The First and Most Broken Commandment: Living in Exclusive Devotion to God

The First and Most Broken Commandment

John Newton, the famous hymn-writer of “Amazing Grace,” once wrote to a correspondent that most mistakes in the Christian life stem from a misunderstanding of the law of God. Numerous spiritual masters have agreed with him, and this is why a significant portion of the Reformed catechisms is dedicated to explaining the Ten Commandments, with as much as 30-40% of the content devoted to an exposition of the commandments. It is essential to understand what these spiritual masters knew to grasp the true meaning of the Ten Commandments better.

Sinai's Background

We can glean a Reformed understanding of the law by looking at it under six headings:

1. The Covenant-Making and Covenant-Keeping Character of Yahweh

The law is rooted in Yahweh's covenant-making and covenant-keeping character. It is prefaced by the words "I am the Lord your God" (Exodus 20:2). It is a call to reflect God's moral glory and to live in a way that pleases Him.

2. The Context of God's Redemption

The law was given in the context of God's redemption. Before God gave the law, He had already redeemed Israel from Egypt. God's redemptive act was not a result of Israel's obedience to the law, but rather, their obedience to the law was a response to God's redemption (Exodus 20:1-2).

3. The Expression of God's Character

The law is an expression of God's character. God's character is holy, just, and good. The law reveals God's character and sets the standard for human conduct (Romans 7:12).

4. The Standard of Righteousness

The law is the standard of righteousness. It defines what is right and what is wrong. The law is an objective standard that judges human behavior. It exposes sin and shows the need for a Savior (Romans 3:20).

5. The Guide for Christian Living

The law is a guide for Christian living. It shows believers how to live in a way that pleases God. It is not a means of earning salvation but a standard of conduct for those who have already been saved (James 1:25).

6. The Promise and Curse of the Law

The law promises blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. The blessings and curses are not just temporal but eternal. The law warns us of the consequences of sin and leads us to Christ, who bore the curse of the law on our behalf (Galatians 3:10-14).

The First Commandment

The first commandment is "You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). This commandment is the foundation for all the other commandments. It sets the standard for our relationship with God.

God's people in the Old Testament were prone to idolatry. They often worshipped other gods and made graven images of them. But God commanded them to worship only Him and to have no other gods before Him. This commandment is not just a prohibition against the worship of other gods but also a call to exclusive devotion to God.

Jesus reiterated the first commandment when He was asked what the greatest commandment was. He said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). This commandment is not just about outward obedience but also about inward devotion to God. It calls for a complete surrender of our hearts, souls, and minds to God.

The Most Broken Commandment

The first commandment is also the most broken commandment. People have always been prone to idolatry, and this is still prevalent today. We may not worship graven images, but we often put other things before God in our lives.

We may worship success, money, relationships, or pleasure. We may seek happiness in things that are not God. We may be devoted to our careers or our hobbies. We may even be devoted to our own selves, seeking to fulfill our own desires and aspirations at the expense of God's will for our lives.

Whenever we put anything before God in our lives, we are breaking the first commandment. We are worshipping other gods and setting up idols in our hearts. These idols may not be physical images, but they are just as real and just as dangerous.

The consequences of breaking the first commandment are severe. Idolatry leads to spiritual blindness and separation from God (Romans 1:21-25). It also leads to a lack of satisfaction in life, as we seek to find fulfillment in things that can never ultimately satisfy us (Jeremiah 2:13).

Living Out the First Commandment

Living out the first commandment requires us to put God first in our lives. We must seek to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. This means that we must prioritize our relationship with God above everything else in our lives.

We must also seek to avoid anything that may lead us away from God. We must avoid the worship of other gods, including the worship of self. We must also avoid anything that may become an idol in our lives, such as money, success, or pleasure.

Living out the first commandment also means seeking to glorify God in everything we do. We must seek to live our lives in a way that reflects God's character and brings honor to His name. This includes our relationships, our work, our leisure activities, and everything else in our lives.

Conclusion

The first commandment is the foundation for all the other commandments. It sets the standard for our relationship with God and calls us to exclusive devotion to Him. It is also the most broken commandment, as people have always been prone to idolatry. Living out the first commandment requires us to put God first in our lives, avoid anything that may lead us away from Him, and seek to glorify Him in everything we do.

Let us strive to live our lives in a way that reflects our love for God and our commitment to keeping His commandments. Let us seek to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and avoid anything that may lead us away from Him. Let us also seek to glorify Him in everything we do, so that His name may be exalted and honored in our lives.