God’s Law and His Love Combined (6)

The Ten Commandments are a reflection of God’s character, eternal justice, and sums up the moral constitution of the universe. The Law drives us in repentance to Jesus, who alone can grant us forgiveness and power to obey. It is the standard of absolute morals of right and wrong in our world, by which our character will be judged.

Why did Jesus want us to keep the law? John 15:10-11
“10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

How did Jesus sum up the commandments? Matthew 22:36-40
“36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 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. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Jesus quotes from the OT, see Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.)

What is the relationship between the law and love? Romans 13:9-10
“10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (See 1 John 4:16, which tells us that God is love, therefore in Him is the law.)

How do the first four commandments teach us to love to God with all our hearts? Exodus 20:3-11
“3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

How do the last six commandment teach us to love our neighbour as ourself? Exodus 20:12-17
“12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.”

Because we forget, God wrote it on table of stone, with what? Exodus 31:18
“18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.”

In what special place was Moses directed to store the law on earth? Exodus 25:21-22
“21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. 22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.” (See Exodus 25:10-22 and Deuteronomy 10:1-5 for context. The 10 Commandments were stored in the Holy land, holy city, holy building, most holy place, and in the ark. They are standards of His government, Holy as Himself.)

Where is the original of the Ten Commandments safely stored? Revelation 11:19
“19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.“ (See also Exodus 31:18, the law was written on two tables of testimony, testimony here is used for commandments.)

We have seen that the law exist in heaven, but, is it still binding? Matthew 5:17-19
“17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (See also John 15:10, confirming that Jesus Himself kept it, and delight to do so.)

What was Jesus’ experience of keeping God’s law? Psalm 40:8
“8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”

What is transgression of (or disobedience to) God’s Law called? 1 John 3:4
“4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”

Does sin exit today and how many have us have sinned? Romans 3:23
“23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Because sin exist, there must be a law. Grace is then provided to keep it. And a Saviour to forgive and save us if it’s broken.)

Because God’s Law is immutable or unchangeable, who chose to die so that we can live? Romans 5:6-8
“6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Many people say Paul taught that the law was abolished, how did he know what sin was? Romans 7:7
“7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” (See also James 1:22-25, where the law is compared to a mirror.)

What did he teach his church members to keep? 1 Corinthians 7:19
“19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.”

What is first required to be saved, beside obedience to the Law? Romans 3:28, 31
“28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. … 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

If the law is still abiding, what law was abolished and nailed to the cross when Jesus died? Colossians 2:13-17
“13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. 16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” (See also Leviticus 23, which lists many of the ceremonies that were observed, which all pointed to Christ, and were abolished when He died. They are collectively called the Ceremonial Law.)

What is an example of these ceremonies that were fulfilled in Christ? 1 Corinthians 5:7
“7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:” (See also Exodus 12, which tells the history behind the feast of the Passover.)

Will God’s people in the last days keep the Ten Commandments? Revelation 12:17
“17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”

As seen before, what else do they possess that is important? Revelation 14:12
“12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” (See Hebrews 11:6, which says without faith it is impossible to please God.)

What is most powerful motivation to obey Jesus? 1 John 5:3
“3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.”

What is the sign of our love to God and who helps us to obey? John 14:15-17
“15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

Do we keep the commandments to be loved? 1 John 4:19
“We love him, because he first loved us.” (As i a marriage relationship, love makes us sacrifice our convenience for one another, not that the other way around.)

Friend,

Keeping the law is hard when you rely on yourself, in fact it’s impossible then! Yet when you choose to love Jesus with all your heart, your mind, strength and soul; He will give you His Spirit to write His Law on your heart and enable you to obey.

Is it your desire to joyfully obey His commandments?