1st Commandment (No Other Gods)

Q. What is God's law?

A. God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. I. You shall have no other gods before me. II. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. III. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. IV. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work— you, your son or your daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it. V. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving to you. VI. You shall not murder. VII. You shall not commit adultery. VIII. You shall not steal. IX. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. X. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female servant, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Q. What does the Lord require in the first commandment?

A. That I, not wanting to endanger my own salvation, avoid and shun all idolatry, sorcery, superstitious rites, and prayer to saints or to other creatures. That I rightly know the only true God, trust him alone, and look to God for every good thing humbly and patiently, and love, fear, and honor him with all my heart. In short, that I renounce all created things rather than go against God's will in any way.

Q. What is idolatry?

A. Idolatry is having or inventing something in which one trusts in place of or alongside of the only true God, who has revealed himself in his Word.

Q. Which is the first commandment?

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

Q. What is required in the first commandment?

A. The first commandment requireth us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God; and to worship and glorify him accordingly.

Q. What is forbidden in the first commandment?

A. The first commandment forbiddeth the denying, or not worshiping and glorifying, the true God as God, and our God; and the giving of that worship and glory to any other, which is due to him alone.

Q. What are we specially taught by these words, before me, in the first commandment?

A. These words, before me, in the first commandment teach us, that God, who seeth all things, taketh notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other God.

Q. Which is the first commandment?

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

Q. 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; and to worship and glorify him accordingly, by thinking, meditating, remembering, highly esteeming, honoring, adoring, choosing, loving, desiring, fearing of him; believing him; trusting, hoping, delighting, rejoicing in him; being zealous for him; calling upon him, giving all praise and thanks, and yielding all obedience and submission to him with the whole man; being careful in all things to please him, and sorrowful when in anything he is offended; and walking humbly with him.

Q. 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; idolatry, in having or worshiping more gods than one, or any with or instead of the true God; the not having and avouching him for God, and our God; the omission or neglect of anything due to him, required in this commandment; ignorance, forgetfulness, misapprehensions, false opinions, unworthy and wicked thoughts of him; bold and curious searching into his secrets; all profaneness, hatred of God; self-love, self-seeking, 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; vain credulity, unbelief, heresy, misbelief, distrust, despair, incorrigibleness, and insensibleness under judgments, hardness of heart, pride, presumption, carnal security, tempting of God; using unlawful means, and trusting in lawful means; carnal delights and joys; corrupt, blind, and indiscreet zeal; lukewarmness, and deadness in the things of God; estranging ourselves, and apostatizing from God; praying, or giving any religious worship, to saints, angels, or any other creatures; all compacts and consulting with the devil, and hearkening to his suggestions; making men the lords of our faith and conscience; slighting and despising God and his commands; resisting and grieving of his Spirit, discontent and impatience at his dispensations, charging him foolishly for the evils he inflicts on us; and ascribing the praise of any good we either are, have, or can do, to fortune, idols, ourselves, or any other creature.

Q. What are we specially taught by these words before me in the first commandment?

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: as also to persuade us to do as in his sight, whatever we do in his service.

We confess and acknowledge that God has given to man His holy law (Ex. 20; Deut. 4–5) in which not only are forbidden all such works as displease and offend His godly majesty, but also are commanded all such as please Him and as He has promised to reward. And these works be of two sorts. The one are done to the honor of God; the other to the profit of our neighbors; and both have the revealed will of God for their assurance. To have one God, to worship and honor Him, to call upon Him in all our troubles, reverence His holy name, to hear His Word, to believe the same, to communicate with His holy sacraments are the works of the first table. To honor father and mother (Eph. 6), princes, rulers and superior powers (Rom. 13; 1 Tim. 2, 6), to love them, to support them, yes to obey their charges (not repugnant to the commandments of God), to save the lives of innocents (Ezek. 22), to repress tyranny (Jer. 22), to defend the oppressed (Isa. 58), to keep our bodies clean and holy (1 Thess. 4), to live in sobriety and temperance (Luke 2), to deal justly with all men both in word and deed, and finally to repress all appetite of our neighbor's hurt, are the good works of the second table which are most pleasing and acceptable unto God as those works that are commanded by Himself. The contrary of which is sin most odious which always displeases Him and provokes Him to anger (Eph. 5). As not to call upon Him alone when we have need, not to hear His Word with reverence, to condemn and despise it, to have or to worship idols, to maintain and defend idolatry, lightly to esteem the revered name of God, to profane, abuse, or condemn the sacraments of Christ Jesus, to disobey or resist any that God has placed in authority (while they pass not over the bounds of their office) (Rom. 13), to murder, to consent thereto, to bear hatred or to suffer innocent blood to be shed, if we may withstand it (Ezek. 22), and finally the transgression of any other commandment in the first or second table, we confess and affirm to be sin by which God's hot displeasure is kindled against the proud and unthankful world.

So that good works we affirm to be these only that are done in faith, at God's commandment, who in His law has expressed what are the things that please Him. And evil works we affirm [are] not only those that expressly are done against God's commandment, but those also that in matters of religion and worshipping of God have no other assurance but the invention and opinion of man, which God from the beginning has ever rejected. As by the prophet Isaiah and by our master Christ Jesus, we are taught in these words, "In vain do they worship Me, teaching the doctrines and precepts of men" (Isa. 29; Matt. 13).

