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Exodus 20:5–6
From the Confessions: The Small Catechism – part 27
The First Commandment
You shall have no other gods.
What does this mean?
Answer: We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.
Pulling It Together: The effects of sin linger. I look at my own parents’ sins every day, as so many are alive in me. I learned those sins from them but they are my sins. Thankfully, God’s law makes me aware of them, convicting me of my guilt. It is not my parents who are guilty of my sin; I am guilty. Though I feel this guilt with a sense of pain and defeat, it is nonetheless, a good thing that the law does in me. It makes me aware of my sin, reminds me of God’s jealousy over me—that he, not death and the devil, would have me—and makes me desire his grace. And so, the accusing finger of the law ends up pointing me to Christ, a wellspring of grace without limits.
Prayer: Thank you, O Lord, for your mercy and grace. Amen.
Click here for resources to learn the Ten Commandments.
The Wise & The Foolish is a nine-session Bible study that focuses entirely on Jesus' "people parables"—what might be described as Discipleship Parables. These are the character stories that focus on the nature of discipleship and what it means to be a wise and faithful follower of Jesus.
