The First Commandment is so basic, so fundamental to Christ Jesus' teachings, that it would be hard to call ourselves Christians if we did not take this unchanging law of the Judeo-Christian tradition as the starting point for our prayers and for our daily lives.
What does this commandment tell us?
Let us first take a look at the Bible's short but significant introduction to the Ten Commandments. In the King James Version we read, "And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." Ex. 20:1, 2. The New English Bible offers another translation. It says, "God spoke, and these were his words: I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." From this introduction and the Commandments that follow, we learn some important points about God. First, that God Himself gave the Commandments; it follows that they are not of human origin. Equally important, it tells us that the Giver of these Commandments, or "Ten Words," is a God with an undeniable record of good: He "brought you out of Egypt." Hence He is not a God of human philosophy or imagination but a God who answers by verifiable acts of deliverance.
