The Law of God…
The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. (Psa 37:31)…his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. (Psa 1:2-4)
The Bible of Christians is made up of the Old and New Testaments and the fabric of these two Testaments is woven together to make a completed whole. The Law of God is an important subject to read and understand. It was never a means of obtaining Heaven but was an instrument of instruction for understanding how things work and how we are to live. Much confusion prevails today and we do well to study it until we have a firm grip on what the Bible really teaches on this important subject.
A good summary on the law of God: “The law of God is the extension of God’s nature and expression of God’s will in His creation. God’s law is expressed in different forms, relating different areas of His creation.
●The physical law of God includes the laws of nature which govern the continuous physical existence of this world. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. (Gen 8:22) And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (by him all things hold together) (Col 1:17)
●The moral law, also called “the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25) governs the immaterial issues of life. That the man of God may be perfect, (complete) throughly furnished unto all good works. (2Ti 3:17)
●The social law of God affects interpersonal relationships and can be summarized by “the royal law” (James 2:8). If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: (Jas 2:8)
●The spiritual law deals with a man’s relationship with God. It is summarized in “the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37, 38). Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
“The purpose of the law did not change the gospel. When the Judiazers in Galatia sought to teach their erroneous view of the law, they failed to realize that the law has never been able to save anyone. As Christians, we should be concerned to live decently and orderly.” (King James Study Bible © 1988 page 883.)
The Law of Moses was divided into: 1. Moral Law 2. Ceremonial Law, and 3. Civil Law. The Ceremonial Law was fulfilled and done away with when Christ died on the cross and rose again from the dead. When He cried: “It is finished!” the need for Ceremonial Law was finished. The Civil Law pertained to the twelve tribes of Jews who lived in the land of Israel. If you don’t live in the land of Israel, none of that pertains to you except for the principles of right living and the laws of the nation where you live. The Moral Law is still universally in effect and is eternal.
Observing the Sabbath day is included in the Ten Commandments.The Jewish Sabbath was related to the six-day creation and was covenant between God and the nation of Israel. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. (Exo 31:16)
After Christ rose from the dead, the new, existing church began observing the first day of the week relating to Christ’s resurrection and called that day: The Lord’s Day. It was a transition period while many Christians were still enmeshed in Temple Worship. When Titus in A.D. 70 destroyed the Temple, the keeping of the Jewish Sabbath in a traditional way was destroyed and was observed in their homes wherever they lived. The Christian version of “Sabbath Keeping” has been greatly simplified compared to the Jewish Sabbath and its rules on what could be done and what was forbidden on the Sabbath.
The Moral Law is a code for living on the earth. It was never a means of salvation; never a means of getting to Heaven. None of us have kept all the Moral Law and it must be kept perfectly from day-one if we are going to get to Heaven that way. To “sort of” live a nice life is different from keeping all the law.
To repeat an earlier quote: A lawyer asked Jesus: Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Mat 22:36-40)
In John 13:34,35 Jesus said: A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (Joh 13:34-35)
Clarke comments: “Jesus told His disciples: A new commandment I give unto you. In what sense are we to understand this was a new commandment? “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” was a positive precept of the law, Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. (Lev 19:18)
“And it is the very same that Christ repeats here; how then was it new? Our Lord answers this question, Even As I have loved you. Now Christ more than fulfilled the Mosaic precept; he not only loved his neighbor as himself, but he loved him More than himself, for he laid down his life for men. In this he calls upon the disciples to imitate him; to be ready on all occasions to lay down their lives for each other. This was, strictly, a new commandment: no system of morality ever prescribed anything so pure and disinterested as this. Our blessed Lord has outdone all the moral systems in the universe in two words: 1. Love your enemies; 2.Lay down your lives for each other.” (Clarke)
Do we find the Law of God in the New Testament? Absolutely!
Jesus said: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (Joh 14:21)
Most people don’t think about this reason for Jesus’ Commandment: “The 11 disciples would survive in His absence by obeying His example of love. The command is new in that it is a special love for other believers based on the sacrificial love of Jesus: As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Christians’ love and support for one another enable them to survive in a hostile world. As Jesus was the embodiment of God’s love, so now each disciple should embody Christ’s love. This love is a sign to the world as well as to every believer. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. (1Jn 3:14) (Bible Knowledge Commentary)
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MAY 8, 2017 - MONDAY
A.M. 1Kings 16-18 P.M. Luke 24:36-51
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)
Song for Today:
How Great Thy Loving Kindness (3:07) (CMCSou.Pines,NC)
https://www.facebook.com/100009410046480/videos/1851389575184693/
The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide. (Psa 37:31)…his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. (Psa 1:2-4)
The Bible of Christians is made up of the Old and New Testaments and the fabric of these two Testaments is woven together to make a completed whole. The Law of God is an important subject to read and understand. It was never a means of obtaining Heaven but was an instrument of instruction for understanding how things work and how we are to live. Much confusion prevails today and we do well to study it until we have a firm grip on what the Bible really teaches on this important subject.
