Lesson 8
Lord’s Day 34
The Law of God
Part 1: Introduction to the Law of God and the First Commandment
Listening to God’s Word
1. In what two ways does God reveal Himself?
God reveals Himself in creation and in His Law (Word).
2.
What does the Law of God do for those who read it?
The law of God converts the soul, makes wise the simple, rejoices the heart,
enlightens the eyes.
3. How does the child of God regard the law of God?
The law of God for the child of God is more precious than gold and sweeter than
honey and the honeycomb.
4. Is there a reward for keeping the law of God?
Yes. Verse 11: “And in keeping them there is great reward”
5. Does this mean we can earn our own salvation by keeping the law of God?
Not at all. We are saved by grace through faith apart from works
6. What then is this reward?
There is a general reward in that when people obey the law of God – even outwardlythey will enjoy peace and stability. There is also a specific reward in that when
believers obey the law of God, God will bless them.
Memorizing God’s Truth
Question 92: What is the law of God?
Answer: God spake all these words, Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5, saying: I am the LORD
thy God, which hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
I. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
II. Thou shalt not make unto thyself any graven image, nor the likeness of any
thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water under the
earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I, the Lord
thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,
unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, and showing mercy
unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments.
III. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not
hold him guiltless, that taketh His Name in vain.
IV. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy; six days shalt thou labor and do
all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou
shalt do no manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant,
nor thy maid servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For
in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and
rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and
hallowed it.
V. Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy d ays may be long in the land which
the Lord thy God giveth thee.
VI. Thou shalt not kill.
VII. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
VIII. Thou shalt not steal.
IX. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
X. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's
wife, nor his man servant, nor his maid servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any
thing that is thy neighbor's.
Question 93: How are these commandments divided?
Answer: Into two tables; the first of which teaches us how we must behave towards God;
the second, what duties we owe to our neighbor.
Question 94: What doth God enjoin in the first commandment?
Answer: That I, as sincerely as I desire the salvation of my own soul, avoid and flee from
all idolatry, sorcery, soothsaying, superstition, invocation of saints, or any other
creatures; and learn rightly to know the only true God; trust in Him alone; with humility
and patience submit to Him; expect all good things from Him only; love, fear, and glorify
Him with my whole heart; so that I renounce and forsake all creatures, rather than
commit even the least thing contrary to His will.
Question 95: What is idolatry?
Answer: Idolatry is, instead of, or besides that one true God, who has manifested
Himself in His word, to contrive, or have any other object, in which men place their trust.
Simplified Version
1.
What is the Law of God?
(See above)
2.
How are these commandments divided?
Into two tables, the first of which teaches what must be our attitude toward God; the
second, what duties we owe to our neighbour.
Ex.34: 28,29; Deut.4: 13; 10:3,4.
3.
What is the first commandment?
Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Ex.20: 3; cf.Deut.5: 7
4.
What does God forbid in this commandment?
I must avoid and flee all idolatry, sorcery, soothsaying, superstition, invocation of saints
or other creatures.
1 Cor.6: 9,10; 10:7,14; Lev.18: 21; Deut.18: 10-12; Matt.4: 10.
5.
What does God require here positively?
That I rightly acknowledge the only true God, trust in Him alone, submit to Him in all
humility and patience, expect all good from Him only, and love fear and honour Him
with my whole heart.
Jn.17: 3; Jer.17: 5,7; Heb.10: 36; Col.1: 11; Rom.5: 3,4; Phil.2: 14; 1 Pet.5: 5,6;
Ps.104: 27; Isa.45: 7; Jas.1: 17; Deut.6: 5; Matt.22: 37; Rev.19: 10; Matt.10: 28; Matt.4:
10; 5:29,30; Acts 5:29; Matt.10: 37.
6.
How seriously should I take these things?
As much as I love my soul's salvation I will leave and forsake all creatures rather than
do even the least thing against His will. Matt.5: 19.
7.
What is idolatry?
It is, instead of, or besides the one true God Who has revealed Himself in His Word, to
devise or have something else on which to place our trust.
2 Chron.16: 12; Phil.3: 18,19; Gal.4: 8; Eph.1: 12.
Outline
The Law of God
I.
II.
III.
The Contents of the Law (Q + A 92)
The Divisions of the Law (Q + A 93)
The First Commandment (Q + A 94, 95)
A.
Explained (Q + A 94)
1.
What This Commandment Forbids (Q + A 94a)
2.
What This Commandment Requires (Q + A 94b)
B.
Clarified (Q + A 95)
Getting Started
Several weeks ago (Lord’s Day 32) we began our study of the third part of the
Catechism dealing with the subject of thankfulness. In Lord’s Day 32 we considered the
necessity of thankfulness. In Lord’s Day 33 we considered the nature of thankfulness.
Now in Lord’s Day 34 we will consider the rule of thankfulness or the Ten
Commandments.
There is a connection between this Lord’s Day and the previous Lord’s Day. In Lord’s
Day 33, Q + A 91 the question was asked: “But what are good works?” The answer
was: “Only those which proceed from a true faith, are performed according to the law of
God, and to His glory; and not such as are founded on our imaginations, or the
institutions of men.” Building on this, Q + A 92 asks: what is the law of God?
