Westminster Larger Catechism (Q 100-106)

Dear Church Family,

This past Sunday, we continued our Sunday school lessons in the Westminster Larger Catechism (WLC) in questions 100-106. Here is a brief review.

WLC 100  What special things are we to consider in the ten commandments?
A. We are to consider, in the ten commandments, the preface, the substance of the commandments themselves, and several reasons annexed to some of them, the more to enforce them.

This question and answer simply acknowledges and reminds us that there are three parts of the commandments:

This question and answer simply acknowledges and reminds us that there are three parts of the commandments:

(1) The preface to the ten commandments (described in the next question, WLC 101).
(2) The substance of the commandments themselves – the law itself.
(3) The reasons annexed to some of the ten commandments (e.g., the 2nd and 5th commandments).

WLC 101  What is the preface to the ten commandments?
A. The preface to the ten commandments is contained in these words, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Wherein God manifesteth his sovereignty, as being JEHOVAH, the eternal, immutable, and almighty God; having his being in and of himself, and giving being to all his words and works: and that he is a God in covenant, as with Israel of old, so with all his people; who, as he brought them out of their bondage in Egypt, so he delivereth us from our spiritual thraldom; and that therefore we are bound to take him for our God alone, and to keep all his commandments.

The preface to the ten commandments is found in Exodus 20: 2 – “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” There are four basic things that we learn in the preface to the ten commandments:

(1) The LORD (Yahweh) is sovereign and self-existent (aseity).

As a sovereign God who rules over all that He has made, the LORD does not depend on any other things for His own being and existence other than Himself (Isaiah 44:6). The doctrine of the aseity (or self-existence) of God means that God has His being in and of Himself.

(2) The LORD is a covenant-keeping God who delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt.

God established His covenant with a special people in the old covenant through Abraham (Genesis 17:7). This same covenant of grace finds its fulfillment in the new covenant of Jesus Christ and includes both Jew and Gentile (Romans 3:29-30).

(3) Deliverance from Egypt is a shadow (or represents) the spiritual deliverance from slavery to sin.

The catechism states that as God brought Israel out of their bondage in Egypt, so He delivers us from our “spiritual thraldom” (‘thraldom’ is an old English word that means ‘bondage’ or ‘slavery’). God’s delivering Israel from slavery in Egypt is type which points to the antitype of God’s delivering His people from slavery to sin (Exodus 20:20; Deuteronomy 30:6; Luke 1:74-75; Galatians 5:1; Colossians 1:13-14).

(4) Because He has delivered us, we are bound to Him and bound to keep His commandments.

“therefore we are bound to take him for our God alone, and to keep all his commandments.”

Those who have been redeemed by the Lord are no longer slaves to sin but are now slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:16-19). Those who are united by faith to Christ in the likeness of His death are also united to Him in the likeness of His resurrection, are freed from sin, and are now able to serve Him in thankfulness and holiness (Romans 6:5-7; 1 Peter 14-19).

WLC 102  What is the sum of the four commandments which contain our duty to God?
A. The sum of the four commandments containing our duty to God, is, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul and with all our strength, and with all our mind.

The first four commandments are typically viewed as containing our duty to God. Jesus summarized our duty to God in this way, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment” (Matthew 22:37-38).

WLC 103  Which is the first commandment?
A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

The WLC provides one of the most exhaustive examinations and applications of the ten commandments. It would be easy to several weeks examining all that the catechism teaches us about them; however, our goal will be to cover at least one commandment each week and summarize these teachings as best we can.

The first commandment is found in Exodus 20:3 – “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

WLC 104  What are the duties required in the first commandment?
A. The duties required in the first commandment are, the knowing and acknowledging of God to be the only true God, and our God; and to worship and glorify him accordingly, by thinking, meditating, remembering, highly esteeming, honouring, adoring, choosing, loving, desiring, fearing of him; believing him; trusting, hoping, delighting, rejoicing in him; being zealous for him; calling upon him, giving all praise and thanks, and yielding all obedience and submission to him with the whole man; being careful in all things to please him, and sorrowful when in any thing he is offended; and walking humbly with him.

