9. Commandments

9.1. Commandments are the laws and requirements that God gives to help us progress and become like Him. The commandments are a manifestation of God’s love for us. We manifest our love for Him by keeping His commandments (see John 14:15). Keeping the commandments will always bring happiness and blessings from the Lord (see Mosiah 2:41; Alma 41:10). God will not give us a commandment without preparing a way for us to obey it (see 1 Nephi 3:7).

9.2. The two greatest and most fundamental commandments are “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. … And … love thy neighbour as thyself” (see Matthew 22:36–39). We can love and serve God by choosing to love and serve others (see Mosiah 2:17; Moroni 7:45, 47–48).

9.3. One of the earliest commandments given to man was to keep the Sabbath day holy. God commands His children to honor Him by doing His will rather than our own on the Sabbath, and He promises great blessings to those who keep His day holy (see Isaiah 58:13–14).

9.4. The Ten Commandments are a vital part of the gospel and are eternal principles that are necessary for our exaltation (see Exodus 20:3–17). The Lord revealed them to Moses in ancient times, and He has restated them in latter-day revelations.

9.5. God’s commandments include praying daily, studying the word of God, repenting, obeying the law of chastity, paying a full tithe (see Malachi 3:8–10), fasting (see Isaiah 58:6–7), forgiving others (see D&C 64:9–11), observing the Word of Wisdom (see D&C 89:18–21), and teaching the gospel to others (see Matthew 5:14–16; D&C 18:15–16).

Related references: Genesis 39:9; 2 Timothy 3:15–17; James 1:5–6; 2 Nephi 32:3; 2 Nephi 32:8–9; Mosiah 18:8–10; Alma 39:9; 3 Nephi 18:15, 20–21; D&C 58:42–43; D&C 82:10

Related topics: Acquiring Spiritual Knowledge; The Atonement of Jesus Christ: Repentance; Ordinances and Covenants