The Westminster Larger Catechism

Questions 101—106: On the First Commandment

Q. 101. What is the preface to the ten commandments?

A. The preface to the ten commandments is contained in these words, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage^a. Wherein God manifesteth his sovereignty, as being JEHOVAH, the eternal, immutable, and almighty God^b; having his being in and of himself^c, and giving being to all his words^d and works^e: and that he is a God in covenant, as with Israel of old, so with all his people^f; who, as he brought them out of their bondage in Egypt, so he delivereth us from our spiritual thraldom^g; and that therefore we are bound to take him for our God alone, and to keep all his commandments^h.

^a Exod. 20:2 ^b Isa. 44:6 ^c Exod. 3:14 ^d Exod. 6:3 ^e Acts 17:24,28 ^f Gen. 17:7 compared with Rom. 3:29 ^g Luke 1:74,75 ^h 1 Pet. 1:15-18; Lev. 18:30; Lev. 19:37

Q. 102. What is the sum of the four commandments which contain our duty to God?

A. The sum of the four commandments containing our duty to God, is, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength, and with all our mind^a.

^a Luke 10:27

Q. 103. Which is the first commandment?

A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me^a.

^a Exod. 20:3 

Q. 104. What are the duties required in the first commandment?

A. The duties required in the first commandment are, the knowing and acknowledging of God to be the only true God, and our God^a; and to worship and glorify him accordingly^b, by thinking^c, meditating^d, remembering^e, highly esteeming^f, honouring^g, adoring^h, choosingⁱ, loving^k, desiring^l, fearing of him^m; believing himⁿ; trusting^o, hoping^p, delighting^q, rejoicing in him^r; being zealous for him^s; calling upon him, giving all praise and thanks^t, and yielding all obedience and submission to him with the whole man^u being careful in all things to please him^x, and sorrowful when in any thing he is offended^y; and walking humbly with him^z.

^a 1 Chron. 28:9; Deut. 26:17; Isa. 43:10; Jer. 14:22 ^b Ps. 95:6,7; Matt. 4:10; Ps. 29:2 ^c Mal. 3:16 ^d Ps. 63:6 ^e Eccl. 12:1 ^f Ps. 71:19 ^g Mal. 1:6 ^h Isa. 45:23 i Josh. 24:15,22 ^k Deut. 6:5 ^l Ps. 73:25 ^m Isa. 8:13 ⁿ Exod. 14:31 ^o Isa. 26:4 ^p Ps. 130:7 ^q Ps. 37:4 ^r Ps. 32:11 ^s Rom. 12:11 compared with Num. 25:11 ^t Phil. 4:6 ^u Jer. 7:23; James 4:7 ^x 1 John 3:22 ^y Jer. 31:18; Ps. 119:136 ^z Micah 6:8

Q. 105. What are the sins forbidden in the first commandment?

A. The sins forbidden in the first commandment, are, Atheism, in denying or not having a God^a; Idolatry, in having or worshipping more gods than one, or any with or instead of the true God^b; the not having and avouching him for God, and our God^c; the omission or neglect of any thing due to him, required in this commandment^d; ignorance^e, forgetfulness^f, misapprehensions^g, false opinions^h, unworthy and wicked thoughts of himⁱ; bold and curious searching into his secrets^k; all profaneness^l, hatred of God^m; self-loveⁿ, self-seeking^o, and all other inordinate and immoderate setting of our mind, will, or affections upon other things, and taking them off from him in whole or in part^p; vain credulity^q, unbelief^r, heresy^s, misbelief^t, distrust^u, despair^x, incorrigibleness^y, and insensibleness under judgments^z, hardness of heart^a, pride^b, presumption^c, carnal security^d, tempting of God^e; using unlawful means^f, and trusting in unlawful means^g; carnal delights and joys^h; corrupt, blind, and indiscreet zealⁱ; lukewarmness ^k, and deadness in the things of God^l; estranging ourselves, and apostatizing from God^m; praying, or giving any religious worship, to saints, angels, or any other creaturesⁿ; all compacts and consulting with the devil^o, and hearkening to his suggestions^p; making men the lords of our faith and conscience^q; slighting and despising God and his commands^r; resisting and grieving of his Spirit^s, discontent and impatience at his dispensations, charging him foolishly for the evils he inflicts on us^t; and ascribing the praise of any good we either are, have, or can do, to fortune^u, idols^x, ourselves^y, or any other creature^z.

^a Ps. 14:1; Eph. 2:12 ^b Jer. 2:27,28 compared with 1 Thess. 1:9 ^c Ps. 81:11 ^d Isa. 43:22-24 ^e Jer. 4:22; Hosea 4:1,6 ^f Jer. 2:32 ^g Acts 17:23,29 ^h Isa. 40:18 i Ps. 50:21 ^k Deut. 29:29 ^l Tit. 1:16; Heb. 12:16 ^m Rom. 1:30 ⁿ 2 Tim. 3:2 ^o Phil. 2:21 ^p 1 John 2:15,16; 1 Sam. 2:29; Col. 3:2,5 ^q 1 John 4:1 ^r Heb. 3:12 ^s Gal. 5:20; Tit. 3:10 ^t Acts 26:9 ^u Ps. 78:22 ^x Gen. 4:13 ^y Jer. 5:3 ^z Isa. 42:25 ^a Rom. 2:5 ^b Jer. 13:15 ^c Ps. 19:13 ^d Zeph. 1:12 ^e Matt. 4:7 ^f Rom. 3:8 ^g Jer. 17:5 ^h 2 Tim. 3:4 ⁱ Gal. 4:17; John 16:2; Rom. 10:2; Luke 9:54,55 ^k Rev. 3:16 ^l Rev. 3:1 ^m Ezek. 14:5; Isa. 1:4,5 ⁿ Rom. 10:13,14; Hosea 4:12; Acts 10:25,26; Rev. 19:10; Matt. 4:10; Col. 2:18; Rom. 1:25 ^o Lev. 20:6; 1 Sam. 28:7,11 compared with 1 Chron. 10:13,14 ^p Acts 5:3 ^q 2 Cor. 1:24; Matt. 23:9 ^r Deut. 32:15; 2 Sam. 12:9; Prov. 13:13 ^s Acts 7:51; Eph. 4:30 ^t Ps. 73:2,3,13-15,22; Job 1:22 ^u 1 Sam. 6:7-9 ^x Dan. 5:23 ^y Deut. 8:17; Dan. 4:30 ^z Hab. 1:16 

Q. 106. What are we especially taught by these words "before me" in the first comandment?

A. These words "before me" or before my face, in the first commandment, teach us, that God, who seeth all things, taketh special notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other God: that so it may be an argument to dissuade from it, and to aggravate it as a most impudent provocation^a: as also to persuade us to do as in his sight, whatever we do in his service^b.

^a Ezek. 8:5-18; Ps. 44:20,21 ^b 1 Chron. 28:9