WHAT THE FIRST COMMANDMENT REQUIRES

The First Commandment

This week, we're diving into the First Commandment and what it requires from us. Next week, we'll tackle what it prohibits. We'll start with a passage from Exodus and then explore a powerful story from 1 Kings that illustrates this commandment.

This story takes place on Mount Carmel, where Elijah challenges the Canaanites and their god, Baal, to a contest. Baal was known as the Canaanite god of rain, weather, and fertility. The challenge was a direct showdown: if Baal truly controlled rain and storms, he should be able to send fire from heaven, light an offering, and end the drought. However, this story powerfully reveals that YAHWEH is the One, True, and Sovereign God.

Please stand for the reading of God’s Word:

You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)

1 Kings 18:21–41

21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. 24 And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” [... ]

26 And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. 27 [... ] 36 And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. 37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.” 40 And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.” And they seized them. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there.

Our talk today will focus on what the first commandment requires. And we’ll see that it requires three things. It requires knowing the one God, knowing the true God, and knowing the sovereign God.

Have the One God

The First Commandment calls us to know the one true God. This means God alone deserves our worship, praise, allegiance, and faith.

I first want to look at the phrasing of the first commandment. Let’s look at the text again:

"You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3)

Discussion: Why does the commandment say, “no other gods before me”? Doesn’t that imply there are other "gods" besides the Lord? Why doesn’t it simply say, “I am the only God, so worship me”?

This wording acknowledges that while there are no others like the Lord, there are other spiritual beings such as angels or demons who can be elevated to godlike status in people’s hearts. The Hebrew word used here for “god” is, “Elohim”, and can refer broadly to spiritual beings depending on the context.

So, while there are many other spiritual beings, there is only One God. YAWEH, who is exclusively worthy to be our Lord. The rest of the spiritual beings may have roles in God’s creation, but they are never to be placed above Him.

Imagine a great king who rules over a kingdom. In his court, there are nobles, advisors, guards, and servants. All these people have authority in their own areas and play important roles, but none are to be compared to the king himself. If you were to treat a servant as your king, it would be both foolish and dishonoring to the true king. The "elohim" in the Bible have authority, power, and influence, but none are equal to God, and all are under His ultimate authority.

Elijah, while a great man who should be admired for his work for the Lord, is not the hero in this story. God is. The story in 1 Kings describes a contest that, on the surface, seemed "in favor of Baal." But how did it go? The Lord prevailed.

So, the First Commandment requires us to bow down to the One God. To know Him and submit to Him as our Lord and Savior. But it also means we are to bow down to the Lord as He is, not as we hope Him to be. This brings me to the second requirement of the First Commandment:

2. Have the True God

Christianity isn’t about shaping God into who we want Him to be; it’s about submitting to the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture. A common mistake people make is projecting their personal ideologies onto God, creating a version of Him that aligns with their preferences rather than who He truly is.

For example, many say, “God loves everyone just as we are,” and then conclude that He must affirm lifestyles Scripture calls sin—such as same-sex relationships. In doing so, they place their own reasoning and desires above God’s revelation. This is, in effect, breaking the First Commandment by putting personal ideology before the Lord. To combat false perceptions of God, we need to know who he truly is.

This is why theology matters. Scripture makes clear that God stands against homosexuality and all sin. At the same time, He offers forgiveness, love, and restoration to all who repent—even those who struggle deeply with same-sex attraction. But to redefine God in order to justify our desires is to make Him into something He has not revealed Himself to be.

Additionally, we not only impute false perceptions onto the Lord, but we make our own sinful desires gods themselves. To combat our sinful desires that we make gods in our lives, we need Christ. What matters most is knowing God Himself. Having a relationship with him. Theology provides a strong foundation to combat false perceptions of the faith, but you cannot purely rely on theology to know God; you must know Him personally, in relationship with Him.

Consider the thief on the cross. Luke 23:39-43 says:

“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:39–43)

The thief had no seminary training and likely lived a life of wickedness, deserving the punishment he received. Yet in his final moments, he recognized Jesus for who He truly is—the King and Savior of the world. That thief likely didn’t know about God theologically; he knew the true and living God as He revealed Himself to him on the cross in his last moments.

So, we must not let our sinful desires distort our perception of the Lord, and we must submit ourselves to Him no matter how sinful our pasts have been, or how extensive our knowledge of Him is. Theology is crucial for understanding the Lord, yet God works through His Holy Spirit in the lives of those who find Christ, even in their last moments, without a deep theological understanding. My third and final requirement of the first commandment is:

3. Have the Sovereign God

The first commandment calls for whole-life devotion. Following Christ is not just a Sunday activity; it shapes everything: school, friendships, decisions, sports, work.

But the world opposes God. Schools and institutions often try to erase Christianity in the name of neutrality, while celebrating every other ideology. Neutrality is a myth. Everyone worships something. The world wants renewal without Christ. The world wants you to worship the world. But Christians are called to make all things new in Christ.

That means we must build what glorifies God and oppose what dishonors Him. Elijah stood alone against 450 prophets of Baal, but he still stood, because the Lord was with him. You plus God is always the majority.

Here’s the problem: we fail to keep this commandment. We bow to idols; comfort, approval, lust, money, pride. We remake God into our own image.

But here’s the good news: Jesus never broke the first commandment. He perfectly worshiped the Father in our place. And on the cross, He died for our idolatries.

Now, by faith, we are forgiven and set free. By His Spirit, we can truly know the one, true, sovereign God, and live for Him, even when the world stands against us.

So, hear the call of Elijah: “If the Lord is God, follow Him.”