Lord's Day 22

The first commandment teaches that there is only one God, and we are to have no other gods before the Lord. In addition to the prohibition of idolatry (which we will explore next week), this command also teaches that, because the God who is revealed in Scripture is the only true God, we are to know and acknowledge Him as such, and worship Him accordingly. 

Perhaps you have never doubted the existence of God, have never needed to be convinced that the God of the Bible was real. Good for you! It is not enough, however, to acknowledge that God exists – even the demons will do that. We must also make every attempt to know God. Everything we need to know about God for our salvation is clearly revealed in Scripture. To know God, we must study His word. 

We also know God through worship. In worshiping God, we ascribe praise and glory to him, encountering His presence in prayer and song, in receiving and offering forgiveness, in hearing and meditating upon God’s word written and proclaimed, and in the sacraments we share. However, the way we worship God is as important as worship itself. Worship must be guided by scripture, we worship God has he has told us. The Westminster Confession states, “The acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men… or any other way not prescribed in Scripture.” In other words, we can’t just do what we please, we come to God as God would have us come. This does not mean that our worship must cling to ancient rites, forms and traditions. Rather, our worship must be guided by the principles of scripture; we must worship God in spirit and truth.