The First Commandment – No Other Gods

The First Commandment

No other gods

Deuteronomy 12:32

“Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.’”

1 Corinthians 4:6; Revelation 22:18, 19

God cannot emphasize enough the importance of full, complete, and continuous obedience to His Law. Israel is to “be careful” to do so, reading the Law, studying and discussing it, looking to the elders and judges to explain and apply it, and dutifully keeping their steps within its path (Ps. 119:59, 60). In order to secure the further benefits and blessings of God’s covenant, Israel must not omit any part of the Law, even though it seems difficult to understand or hard to bear. Nor must they add anything to it, thus presuming to improve on God’s revelation by their own wits.

Paul would tell the churches in his day the same thing–not to “go beyond” what was written in the Word of God, but to keep their obedience within the framework of divine revelation. And John warned any who would add to his words, the last of the apostolic generation, of judgment to come on those who presume to add their own words to God’s as of equal standing.

In this series of In the Gates we present a detailed explanation of the Law of God, beginning with the Ten Commandments, and working through the statutes and rules that accompany each commandment. For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the practice of ethics, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.MyParuchia.com and click on our Book Store.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.