In the beginning, when God created the earth and mankind, there were few laws. "Be fruitful and multiply" and "Don't eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil" were the instructions given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They failed on the tree of knowledge part, but certainly excelled in multiplying!
It wasn't until 27 generations later that God gave The Ten Commandments to Moses, a great-grandson of Levi, of the Ten Tribes of Israel. Since a generation in the Bible is approximately 40 years, we can estimate that people multiplied and lived on earth for approximately a thousand years with no commandments.
On the other hand, historians estimate that Moses lived from 1391 B.C. to 1271 B.C., meaning, we have had God's law for about 3,300 years now. To this day, the commandments are well known, revered, and obeyed by believers worldwide.
God himself etched the words in stone tablets on Mt. Sinai and gave them to Moses during the epic Exodus from Egypt, as told in the Book of Exodus 20 and in the Book of Deuteronomy 5. The commandments were given as follows:
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exo. 20:2-3, Deut. 5:6-7)
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (Exo. 20:4-6, Deut. 5:8-10)
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (Exo. 20:7, Deut. 5:11)
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (Exo. 20:8-11, Deut. 5:12-15)
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. (Exo. 20:12, Deut. 5:16)
Thou shalt not kill. (Exo. 20:13, Deut. 5:17)
Thou shalt not commit adultery. (Exo. 20:14, Deut. 5:18)
Thou shalt not steal. (Exo. 20:15, Deut. 5:19)
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (Exo. 20:16, Deut. 5:20)
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. (Exo. 20:17, Deut. 5:21)
Later, Jesus reiterated the commands, even magnifying them. He never did away with the commandments and his death did not give us freedom to break God's commands. Repentance is required to receive forgiveness of sins. Pray and ask God for forgiveness in the Name of Jesus and turn back!
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. - Matthew 22:35-40
If ye love me, keep my commandments. - John 14:15
