What is the Truth about Commandments One and Two?

Introduction:

When God gave his commandments to the Israelites, he introduced them by saying,  “I am the Lord your God, who led you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”  He reminded his people that he was their loving Lord who was giving them his commandments.  Likewise, it is our loving Lord, who has justified us through Jesus Christ, who gives us his commandments.

Obeying God’s commandments is a fruit of our faith to express our thanks and love for his having justified and saved us through Jesus Christ.  As we approach our study of his commandments, let us bear in mind that we do not live by them in order to earn the right to be in heaven but because he has given us a place in heaven as his free and gracious gift.  Likewise, let us remember that he has not given us his commandments so we can try to save ourselves by obeying them but to serve us as a mirror, a curb, and a guide.

From the fact that God originally wrote his commandments on two tablets of stone we have divided the commandments theologically into two tables of the law.  The first table of the law includes commandments one through three and pertain to our relationship with God.  The second table includes commandments four through ten and pertain to our relationship with our fellow man.  The purpose of this lesson is learn the truth about what the first two commandments mean for us as God’s Christian people.
 

1. What does this commandment forbid?

(A)  Isa.42:8  “I am the Lord, that is my name; and I will not give my glory to another, or my praise to graven images.”

1. God’s name is the Lord, as is every other name he has used for himself in the Bible, such as Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Savior, Redeemer, Counselor, the almighty God, Good Shepherd, and others.
2. Contrary to the opinion of some, the Lord our God is not known and worshipped by names like Allah, Buddah, Brahman, or the names of other idols.  The notion that all people worship the same God only by different names is a gross heresy contrary to the first commandment.
3. The Lord our God forbids us to worship, honor, love, trust, or call on any god but himself.  To do so would be idolatry.

(B)  Jn.5:23  . . . in order that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

1. The Lord our God cannot be worshipped unless his Son, Jesus Christ, is also worshipped, for the true God is the Father and the Son as well as the Holy Spirit.  The worship and recognition of any god which omits, denies, or rejects Jesus Christ as God’s Son is idolatry.
2. It is impossible for us Christians who confess faith in Jesus Christ to be associated with those who refuse to call upon him as the Son of God.  If we were to do so, we would involve ourselves in their idolatry.

(C)  Eph.5:5  For this you surely know: No immoral or impure or greedy person – who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

1. Greed is idolatry.  We are not to honor, love, or trust in anything or anyone more than we do the Lord himself, whether it be money, material things, status, recognition, pleasure, family, friends, recreation, sleep, or whatever.  Such honor, love, and trust is idolatry.

(C)  Mt.6:24  No one can serve two masters. . . You cannot serve God and Mammon.

The Truth Is:

The first commandment forbids us to:
A. Worship, honor, love, trust, or call on any god but the Lord.
B. Worship or confess affiliation with any god which omits, denies, or rejects Christ Jesus or one of the persons of the Trinity.
Note:  The above are known as Open Idolatry.
C. Honor, love, or trust in anything or anyone more than the Lord.  This is known as Secret Idolatry.

2. What does this commandment demand?

(A)  Ps.33:8  Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world revere him.
(B)  Mt.22:37  LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART . . .
(C)  Pro.3:5  Trust in the Lord with all your heart.

The Truth Is:

This commandment demands:
A. We honor the Lord above all. (Fear)
B. We love the Lord above all. (Love)
C. We trust in the Lord above all. (Trust)

3. Can we belong to an organization which recognizes a “God” but not the Trinity and Jesus Christ?

(A)  Isa.42:8  “I am the Lord, that is my name; and I will not give my glory to another, or my praise to graven images.”
(A)  Jn.5:23  . . . in order that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

1. We learned above that God demands he alone be honored as the Lord--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  He forbids the rejection of Jesus Christ, his Son.
2. Organizations which recognize “God” but do not mean the Lord and Jesus Christ his Son violate the first commandment.  Their recognition of “God” in a general, vague manner so as not to offend any of the world’s religions, or their invention of a name for “God,” like the Grand Architect, is idolatry.
3. If a Christian were to join such an organization, he would participate in their sin against the first commandment.  Membership in such an organization professes acceptance of its principles and joins in its sin of idolatry.  It is hypocritical, and logically impossible, for a Christian to confess the Lord and Jesus Christ in church and then belong to an organization that recognizes and calls on a “God” who is not the Lord and Jesus Christ.  He cannot sincerely confess the Lord in one place and deny him in another place.

