The First Two Commandments

1. You shall have no other gods before (or besides) me. This commandment emphasizes the singularity of God.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in the heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. This commandment emphasizes the image of God.

• Isaiah 43:11 & 12; 44:6; 45:18b and 21b. What do these verses teach about God?
  
  
  
  
• I Corinthians 8:4-6. Explain how this passage reinforces the importance of the first commandment.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Genesis 1:1; John 1:1-3. If you were to paint a picture of all that existed in the beginning, what would you put in it?
  
  
  
  
• Why is the first commandment the first commandment?
  
  
  

• Ezekiel 14:1-6. The word "hearts" is repeated more than once in this passage. Why is there emphasis on the heart in this discussion of idols?
  
  
  
  
• Jeremiah 16:20. Copy this verse here.
  
  
  
  
• Psalm 96:5. What is the difference between the nature of God and of idols?
  
  
  
• I Corinthians 8:4. What is an idol?
  
  
• Acts 17:22-31. What is the relationship among the concepts of image, imagination, and idolatry?
  
  
  
  
• Romans 1:21-25. What role do imaginations about the nature and image of God play in the degeneration of human nature?
  
  
  
  
• Hebrews 1:3. Is it possible to have a true image of God and to understand his nature? If so, how?
  
  
  
  
• John 14:6-11. Given what Jesus says in these verses, what can you say about the nature of God?