The Ten Commandments

The 1st Commandment

“You must not have any other god but me.” 

Exodus 20:3

Right from the start, God makes it pretty plain that He doesn’t like us trying to make up any other “gods”. In fact, He COMMANDS it. Like I said before, I think this is the only command that I’ve not literally violated – or even as a matter of heart. 

What effect does this command have on us? Well, it completely obliterates any legitimacy that any other “god” may have (however much we might wish for it). Why does God say this? Because it is consistent with what He has said elsewhere about himself, namely: 

“But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord. “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God— there never has been, and there never will be.” 

Isaiah 43:10, NLT

Therefore, according to God, any god from any other people group or religion is non-existent. It is a fake. It is utterly useless, and extremely offensive to the real, living, all-powerful God.

If I were to make a short list of false gods, it would include the following:

• Allah – of Islam
• All Egyptian gods (too many for me to list)
• All Greek (or Roman) gods
• All Norse gods
• All Hindu gods (from Hinduism)
• Buddha (He didn’t claim to be God, but some of his followers treat him that way)
• The non-existent god of Atheism and Humanism
• The gods of Mormonism (which is not Christian, but polytheistic)
• The god of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Oneness Pentecostals
• The Sun, Moon, Stars, and Demons/Spirits (all of which will be blotted out upon the arrival of Christ)
• Earth and/or its creatures (nature)
• Dead people (or death itself)
• That “higher power” that you have created in your mind, which is not the God of the Bible
• Every other god or thing treated or worshipped as a god

I could keep going, but you get the point. On a trickier note, I could also include the Jews themselves, for not accepting the Holy Trinity as revealed by the Messiah. For if they have denied Jesus His deity, they have turned from the one, true God Who has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So they only acknowledge God part-way. 

God is ONE (monotheism; as opposed to polytheism, which says that there are many gods).  

God is separate from His creation (as opposed to pantheism, which says that god is the sum total of everything). 

Panentheism is also incorrect, which says that god is a part of the creation. Yes, Jesus took on humanity, making Him 100% man and 100% God, but that is different than panentheism’s making God part of the trees, rocks and so forth. Panentheism is almost the same as pantheism, but they allow Him to be apart from creation as well as a part of creation, whereas pantheism has God as just straight up everything.

Now, one could make an argument that the Bible teaches that there are many gods – and they’d be correct. The Bible does say that. However, when we pay attention to what’s happening, we see that those are really false gods and not true gods at all – only what men have made up in their darkened hearts. 

Satan, for example, is referred to as “the god of this world”. 

If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 

2 Corinthians 4:3-4, NLT

What does Paul mean by this? He means that Satan has been given dominion over the world. He is above everyone else in his power and abilities. But Paul also makes it clear that Satan has little power over us, once we have accepted the cross of Christ and made Jesus our true God in our hearts. 

…the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 

1 John 4:4, NLT

“Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” 

Matthew 10:28, NLT

The devil can only do what God allows him to do. For example, look at Job 1:12:

“All right, you may test [Job],” the Lord said to Satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the Lord’s presence. 

Job 1:12, NLT

Here’s another example of Christ being the most powerful being:

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

Some people like to say that the concept of the Trinity (one God shown in three Persons) is really just polytheism. However, such an argument does not take into account the full revelation in scripture. As already shown, the Bible teaches that there is only one God. The doctrine of the Trinity is just man’s attempt to make sense of how God has revealed Himself to us. Each member of the Trinity is referred to as “God” (the real God of the Bible). 

If it helps, there are a few examples in creation of how the Trinity can be viewed:

Our Universe is a kind of trinity. It is made up of Time, Space, and Matter. Without any one of the three, it would not be what it is. But Time is not Space, and Space is not Matter, and Matter is not Time, etc. And each one of these aspects of the universe can be an example as well: Time is composed of past, present and future; Space has three dimensions (Height, Length, and Depth); Matter can be Solid, Liquid, or Gas (let’s not get into the whole plasma thing right now). 

Here are some Bible verses that help us with this concept:

There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. But for us, there is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live. 

1 Corinthians 8:5-6, NLT

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6, NLT

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. …He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. 

John 1:1-5, 11-14, NLT

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” 

John 10:27-30, NLT

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 

Matthew 28:19, NLT

After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and [John] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

Matthew 3:16-17, NLT

But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.
Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!” 

Acts 5:1-4, NLT

But to the Son [Jesus] he [God] says, “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice.
You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you,
pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”

Hebrews 1:8-9, NLT

So we can confidently say that, according to the Bible, there is only one God and He exists in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Any other thing or being called “god” is a fake.

And how do we know that the Bible is true? That will be another post at another time. 

Until then, read on and be blessed by the Creator as you do.

Gary

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