(B)  Mt.12:30  Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”

1. Jesus Christ leaves no middle or neutral ground.  A person or an organization cannot both confess him and refuse to confess him, or leave the confession of him an open question without being for or against him.
2. Any person or organization that refuses to confess Jesus is against him and is scattering, or driving away, people from him.  That person or organization opposes him, his work of gathering people to himself, and his Word which proclaims him the Savior.  A Christian in good conscience cannot be a party to such opposition to his Savior.

(C) 1 Jn.4:3  And every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and is now already in the world.

1. Organizations which recognize “God” but not the Lord Jesus Christ are not from God.  They can come from only one other spirit, then--the devil.

(D)  Ps.106:36,37  And they served their idols, and they became a snare to them. And they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.

1. Organizations which recognize “God” but not the Triune God and Jesus Christ give honor to an idol.  Their “God” is actually a demon.

(A,D,E,F)  1 Cor.10:14, 20-22  Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. . . No, but the things which the pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become partakers of demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot participate in the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or, are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than he is, are we?

1. The Lord says to flee idolatry, the worship of demons.  We must, then, flee from the unidentified “God” of those organizations who do not recognize the Lord.
2. Membership in such an organization excludes a person from coming to the Lord’s Table.
3. Membership in such an organization arouses the Lord’s jealousy and wrath.

The Truth Is:

A Christian cannot belong to an organization that confesses a “God” other than the Lord and Jesus Christ.  By his membership:
A. He sins against the first commandment, involving himself in an idolatry that rejects the Lord and Jesus Christ and makes his confession of faith hypocritical.
B. He becomes a party to opposing Christ, his work, and his Word.
C. He affiliates himself with an ungodly organization from the devil.
D. He participates in the worship of demons.
E. He excludes himself from coming to the Lord’s Table.
F. He arouses the Lord’s jealousy and wrath.
Note:  The teachings of such organizations as the lodges and scouts also conflict with Scripture: respect for all false religions and their idols, the natural goodness of man, work righteousness. Thus we would avoid membership in these organizations, just as we would avoid membership in an erring church which taught such things and denied our Lord.

 

4. What does this commandment forbid?

(A)  Lev.24:15  Anyone who curses his God will bear his sin.
(A)  Js.3:10  Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so!

1. Cursing is the opposite of praise or blessing.  Cursing uses God’s name to wish evil on something or someone.
2. Cursing may blaspheme God himself or call on him to damn something or someone.

(B)  Heb.6:16  For men swear by one greater than themselves, and to them the oath made for confirmation is the end of every dispute.

1. Swearing by God’s name is the making of an oath.  It calls on God to witness the truth or to punish the lie.

(B)  Mt.26:63,64  But Jesus remained silent. So the chief priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God that you tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it.”

1. Swearing before a court to tell the truth is not improper.

(B)  Lev.19:12  You shall not swear falsely by my name, and so profane the name of your God; I am the Lord.

1. False swearing uses God’s name to conceal a lie.  It dishonors God’s name.

(B)  Mk.6:23  And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you – up to one half of my kingdom.”

1. Herod’s oath is an example of swearing to uncertain matters.

(B)  Mt.5:34,37  “Make no oath at all; . . . But let your word be, ‘Yes, Yes,’ ‘No, No.’ And whatever is more than this is from the evil one.”

1. Jesus forbids unnecessary, thoughtless swearing, which the devil instigates.

(C)  Dt.18:10-12  Let there not be found among you anyone who causes his son or his daughter to pass through fire, who practices divination, who practices sorcery, or who interprets omens, or practices witchcraft, or who casts a spell, or who is a medium, or who is a spiritist, or who consults the dead, because all who do these things are detestable to the Lord. . .

