Shorter Catechism Q. 45. Which is the first commandment? A. The first commandment is, Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Q. 46. What is required in the first commandment? A. The first commandment requireth us to know and acknowledge God to be the only true God, and our God; and to worship and glorify him accordingly.
Commentary: The first commandment focuses on who we worship, and it says that we mustn’t have any other gods but God. By mentioning “other gods,” this commandment is not acknowledging their existence, but that people worship idols or false gods.
If we think that God is just one of many gods, then we are not serving him because that is not who he is. God alone is God and there is no one like him. Consequently, this commandment requires that we “know and acknowledge God to be the only true God.” It also requires that we profess God to be “our God.” God in Christ Jesus has redeemed us from this present evil age so that he might be our God and we might be his people. He is ours and we are his. We, therefore, don’t just worship the one true God, we worship “our God.”
Finally, this commandment requires that we “worship and glorify” God according to the truths that he is the only true God and that he is our God. This means that we are to worship God exclusively and supremely. We are to worship and serve him only (Deut. 6:13; Matt. 4:10), and we are to love him with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind (Deut. 6:5).