1st, 2nd & 3rd COMMANDMENTS
The first three commandments instruct
us on how to have a proper relationship with
God.
The first three Commandments emphasize
God's supremacy in our lives, as summarized by
Jesus when He repeats the primary teaching of the
Hebrew Scriptures, "You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, soul, and mind."
Our loving connection with the Lord is our
origin, purpose, and destiny since God the Father
created and supports us, Jesus saves and forgives
us, and the Holy Spirit dwells inside us. As His
adopted children, God has a complete claim on us,
and we shall only find pleasure, serenity, love, and
eternal life in relationship with Him.
Throughout Israel's history, the people have
gone away from God, YHWH, and toward idols.
The finest example of this may be seen in Exodus
Chapter 32, when Moses was communicating with
the Lord on Mount Sinai and receiving the Ten
Commandments. The people below grew anxious
while waiting for Moses, so they constructed and
worshipped a golden calf out of their own jewels
under Aaron's command. God will give the Ten
Commandments to them as their fundamental
norms or guidelines for their life, as part of His plan
to form them as His chosen people, whom He will
also employ to begin carrying out His plan of
redemption for humanity.
MOSES RECEIVES THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
The Israelites arrived in the Sinai Desert
after fleeing Egypt. They prepare for God's arrival
at the'mountain of God' for two days. Moses
receives the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai on
the third day. (near to where God appeared to
Moses in the burning bush see Exodus 3:1).
The First Commandment
"I am the Lord your God: you shall not have
other gods beside me."
This first commandment makes it plain that
God's bond with the Israelites is no longer between
Him and Abraham or the patriarchs, but rather with
the Israelites as His chosen people.
"You must not carve idols for yourselves in
the likeness of anything in the sky above, on the
ground beneath, or in the seas under the earth, and
you shall not bend down before them or worship
them," reads the second commandment.
Following the First Commandment entails
just loving and worshiping God. Nothing in our life,
neither our worldly prosperity, ambition, or even our
relationships with others, can come before Him.
Because God is the source of all we have and love,
putting anything before Him distorts our connection
with Him as well as our relationships with others.
We may obey the First Commandment by acting
with faith, hope, and love on a regular basis.
Sins Against the First Commandment:
IDOLATRY
worshipping someone else or something other than
God.
DIVINATION AND MAGIC
putting our faith and in trust in spiritual powers that
do not belong to God. This includes putting faith in
fortune-tellers or others who claim to have special
magic powers.
TEMPTING GOD
putting God's goodness and power to the test.
SIMONY
buying or selling the things that God offers.
SACRILEGE
the act of treating holy objects/places with
disrespect.
AETHEISM
refusing to believe in God.
AGNOSTICISM
not sure about God or indifferent to God.
SYNCRETISM
the act of treating holy objects/places with
disrespect.
HERESY
is a belief or action at odds with what is accepted,
especially when the behavior is contrary to religious
doctrine or belief. For example, a Catholic who
says God does not exist.
Clarification on the meaning of the word idols,
and the difference between worship and
veneration
In the context of the first commandment,
idols refer to anything that human’s worship as a
deity, such as an image/statue or even an animal,
person, or item. WORSHIP is the act of admiring or
worshiping someone or something. VENERATION
is the Catholic practice of honoring sacred/holy
places, sacred objects such as the Bible, and
sacred images/statue.
The Second Commandment
“You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God
in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
SINS THAT GO AGAINST THE SECOND
COMMANDMENT:
BLASPHEMY
Speech thought or action that shows disrespect to
God, the Church, or persons dedicated to God.
Profanity/Cursing
Uttering offensive words in anger or annoyance
especially when using God's name.
Perjury
Lying under oath. If we take an oath to tell the truth
and even using God as a witness "(promise to
God") but we do not fulfill it then that is perjury.
The Third Commandment
“Remember to keep holy the sabbath day.”
You may labor and perform all your job for six days,
but the seventh day is the Lord your God's
Sabbath. On the seventh day, God rested...no labor
may be done by you, your son or daughter, your
male or female slave, your beast, or the stranger
who resides with you... It was blessed and made
sacred. (Exodus 20:8-11)
Violations Against the Third Commandment
Anything that does not equal to respecting
God and allowing we and others a time to rest,
according to Jesus Christ's teachings, is a blatant
breach of this commandment. Anything that does
not honor God and others' dignity must be avoided.
THE SHIFT OF THE SABBATH DAY FROM
SATURDAY TO SUNDAY
On the seventh day of the week, the Israelites
observed the Sabbath, which represented the
completion of God's creation of the world. The
Lord's Day is observed by Christians on Sunday,
the first day of the week, because it was on that
day that Jesus resurrected from the grave. This is
why it is referred to as the Lord's Day. The Apostles
established the tradition of worshiping on the first
day of the week, which we have continued. As a
result, one of our Church's names/titles is
Apostolic. We also offer God the first day of our
week, as a result of this. Seven is a perfect number
in the Israelites' iconography, which is why they
gave it to God.