This is not the first time the law of God is mentioned in the Catechism. The first time
was in Lord’s Day 2. There, however, only the summary of the law was presented
(“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind…and thy neighbour as thyself”). That is because the purpose of this Lord’s Day is
to teach us our misery. There is no better way to teach us our misery than by reminding
us that what God requires of us in His law is perfect love - to God and to our neighbour.
Here, however, the entire law is written out. That is because we are now in the section
of the Catechism dealing with thankfulness. Having delivered His people from their sins
and miseries, the Catechism now goes on to explain how they are to express their
gratitude to God for such deliverance, namely by obeying the law of God.
This is clear from the preamble to the law. The preamble states “I am the Lord thy God,
which hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Here
God reminds the people what He has done for them, i.e. He has brought them “out of the
land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Following this, He goes on to explain how
He wants them to live in response to this deliverance.
All in all, the Catechism’s treatment of the law takes up 10 Lord’s Day’s (Lord’s Day’s 3444).
Taking a Closer Look
Question 92: What is the law of God?
Answer: God spake all these words, Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 5, saying: I am the
LORD thy God, which hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house
of bondage…
1. Question 92 asks “What is the law of God”?
a. The phrase “law of God” can refer to different things. What are they?
i. the whole Bible (Jn 10: 34)
ii. the first five books of the Bible, the so-called Pentateuch (Mt 5: 17)
iii. the Ten Commandments (Exo 20, Deu 5)
b. By what other names are the Ten Commandments known?
The Ten Commandments are also known as the Decalogue or the Ten Words of
the Covenant
c. There are three types of law in the Old Testament. What are they?
The three types of law are:
i.
Moral – laws governing the conduct of the people of Israel (the Ten
Commandments)
ii. Ceremonial – laws governing the religious life of the people of Israel (e.g.
regulations concerning sacrifices and feast days)
iii. Civil – laws governing the social life of the people of Israel (e.g. crimes and
punishments)
d. Many professing Christians today claim that the law of God no longer serves any
purpose; it has been abrogated (done away with) by the coming of Christ. To
substantiate this claim they cite passages Rom 6: 14 (“For sin shall not have
dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace”) and Romans
7:6 (“But now we are delivered from the law”).
i.
How do we respond to this? Is it true that the Christian no longer has to keep
the law of God because it has been done away with by Christ?
Not at all:
(1) Christ Himself said that He had come not to destroy the law but to fulfil it.
(Matt 5: 17)
(2) Christ said that till heaven and earth pass, not one jot or tittle shall pass
from the law till all be fulfilled (Matthew 5: 18).
(3) The rich young ruler asked Christ what he had to do to inherit eternal life.
In response, Jesus said “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the
commandments” (Matthew 19:17). Following this, Jesus listed the
commandments contained in the second table of the law.
(4) In Rom 13: 8-10, the apostle Paul cites some of the commandments
contained in the second table of the law as expressions of how we ought
to demonstrate love to our neighbour.
ii. Why then does Paul say that the believer is “not under the law but under
grace” and that he is “delivered from the law”?
What he means is:
(1) The believer is not obligated to keep the law of God in order to earn his
own righteousness. That has already been done by Christ.
(2) The believer is not under the curse of the law; Christ bore this curse for
him
iii. What purpose then does the law serve?
The law serves three purposes:
(1) To restrain wickedness. God gave the law to men so that they might
know right from wrong. As such the law of God is beneficial to society.
(2) To show us our sin and our need of a Saviour. The law functions as a
mirror. It shows us how far short we come of that standard of
righteousness which God requires of us in His Word. It teaches us that
we cannot earn our own righteousness before God. We need the
righteousness of Jesus Christ.
(3) To guide God’s people in the way of thankful living. It teaches God’s
people how they ought to live their lives in thankfulness to God for saving
them from their sins.
iv. What about the ceremonial and civil laws? Are these laws also still in effect
today?
No. The ceremonial laws are not in effect because they have been fulfilled by
Christ. The civil laws applied only to the people of Israel as God’s chosen
people.
e. How should we interpret the law? Is the law merely a list of do’s and dont’s?
No it is not. We must interpret the law spiritually. Specifically, we must interpret
the law according to the following guidelines:
i.
Each commandment names the worst of a particular type of sin and therefore
includes the whole type (e.g. adultery is the worst sexual sin, but included in it
is all types of sexual sin).
ii. The opposite of what is forbidden is required (e.g. by forbidding adultery, the
law requires sexual purity).
iii. The law is directed not only to our actions, but also to our inner being, our
desires, motivations and thoughts (e.g. by forbidding adultery, the law
addresses sexual desire)
Question 93: How are these commandments divided?
Answer: Into two tables; the first of which teaches us how we must behave
towards God; the second, what duties we owe to our neighbor.
2. Q + A 93 asks about the structure of the law
a. How can the Ten Commandments be divided?
The Ten Commandments can be divided into two parts (“tables”):
i.
