God's Law of Love-Basis of True Christianity
There are other laws just as sure as gravity that, if adhered to, will result in a happy, interesting and fulfilling life.
Jesus
Christ came to earth to teach us how to apply God's law of love so we
could live happy and abundant lives (John 10:10). He also revealed how
we may become born-again mem-bers of God's universe-ruling Family!
It
is vitally important that we understand the true intent and purpose of
God's law. Let's allow the Bible to show us how it is the very basis of
true Christianity.
1. How does the Bible define the nature and
character of God? I John 4:16. How did Jesus Christ sum up the law of
God? Matthew 22:35-40.
God's character can be summed up in the
word love. God's love is outflowing concern for others. It is the way
of giving, serving, helping, sharing.
God's law is the way of
God's love. The law defines God's way of life. It is the way the two
members of the God Family have always lived. Thus God the Father and
God the Son live now in total harmony. The Father is the head of the
divine Family of God, and Jesus Christ does exactly what the Father
tells Him to do (John 8:29, 10:30).
These two divine beings
lived the way of love even before they created angels and before they
created matter. God's way of love has always resulted in joy, peace,
happiness and great accomplishment.
God's law of love also
regulated the conduct of all the angels toward one another and toward
their Creator. That is, until Lucifer, the powerful and beautiful
archangel God had placed over one third of the angels to guide their
activities on earth, rebelled against God! For more information about
this rebellion and the origin of Satan the devil, write for our free
booklet Did God Create a Devil?
2. What is the Bible
definition of sin? I John 3:4. Does the Bible clearly tell us that
Lucifer and his angels sinned? Ezekiel 28:14-16, II Peter 2:4.
Sin
is the violation of God's law of love. It is the opposite of peace,
cooperation and harmony — the opposite of service and concern for
others.
God reveals in His Word that Lucifer became the first
sinner. Vanity, lust and greed welled up within him. He became
dissatisfied with ruler-ship over just this one planet — he reasoned
that God had been unfair — be wanted to rule the whole universe. So he
organized his angels into an army and ascended to heaven in an attempt
to usurp all of God's authority.
Lucifer and his angels failed,
and were cast back to earth (Isaiah 14:12-14, Luke 10:18, Jude 6).
Lucifer, now God's adversary, was renamed Satan, and his angels called
demons. Still actively attempting to thwart God's plan, Satan and his
demons have deceived the world about the need to follow God's law of
love (Revelation 12:9).
3. Are all 10 points of God's great law
conveniently listed for us in the Bible? Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy
5:6-21. How can we know that there are exactly 10? Exodus 34:28,
Deuteronomy 4:13.
4. Did the patriarch Abraham — the
father of the faithful (Romans 4:11, 16) — know of God's law and think
it was important to keep it? Genesis 26:5. What attitude did King David
— whom God called a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22) — have toward
obeying God's law? Read all of Psalm 119 and especially notice verses
97-100 and 105.
Both Abraham and David were commandment keepers.
They had great respect for God's law. That is one major reason why they
will bold responsible positions in the future government of God on
earth.
8. Did Jesus Christ come to do away with God's law?
Matthew 5:17-19. Did He keep the Ten Commandments? John 15:10. Did He
teach others to keep them? Matthew 19:16-19.
The verses in
Matthew 19 clearly show that Jesus specifically referred to the Ten
Commandments. though He did not mention every one of them.
6.
Does the Bible show that the Church Jesus built would be teaching
obedience to and actually be keeping the Ten Commandments and other
instructions of Jesus? Matthew 28:19-20, Revelation 12:17, 14:12.
(Revelation 12 personifies God's Church as a woman.)
God's Church today echoes the words of David and follows God's law of love as the Christian standard to live by.
7.
Is the law of God holy, just and good? Romans 7:12. Is peace of mind a
result of keeping God's commandments? Psalm 119:165. Does God bless
those who choose to obey Him? Deuteronomy 11:26-28, 30:9-10, Psalm
1:1-3.
The person who keeps God's law has a clear conscience. He
is at peace with God, with himself and with his neighbor. He has "the
peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding" (Phi-lipplans 4:7).
God's
law was given to make man happy and to lead him into the peaceful,
full, abundant life — and, above all. to lead him into eternal life.
But because of disobedience to our Creator's holy, righteous law, the
world is filled with strife, poverty, ignorance and suffering today —
results opposite of God's law of love.
8. How did Jesus summarize the law of God? Matthew 22:37-39.
Since
the basis of God's character is lore (1 John 4:16), God's law expresses
the character of God. Jesus showed that the Ten Commandments are in
reality a guide to teach us how to love. The first four commandments
show us how to love God, while the last six show us how to love our
neighbors — all fellow human beings.
9. If we receive and
exercise God's Spirit, will the love of God that it imparts enable us
to "fulfill" — to obey — God's law? Romans 5:5, 13:8-10, especially
verse 10.
Love is not left to interpretation by the individual
Christian. The divine love of God, imported by His Holy Spirit, is
expressed within the bounds of God's law — the Ten Commandments. The
commandments guide Spirit-begotten Christians in expressing God's love.
Therefore,
the love of God is manifested first of all in adoration and worship of
God and literal obedience to Him, and then in outgoing concern,
compassion, kindness and service toward fellow humans.
10. Could
there be any truth whatsoever in the widespread belief that having luve
makes void the need to literally obey God's law? I John 5:2-3. John
14:15, 15:9-10, II John 6.
The apostle John placed a great deal
of emphasis on God's love. But not once did he or any other writer of
Holy Scripture, including the apostle Paul — all of whom were inspired
by
God (II Timothy 3:16) — say that God's love did away with,
superseded or destroyed the law of God. John, who was a close friend,
disciple and apostle of Jesus Christ, made it plain that one who truly
has the love of God will be obeying the commandments of God.
11.
Is it possible to earn one's salvation by obeying God? Romans 6:23,
Ephcsian* 2:8-9. Yet can anyone enter God's glorious, universe-ruling
Kingdom — the very Family of God — as a lawbreaker? Romans 6:23. I
Corinthians 6:9-10, Revelation 21:8, Matthew 7:21, 19:16-17.
Eternal
life is clearly a gift from God, not something you can earn by keeping
the law of God. No one can earn immortality in 10,000 lifetimes of
keeping the
Ten Commandments.
But neither can anyone enter
into eternal life as a sinner (I John 3:4, Romans 6:23). No rebel will
ever be born into God's Family. God will not grant immortality to
anyone who insists on living Satan's way!
Following God's law of
love — His way of life — enables one to become more like God, until
finally born into God's spirit Family at the resurrection, possessing
the fullness of God's holy, righteous, loving character (I John 3:9).
(More about spiritual character development in a future Ministudy.)
Our
Savior plainly stated that Christians are to strive to keep the Ten
Commandments with His help through the Holy Spirit, trusting in Him to
apply His sacrifice in our behalf when we fall short and as we repent
(I John 1:7-9).
The time is coming soon when the whole world
will understand and appreciate what an incredible blessing the law of
God really is. In the coming world tomorrow, people will learn to
follow God's law of love (Isaiah 2:2-3). A glorious world of peace and
harmony will be the result!