The 1^st commandment is the foundation upon which the other commandments depend. The duties required in the first commandment may perhaps be summarized under six headings:

(1) Worshipping and glorifying God.
(2) Believing Him.
(3) Trusting Him.
(4) Being zealous for Him.
(5) Obeying and submitting to Him.
(6) Walking humbly with Him.

One of the main points that arose during our discussion in our Sunday school class was to highlight the intimate and personal nature of the relationship with God which is described duties of the first commandment. As a redeemed people we not only know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, but we also know and acknowledge Him to be ‘our’ God.

A good summary verse of the duties required in the first commandment is found in 1 Chronicles 28:9 –
“As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”

WLC 105  What are the sins forbidden in the first commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the first commandment are, Atheism, in denying, or not having a God; Idolatry, in having or worshipping more gods than one, or any with or instead of the true God; the not having and avouching him for God, and our God; the omission or neglect of any thing due to him, required in this commandment; ignorance, forgetfulness, misapprehensions, false opinions, unworthy and wicked thoughts of him bold and curious searching into his secrets; all profaneness, hatred of God; self-love, self-seeking, and all other inordinate and immoderate setting of our mind, will, or affections upon other things, and taking them off from him in whole or in part; vain credulity, unbelief, heresy, misbelief, distrust, despair, incorrigibleness and insensibleness under judgments, hardness of heart, pride, presumption, carnal security, tempting of God; using unlawful means, and trusting in unlawful means; carnal delights and joys; corrupt, blind, and indiscreet zeal; lukewarmness, and deadness in the things of God; estranging ourselves, and apostatizing from God; praying, or giving any religious worship, to saints, angels, or any other creatures; all compacts and consulting with the devil, and hearkening to his suggestions; making men the lords of our faith and conscience; slighting and despising God and his commands; resisting and grieving of his Spirit, discontent and impatience at his dispensations, charging him foolishly for the evils he inflicts on us; and ascribing the praise of any good we either are, have, or can do, to fortune, idols, ourselves, or any other creature.

The sins forbidden the first commandment may perhaps be summarized under ten headings:

(2) Idolatry.
(3) Self-worship.
(4) Apostacy.
(5) Worship of saints, angels, or other creatures.
(6) Devil-worship.
(7) Submitting to men as lords of our faith and conscience.
(8) Grieving the Spirit.
(9) Charging God with evil intent.
(10) Ascribing any good to fortune, idols, ourselves, or other creatures.

In our discussion during the Sunday school class, we talked about several of these sins and our tendency to commit them. For instance, in today’s celebrity culture, it is easy to submit to me as lords of our faith and conscience. And, when we encounter difficulties in this world, it is easy to charge God with evil intent; conversely, when we encounter good things in life, it is easy to take credit to our selves.

A good summary verse of the sins forbidden in the first commandment is found in Psalm 14:1 –
“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good.”

WLC 106  What are we specially taught by these words [before me] in the first commandment?
A. These words [before me], or before my face, in the first commandment, teach us that God, who seeth all things, taketh special notice of, and is much displeased with, the sin of having any other God: that so it may be an argument to dissuade from it, and to aggravate it as a most impudent provocation: as also to persuade us to do as in his sight, whatever we do in his service.

The words “before me” in the first commandment remind us that God is omnipresent (He is everywhere present) and omnipotent (He is all powerful). Thus, He sees all and there is nowhere that we may hide from Him. He knows even the secrets of our hearts (Psalm 44:20-21)

Conclusion

As we read and study the required duties and forbidden sins of the ten commandments, we all are certainly convicted of the innumerable ways in which we do not conform to God’s law and the innumerable ways in which we transgress God’s law every day in thought, word, and deed. And, as we are convicted of our sin, we are also reminded of the two special uses of God’s law for the regenerate which we learned in WLC 97.

First, we grow in our assurance of salvation through faith in the Person and work of Christ. The law of God shows us how much we are bound to Christ for His fulfilling the law, and enduring the curse of the law in our stead, and for our good. Second, we learn better how to love the Lord and to love our neighbor. The law of God provokes us to thankful obedience, to endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ.

Join us on Sunday mornings at 9:15 am as we learn more of how we may offer up our thankful obedience to our Savior in all that we think, say, and do.

The Lord be with you!
Pastor Peter M. Dietsch