International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD)

Volume 7 Issue 1, January-February 2023 Available Online: www.ijtsrd.com e-ISSN: 2456 – 6470

Selfishness Breaks All the Ten Commandments

Janet O. Sadiku1, Matthew N. O. Sadiku1, Uwakwe C. Chukwu2, Juliana King1
1
Juliana King University, Houston, TX, USA
2
Department of Engineering Technology, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC, USA

ABSTRACT How to cite this paper: Janet O. Sadiku |

Selfishness is insisting on your way or insisting on your rights. It is Matthew N. O. Sadiku | Uwakwe C.
the tendency to prioritize one’s own needs above the needs of others. Chukwu | Juliana King "Selfishness
It blocks important qualities such as love, mercy, patience, goodness, Breaks All the Ten Commandments"
Published in
and gentleness. The personality trait of selfishness is seldomly
International
preached or researched within the Christian community. A careful
Journal of Trend in
look at the Ten Commandments reveals that selfish people break Scientific Research
every one of them. This paper shows how selfishness breaks all the and Development
Ten Commandments. (ijtsrd), ISSN:
2456-6470, IJTSRD52649
KEYWORDS: selfishness, Ten Commandments, selflessness Volume-7 | Issue-1,
February 2023, pp.139-145, URL:
www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd52649.pdf

Copyright © 2023 by author (s) and

International Journal of Trend in
Scientific Research and Development
Journal. This is an
Open Access article
distributed under the
terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (CC BY 4.0)
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)

INTRODUCTION
Our modern society is in conflict over the Ten 5. Honor your father and mother
Commandments, also known as the Decalogue. Our 6. You must not murder
culture is dying and declining because more and more 7. You must not commit adultery
it is rejecting God and His Word. The federal judge 8. You must not steal
has ordered the removal of monuments of the Ten 9. You must not testify falsely against your neighbor
Commandments. However, most national 10. You must not covet anything that is your
constitutions directly or indirectly uphold and support neighbor’s
the Ten Commandments.
The commandments are explained in simple terms as
God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses shown in Figure 1 [2]. God gave the commandments
approximately 3,400 years ago while the Jewish to the Israelites to help them in every generation to
people were escaping Egypt and traveling to their love Him, serve Him, and love others. Since God
promised land, now known as Israel. The people of cares, He gave us rules to protect us, to bless us, and
Israel stopped at Mount Sinai. Moses went up the to set us free. Prophet Ezekiel said, “ I gave them my
mountain and received from God ten commandments decrees and made known to them my laws, by which
carved on a stone tablet. These commands are the person who obeys them will live” (Ezekiel 20:11).
commonly referred to as the Ten Commandments. The three great world religions (Judaism, Christianity,
The Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20 are as and Islam) acknowledge the Ten Commandments as
follows [1]: God Word.
1. You must have no other gods before me
When Jesus Christ was asked to name the greatest
2. You must not make any idols
commandment, He said, "‘You shall love the Lord
3. You must not misuse the name of the Lord your
your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and
God
with all your mind.' This is the first and great
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy

