The Law and the First Commandment

God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

First commandment: You shall have no other gods before Me.

Second commandment: You shall not make for yourself any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down yourself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me; and showing mercy to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Third commandment: You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

Fourth commandment: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor the stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day: therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.

Fifth commandment: Honour your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God gives you.

Sixth commandment: You shall not kill.

Seventh commandment: You shall not commit adultery.

Eighth commandment: You shall not steal.

Ninth commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

Tenth commandment: You shall not covet your neighbour’s house, you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbour’s.

Into two tables: the first of which teaches us how we must behave towards God, the second what duties we owe to our neighbour.

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.

Idolatry is instead of or besides that one true God who has revealed Himself in His Word, to invent or have any other object in which men place their trust.