From Discipleship Weekly

(a publication of the Presbyterian Church of Islip)

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A Word from Our Sponsor "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men to do so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." -- Matthew 5:19 The Heidelberg Catechism: Part 3 - Thankfulness Week 34 92. Q. What is the law of God? A. God spoke all these words, saying: 1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. 2. You shall not make yourself a 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 to them or 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, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments. 3. 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. 4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner 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. 5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you. 6. You shall not kill. 7. You shall not commit adultery. 8. You shall not steal. 9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 10. You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor's. [Ex. 20:1-17; Deut. 5:6-21] 93. Q. How are these commandments divided? A. Into two tables, the first of which teaches us in four commandments how we ought to live in relation to God; the other, in six commandments, what we owe to our neighbor. [Matt. 22:37-40] 94. Q. What does the Lord require in the first commandment? A. That I must avoid and flee all idolatry, sorcery, enchantments, invocation of saints or other creatures because of the risk of losing my salvation. Indeed, I ought properly to acknowledge the only true God, trust in him alone, in humility and patience expect all good from him only, and love, fear and honor him with my whole heart. In short, I should rather turn my back on all creatures than do the least thing against his will. [Lev. 19:31; Deut. 6:2-5,13;10:20; 18:9-12; Ps. 104:27-28; 111:10; Prov. 1:7; 9:10; Is. 45:7; Jer. 17:5-7; Matt. 4:10; 5:29-30; 10:28,37-39; John 17:3; Acts 5:29; Rom. 5:3-4; I Cor. 6:9-10; 10:5-14; Phil. 2:14; Col. 1:11; Heb. 10:36; James 1:17; I Pet. 1:17; 5:5-6; I John 5:21; Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9] 95. Q. What is idolatry? A. It is to imagine or possess something in which to put one's trust in place of, or beside the one true God who has revealed himself in his Word. [I Chron. 16:26; Gal. 4:8-9; Eph. 5:5; Phil. 3:19]