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commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall Perhaps there is no better place where selfishness
love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two manifests itself more than at home and in a marital
commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" relationship. Selfishness is the number one enemy of
(Matthew 22:37-40). Jesus here quoted Deuteronomy marriage. It threatens oneness/unity in marriage.
6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. These two commands Marriage cannot thrive or achieve much with selfish
summarize both the Ten Commandments and the partners. Selfishness makes it difficult to
entire law of God. compromise. It can lead to conflict, strife, infidelity,
Some Christians claim the Ten Commandments are breaking marriage vow, separation, and divorce. It
not applicable anymore for us today. But Jesus said, causes an inability to maintain a healthy loving
“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the relationship. A selfish person goes from one divorce
Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill” to another. In short, selfish people are not good
(Matthew 5:7). He also said, “Whoever therefore material for marriage.
breaks one of the least of these commandments, and Selfish people only care about themselves and their
teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom own needs, and they are not interested in the needs of
of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he others. This can hurt personal and professional
shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” relationships. Naturally, people are selfish to some
(Matthew 5:19). To have a closer relationship with degree. A certain degree of selfishness is normal.
God and one another, we must keep the Ten
But selfishness can also be a pathological
Commandments [3]. It is impossible for true Christian
personality trait. Although selfishness is an innate
believers to live a Christian life without keeping the
quality, we are taught not to be selfish people and to
Ten Commandments.
maintain a healthy balance between giving and
WHAT IS SELFISHNESS? taking. Selfishness is a innate behavior that we can be
Humans are capable of tremendous selfishness, self- reprogramed to avoid. We observe this behavior is
interest, wickedness, and cruelty. The tension babies, who cry out loud when they need something,
between our prosocial and selfish tendencies is not minding whether their mom have had enough
crucial to understanding social interactions and sleep. Christianity as well as other religions forbids
societal conflicts. Selfishness is being overly selfishness and emphasizes the virtues of
concerned for oneself or one's own advantage, compassion, empathy, selflessness, and self-
pleasure, or welfare, regardless of others. It is not sacrifice.
putting God and others in their proper places. It is
The word of God is strongly against selfishness. Paul
living by the flesh; living by sight, not by faith. For a
said, “For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and
selfish person, it is “Me, myself & I.” Truly selfish
none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live
individuals will make choices to always benefit
for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So,
themselves. They are locked into a pattern of
whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For
behavior because they feel they are the ones
this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so
responsible for their future and cannot trust anyone
that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the
else. Richard Whately said, “A man is called selfish,
living. You, then, why do you judge your brother or
not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his
sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For
neighbor’s.”
we will all stand before God’s judgment seat”
Samson is a good example of a selfish person. (Romans 14:7-10).
Samson was focused on himself. He prayed selfish
MANIFESTATIONS OF SELFISHNESS
prayers. Instead of following God’s plan for his life,
There are various manifestations of selfishness such
he went his own way. He was prideful, arrogant, and
as accepting or claiming undeserved credit, being
conceited. He lusted after Gentile ladies. He broke
glad when others go wrong, resenting the successes of
God’s rules instead of serving God with humility
others, and taking advantage of others. A selfish
Those who live in the flesh are controlled by the person always wants things done their way. Figure 2
carnal mind (flesh), which is self-centered. “The acts shows a typical demonstration of selfishness [4]. For
of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, example, in marital relationship, selfish couple
and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, behave like this [5]:
discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, He cares only about his needs in bed.
dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, He is only interested in what pleases him; he does
and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those not help with the house chores.
who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of He interrupts you when speak.
God” (Galatians 5:19-21). He cares more about career than character.

