Redemption, then Reason – The First Commandment

Redemption, then Reason

Exodus 20:2, 3

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.”

We maintain that this commandment is perfectly reasonable, but that is only true from within a particular perspective. Otherwise, all the “reasonable” world would submit to the demands of the first commandment. Redemption must occur first for us to see the reasonableness of what God requires. We must have experienced His liberating power, encountered His matchless glory, and been delivered through the blood of His Paschal Lamb before we will receive this commandment gladly. What God requires in the first commandment seems unreasonable to rebellious sinners – just ask Pharaoh. Redemption by grace is required before the Law of God will make sense. For those who know that redemption, what excuse will we offer for our seemingly incurable tendency to allow other gods into our lives? Who is more unreasonable? The unbeliever who has not known the grace of God, or we who have, and yet compromise?

What indicators of a growing love for God do you see in your life? Can we gladly accept any of God’s commandments, no matter how reasonable they are, if we are not growing in love for the Lord?

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“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is 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.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.