A good summary on the law of God: “The law of God is the extension of God’s nature and expression of God’s will in His creation. God’s law is expressed in different forms, relating different areas of His creation.
●The physical law of God includes the laws of nature which govern the continuous physical existence of this world. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. (Gen 8:22) And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (by him all things hold together) (Col 1:17)
●The moral law, also called “the perfect law of liberty” (James 1:25) governs the immaterial issues of life. That the man of God may be perfect, (complete) throughly furnished unto all good works. (2Ti 3:17)
●The social law of God affects interpersonal relationships and can be summarized by “the royal law” (James 2:8). If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: (Jas 2:8)
●The spiritual law deals with a man’s relationship with God. It is summarized in “the first and great commandment” (Matthew 22:37, 38). Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
“The purpose of the law did not change the gospel. When the Judiazers in Galatia sought to teach their erroneous view of the law, they failed to realize that the law has never been able to save anyone. As Christians, we should be concerned to live decently and orderly.” (King James Study Bible © 1988 page 883.)
The Law of Moses was divided into: 1. Moral Law 2. Ceremonial Law, and 3. Civil Law. The Ceremonial Law was fulfilled and done away with when Christ died on the cross and rose again from the dead. When He cried: “It is finished!” the need for Ceremonial Law was finished. The Civil Law pertained to the twelve tribes of Jews who lived in the land of Israel. If you don’t live in the land of Israel, none of that pertains to you except for the principles of right living and the laws of the nation where you live. The Moral Law is still universally in effect and is eternal.
Observing the Sabbath day is included in the Ten Commandments.The Jewish Sabbath was related to the six-day creation and was covenant between God and the nation of Israel. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. (Exo 31:16)
After Christ rose from the dead, the new, existing church began observing the first day of the week relating to Christ’s resurrection and called that day: The Lord’s Day. It was a transition period while many Christians were still enmeshed in Temple Worship. When Titus in A.D. 70 destroyed the Temple, the keeping of the Jewish Sabbath in a traditional way was destroyed and was observed in their homes wherever they lived. The Christian version of “Sabbath Keeping” has been greatly simplified compared to the Jewish Sabbath and its rules on what could be done and what was forbidden on the Sabbath.
The Moral Law is a code for living on the earth. It was never a means of salvation; never a means of getting to Heaven. None of us have kept all the Moral Law and it must be kept perfectly from day-one if we are going to get to Heaven that way. To “sort of” live a nice life is different from keeping all the law.
To repeat an earlier quote: A lawyer asked Jesus: Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Mat 22:36-40)
In John 13:34,35 Jesus said: A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (Joh 13:34-35)
Clarke comments: “Jesus told His disciples: A new commandment I give unto you. In what sense are we to understand this was a new commandment? “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” was a positive precept of the law, Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. (Lev 19:18)
“And it is the very same that Christ repeats here; how then was it new? Our Lord answers this question, Even As I have loved you. Now Christ more than fulfilled the Mosaic precept; he not only loved his neighbor as himself, but he loved him More than himself, for he laid down his life for men. In this he calls upon the disciples to imitate him; to be ready on all occasions to lay down their lives for each other. This was, strictly, a new commandment: no system of morality ever prescribed anything so pure and disinterested as this. Our blessed Lord has outdone all the moral systems in the universe in two words: 1. Love your enemies; 2.Lay down your lives for each other.” (Clarke)
Do we find the Law of God in the New Testament? Absolutely!
Jesus said: He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (Joh 14:21)
Most people don’t think about this reason for Jesus’ Commandment: “The 11 disciples would survive in His absence by obeying His example of love. The command is new in that it is a special love for other believers based on the sacrificial love of Jesus: As I have loved you, so you must love one another. Christians’ love and support for one another enable them to survive in a hostile world. As Jesus was the embodiment of God’s love, so now each disciple should embody Christ’s love. This love is a sign to the world as well as to every believer. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. (1Jn 3:14) (Bible Knowledge Commentary)
Read Through the Bible in a Year
MAY 8, 2017 - MONDAY
A.M. 1Kings 16-18 P.M. Luke 24:36-51
(Bible Gateway will read this to you if you like. Look for the speaker icon.)
Memory Verse This Month:
And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:44)
Song for Today:
How Great Thy Loving Kindness (3:07) (CMCSou.Pines,NC)
https://www.facebook.com/100009410046480/videos/1851389575184693/
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