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Even when he realizes he is wrong, he does not 7. They Have Hidden Agenda: Selfish strategies are
know how to apologize and ask for forgiveness. labeled as deviant, cheating, free-riding, egoistic.
She always blames others for her problems and Christians are to do nothing through selfish
thinks she is ok. ambition but should develop a lifestyle of service
She is sentimental, not objective. and selflessness. God sets a much higher
She keeps blaming others for her failures. standard: “Let nothing be done through selfish
ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let
Here are some of the signs that someone is selfish [6]:
each esteem others better than himself”
1. They Make One-Sided Effort: Selfish people want
(Philippians 2:3). Selfish ambition misdirects our
others to make all the efforts in the relationship
energy from trying to please God, toward pleasing
but contribute none themselves. When it comes to
and gratifying ourselves.
their turn, they fail to show up.
8. They Compete and Compare: Selfish Christian
2. They Lack of Empathy: Lack of empathy is
couples compete for dominance and power in
regarded as one of the roots of selfishness. Selfish
their marriage. They are competing instead of
people are not interested in others’ well-being or
cooperating. They compare themselves with their
feelings because they lack empathy. They only
neighbors, friends or coworkers. Cooperation is
see things from their perspective but cannot put
good only if both parties cooperate and you can
themselves in others’ shoes.
be sure your partner will do. A big lie about
3. They Are Manipulative: Selfish people tend to competition:
control and manipulate others to have their way.
9. “Ambitious competition contributes to upward
They steer the relationship in the direction that
mobility, and it is good for our entire economic
will favor them. Selfish people might try to
system. People should want bigger and better for
control your behavior or emotions by making you
themselves; it makes a healthy marketplace.”
feel guilty, ashamed, or afraid. Manipulation can
be a very subtle form of abuse. They are 10. They are Irresponsible: They do not performing
calculative and controlling, influencing others for their duty. They blame others for the mistakes.
one’s own purposes. Common manipulation tool They blame their spouse, their parents, the
for men is money; for women it is sex. friends, etc. for their irresponsible behavior. They
like to horde their money and prefer spending
4. They Are Worldly: Selfish people choose the
other people’s money. Financial irresponsibility
wrong priorities in life and spend most of their
will damage your marriage.
time and energy pursuing the wrong goals. They
are more concerned about wordly affairs than 11. They Make Unrealistic Expectations: Many
spiritual things. Worldliness operates from the couples enter marriage with unstated, unrealistic
flesh, which lusts against the spirit (Galatians expectations. If a man’s expectation is that his
5:17). It is one of the most dangerous enemies of wife stays home, keep house, and care for the
a believer and one of the greatest enemies of children, but her expectation is to have a
marriage. successful career, there will be conflict
5. They Are Materialistic: Selfish people value HOW SELFISHNESS BREAKS EACH
material possessions over people. They might be COMMANDMENT
obsessed with status symbols, money, or power. The ten commandments should be regarded as laws.
There is an endless list of what selfish people Laws always carry a penalty for those who transgress.
want: the latest smart phones, luxury cars, When Adam and Eve ate the fruit from a tree that
designer shoes, Rolex, etc. God had forbidden them from eating in the Garden;
they broke all of the Ten Commandments. Figure 3
6. They Are Self-Centered: Selfish people always
denotes breaking the Ten commandments [7].
want to be at the center of attention. They love to
Stubborn selfishness is actually rebellion against God.
talk about themselves and their accomplishments.
He breaks all the Ten Commandments, as we show
A selfish person always places himself first. They
here [8-10].
always want things done their way. Selfish people
do not reciprocate. They are good at getting and 1. You shall have no other gods before Me: This
poor at giving. They don’t take turns paying for commandment teaches that God alone is to be the
things. Selfishness can lead to frustration when object of our worship and trust (Jeremiah 17:5-8).
one cannot have their way. Selfish people avoid It has been said that breaking the first
paying taxes and tithes. They live on the fast line commandment does not need worshiping idols;
and may die prematurely or commit suicide. one just need to look to something other than God

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for salvation or happiness. When Adam and Eve working on the Sabbath. Taking a day off every
listened to the serpent’s words, they decided to week is good for our health and relationships.
worship a different god. The sins that are contrary Selfish people think they know better than God
to the first commandment include prayerlessness, and ignore the Sabbath. They need to work on the
ingratitude toward God, spiritual sloth, hatred of Sabbath to make money. They will prefer
God, and tempting God. Selfish people often watching the football if it conflicts with going to
boast of their goodness because they fulfill certain church. They think that they are machines and can
outward moral duties. They worship themselves. work as long as they want. People who do not
They do not reverence or fear God. Some of them want to respect the Sunday rest live in unrest.
claim, “God told me” when God has not spoken Thus, selfishness breaks the fourth
to them, using God’s name in vain. Thus, selfish commandment.
people break the first commandment. 5. Honor your father and your mother: This
2. You shall not make idols: This commandment commandment addresses the importance of
teaches us who not to worship, while the first treating our parents with respect and honor. To
commandment tells us who to worship. God is not honor means to respect and love. In honoring our
forbidding art or architecture but the unauthorized parents, we are bowing to the Lord who instituted
creations of man in worship. This commandments and authorized the family; we are honoring the
tells us that we must not reduce God to a likeness authority of God has delegated to man. Our
of a physical object. To make any representation society is hard on the elderly and makes them
of Him distorts and limits our perception of what suffer. Selfish people do not want to take good
God is really like. God is far greater than anything care of their parents at old age. They are only
we can see or imagine, and idolatry limits Him in interested in what they are going to gain from
our minds. The desire of selfish people serves as a their parents, in form of inheritance. Since they
god. Thus, selfish people break the second are not willing to sacrifice for them, they put their
commandment. parents in nursing homes. Some even religiously
claim that they money that should have been
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your
given to their parents is given to God (Matthew
God in vain: This commandment expects us to
15:3-6). Selfish people do not honor and take
always honor God and never disrespect Him in
good care of their parents-in-law. People who do
word or action. It demands reverence and a proper
not honor their parents will themselves have to
respect not just for God's names but for all that
suffer from their children who will treat them
concerns Him or His work. -- A due reverence for
cruelly. Because they do not honor their parents,
God is expected (Deuteronomy 28:58). The
their days are cut short. Thus, selfish people break
quality of our relationship with God depends on
the fifth commandment.
our regard and fear of Him. God's name should
not be used in needless swearing when a "yes" or 6. You shall not murder: This commandment
"no" will do (James 5:12). Since selfish people do teaches us that life is a precious gift to be valued
not fear God, they disregard His word and use the and respected. We are to nurture the life of others,
name of God in vain. One way they do this is to not destroy it. Our world is murderous. Jesus
swear in God’s name just to deceive or cover up. Christ wants us to go far beyond avoiding murder.
They swear in God’s name to authenticate He amplifies the meaning of "murder" to include
themselves. They are dishonest about how they bitter animosity, or hateful hostility toward others
feel and do not to say anything to avoid conflict. (Matthew 5:21-22). Murder begins in the heart.
Thus, selfishness breaks the third commandment. The penalty for murder is death (Genesis 9:6). We
must avoid bitterness, revenge, envy, or jealousy
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: The
toward others. Selfish people commit abortion
Sabbath was a sign of the covenant between God
and kill unwanted children. They promote
and Israel (Exodus 31:12-16). On the seventh day,
terrorism, drugs, and suicide. Due to arrogance,
Israel was to refrain from ordinary work. Some
they initiate needless wars instead of peaceful
Christians believe that the Sabbath was moved to
negotiation. As a punishment, they die like beasts.
the first day of the week, so Sunday is now the
Thus, selfish people violate the sixth
"Christian Sabbath." The sabbath principle is rest,
commandment.
acknowledging God as sovereign provider of all
things. In a culture that glorifies busyness, it is 7. You shall not commit adultery: Adultery springs
easy to get sucked into the lie that work is good, from lust for someone that does not belong to us.
and rest is bad. It takes restraint and faith to stop It causes us to break covenant with those to whom

