THE FIRST COMMANDMENT
By Ron Crisp, Pastor
First Baptist Church
Independence, Kentucky
Introduction
Remember that the Decalogue is divided into two sections. The first four commandments deal with duty toward God while the last six cover our duty toward man. These laws are prefaced by a reminder of God's redemptive blessings upon the nation (Exodus 20:1-2). This was to remind them of their debt to God and of His love for them. Men easily forget that God's laws are not the selfish restraints of a tyrant but the precepts of one who has our best interests in mind. See how this is emphasized in Deuteronomy 6:3-15.
While we as Christians are not under the Old Covenant let us recall that as New Covenant people the law is written in our hearts (Hebrews 10:16). In reading the New Testament one notices how often the moral laws of God are mentioned. These laws are not given as a means of salvation but as a standard of conduct and a display of God's righteous nature (Ephesians 6:1-3, I John 5:21, Ephesians 4:28).
The First Commandment - Exodus 20:3
1. What This Law Forbids
a. The Worship Of False Gods.
Someone has said that "God created man in His own image and man returned the favor." This somewhat irreverent statement does hint at a great truth. Men are always busy in the creation of new gods. Much of this involves a reshaping of their concept of the true God. Such is caused by men’s natural enmity against the Lord (Romans 1:23). Even God's people are warned of this danger (Deuteronomy 6:14-15).
b. False gods are created in several ways.
(1) The creation and worship of idols.
(2) The creation of a theology which retains the name of God yet redefines His nature and attributes. Consider those heresies that speak of God yet deny His tri-unity, holiness, power, or sovereignty. Every group that denies the deity of Jesus Christ is worshipping a false god. Many who speak of "Jesus" or the "Spirit" are in truth referring to creations of their own mind (II Corinthians 11:4).
(3) Men make false gods when they place any being between man and God. Even the more intelligent pagans recognize their many gods as intermediaries between themselves and the creator. Men Christianize this paganism when they pray to saints, Mary, or angels. How much worse is it to give worship to a mere man (Acts 10:25-26). Think of the blasphemy of calling some mortal the "head of the church." This title belongs to Christ alone (Colossians 1:18).
c. The making of anything but God the object of supreme regard man who detest naked idolatry still fail to give God His rightful place. Notice things that men place before god and thus break the first commandment.
d. Self - Matthew 16:24
e. Possessions - Colossians 3:5
f. Pleasure - Philippians 3:19
g. Family - Matthew 10:37
2. What The Law Commands
Remember that when God’s law is given as a negative the positive is implied. If nothing is to come before God then God is to receive proper worship and honor. This is done in the following ways:
a. God is to be adored. This duty involves:
(1) Loving God - Matthew 22:37-38
(2) Thinking Upon God - Malachi 3:16, Psalm 63:6
(3) Remembering God - Ecclesiastes 12:1
(4) Esteeming God - Psalm 71:19
(5) Delighting In God - Psalm 37:4
b. God alone is to be the object of out trust - Jeremiah 17:5-8
c. God alone is to be prayed to - Matthew 6:9
d. God is to be praised - Psalm 100
e. God is to be thanked - James 1:17
3. How This Law Convicts The Lost - Romans 3:20
Men often boast of their goodness because they fulfill certain outward moral duties. This law reveals God’s true demands. Man by nature has no love, much less a supreme love for God. Even the worship of unsaved men is only an attempt to place God as far away as possible. Anyone who honestly considers the real scope of the first commandment will see their need of a Saviour.
4. How This Law Guides The Saint
We as Christians must constantly remember that "Jesus first" is job one (Matthew 10:37, Philippians 1:21).
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