The Bible is meant for us to use as a guidebook for life, with the Ten Commandments encompassing principles the whole way through. Standing alone, the commandments do not detail God's full instruction for how we ought to behave, but they do summarize the way he intended us to live.
In Matthew 5:17, Jesus said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them." By this, Jesus meant that by his own behaviour and teachings he would uphold and expand upon the commandments of God. Jesus also impressed this upon his disciples and as affirmation, in Matthew 5 he greatly expands upon the applications of the commandments.
When Jesus explained in Matthew 22, that everything written in the Ten Commandments falls under the two headings of 'Love for God' and 'Love for neighbour', he was explaining the importance of relationships. Jesus was telling us that every command of God defines an aspect of the excellent relationships we should have with each other or with Him.
The first four commandments define how to relate to God with the correct love and respect. The other six explain the essentials for loving and respecting each other.
God tells us that all of his commandments are for our own good. They have a clear purpose in our lives and should be seen as a blessing and benefit to mankind. They define the relationships that produce respect, cooperation and stability within any society that understands them fully and applies them.
Too many people see the Ten Commandments as 'just' a list of don'ts and fail to grasp their real purpose. If more people set the commandments as a standard for behaviour then the world would be a much improved and more harmonious place to live.
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