And because God is an invisible Spirit, and an incomprehensible essence, He cannot, therefore, by any art or image be expressed. For which cause we fear not, with the Scripture, to term the images of God mere lies. We do, therefore, reject not only the idols of the Gentiles, but also the images of Christians. For although Christ took upon Him man's nature, yet He did not, therefore, take it that He might set forth a pattern for carvers and painters. He denied that He came "to destroy the Law and the prophets" (Matt. 5:17), but images are forbidden in the Law and the prophets. He denied that His bodily presence would any way profit the church (Deut. 4:15; Isa. 40:18). He promises that "He would by His Spirit be present with us for ever" (John 16:7; 2 Cor. 5:5); who would then believe that the shadow or picture of His body in any way benefits the godly? And seeing that He abides in us by His Spirit, "We are therefore the temples of God" (1 Cor. 3:16), but "what agreement hath the temple of God with images?" (2 Cor. 6:16). And seeing that the blessed spirits and saints in heaven, while they lived here abhorred all worship done unto themselves (Acts 14:15; Rev. 14:7; 19:10; 22:8–9) and spoke against images, who can think it likely that the saints in heaven and the angels are delighted with their own images, to whom men bow their knees, uncover their heads and give such other like honor?

But that men might be instructed in religion, and put in mind of heavenly things and of their own salvation, the Lord commanded "preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15), not to paint and instruct the laity by pictures: He also instituted sacraments, but nowhere did He appoint images. Furthermore, in every place, in whatever way we turn our eyes, we see the lively and true creatures of God, which if they are marked, as is meet, they much more effectually move the beholder than all the images; or vain, unmovable, rotten, and dead pictures of men whatsoever; of which the prophet spoke truly, "They have eyes, and see not" (Ps. 115:5).

Therefore, we approve the judgment of Lactantius, an ancient writer, who says, "Undoubtedly there is no religion, wheresoever there is a picture." And we affirm that the blessed bishop Epiphanius did well, who, finding on the church doors a veil, that had painted on it the picture as it might be of Christ or of some saint or other, he cut and took it away; for, contrary to the authority of the Scriptures, he had seen the picture of a man hanging in the church of Christ: and, therefore, he charged that from thenceforth no such veils, which were contrary to our religion, should be hung up in the church of Christ, but that rather such scruple should be taken away which was unworthy the church of Christ and all faithful people. Moreover we approve this sentence of St. Augustine, "Let not the worship of men's works be a religion unto us. For the workmen themselves that make such things are better; whom yet we ought not to worship" (De Vera Religion, Chap. 55).

Unto the ancient people were given in old time certain ceremonies, as a kind of schooling to those which were kept under the Law, as under a schoolmaster or tutor. But Christ the deliverer, being once come and the Law taken away, we which believe are no more under the Law (Rom. 6:14) and the ceremonies have vanished out of use. And the apostles were so far from retaining them or restoring them in the church of Christ that they witnessed plainly that they would not lay any burden upon the church (Acts 15:28). Wherefore we should seem to bring in and set up Judaism again, if we should multiply ceremonies or rites in the church according to the manner of the old church. And thus we are not of their judgment who would have the church of Christ kept in with many and divers rites as it were with a certain schooling. For if the apostles would not thrust upon the Christian people the ceremonies and rites which were appointed by God, who is there, I pray you, that is well in his wits, that will thrust upon it the inventions devised by man? The greater the heap of ceremonies is in the church, so much the more is taken not only from Christian liberty but also from Christ and from faith in Him; while the people seek those things in ceremonies which they should seek in the only Son of God, Jesus Christ, through faith. Wherefore a few moderate and simple rites that are not contrary to the Word of God are sufficient for the godly.

And in that there is found diversity of rites in the churches, let no man say, therefore, that the churches do not agree. Socrates says, "It is not possible to set down in writing all the ceremonies of the churches, which are throughout cities and countries. No religion doth keep everywhere the same ceremonies, although they admit and receive one and the selfsame doctrine touching them for even they which have one and the selfsame faith, do disagree among themselves about ceremonies." Thus much says Socrates; and we at this day having diversities in the celebration of the Lord's Supper, and in certain other things in our churches, yet we do not disagree in doctrine and faith, neither is the unity and society of our churches rent asunder. For the churches have always used their liberty in such rites as being things indifferent, which we also do at this day.

But yet, notwithstanding, we admonish men to take heed that they count not among things indifferent such as indeed are not indifferent; as some count the mass and the use of images in the church for things indifferent. "That is indifferent (said Jerome to Augustine) which is neither good nor evil, so that whether you do it, or do it not, you are never the more just, or unjust thereby." Therefore, when things indifferent are wrested to the confession of faith, they cease to be free: as Paul shows that it is lawful for a man to eat flesh, if no man admonishes him that it was offered to idols (1 Cor. 10:27–28), for then it is unlawful because he that eats it seems to approve idolatry by eating it.