The first commandment of God, in the Bible’s Ten Commandments, is:

“You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)

Or in a fuller traditional form:

“I am the Lord your God… you shall not have strange gods before Me.”

Quick Scoop

  • The core idea : Put the one true God first above everything and everyone.
  • It forbids:
    • Worshiping other deities or spiritual powers.
* Making idols (anything we treat as “god” in place of the real God).
  • It calls you to:
    • Trust, love, and honor God before all else.
    • Let God, not money, success, pleasure, or people, be the ultimate center of your life.

How different traditions word it

Many Christian catechisms and summaries phrase the first commandment like this:

  • “I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt not have strange gods before Me.”
  • Or more simply: “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

Jewish readings often highlight the introduction:

  • “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt…” as the opening of God’s covenant, followed by “You shall have no other gods before Me.”

What it means in everyday life

People break the first commandment not only by bowing to statues, but by letting anything become more important than God, such as:

  • Obsession with money or material success.
  • Treating career, relationships, or status as the ultimate source of identity or hope.
  • Following a “god” made in our own image (a version of God who only agrees with us).

A simple way to think about it:

Whatever you trust most, love most, and fear losing the most is your “god.”

The first commandment says: that place belongs to God alone.

Jesus and the “first and greatest” commandment

When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, He pointed back to loving God above all:

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37–38)

This love-commandment is the heart behind the first commandment about having no other gods.

Mini checklist: living the first commandment

You’re living the first commandment more fully when you:

  1. Regularly turn to God in prayer and trust when you’re anxious or unsure.
  1. Make important decisions with God’s will and teaching in view, not just convenience.
  1. Refuse to treat money, pleasure, politics, or any person as absolute.
  1. Worship and serve God, not just with words, but with your priorities and habits.

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The first commandment of God—“You shall have no other gods before Me”—means putting God first above all else, avoiding idols, and loving and worshiping Him with your whole life.

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