Saints LightThe First Commandment: God Comes First
Put God first and let nothing created take His place. Catholics honor images of Christ and the saints for who they represent, but worship God alone.
What this lesson teaches
- The first commandment asks us to give God first place through faith, hope, charity and worship.
- Idolatry includes letting money, pleasure, success or anything created take God's place.
- Superstition, divination and the occult are forbidden because they seek power or knowledge apart from God.
- Catholics honor sacred images for the persons they represent, but adore God alone.
Catechism paragraphs this lesson cites
- CCC 2084-2094
- CCC 2096-2097
- CCC 2110-2117
- CCC 2129-2132
CCC means the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Saints Light teaches it in its own words and never quotes it. Look up any paragraph in a printed copy or at vatican.va. See every lesson by paragraph in the Catechism index.
Scripture read in this lesson: Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 4:10.
A sample question from this lesson
Which of these is a sin against the first commandment?
- Keeping a crucifix in your home
- Asking a saint to pray for you
- Reading your horoscope to plan your week
- Praying the Rosary in a car
Show the answer
Reading your horoscope to plan your week. Divination, including horoscopes, seeks hidden knowledge apart from God and is forbidden by the first commandment (CCC 2110-2117).
The lesson in the app has three questions, each with an explanation.
Words to know
- Adoration
- The worship owed to God alone, acknowledging Him as Creator and Lord.
- Idolatry
- Giving to any created thing the place or worship that belongs only to God.
More terms in the Catholic glossary. More passages in the Scripture index.
Read the full lesson in the app
"The First Commandment: God Comes First" is lesson 2 of The Ten Commandments. In Saints Light you get the whole teaching, the Scripture quoted in full, all three questions and a step to live it this week.
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Related lessons
- Faith, Hope and Charity (Grace and Virtue)
- Do Catholics Worship Mary? (Mary and the Saints)
- Do Catholics Worship Mary and Statues? (Hard Questions)
- Holy Water, Medals and Scapulars: Are They Magic? (The Sacraments)