God's Law Reflects His Character
BIBLE
God's law shows his justice and goodness to human beings and all his creation.
"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"
Deuteronomy 7:9
God is goodness and justice! He wants to eliminate sin because it separates us from Him. It is essential to understand that God does not change His character—He is love, goodness, and justice. When Jesus died on the cross, He fulfilled an essential role in the plan of salvation so that humanity could be saved. Jesus redeemed humanity with His own blood. Many people wrongly claim that after Jesus' death, the law was abolished, but that is not what the Bible teaches. When people make this claim, they are usually referring to the moral law. However, in Israel, there were three types of laws: ceremonial, which governed rituals and ceremonies; civil, which regulated societal interactions; and moral law, the Ten Commandments.
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 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."
Matthew 5:17-18
At the moment of Christ's death, the Bible reveals that the sanctuary curtain, which separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, was torn from top to bottom. This signified the end of animal sacrifices, which were performed for the remission of people's sins. These daily ceremonies symbolized Christ's death, so from the moment Jesus died, these sacrifices were no longer necessary, as the blood of the Lamb who came to save humanity had finally been shed.
Jesus Himself stated that He did not come to revoke or alter the law, but to fulfill it. Many people claim to be Christians but do not obey God's law. These laws serve to guide humanity toward salvation and clearly reflect God's character.
The moral law, the Ten Commandments, was given to Moses and written on two tablets of stone by the very hand of God. One tablet contained the first four commandments, which relate directly to our relationship with God, while the other six commandments focus on our relationship with others. God's law is a demonstration of love. Despite human nature’s tendency toward sin, through God's power, we can obtain the salvation that Jesus came to offer. This world will soon come to its end.
Loving God means obeying Him. God gave the law for humanity’s benefit - it is a reflection of His goodness and exists so that we are not deceived by evil.
1. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
2. "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. 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; and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."
3. "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."
4. "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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: 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."
Exodus 20:3-11
Not worshiping other gods, not bowing to idols, not using God's name in vain, and keeping the Sabbath as a holy day are demonstrations of love for God. The principle of the first four commandments is to recognize that God is worthy of worship and that nothing compares to Him.
5. "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."
6. "Thou shalt not kill."
7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery."
8. "Thou shalt not steal."
9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."
10. "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."
Exodus 20:12-17
These commandments demonstrate God's care for humanity, teaching us not to harm one another. Anyone who disobeys God's law commits sin.
When reading the Bible, some people mistakenly believe that the God of the Old Testament is strict and punitive, while the God of the New Testament is loving and compassionate. However, God gave commands to protect both His people’s lives and the message they carried. As previously stated, God does not change! The Israelites lived in an era of constant warfare, where nations fought for land and resources like gold and silver. When the enemy refused to listen, victory in war could not be achieved merely through messages of love and hope. The wars in which Israel participated were under God's leadership, aiming to preserve His chosen people so that they could bless the entire world.
By the time Jesus was born, the Roman Empire controlled much of the known world, and there were fewer wars. The Jewish people lived under Roman rule. At that time, they expected the Messiah to come and free them from Roman oppression, establishing His kingdom on Earth. However, most of them did not understand that Christ would not establish an earthly kingdom. He came to bring salvation to humanity and ultimately cleanse the world of sin and suffering. The time is near, and the world is approaching its final moments! Throughout history, many people have died waiting for Christ’s return. From Adam and Eve to the present day, God has always had a faithful people—those who keep His commandments and have faith in Jesus. Do not let the world deceive you—decide today to live with Christ because only God knows what tomorrow holds.
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
Revelation 14:12