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Q 46: What is the first commandment of the Law of God?
A 46: The first commandment is, “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.” (Ex. 20.2, 3; Deut. 5.6, 7)
The first commandment establishes the spiritual and moral basis for human wellbeing. It declares the reality of God, recalls His saving mercies, and commands full and unqualified obedience to Him as God, Lord, and Savior of humankind. The first commandment underlies all other aspects of the Law of God. The Law cannot be truly obeyed apart from the kind of love for God which grows from recognizing Him as God and Lord and gratefully acknowledging His saving mercy and grace. To teach the Law apart from submission to and love for God is to promote legalism and salvation by works. To teach love for God without teaching the rest of the Law is to promote a kind of spiritual licentiousness.
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