What happens if you break one of the 10 commandments

The honest answer is YES. God's standard is perfection. It has to be, if He is to be called just, and if justice is to be seen to be done. Otherwise, if God were to excuse what we call "small sins", there would be endless disputes as to who was better than others and whether someone qualifies for heaven or not. To stop what we see going on in human courts all the time, God demanded perfection. The Ten Commandments were given to the Jews, and hence to all humanity, to show what God expected from those who follow Him. But, it is clear from the Old Testament that these laws will not save, only point out how far we are from achieving the perfection that God demands (and the just punishment for sin that we, ourselves, cry out for every day). That is why God instituted the Temple system of payment for sin, to precede the coming of the Messiah who would, according to Isaiah 53 heal us by his "stripes" (ie wounds). And God showed clearly how He would do it, even before the 10 commandments were given. He saved Israel from slavery in Egypt, not because they were the best or most perfect nation on earth, but because He loved them. He, Himself, saved them from the last plague, by ordering the faithful to smear the blood of a perfect lamb on the lintels of their houses. Why did He do this? Surely He knew who belonged to Him and who did not? Of course He did! But He wanted a response from the faithful. And it can be seen that the salvation from Egypt included some faithful Egyptians and Cushites amongst the Israelites. They were counted as righteous, not for their deeds, but for their love of the Lord, shown in their trust for Him by putting the blood on their doors too, and for their leaving Egypt, to follow Him to the Promised Land. This was a part fulfilment of the prophecy of God to Abraham that through him, all nations of the world would be blessed. Remember too, that God also foresaw the coming of Christ in His dealings with Abraham, especially when He commanded Abraham to kill his son and heir, Isaac. The preparedness of Abraham to obey unquestioningly was a turning point in his relationship with God, as before, he had shown weakness in his trust. That God stopped the sacrifice showed that no human could save himself by his actions, nor could any human pay for sin. Instead, once again, a lamb was offered in the place of Isaac, predicting the coming of the Perfect Lamb of God, who would take away the sin of the world, Jesus. In Ephesians 2:8,9, we read "For by grace are we saved through faith. It is not of our own doing. It is the gift of God. And not because of works, lest anyone should boast." WE depend on Jesus to keep us out of hell ( which is eternally being away from God) because we cannot save ourselves. Jesus' death takes the focus off our actions and onto His perfection. No longer can anyone boast of being better than another person . ROmans 3:23 says "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." We are, by nature, all equal before God in state. Salvation is not by our actions, in keeping the 10 commandments, but by trusting in the Lord for salvation. When were the 10 commandments given to Israel? before or after they were saved from Egypt? AFTER. Had they been for salvation, they would have been given BEFORE, and Moses would have been instructed to teach them, and demand they be fully obeyed. Instead, the people made an oral confession to be God's people BEFORE the 10 commandments were given, and even after they were given, even after they sinned over and over again, God still forgave them when they repented. Why? Because salvation is God's doing, not ours. So what is the purpose of the 10 commandments? By them God says, "IF you are my people, then live like this." So, the verse after the Ephesians verses I quoted above reads "10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." We follow the commandments BECAUSE God has saved us, not IN ORDER to be saved. It is like wearing a wedding ring. We do not wear it IN ORDER to be married, but out of love, because we are married.

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