The Law of God
Does God’s law last forever?
“The works of His hands are verity and justice; All His precepts are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, And are done in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people; He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name.” -Psalm 111:7-9
- God’s law is part of His character, and because He is eternal, his law is eternal.
Does keeping the law make us righteous?
“Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” -Romans 3:20
- God’s law leads us to see our guilt and drives us to need Jesus.
What is the purpose of the law?
“The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making the wise simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;… Moreover by them your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.” - Psalm 19:7,8,11 “I would have not known sin except through the law”- Romans 7:7
- God’s law shows us that we have sinned, and when we keep His commandments, he blesses us.
How are we made righteous?
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Certainly not!” -Romans 6:14,15
- The law has never saved anyone, it only shows us that we have sinned. Salvation comes only through grace, the power of Christ, yet we should not disregard the law because it is part of God’s plan.
What are we doing when we do not keep the law?
“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4
- Sin is the act of disobeying God’s law.
Why does God seem so distant at times?
“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from God; And your sins have hidden His face from you” Isa.59:1,2
- We separate ourselves from God when the choices we make are contrary to His will.
What will lead us to keep the law?
“If you love me, keep my commandments” - John 14:15 - Love will always lead to obedience.
How do we show God that we are sincere about our trust in Him?
“He who says. ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him.” 1 John 2:4,5
What are God’s last day people like?
“Here is the patience of the saints, here are those who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12
Who does Satan, the dragon, concentrate his forces against the most?
“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went to make war on the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus.” Rev. 12:17
- Throughout history God’s faithful people have always followed the law, coming up against the most persecution.
Did Jesus abolish the law? Shouldn’t we only worry about loving God and our neighbors?
“I (Jesus) did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill” Matt. 5:17
‘Jesus said to him “‘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 great commandment. And the second is like it ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ On these two commands hang all the Law and the Prophets.”’ Matt 22:37-40
- In Matt. 22, Jesus is quoting two texts from the Old Testament (Duet. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18). The 10 commandments can be summed up by these verses because the first four deal with loving God and the last six deal with loving your neighbor.
Were the people in the Old Testament saved by keeping the Law?
“On the tenth of this month every man shall take for himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.”… “And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. Exodus 12:3 “And he (Abraham) believed in the Lord and it was accounted to him for righteousness” Gen. 15:6
- Before the ten commandments were given to the people, God delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians and from the death of their first born son’s through the blood of a lamb which represented Christ. Abraham’s faith in God’s coming Savior imparted righteousness to him. Just as we look back on the cross for righteousness, those before the cross looked ahead for the same purpose.
Does the New Covenant abolish the Law?
“And I will put enmity between you and the woman And between your seed and her Seed: and He shall bruise your head And you shall bruise His heel.” Gen. 3:15
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people” Exodus 19:5
“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my Law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33,
- The plan of Salvation by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross was always God’s plan, even in the Garden of Eden. Because of four hundred years of living as slaves in Egypt, many had forgotten the Law, and God had to refresh their minds at Mt. Sinai. The Old Covenant could have potentially lead to the same Jesus that we know but because the people failed to live out His instructions, the Lord made a better promise that wasn’t based on how well the people followed the Law. The Law was never at fault, just the people’s loyalty to the Lord. It may help to think of the New Covenant as the Renewed Covenant. We are still to keep God’s Law, but its basis will be on love and the righteousness of Christ, instead of human efforts.