1. Society says superstition is any belief that is inconsistent with the known laws of science or what society considers true and rational.  Society considers belief in omens, charms, the supernatural, a superstition.  The black arts would be a superstition.  The supernatural--God himself, angels, demonic spirits, however, are very real, even though they are outside the realm of science.  Luther included superstition under the second commandment because God’s name was invoked in connection with it.  This is a misuse of God’s name.  Practicing the black arts is a sin, not only against the first commandment, but against the second commandment as well when God’s name is invoked.
2. God forbids practicing the black arts, which use demonic forces to accomplish supernatural feats.
3. Divination is foreseeing the future.  It is fortune-telling.  The psychic, clairvoyant, or fortune-teller, attempts to discover information that is removed from him in time or location.  This ability comes from demons, see Acts 16:16, and is often a sign of demonic possession.  Divination includes astrology, horoscopes, card laying, palmistry, interpretation of dreams.
4. Witchcraft and sorcery attempt to bring about results in the material world which surpass human abilities and are accomplished by demonic powers.  Witchcraft includes the casting of spells, sympathetic magic which includes voodoo dolls, charms which a witch has charged with magical powers through incantations and spells, and magical healing, such as is done by witch doctors.
5. Spiritism and consulting the dead attempt to contact the spirits of demons and of the dead.  Spiritism is practiced through ouija boards, glass moving, table tipping, automatic writing, and seances.

(D)  Jer.23:31  “Behold, I am against the prophets,” declares the Lord, “who take their tongue and declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ ”

1. Teaching false doctrine is a misuse of God’s name.  Under the cover of God’s name it teaches things he never said.  This is known as lying by God’s name.

(E)  Isa.29:13  And the Lord says, “Because this people draws near with its mouth, and honors me with its lips, yet its heart is removed far from me, so their worship of me is only a human commandment taught to them, . . .”

1. Hypocrisy calls on God and confesses him, and covers up an unbelieving heart and a sinful life.  Such hypocrisy is known as deceiving by God’s name.

The Truth Is:

The second commandment forbids us to:
A. Curse by God’s name.
B. Swear by God’s name.
C. Practice superstition by God’s name.
D. Lie by God’s name.
E. Deceive by God’s name.

5. What does this commandment demand?

(A)  Ps.50:15  Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.
(B)  Ps.5:2  Pay attention to the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God; because unto you do I pray.
(C)  Ps.103:1,2  Bless the Lord, O my soul, And all that is within me bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits.

1. To praise the Lord is both to worship him and to proclaim his wonderful works in preaching, teaching, mission work, and evangelism.

(D)  Ps.118:1  Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his love endures forever.

The Truth Is:

The second commandment demands that we use his name to:
A. Call upon him in our times of trouble.
B. Pray to him.
C. Praise him.
D. Thank him.

Review Questions

1. List some examples of open idolatry.
2. List some examples of secret idolatry.
3. Is it a sin for us to trust in our doctor?
4. Many churches permit membership in lodges and scouts.  How would you evaluate this?
5. Lodges are known to require their members to make an oath that they will not reveal the secrets they are about to be told.  Is such an oath pleasing to God?  Why, or why not?  Which commandment applies to this situation?
6. “Criss-cross my heart and I hope to die!”  “May God strike me dead!” or, “I’ll swear it on a stack of Bibles!”  Evaluate these statements on the basis of what you have learned about oaths.
7. Are the black arts superstition or supernatural?
8. Horoscopes are popular.  Can a Christian use them without sinning against God?
9. What do you think about purchasing ouija boards for children to play with?
10. Why is involvement in the black arts tantamount to inviting the demons into one’s life?
11. When would the saying of table prayers and of participating in worship services become a misuse of God’s name?
12. Why would we want to avoid erring churches which teach and tolerate false doctrine in their midst?
13. Give some examples of how you can use God’s name to praise him.

Unpublished work. Copyright © 1995 JCS of Christian Inconnect. All rights reserved.  No part of this document may be reproduced for distribution or publication without prior permission from Christian Inconnect.

All Scripture verses on this web page, unless otherwise indicated, are a translation of the pastor of Christian Inconnect and are a part of the Christian Inconnect Version (CIV), on which he is working. He reserves all rights to his translated verses and to their copyright ©. They may not be quoted without his prior permission.

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