Law of God

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What is the Law of God?[edit]

This incorporates all rules and commands issued by God for humans. These rules and commands are in three different forms today:

  1. The first being the natural Law of God. Or, better put, this is God's creation. God speaks to us in many ways just through His creation. For example the law of gravity, God created and maintains its existence. So if you're under a falling object, you know that God's Law states that it will fall straight down unless either one of two conditions occur. Either, another of God's Laws, like wind, diverts its coarse or God provides a miracle.
  2. The second being the written Law of God. The Bible is full of rules and commands handed down by God. The most significant ones are the Ten Commandments given to Moses. In general, though, most of the written laws were written to aid the people during the time period of the writing. People during those days were very naïve. Unlike us today, they weren't aware of germs, spoilage, disease, or many other aspects of life that could shorten their own. God wanted people to live a long time without having to die for a very easily preventable act. So God issued numerous rules and commands as well as judgments for Judges to follow.
  3. The third is the spoken Law of God. Like Abraham and the burning bush or Moses and the Ten Commandments, God spoke directly issuing His directives. Today, it might be done in a dream or an event. However it is done, God is dispensing very important information directly to the individual/s.

How is it that we can be under grace rather than the Law of God?[edit]

The laws that God created, for all of us humans, were created knowing that we would break them. The Old Testament believers, primarily the Jewish community, were required to perform certain acts for the remission of sins. When Jesus came to earth those old requirements were replaced by us believing in Jesus as the Son of God. Jesus paid the price, He shed His blood so we would not have to go through any ritualistic shedding of blood as they did in the Old Testament times.

Matthew Henry's commentary on Romans 3:31

Romans 3:28-31 "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. 29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law." (from New International Version)

As if this doctrine did nullify the law, which they knew came from God: "No," says he, "though we do say that the law will not justify us, yet we do not therefore say that it was given in vain, or is of no use to us; no, we establish the right use of the law, and secure its standing, by fixing it on the right basis. The law is still of use to convince us of what is past, and to direct us for the future; though we cannot be saved by it as a covenant, yet we own it, and submit to it, as a rule in the hand of the Mediator, subordinate to the law of grace; and so are so far from overthrowing that we establish the law." Let those consider this who deny the obligation of the moral law on believers.

(from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

What was the first Law of God?[edit]

In Genesis 1:28 "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." (from New International Version)

What was the first Law of God that was broken?[edit]

The first Law of God that was ever broken was the one issued to both Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This was the command not to eat from a particular tree Genesis 2:15-17 "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." (from New International Version) Of which both, Adam and Eve, disobeyed. With this command, God also included the ultimate result for disobedience "you will surely die". Not necessarily that it was punishment, but more the fact that it was a requirement. [refer to "Original Sin"]

Non-Biblical References:[edit]

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Overview:[edit]

We are not justified by observing the law, but justified by faith in Christ. We also know that we died with Christ. Yet, we know that everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

Additional Links:[edit]

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