The First Commandment

The First Commandment

Deuteronomy 5:7, and Exodus 20:3-6, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven (carved) image = (phantom, illusion, resemblance), or any likeness = (image) of anything 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 = (hate personally, enemy, or foe).”

By this commandment, it is meant that idols are not to be worshipped (bowed down to, do reverence to, or given honor to). The worship of idols is as old as man himself. Idol worship continues to this day, and according to God’s word, will continue to the coming of the Lord.

Section II

Idol worship is world wide practice. Because America has become a melting pot for many religions, idol worship has again raised its ugly head. Muslims bow daily toward their holy places. They worship Allah, and glorify Mohammed. Witchcraft, voodoo, and many other forms of pagan worship have begun to mingle with the Christian culture.

Hinduism has its’ images of Buddha, Catholics have their figures and statues, Mary, Joseph, saints, and various images of Jesus. Nature worshippers if given a choice would kill an unborn child, before they would destroy the egg of a nesting eagle. Atheists worship themselves, witches worship Satan, the parade is long, and goes on unchallenged.

The sale of images and objects is a money making machine; it concerning Christian relics, old bones, stones, wooden objects, prayer rugs, shrouds with images, all given some form of honor, or worshipped. Images of the dead, the displaying of crosses, lighting candles, beads, burning incense, etc. all have found their way into the culture of the religious community. God said, thou shalt not make any graven images, and thou shall not bow down, or serve them. To “make” is to fashion, form, or bring forth.

Section III 

The Jews were the first to worship the one true God, but would soon begin to worship false gods. This was evident when Aaron, Moses brother made an image of a golden calf that the people began to worship in the wilderness. After this event, it is clear from Scripture that idol worship continued in their land. 

By this commandment, “There shall be no other gods before me,” in the natural sense means that no man or woman, dead or alive, is to be worshipped as a god. There seems to be a progression of worship concerning living, or dead persons who have been given the honor of a god.

First men honor these people as saints; secondly, they are given divine attributes. This means that they are said to have the nature and essence of a god. Then, they are given the status of god, and finally they are worshiped as gods. 

By this first commandment, it is meant that nothing, or anyone, is to be worshiped or loved except the God of the Bible. In Old Testament times, God is called Yehovah; Jehovah; Adoni; God; LORD; etc. In the New Testament, God was given a proper name,

Matthew 1:21, “And she = (Mary) shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS.”

Section IV:

In Matthew 22:35-37, a lawyer asked Jesus the following question, “which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus responded, “Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” In other words, nothing is to come before God, not even your life. Obey this commandment, and you will be blessed.

Whosoever is serving, or giving honor to any person dead or alive, any object, relic, or image, and that object is loved above all else, this has become the god of that person. When a person loves themselves above all else, they usually do not, or will not acknowledge God, partially or wholly.

The spiritual sense of this commandment is that no other God but the Lord Jesus Christ is to be worshipped as God. Why, because He is both Lord and God, sent by the Father, first to Create, and then to redeem mankind to Himself. Without Him and His sacrifice, no man can be saved. He is the Light of the world, and the life of the world.

When we worship the Son, we glorify the Father in Heaven. This is God’s chain of command, for the Son is,

Hebrews 1:3, “the brightness of His = (the Father’s) glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when He = (Jesus) had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Section V:

The Scriptural evidence for this can be found in the following passages of both the Old and New Testament. In the following verses, compare the underlined portions of the Old Testament with underlined portion of the New Testament verses (Old Testament first).

1. Isaiah 25:9, “And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: the future church) this is the LORD; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Compare with,

Luke 19:10, Jesus said, “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Isaiah wrote, God will save us; Luke wrote, Jesus came to save us, therefore Jesus is God.

2. Isaiah 45:14-15, “Surely God is in thee = (the gentiles and future church): and there is none else, there is no God. Compare with,

John 14:20, Jesus said, “I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.”

Isaiah wrote, God is in us; and Jesus said that He is in us, therefore Jesus is God.

3. Isaiah 40:3-5, 11, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness = (John the Baptist), Prepare ye the way of the LORD = (Jesus), make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

Verse 5, “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.”

Verse 11, “He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs = (His children) with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” Compare with,

John 10:11, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.”

Isaiah wrote, Jehovah is our shepherd, Jesus said that He is our Shepherd, Jesus is Jehovah.

4. Isaiah 45:14-15, “Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.”

Verse 15, “Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Savior.” Compare with,

John 4:42, “This is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

Isaiah wrote that God is our Savior, John writes, that Jesus is the Savior, He is God.

5. Isaiah 45:21-22, “There is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior, there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.” Compare with,

Hebrews 9:28, “and unto them that look for Him = (Jesus) shall He appear.”