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we have promised to be faithful. Selfish people Selfish people are often not satisfied with
care less about breaking any covenant. They whatever they have. They are not content with the
believe that if it feels good, do it regardless of the things God had given them. They desire what
consequences. “Sleeping with another man’s wife their neighbor has including his wife, house, cars,
may cost you your life” (Proverbs 6:26, NIV). etc. Their greed can compel them to do things
Adultery begins from the heart and so we must they would not do ordinarily. They keep up with
watch our heart (Matthew 5:28; Proverbs 4:23). the Joneses. Some has said, “Envy is sadness at
“Drink water from your own well— share your the sight of another’s goods.” The earth does not
love only with your wife. Let your wife be a belong to us, but the right to enjoy belongs to the
fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife whole human family, not just to ourselves or our
of your youth” (Proverbs 5:15,18). Selfish people family or nation or religion. Coveting your
are involved in all kinds of sexual pervasion. neighbor’s wife can lead to trouble and regret.
They practice pornography, prostitution, and Selfishness is manifested when people pile up
cohabitation. Pornography starts small, but it loans, credit card bills, and mortgages that they
grows, and with it comes a self-centered and cannot pay. Thus, the selfish people break the
selfish lifestyle. When we yield to our own tenth commandment.
pleasures, we forsake our purpose in life, and
CONCLUSION
ignore eternity for just a moment’s pleasure.
Being selfish is one of the worst character traits one
Thus, selfishness breaks the seventh
may possess. Selfishness is the opposite of altruism or
commandment and dishonors God. selflessness. It is a loser-loser game. Selfish people
8. You shall not steal: This commandment is given suffer the consequences of sins. God is not on their
to protect our neighbor's property. It shows that side. Selfishness is a sin and as such it hinders prayer
we need to respect and appreciate the rights and since God hates selfishness. Selfish people break the
needs of others. Stealing is totally incompatible laws of God by not keeping them. “Whosoever shall
with trust in the Lord. Why would one steal when keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is
one believes God would supply all that they need guilty of all” (James 2:10). For more information
according to His glorious riches (Philippians about selfishness and how it breaks all the ten
4:19). We should be content with whatever God commandments, one should consult the books in [11-
has given us and not covet what God has given 26].
others (1 Timothy 6:6). Due to greed, selfish
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Figure 1 The commandments explained in simple terms [2].

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Figure 2 A typical demonstration of selfishness [4].

Figure 3 Breaking the Ten commandments [7].

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