Martin Luther said that it is impossible to break one of the Ten Commandments without first breaking the first commandment:
Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Today, we do not go explicitly by the Ten Commandments because we are under the new covenant (which Jesus brought into being). Nine of the Ten Commandments are still applicable today, because they are repeated in the New Testament. Only “remember the Sabbath” is done away with under the new covenant.
Still, Martin Luther’s point holds a great deal of value and truth. If one were to take a shady business deal in order to gain a great deal of money – then they would be placing money as an idol above God. If one were to go out on their wife, they would be placing their own lust and desire above the will of God (and God’s design for marriage).
As you go about this week think about the “gods” you might be placing above the One True God. Remember, idolatry does not have to be the worship of icons made of wood or metal. An idol is anything you put above the will of God for your life.
We know God’s will through his Word and the commandments he has given us therein. Let us not place anything above his divine and holy will, for nothing is comparable in value to our eternal destiny.
Mar 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?