Q 47: What is the basis for the first commandment?
A 47: The basis for the first commandment is God’s work of redeeming us by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. (Eph. 2.8-10; 1 Jn. 3.1-3; 1 Jn. 2.4-6)
God is able to command exclusive submission and obedience because He only is Lord and has graciously provided a way of salvation for humankind through the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt – free, gracious, undeserved, and grounded in His promises – was the basis on which He commanded exclusive obedience. The saving work of Christ – free, gracious, undeserved, and grounded in His promises – is the ground on which the Lord calls all people to acknowledge and obey Him (Acts 17.30, 31).
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