Those which pertain to our relationship to God (1-4). These four
commandments speak of:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
God’s person
God’s service
God’s name
God’s day
ii. Those which pertain to our relationship to our neighbour (5-10). These six
commandments speak of:
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
parents and authority
human life and protection
marriage and sexuality
stewardship and property
speech and reputation
peace and contentment
b. How does Jesus summarize the law in light of these two tables?
Jesus (referring to Lev 19: 18 and Deu 6: 5) summarizes the law this way: “Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it,
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Mat 22: 27-28). The whole law can be
summarized by the word “love” – love to God (commandments 1-4) and love to
our neighbour (commandments 6-10).
Question 94: What doth God enjoin in the first commandment?
Answer: That I, as sincerely as I desire the salvation of my own soul, avoid and
flee from all idolatry, sorcery, soothsaying, superstition, invocation of saints, or
any other creatures; and learn rightly to know the only true God; trust in Him
alone; with humility and patience submit to Him; expect all good things from Him
only; love, fear, and glorify Him with my whole heart; so that I renounce and
forsake all creatures, rather than commit even the least thing contrary to His will.
3. Q + A 94 asks about the first commandment.
a. What is the first commandment?
The first commandment is “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
b. What does God forbid in the first commandment?
God forbids several things:
i.
Idolatry: worshipping, loving, serving, trusting in, finding satisfaction and
meaning in someone or something other than the triune God (more on this
under Q + A 95)
ii. Sorcery: using magic and witchcraft in order to gain certain benefits rather
than trusting in God alone
iii. Soothsaying: fortune telling, astrology (horoscopes) and prophecy by the
power of evil spirits
iv. Superstition: believing that certain objects or practices bring good luck
(rabbit’s feet, horseshoes, four-leaf clovers, numbers, charm bracelets, ouija
boards
v. Invocation of saints: trusting in and praying to departed believers, in particular
Mary the mother of Jesus
vi. Invocation of any other creatures: e.g. angels, evil spirits
c. To what extent are we to avoid these things?
We are to “avoid” and “flee from” all these things “as sincerely as I desire the
salvation of my own soul.”
d. What does God require in this commandment? (Q + A 94)
God requires several things in this commandment. We are to:
i.
Know Him: We must “learn rightly to know the only true God” This knowledge
comes from the Bible. We must read and study the Bible regularly, faithfully,
and prayerfully
ii. Trust in Him: We must “trust in Him alone” - even in times of trial and
suffering
iii. Submit to Him: We must “with humility and patience submit to Him” – no
matter what may happen to us in this life
iv. Rely on Him: We must “expect all good things from Him only”
v. Love, fear, and glorify Him with our whole heart so that “I renounce and
forsake all creatures, rather than commit even the least thing contrary to His
will.”
Bringing this all together, what this commandment requires is that we make God the
number one priority of our lives. It calls on us to place God above ourselves, our
loved ones, our possessions, our pastimes. He is to rule supreme over every part of
our lives. He is to be our sole source of comfort, support, and guidance and the sole
object of our love, devotion and service.
Question 95: What is idolatry?
Answer: Idolatry is, instead of, or besides that one true God, who has manifested
Himself in His word, to contrive, or have any other object, in which men place their
trust.
4. Q + A 95 defines idolatry which is the main issue in the first commandment. What are
the different types of idolatry?
There are two types of idolatry:
a. Blatant idolatry
This includes the worship of gods, goddesses, animals
b. Subtle forms of idolatry
These include:
i.
The worship of human reasoning. For example:
Atheism: the belief in no God (a = no, theism = god)
Pantheism: the belief that all is God (pan = all): man, trees, birds, etc.
Humanism: the belief that man is God
ii. The worship of money and things (materialism)
iii. Addictions: drugs, alcohol, smoking, eating
iv. The worship of famous people: movie stars, political leaders, sports figures
All of these are forbidden by this commandment. We must place our trust in God
and God alone.
What About You?
Are there any idols in your life? If so, what are they? Music? Sports? Money? Material
things? Popularity? People? Confess your idolatry to God and ask Him for grace to
forsake these idols and worship Him and Him alone.
For Review
Answer the following questions and hand them in at the beginning of next class:
The phrase “law of God” can refer to different things. What are they?
By what other names are the Ten Commandments known?
Many professing Christians today insist that the law of God no longer serves any
purpose; it has been abrogated (done away with) by the coming of Christ. What
Scripture passages do they use to substantiate this claim?
4. How do we respond to this? Is it true that the Christian no longer has to keep the
law of God because it has been done away with by Christ? Give three reasons from
Scripture to support your answer.
5. Why then does Paul say that the believer is “not under the law but under grace” and
that he is “delivered from the law”?
6.
What are the three purpose of the law?
7.
What is the relationship between the law and the gospel?
8.
Explain the function of the preamble to the law.
9.
Provide an outline of the Ten Commandments
10.
Name three things that God forbids in the first commandment.
11.
Name three things that God requires in the first commandment.
12.
What are the different types of idolatry?
1.
2.
3.