Jesus, is the key to perfectly obeying the Ten Commandments, and here's why.

Jesus obeyed God's Law, and God accepted his life to pay for all those people who would seek and find Him, by faith (Hebrews 10:10).

So, when a person trusts in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life, God places Jesus' perfect life upon the life of the person (1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 3:9). If a person tries some other way to earn heaven he or she will be flatly denied (Matthew 7:21-23).

Fruit of the Spirit Response to the Ten Commandments For Children.

St Paul the Apostle tells us, "So, whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:9). Jesus tells us, "Be perfect because your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).

Children have a responsibility to seek perfection, and a goal to please the Lord.

In terms all of us children can understand, a life of faith looks like this: "Love the Lord and his Law, and love all people as much as you love yourself."

Paul tells us to, "Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don't know God at all" (1 Corinthians 15:34). 

All those who learn and live by these spiritual principles, AFTER trusting in God through Jesus Christ alone, will live to serve and please God. Jesus will say to them on Judgment Day, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!"

Grasp This! Ten Commandments For Children

St Paul states the importance of pleasing God through obedience, "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Maybe you didn't think I made sense introducing Paul's statement. Let me clarify a confusing issue which trips up millions upon millions of confused souls.

To obey God starts right here: Listen to Jesus in John 6:29, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent." There it is. Believing in Jesus is the most important way to obey the Ten Commandments for children (of ALL ages!).

Know that once a child truly believes in Jesus, (s)he will fall in love with him and love his word, desiring to obey his laws. Faith leads to obedience.

Faith in a child's heart spawns a child's obedience to God's Law. Perfection guaranteed (Ephesians 1:13)!

Join our next Bible study lesson: Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler #5.17.

Ten Commandments For Children Bible Study Questions:
1) Why is Adam so very important in understanding the Ten Commandments for children? (see 1 Corinthians 15:45-49).
2) Kids are expected to honor their Dad & Mom, but who else should they honor? Discuss depth of the 5th Commandment.
3) Does obedience to God's law do a non-Christian any good? (see 1 Timothy 1:8-11). Discuss reasons why.

Ten Commandments For Children Bible Verses:
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity. In sin my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:5 NHEB.

Jesus says, "Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don't listen because you don't belong to God." John 8:47 NLT.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Do not throw me from your presence, and do not take your holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:10-12 NHEB.

Jesus says, "The Holy Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But some of you do not believe me." (John 6:63-64).

Ten Commandments For Children Prayer:
Dear Father,
I love you so much. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for making me and sending Jesus to pay for my sins. I pray, Jesus, that you send the Holy Spirit into my heart, so that I can be forgiven and meet you someday in heaven. Protect me from the world. Help me to obey your commands. Don't ever let go of my hand, dear Lord. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

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