The Bible makes it clear that we have all sinned. Romans 3:23 tells us that everyone has sinned and fallen short of measuring up to God’s standards. His standard is perfection (Mt. 5:48), and none of us can match it. But what is sin? The Bible says that it is transgression of the Law of God (1 Jn. 3:4). In other words, it is disobedience to His moral Law, the Ten Commandments. The first time that you ever told a lie made you a liar. The first time you ever took something that didn’t belong to you made you a thief. These are just a few examples. Let’s take just a moment to look at all ten of them (Exodus 20:1-17).

1. You Shall Have No Other Gods Before Me. Have you always, every waking moment of your life, loved God more than any other thing or person? When you chase after money, or anything in your life, you replace Him as the most important thing. This includes things that are not bad in and of themselves, but which replace our love for God. At the moment that we love food, our families or our jobs more than we love God we deserve to die and spend eternity in Hell.

2. You Shall Not Make Yourself Any Graven Image. This commandment tells us that we are not allowed to define God, either with our hands or our minds. He is described in the Bible and if we do anything to try to shape Him into anything other than what He has said of Himself, we break this commandment. This includes making idols (representations) with our hands. It also includes making Him out to be less holy, righteous, just, or loving than He really is. Have you redefined God as someone less than He really is?

3. You Shall Not Take The Name Of The Lord Your God In Vain. God tells us that when we use His name casually instead of reverently, we have dishonored His name. Some people go so far as to use His name as a profanity. Instead of using a four-letter filth word to express disgust, they use the name of the God who gave them life and drag it through the mud! This is called blasphemy and is a very serious sin in the eyes of God. Have you ever used God’s name this way?

But that is not the only way you can blaspheme. Another way is to claim that you are a Christian (taking His name to yourself) and then living a life that contradicts what a Christian should be (Gal. 5:22-23). This gives the enemies of God an occasion to blaspheme (2 Sam. 12:14). Have you done this?