Section VI

Continued Proof that Jesus is God:

6. Isaiah 43:11, and Hosea 13:4, “I am Jehovah, and beside me there is no Savior.” Again Jesus is the Savior of the world, He is God.

7. Isaiah 49:26, and 60:16, “All flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.” Compare with,

Luke 1:68, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for He = (Jesus) hath visited and redeemed His people.”

Isaiah wrote, the LORD is the redeemer: Luke calls Jesus the redeemer of the people, so Jesus is God.

8. Isaiah 47:4, and Jeremiah 1:34, “As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, the Holy One of Israel.” Compare with,

Luke 4:34, The demons said to Jesus, “I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.”

God is the Holy One of Israel, even the evil demons of Satan acknowledge Jesus as the Holy One, Jesus is God.

9. Psalms 19:14, “O LORD, my strength = (my Rock) and my redeemer.” Compare with,

1 Corinthians 10:4, “that Rock was Christ.”

David calls the LORD His Rock; Paul calls Christ the Rock, so Jesus is God.

10. Isaiah 43:24, 48:17, and 49:7, “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God.”

Isaiah calls the LORD God; Jesus is called the Lord of lords, so Jesus must be God.

Section VII:

Continued Proof that Jesus is God:

11. Isaiah 44:24, “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and He that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all thing.” Compare with,

Colossians 1:16, “For by Him = (Jesus) were all things created.”

Isaiah said the LORD made all things, and we read in Colossians that Jesus made all things, so again, Jesus is the Creator.

12. Isaiah 44:6, “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” Compare with,

Revelation 1:8, Jesus said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending.”

Isaiah calls the LORD the first and the last, John, in Revelation writes that Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, so Jesus is the All in All.

13. Isaiah 54:5, “The LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the HOLY One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called.” Compare with,

Hebrews 1:2, It is said that Jesus has been “appointed heir of all things.”

Isaiah said that the Holy One is the God of the whole earth, In Hebrews we read that Jesus has inherited all things, so Jesus is God.

14. Isaiah 63:16, “Abraham be ignorant of us = (does not know us), and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our Father, our Redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.” Compare with,

Isaiah 9:6, reads “His name shall be called… the everlasting Father.”

Isaiah calls the LORD our Father, Isaiah said that the child to be born of a virgin is given the title of, “everlasting Father,” so Jesus is God.

15. Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Compare with, Acts 5:31, “Him = (Jesus) hath God = (the Father) exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and Savior.” Also,

2 Thessalonians 3:16, Jesus is called, “the Lord of peace.”

16. Jeremiah 23:5-6, and 33:15-16, “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper … this is His name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Compare with,

1 John 2:1, “We have an advocate = (Intercessor) with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous.”

The righteous one that Jeremiah wrote about is God; John calls Jesus the Righteous One, so Jesus must be God.

Section VIII:

In the New Testament, is Jesus Called the True God?

1. John 14:8-10, “Philip saith unto Him = (Jesus) Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth = (will satisfy) us. Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.

Verse 10, Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?” Jesus is our Father, to the glory of His Father, who rules in Heaven.

2. Col.2:9, “For in Him = (Jesus) dwelleth all the fullness of the godhead bodily.” The Godhead is the divine nature and perfections of God. This is what dwells in the Lord Jesus, from everlasting to everlasting.

3. 1 John 5:20-21, “We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ, This is the true God, and eternal life. Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” Jesus is the true God.

Section IX:

Concerning God’s Throne in Heaven:

In the celestial sense of the first commandment, we learn that Jehovah the Lord is Infinite, Unlimited, and Eternal; that He is Omnipotent= (all powerful), Omniscient = (having all knowledge), and Omnipresent= (Universal presence).

He is the First and the Last, the Beginning of all things, and the End of all things; who Was, Is, and Will be. He is Love itself, Wisdom itself, All Good, and All Truth itself; He is Life itself; therefore, the Only One, from whom all things come. This is the God of the Bible, our Creator, Lord and King.

Anyone who acknowledges and worships any other god, other than the Lord Jesus Christ, sins against the first commandment.

Those who are not of God, do not think of Scriptural truths except from the ways and things of the world, therefore they fall into its’ snares. This person cannot elevate his mind above this thinking.

Jesus is the God of Christianity, He who has finished His Father’s work now rules with Him from the throne in Heaven. Jesus has glorified His Father, and has been glorified by the Father.

Romans 14:11, is quoted from Isaiah 45:23, it reads, “As I live, saith the LORD, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Yet we read in,

Philippians 2:10, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.”

Verse 11, “And that every tongue = (man, woman, and child) should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

This is our God, at the same time, Creator, Redeemer, Regenerator, and Savior. If you are to be considered wise by God, take this picture of our God, carry it home, delight in it, and then share it with your friends and family.

Phillip Laspino  www.seekfirstwisdom.com