The First Commandment – The Source of the Law

The First Commandment

The Source of the Law (2)

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.”

Deuteronomy 5:6, 7

“‘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.’”

As we have seen, God, the Lord, is the Giver of His Law.

Yahweh is also a personal Deity, existing in three Persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the eternal Godhead the Persons of the Deity enjoy perfect glory and mutual love. It is reasonable to expect, therefore, that the Law issuing from such counsel will be intended for the same. Through obedience to the Law God’s people learn the ways of love and live within the context of His glory.

Yahweh is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob–the God of magnificent and precious promises which He holds out to His people as the way to partake of His very essence (Exod. 3:6; Gen. 12:1-3; 2 Pet. 1:4). The Law is thus not in conflict with the promises (Gal. 3:15-8; cf. Rom. 4:13-25). It was given as a means to aid Israel in moving toward that which God intended for them in loving Him and their neighbors. As Jesus Christ fulfills the Law and all the Prophets (Matt. 5:17-19), so also He is the fulfillment of all the promises of God as well (2 Cor. 1:20). Thus the Law and the promises are embodied in Jesus Christ, and all the blessings and glory of each is realized only through Him.

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.